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Gfinity Elite Series Week 5 Preview: Gearing up for the finals

Members of the Sydney Chiefs esports team. (Photo: Gfinity Australia)
28th June, 2018
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Well, the final week of the Gfinity Elite Series is upon us. This weekend, the Hoyts Gfinity Esports Arena will host two more days of intense esports action as we try to find our top four.

Like the last month, it’ll be CS:GO to begin the esports action at 3pm on Saturday, before Sunday sees Rocket League take the stage at 10am, before Street Fighter V finishes it off at 4pm.

Every match of the Elite Series live on Twitch, while the Rocket League matches will also be on Network Ten’s sports channel; One.

Watch the Gfinity Elite Series LIVE on The Roar.

So, who’s going to book their place in the finals? Who will we be seeing on stage for the last time this season?

Let’s make the call.

CS:GO

The final weekend of the Elite Series couldn’t get off to a better start, with the Sydney Roar taking on Melbourne Avant in a winner-takes-all encounter.

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Interestingly, neither of these 2-2 sides have won on the same weekend. Sydney smashed the Chiefs in Week 1, before arresting a large half-time deficit to run down Brisbane last week, while in between it was Avant getting the job done over their cross-town rivals in Week 2 and knocking off the Deceptors the week after.

This is one of the hardest matches to read of the year – in any competition. It’s fair to say neither side is a realistic title threat, but they’ve shown enough to play finals. Avant have been more consistent, but the Roar’s best has probably been better so, with everything to play for, I’m giving them the nod.

The next match is a little bit easier to pick. Perth Ground Zero will be breathing fire after their heavy loss a week ago, and should take it out on the winless Brisbane Deceptors in a big way.

The CS:GO action then finishes off with a pretty enticing encounter between the Sydney Chiefs and Melbourne Order, with the winner finishing atop the standings.

You’d think this would be a hard one to call, but Order’s top strength line-up tore Perth to shreds a week ago in horrifying fashion. This is their competition to lose now and they should prove as such with a win here.

Rocket League

It’s deja vu of a good kind for esports fans on Sunday morning, with the opening clash between the Sydney Roar and Melbourne Avant once again a case of win and you’re in, goodbye if you lose.

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Having the top four teams in a six-team comp qualify for finals means you run the risk of having a completely undeserved team feature and that’s what’s happened here. Neither of these sides will give any of the top three headaches, but a win here will be a huge fillip for whoever does make it.

Their records are identical at 1-3, but the Roar have been a lot more competitive in the games they have lost, so once again they get the tick here.

The deja vu will continue into the second match of Rocket League. Perth have been impressive all season and will give the championship a huge shake. Brisbane are yet to win a game – and they won’t break their duck here.

The last match, once again, is a clash for first place – although if Ground Zero can get the sweep they’ll factor into this conversation too.

This is, in all likelihood, a grand final preview between the Chiefs and Order. In a reverse of the CS:GO clash, however, it’s the Chiefs’ returning first-string line-up who’ve looked unstoppable. They get the tick here.

Street Fighter V

We open again here with the Sydney Roar and Melbourne Avant although, in this instance, it’s the winless Roar going up against the undefeated Avant.

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The Roar are more of a chance here, given Avant’s tendency to only win games 4-3, although if we’re being serious here it’ll be an Avant win – and maybe before round seven.

Brisbane’s Street Fighter team are the only Deceptors team to notch a win this season, and they’re a sneaky chance to score a second one this week against a Perth team who’ve had some big dips in form over the short season.

In fact, a sweep by the Deceptors could see them sneak into the finals in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Ground Zero do have a lot to play for here and, despite the aforementioned inconsistency, do deserve favouritism here.

It’ll be the Sydney Chiefs and Melbourne Order to close us out but, with neither side a chance of finishing first nor missing finals, don’t expect them to show a lot.

These sides will almost certainly be facing off in the first semi-final and if they decide to feel each other out this week instead of go at it, it could be an intriguing match-up.

I think Order are the better side but, if the match isn’t played at full gear, expect the Chiefs to nab the win.

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