The FaceIt Global Summit was the first of two PUBG Classics taking place in 2019, giving fans a chance to see each region’s best teams as they compete to be crowned as PUBG’s new global champion.
Some have said this may be the most talented lobby we’ve seen thus far, and I can see where that’s true. The twenty-four most successful teams during Phase 1 were invited to London, with the best sixteen moving into the Grand Finals. Unfortunately, some prominent teams were unable to make it into the finals. Overall, I agree that this is the best collection of teams we’ve seen at an event. Two of the teams that I would have loved to see advance into the weekend were ENCE and OMG. Both teams possess a large following and have had success in previous tournaments. While ENCE might be a new name in the PEL circuit, the players are not. They’re an elite team that I fully expect to see in Stockholm for the GLL Grand Slam, following Phase Two of PEL. ENCE placed first during a thorough 60 matches in PEL Phase 1 Kick Off, earning themselves a ticket to London. As for OMG, it was a tough tournament from beginning to end, placing dead last during the Elimination Stage. Being someone who primarily covers NPL and PEL, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the team. I naturally assumed the team was going to be as effective as the last time we watched them on the global stage, where they became PUBG’s first champion at PGI in July of last year. Obviously, they’ve been successful enough to arrive here with the top teams from around the world, but clearly, something wasn’t clicking. After struggling through group play, they moved into the Elimination Stage, a “win or go home” situation, but they had dug themselves too deep of a hole to place eighth or higher.
To my surprise, and adding to the difficulty of this lobby, the Korean (PKL) and Southeast Asia region teams were successful throughout the tournament. It’s somewhat of a recycled storyline, but the Asian regions have been playing catch-up in first person perspective. However, when checking the final leaderboard, the standings provide a different narrative. The OP Gaming Rangers and VSG from Korea consistently outperformed other teams, and Armory Gaming from Thailand momentarily had a chance to look down on the other fifteen teams during Day Two. On Erangle, the OP Gaming Rangers are a Military Base looting team. This was pivotal to their success because out of the six matches played on Erangle, five of the first-phase zones had Military island inside, and of those five matches, three ended on the island. I believe OPR proved themselves across both maps and actually won the lone Erangle match that didn’t shift south. Sadly, a minority of viewers attributed their win to “circle luck”, which is unfair. Ultimately, the OP Gaming Rangers outlasted their competition in a final match that had many fans on the edge. With plenty of teams in the mix, OPR began the final match in first place. They were going to have to survive late and keep pace on kills to outlast the teams right behind them. Towards the end of the match, multiple teams crashed into one another at the top of Everest, eliminating teams that were in contention for first place. Then just to the South East of Hospital, between the double two stories and a “f*** boy” shack, the final zone shrank. It all boiled down to OPR’s excellent positioning, taking the four additional placement points and a few critical kills as the match and tournament winded down. I’d like to congratulate OPR on their steady performance, taking home the beautiful FaceIt Global Summit trophy and a crisp $150,000.
From the North American (NPL) region, we saw one team rise to the occasion. Shoot To Kill, who was signed by Lazarus on Tuesday, positioned themselves for success on Day Two. After securing chicken dinners on the first and last Mirmar rounds, the team placed fourteenth, fourth, and third down the stretch. This made things interesting atop of the leaderboard due to their massive sixteen-kill win in Round 9. The STK boys, or “Mirmar Gods” as I prefer, were one of six teams neck and neck heading into the final match. Being NA’s last chance to steal first, viewers watched the top leaderboard teams drop out of the match early, giving STK the opportunity they needed. The team was actually able to sit in first for about three minutes during the match, before eventually falling short by a narrow four points to the OP Gaming Rangers. As I mentioned, the news broke today that Shoot To Kill has finally been picked up by Lazarus, a familiar team for NPL fans. During Phase Two, I’ll be expecting to see that logo on the opposite end of the leaderboard.
As for the other NA teams, the window of opportunity to mount a comeback closed as the games progressed. Team Envy advanced through the Elimination Stage by playing well among the other teams, two of which placed fourth and first in the Grand Finals. Unfortunately, they couldn’t deliver during the final two days when it mattered most. Envy was able to start the Grand Finals on back-to-back top three placements, before hitting a bumpy stretch of six consecutive Mirmar matches. That, combined with a tough final day, landed the team in sixteenth following the twelve Grand Final matches.
