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Five things we learned from Round 3, Day 2 of the Gfinity Elite Series

Members of the Brisbane Deceptors esports team. (Photo: Gfinity Australia)
19th June, 2018
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It may not have been the most evenly-matched day of Rocket League last Sunday, but amidst the sweeps there were some key learnings to take from it all while, conversely, the Street Fighter V tournament took some twists.

Here are five things we learned from Round 3, Day 2 of the Gfinity Elite Series.

1) Both the Rocket League and Street Fighter finals are set
In a five-week regular season, it’s no surprise that some teams found themselves facing do-or-die scenarios in just their third game.

We had that scenario across all three tournaments last weekend and, after looking at both the standings and the upcoming fixture, it’s pretty clear we already have our top four in both Rocket League and Street Fighter.

In Rocket League, the Brisbane Deceptors had a golden opportunity to get themselves into the finals race coming up against the winless Melbourne Avant, but instead found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 sweep.

They find themselves, alongside the Sydney Roar at the bottom of the standings in both Rocket League and Street Fighter V – with no wins to their name.

While they’ll both play each other next week, there’ll likely be little more than pride on the line. Barring something truly outrageous, Perth, the Chiefs and both Melbourne teams will be battling it out for the big bucks come July.

2) The Sydney Chiefs will be unstoppable in Rocket League from this point
The Chiefs were short-priced favourites to claim the Rocket League gong from the get go – the challenge was always going to be how they’d navigate the opening fortnight with their first choice players off in London.

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They struggled to put the Roar away in Week 1, before sweeping Brisbane the week after – although the 3-0 scoreline flattered the Sydneysiders.

Last week they came up against an all-conquering Perth Ground Zero side and, while they had their top guns back, still entered the game as narrow outsiders.

Any doubt they’d be able to back up for the Elite Series was quashed in an instant, however, with the Chiefs handing Perth their only three game losses of the season in dominant fashion.

The first match may have been decided in overtime, but a 5-0 score in Game 2 and a Game 3 played almost entirely in Perth’s defensive half left the crowd in no doubt as to who the new favourites are.

With no signs of rust or hubris in the Chiefs line-up, they’re well placed to take the Rocket League crown in a canter.

Members of the Sydney Chiefs Gfinity Elite Series esports team celebrate a victory in CS:GO

Members of the Sydney Chiefs esports team. (Photo: Gfinity Australia)

3) Next week is Brisbane’s last chance to win a game
The Deceptors have been gallant all season long in all three tournaments, but the cold hard fact is that none of their three teams have been able to register a win.

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Their Street Fighter team came tantalisingly close against Melbourne Avant last week, taking a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven before falling short in a tiebreaker.

It was the closest they’d come to victory since their CS:GO team took a 10-5 lead into half time against Melbourne Order in the first game of the Elite Series, and you could feel the disappointment in the crowd once the result was known.

But, fear not Brisbane fans – your best chance to taste victory is this weekend.

They may not quite have the class to push the Sydney Roar’s CS:GO team all the way, but they’re a fair shout in Rocket League and probably start slight favourites in Street Fighter V.

They’ll have some home fans against them, but few in the crowd will truly be begrudged if Brisbane finally break through.

4) Melbourne Avant still have a lot to work on in Street Fighter
Sitting atop the ladder as the only undefeated team would have you breathing pretty easy, right?

Not so, if you’re on Melbourne Avant’s Street Fighter team.

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All three of their matches this season have taken the full seven rounds to decide and, while that made for thrilling viewing against Perth and Order, they should have had the Deceptors finished off in no time – and couldn’t.

While Brisbane deserve credit for taking it to the ladder leaders, Avant seem to almost rely on the adrenaline of a tight game to get the best out of themselves.

They need to learn how to put the foot down on a lesser opposition if they want to remove the question marks before finals.

5) Perth are still the team to beat for the Club Championship
It may have been a rough weekend for Ground Zero, with their CS:GO and Rocket League teams tasting defeat for the first time.

But an upset victory by their Street Fighter side still has them primed to be awarded the club championship – for having the best overall result across all three games – at season’s end.

Currently in third – behind Order and the Chiefs – the boys in Green should start favourites in just about every match left on their schedule.

They’ve got a mouth-watering three-game slate against the Order next weekend, where they should be able to triumph in CS:GO and Rocket League, before the final week gives them an opportunity to feast on Brisbane while the aforementioned frontrunners fight amongst themselves.

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There’s still an enthralling finals series left to play, but right now the club championship looks like it’ll be making the trek across the Nullarbor.

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