High Seed Pool

4Kings

Adam "AdY" Brown
Keir "aKuJii" McCann
Thomas "DaY" Rudstrom
Joona "natu" Leppanen
Louis "Red`" Nyberg

The Four King’s team that has become a familiar name within the realm of international CS competition is without one of its cornerstones this time around in Dallas. The recent departure of six year clan veteran Mangiacapra sent shock waves throughout the fan base that has grown around the team in England. In his place will be Red` who previously had a 9 month involvement with 4k, leaving after disappointing results at ESWC in 2005. The recent addition of AdY to the roster propelled the team to a first place finish in London last month and if they can slingshot that teamwork into CPL expect great things from this revamped squad. If Red plays at his best a Top 10 placing is a very safe assumption.


Against All Authority

Steeve "Ozstrik3r" Flavigni
David "Xp3" Garrido
Fergus "ferg" Stephenson
Marc "bisou" Naoum
Guillaume "Geno" Ntep

Newly revamped aAa of France has seen its share of success as of late. With the majority of the team being composed of ESWC France winner WebOne, aAa has gone onto take CPL Italy and placed 5-8th at CPL Nordic. Picking up Geno has given the team a boost in that with only a few days of having him on the roster they were able to take those two placings. Coming into Dallas fresh off those two showings has put a buzz around a team that had formally descended into relative mediocrity. While the field at CPL will be significantly more difficult for them then it was in Italy, with the preferential position they have in group seeding expect them to fly through the first tier of play. Second tier will be where to watch as they fall into a group with one or two potential knockout teams. An unfortunate grouping could push them out before bracket play, however with this team an upset is quite possible.


compLexity

Matt "Warden" Dickens
Corey "tr1p" Dodd
Danny "fRoD" Montaner
Tyler "Storm" Wood
Justin "sunman" Summy

Complexity is entering the CPL without the same hype and momentum that has surrounded the team in recent events. Complexity struggled at the WSVG Finals and finished a disappointing 7-8th. Complexity’s win over wNv looked impressive, but losses to SK.SWE and Hacker combined with their recent 5-6th place finish in CEVO-Professional left a bad taste in the mouth of coL fans.

Following a win at Digital Life the expectation was for Complexity to build off its past success into a strong placing in both CEVO and WSVG. Now with those finishes behind them, coL has to be ready to put the past behind them and focus on the event at hand. With an impressive showing at the pre-CPL Lethal Gamers event with wins over 4K, Pentagram, and 69°N-28°E, coL looks rejuvenated and ready to play at the CPL.

There is some concern that Complexity has lost some competitive drive as Team 3D and Pandemic have both been more consistent in recent weeks. Also, Jax Money Crew has had coL’s number lately, with defeats at Lethal Gamers and in the CEVO playoffs. Complexity has not been an underdog for a long time and will look for nothing short of a top five finish.


Fnatic

Harley "dsn" Orwall
Patrik "cArn" Sattermon
Kristoffer "tentpole" Nordlund
Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg
Oscar "archi" Torgersen

Going into WSVG Finals only one Swedish team had a major buzz around them and it wasn’t Fnatic. After NiP was efficiently swept underneath the proverbial rug of brutal defeat all eyes were on Fnatic as they trounced PGS, SK, and coL on their way to a third place finish. 4th-8th place in China for Kode5 put them up against a high level of talent that resulted in a first round bracket play knockout following intense group play. With a solid roster of highly talented players that have had almost a year to build up teamwork, this clan is capable of a top finish. High fraggers Tentpole and f0rest are a powerful combo when they play to their potential with momentum that is hard to stop once it gets rolling. Bracket play is almost a guarantee while a top 5 finish could easily be within grasp.


g3x

Alexandre "gau" Chiqueta
Alexandre "ali" Donini
Norberto "Lance" Lage
Brando "jimmy" Barrientos
Mason "mason" Dickens

G3neration-X had a promising start to their CPL adventure by topping MiBR to win CPL Brazil. g3x worked their way back from the lower bracket (they lost to MiBR in the Upper Bracket Finals) to defeat them twice earning a spot in the CPL Winter Championship. Wellington "ton" Caruso, the former GameCrashers and Made in Brazil player, was an able replacement for the retired Rodrigo "Crash" Neves Rodrigues.

However like usual, Visa problems have again caused trouble for this team. Like their trip to WSVG’s Intel Summer Championship, g3x will be attending with two ringers. Caruso and Olavo "Chucky" Napoleao could not get visas to travel to the United States and so g3x has tapped two players to fill in. Mason Dickens and Brando “jimmy” Stillacci will play for g3x at the CPL Winter event. Stillacci is a former g3x member and a current member of Cubesports, and Dickens is a former member of Mug N Mouse, zEx and Forsaken.

G3x’s potential to follow up their CPL Brazil win with a good placing is seriously degraded with these replacement players. G3x has proven that they can perform well with stand-ins but with Dickens not being Brazilian and having very little time for preparation the prospects for g3x living up to their past results seems highly unlikely.