TL;DR
- Fnatic overcame early losses to eliminate Team Liquid and Na’Vi with dominant performances
- Mousesports executed brilliant strategic plays including a shocking 16-0 victory over Evil Geniuses
- Both teams demonstrated exceptional lower bracket resilience after initial group stage struggles
- Karrigan’s leadership transformed mousesports into a tactical powerhouse
- The final pits Fnatic’s raw firepower against mousesports’ strategic depth

After an electrifying week of intense competition, the ESL Pro League Season 10 championship match approaches with unexpected contenders taking center stage.
In a stunning tournament development, the grand finale will showcase neither Team Liquid nor Astralis, the perennial favorites. Instead, Fnatic and mousesports prepare for an epic best-of-five confrontation where tactical intelligence confronts explosive individual skill for the majority of a substantial $600,000 prize pool.
Both organizations navigated remarkably similar paths through the tournament brackets. Each squad encountered early difficulties that forced them through the challenging lower bracket route. Remarkably, both teams demonstrated exceptional resilience by systematically dismantling their opponents once they found their rhythm.
From these parallel journeys, both mousesports and Fnatic secured their championship berths by delivering major upsets against higher-ranked opponents.
Fnatic’s progression through the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals represented a classic comeback story, particularly during the initial phases. Following a humiliating 16-3 defeat against Evil Geniuses in their opening match, the Swedish squad was compelled to fight through the elimination bracket.
Their initial lower bracket encounter against Heroic concluded with a mere nine-round differential, showcasing surprising competitiveness from a team that had appeared formidable during ECS Season 8. Once Fnatic resolved their early inconsistencies, however, they emerged as the undisputed dominant force within their bracket. The Swedish powerhouse dispatched MIBR 2-1 before comprehensively overwhelming 100 Thieves to secure playoff qualification.
Fnatic confronted Team Liquid in the quarterfinals in what many anticipated would be among the tournament’s most compelling matchups. The reality proved dramatically different. The combination of Liquid’s worrying performance decline and Fnatic’s escalating firepower resulted in a surprisingly one-sided contest.
The Swedish roster made the series appear almost merciful, eliminating Liquid with surgical precision and efficiency. They registered a decisive 16-11 victory on Overpass followed by a commanding 16-8 conclusion on Inferno.
Fnatic presents an intimidating presence heading into the championship match. When even their in-game leader Maikil “Golden” Selim maneuvers through Overpass’ B-site securing triple eliminations, opposing teams have legitimate cause for concern.
Their semifinal confrontation against Natus Vincere proved more competitive, yet spectators sensed that Fnatic controlled the match’s outcome. Once Na`Vi secured Inferno 16-14, Fnatic exploited a Na`Vi squad that demonstrates puzzling overconfidence when holding advantages.
Fnatic captured the subsequent two maps convincingly, achieving 16-11 on Nuke and 16-6 on Overpass, to claim their position in the grand finale.
Under the guidance of Finn “Karrigan” Andersen, mousesports has evolved into a formidable competitive unit. The team has developed exceptional coordination over the preceding three months and now presents as a legitimate championship contender at the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals.
Mousesports comfortably handled the unexpectedly competitive ATK in Group B’s opening match before conceding a series to Team Liquid. Subsequently, mouz encountered Renegades. Both series revealed difficulties on Nuke, yet while Liquid outperformed them across three games, mouz achieved a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Renegades.
The victory against Renegades positioned mouz for a rematch with ATK to determine playoff advancement. Mousesports recorded an impressive 2-0 victory, surrendering merely 11 rounds to the emerging North American organization.
Mousesports faced EG in the quarterfinals in what potentially represents Counter-Strike’s most perplexing complete turnaround. After demonstrating consistent struggles on Nuke throughout the entire competition, mouz delivered a stunning 16-0 demolition of Evil Geniuses on the complex vertical map.
Round fourteen proved particularly devastating, prompting commentator Henry “HenryG” Greer to declare the map’s conclusion at that moment.
Once the match formally concluded, it appeared that mouz intelligently lured EG into selecting Nuke.
While nobody explicitly claims mousesports intentionally underperformed on Nuke during previous matches, this particular encounter suggested a plausible strategic deception. Between karrigan’s strategic commands and the formidable firepower available to him, mouz appears destined for top-five global ranking. Following their EG victory, mouz advanced to a semifinal confrontation against Astralis.
Most observers confidently predicted the match’s trajectory, yet mousesports electrified the Odense audience with an intense double-overtime battle on Train, ultimately prevailing 22-19. During one remarkable sequence, Karrigan eliminated three Astralis competitors using only a Desert Eagle without protective armor to secure an economic round against a fully-equipped Astralis squad.
After dropping Overpass 16-9, mousesports surprised Astralis on Dust 2 with a narrow 16-14 victory and secured their confrontation with Fnatic to determine the ESL Pro League Season 10 champions.
Both competing teams have surpassed expectations by reaching this advanced stage and stand prepared to conclude their 2019 competitive season in spectacular fashion. However, only one of these surprising contenders can ultimately claim victory.
The championship match promises an exceptionally close contest that contrasts mousesports’ tactical sophistication against Fnatic’s individual prowess. Fnatic appears positioned to capture the championship, particularly if Nuke emerges during the map veto process.
Mousesports seems unlikely to replicate their 16-0 performance against a Swedish organization that maintains an impressive 89% victory rate on this specific map. Fnatic doesn’t face an effortless path, but the team possesses players capable of clutch performances in critical rounds. If Fnatic fully demonstrates this capability, even Karrigan’s most innovative strategic concepts may prove insufficient to rescue mousesports. Most likely.
Strategic Considerations for Competitive Success
For teams aiming to replicate such tournament success, understanding map veto strategies becomes crucial. The ability to bait opponents into unfavorable map selections, as mousesports demonstrated against EG, represents an advanced strategic skill that separates elite teams from contenders. Common mistakes include over-reliance on favored maps without adequate preparation for counter-strategies, and failing to adapt when initial strategies prove ineffective. Advanced players should focus on developing flexible tactical approaches that can adapt to different opponent styles and map scenarios.
When analyzing team progression through tournaments, the lower bracket route often reveals character and resilience that straight-forward upper bracket advancement cannot demonstrate. This tournament provides excellent case studies in team development and strategic adaptation under pressure.
Action Checklist
- Analyze team performance patterns in lower bracket scenarios
- Study map veto strategies and baiting techniques demonstrated by mousesports
- Review key player performances and their impact on team success
- Compare tactical approaches between strategically-oriented and firepower-focused teams
No reproduction without permission:Game Guides Online » Fnatic, mousesports face off for ESL Pro League Season 10 championship Fnatic and mousesports defy expectations in ESL Pro League Season 10 with stunning upsets and strategic brilliance
