As the third week of ESL Pro League Season 5 wrapped up, some teams had begun to pull away from the rest of the pack. Although the teams will have the next seven weeks to grapple for pole position as the June 3 finals approach, the contenders are already starting to shake out. Here's how Week 3 went down in the North American region.
As dominant as Cloud9 has been at EPL, it looked shaky against Immortals in Week 3. Cloud9 (7-1) breezed through Game 1 on Train, where Tyler "skadoodle" Latham showed off his AK-47 prowess. Although skadoodle is better known for his AWP, he turned in a brilliant performance with the rifle, finishing with a 23/12 KD (kills/deaths) and a beautiful T-side pre-plant clutch against Lucas "steel" Lopes as Cloud9 took a 16-9 win.
The second map, played on Cobblestone, was a showcase for newly acquired Immortals player Lincoln "fnx" Lau. On top of a devastating 1-vs-5 ace clutch on the CT-side, fnx turned in a 28/13 KD and an efficient 122.7 ADR (average damage per round). Immortals (4-4), which impressed recently at IEM Katowice, looked three steps ahead of Cloud9's T-side on Cobblestone in a 16-8 win that earned Immortals a 1-1 split.
Although Cloud9 looked less than sharp, SK Gaming dominated Luminosity Gaming in Week 3. Fernando "fer" Alvarenga dominated Cobblestone with his bully-style rifle play in Game 1, earning a team-high 28/13 KD while being an indomitable force at the B bomb site in both halves. His CT-side triple kill with the M4A4 in the first half helped SK (8-0) climb back from a 5-1 deficit, and his three AK-47 kills on the T-side closed out the 16-8 win over Luminosity (3-5).
Game 2 took place on Cache, where SK Gaming kept its foot on the gas pedal. Marcelo "coldzera" David was especially ruthless, finishing with a 25/10 KD and a 104.6 ADR.
Coldzera has built a legacy off of cold-blooded playmaking, and he put his abilities on full display in Round 7 of the second half on the T-side. After planting the bomb at the A-site, coldzera perfectly read the two remaining CT players and ended the round with swift headshots for each one. That combination of smart play and world-class aim is what makes coldzera a hero for the Brazilian community, and it helped SK Gaming take Cache 16-8 and earn the 2-0 series sweep for the week.