[VGL EU] Round of 16 Preview

After an eventful first week, 64 teams have been narrowed down to the top 16 with a few upsets along the way. Let’s take a look at how things are shaping up for each of the brackets.

CATHERINE BRACKET

Media Pixel T1 (1) vs. RebelLion (4)

RebelLion ban first

MediaPixel had a close call last week after losing their first game to the lower seeded team, Reliable Union, but were able to regain momentum for the second and third games. Noticeably, Palmatoro has been missing from the starting roster and certainly the synergy seemed a bit off in their Round of 32 matches. Media Pixel have exemplary drafting skills and are able to draft a favourable composition every time, so RebelLion should counter this by playing to their own strengths rather than seeking to outdraft Media Pixel.

MediaPixelT1	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2	R32 Game 3
Mowglie	Phinn	Phinn	Phinn	Phinn	Ardan
Saif	Kestrel	Skye	Glaive	Kestrel	Kestrel
KValafar	Adagio	Rona	Vox	Adagio	Adagio
Palmatoro
ICESword
cOucOu

 

RebelLion	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
Nissim	Celeste	Ardan	–	–
RebelBukky	Kestrel	Kestrel	–	–
TrOY	Ardan	Sky	–	–
Arkay

 

SK Prometheus (2) vs. SK Odyssey (3)

SK Prom ban first

SK Prometheus is the stronger team of the two with an impressive roster that includes L3oN, who was the only player to reach Vainglorious Gold in season 1. With both teams coming from the same guild, it is certain that the players will be familiar with playstyles and preferred heroes. We should certainly expect both teams to exploit this and capitalise on mistakes that players are known to make.

	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
L3oN	Skye	Kestrel	Vox	Ringo
Jetpacks	Catherine	Adagio	Koshka	Adagio
TetnoJJ	Taka	Catherine	Ardan	Catherine
Raph29

 

	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
ADzero	–	–	–	–
Bayu	–	–	–	–
Cr3am	–	–	–	–
WalDeMar	–	–	–	–

 

ADAGIO BRACKET

RebirthofEmpire (1) vs. RebirthofKingdom (4)

RoK ban first

Confusingly enough we have RebirthofKingdom against RebirthofEmpire and it’s unclear whether or not there is any bad blood between the teams. RebirthofEmpire performed well in the previous qualifiers and were able to take the runner up position in the live finals. Empires have historically been stronger than Kingdoms with wider hero pool and better mechanical skill.

RebirthofEmpire	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
Nettetoilette	Ringo	–	Phinn	Ardan
GreatkhALI		–	Krul	Kestrel
IroNs	Catherine	–
UpFyr	Skaarf	–	Skye	Vox

 

RebirthofKingdom	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
Sc4rFac3
GangTurk	Ardan	Ardan	Adagio	Koshka
WickedJr	Kestrel	Skye	Ardan	Ardan
KaiMaiBrei	Celeste	Ringo	Ringo	Ringo
SilentOps

 

SNOW Tsunami (2) vs. AngryPandasBlack (3)

Angry Pandas ban first

Angrypandasblack are a very aggressive team, but they do not always take advantage of their early map control and fail to have good vision. This could lead to their detriment in the late-game if they are unable to close the game out. Against SNOW Tsunami, one of the more cohesive teams in the tournament, they will have to focus more on coordination and sleeker team fights. Due to the prevalence of popular and squishy carries in the meta, Taka is a good counter. If the Pandas are able to draft Taka for TonyLuo, it’s set to be a tough time for SNOW Tsunami.

SNOW Tsunami	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
alexmagic	–	–
Lookatme	–	–	Krul	Krul
1Lt	–	–	Ardan	Adagio
Sosiska	–	–
PTLam	–	–	Celeste	Skye

 

AngryPandasBlack	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
XuanXuan	Ardan	Catherine
Tombraider
TonyLuo	Taka	Ringo	Blackfeather	Koshka
legendARIEs	Skaarf	Skye	Adagio	Ardan
LeyaLeya			Ringo	Ringo

 

REIM BRACKET

G2.Kinguin 2 (1) vs. SK Chimaera (4)

G2 Kinguin ban first

G2. Kinguin 2 have a very strong roster with Reddix and majestiC, two of the five current European vainglorious players, in one team. It is clear that they have been able to secure their draft of choice most games, but against SK Chimaera, a team that is sure to have a pre-planned strategy, they may struggle.

	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
majestiC	Kestrel	Kestrel	Blackfeather	Blackfeather
Pips	Koshka	Ardan	Ardan	Ardan
Tesfaye
Kwinckultoss
Reddix	Skaarf	Skaarf	Skaarf	Skaarf

 

	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2	R32 Game 3
MYQ	Catherine	Ardan			Catherine
RoccoS
MEDIC					Skye
lloH4uk	Glaive	Adagio			Vox
RedWolf	Adagio	Ringo

 

RINGO BRACKET

SNOW Avalanche (1) vs. AngryPandasWhite (5)

SNOW ban first

AngryPandaswhite is the newer AngryPandas team and were able to knock the higher seeded NightsWatch out of the qualifiers in the round of 32. However, they have a tough match ahead of them as they come up against SNOW Avalanche. SNOW Avalanche, like their sister team, are also a very cohesive team making few mistakes. Pandas will have to recognise these mistakes and react to them very quickly to gain the advantage.

SNOW Avalanche	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
ColdICE	Skye		Catherine	Ardan
Kentysik	Koshka
Bashn	Catherine
Araxi			Skye	Adagio
HFGuy			Blackfeather	Blackfeather

 

AngryPandasWhite	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2
Xinyi	Catherine	Ardan	Catherine	Ardan
Daniir	Ringo	Vox	Kestrel	Skaarf
DaniReborn	Skye	Blackfeather	Skaarf	Krul

 

GS.Kinguin (2) vs. Team iPooed (3)

G2 ban first

G2. Kinguin bring TaisukeSan, formerly known as REDemption, back into the competitive scene. Although iPooed are the lower seed, this is a very evenly-matched game and it’s difficult to call how the game will go. There is a dearth of previous tournament footage for iPooed, so it is difficult to predict how they will perform under pressure against a more experienced team.

G2.Kinguin	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2	R32 Game 3
TaisukeSan	Ringo	Ringo
Face	Ardan	Ardan
DarkPotato	Taka	Skye
Zynthox
Tercus

 

Team iPooed	R64 Game 1	R64 Game 2	R32 Game 1	R32 Game 2	R32 Game 3
Blurink	Adagio	Adagio			Skye
Emirking					Ardan
LordGentleman	Blackfeather	Blackfeather
AdoneNF	Ardan	Ardan			Kestrel
KudoSz
Flobby

---

These games will take place Saturday, January 23rd at 6pm CET on the VaingloryLeague Twitch channel.