Tempo Storm, the NPL Phase One Champions were not like themselves on the big stage. After dominating the other North American teams during the opening phase of NPL, Tempo struggled to put their game together against the world’s best. The team found some success on the back half of both days, grabbing second behind STK on Mirmar, and then ending their tournament with a second place finish on Erangle. The team fell early and often, appearing more comfortable on Mirmar. During both days the team briefly reminded us of the Tempo Storm we know.
Cloud 9 was not backing off their standard loot territory during the group stage, which was commendable, but in a lobby as talented as this, spending the majority of your loot phase trading with another team is a risk not worth the reward. Depending on the day, they were fighting off both Team Liquid and 17 Gaming, who also consider Pochinki home. So as teams dropped into Erangle for the first match of the Grand Finals, all eyes were fixed on what could have been a deadly hotdrop. It was made apparent during group play (and on Twitter) that Team Liquid wasn’t going anywhere, 17 Gaming also seemed prepared to fight early for their territory, leaving the casters and viewers wondering if three teams were going to descend on Pochinki. To our surprise, Cloud 9 called an audible and dropped early on the north shores of Military island. They were rewarded with the zone and placed sixth in the opening match, then switched to dropping on Rozhok in the following Erangle matches. Cloud 9 appeared to be out of rhythm, and it was announced on Wednesday that “Lobes”, the leading fragger for the team during the Global Summit, would be replaced in Phase Two of NPL. I’m excited to see who is added as their fourth, and how the team adapts during NPL with this new member.
From PEL, Team Liquid was busy getting involved in what felt like every fight on the final day. They’re aggressive, yet sensible when making a decision to push or pull off for positioning sake, demonstrating once again why they’re regarded as one of the very best. Team Liquid battled with 17 Gaming for Pochinki through the first three rounds of the Grand Finals, forcing both teams to take early engagements with minimal loot. Again, this is a risk typically not worth the reward. So after the first set of Erangle matches, the tournament shifted to Mirmar for the next six rounds. Then it was time to move back to Erangle for the final three rounds, we watched Team Liquid change it up and unexpectedly drop on Ferry Pier. They were met by Team Envy who didn’t jump for Yasnaya like previous rounds. After this, Liquid switched to dropping on Mylta Power in the final two rounds. It would be interesting to know what the game plan would be had FaZe qualified for the Global Summit, but that’s beside the point. The adjustment to their looting phase paid off immediately, placing in second during the 11th match. This set the stage for a huge final round putting Team Liquid within striking distance of first place. In the end, a difficult rotation over Everest resulted in a blood bath. As four teams collided, Liquid was eventually surrounded before falling to an Entus Force nade. Strangely, they’re the only team that placed within the top eight that didn’t win a round during the Grand Finals. And while it’s easy to say afterward, the team appeared to be catching their stride as the games went on. People may disagree on the best of twelve format, but I do believe Team Liquid would benefit from playing more rounds.
Here is the final standings for the FaceIt Global Summit PUBG Classic:
(PKL) OP Rangers
(NPL) Shoot To Kill
(PEL) Liquid
(PKL) OGN Entus Force
(SEA) Armory Gaming
(PKL) VSG
(PCPI) 4 Angry Men
(SEA) Aerowolf One
(PEL) Winstrike
(OCE) Incognito
(NPL) Tempo Storm
(NPL) Cloud9
(PEL) Ninjas In Pyjamas
(PKL) Afreeca Freecs Fatal
(PCPI) 17 Gaming
(NPL) Team Envy
The next PUBG Classic has been announced as GLL Grand Slam, taking place in Stockholm on July 19th - 21st. Teams will now return back to their respective pro leagues, fighting yet again to secure an invite to the global stage. With “Roster Royale” in full swing, many teams will take on a new appearance in Phase Two of league play. I’m excited to see the adjustments made and who comes out on top! Follow me on Twitter, @ThirdPartyNews, or bookmark the website link to stay up to date on pro PUBG news.
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