ESEA Open Playoffs 2024 preview: 9 teams to watch, but who will win?

The Oceania ESEA Playoffs are right around the corner. We’re taking a look at each team, what I think each will achieve in this playoff bracket, and who to watch out for.

Vantage Navy

After a rough ESL Challenger League campaign, Vantage rebuilt the roster Moneyball style and came into the bracket as the first seed for a reason. 

The only undefeated team in the regular season, Vantage has had a great showing, rocking a shiny new lineup including ex-rkon superstar of Ryley “Jynxx” Linde alongside former KZG power duo, mastermind Ming “Mingovi” O’mallon, and Jaymes “JiNxZiE” Fake.

They have been one of the best teams to watch so far (lucky Oni!).

The quality of the team has been far above the rest of the competition so far; their close games have been against Canon Event (16-14) and Underground (13-11), and while both teams have had a ton of growth in a short amount of time, the pedigree of the players alongside the mind of Mike "hudzM" Hudson has been unmatched. 

In my mind, the only team that can match them in this season of ESEA open was SemperFi who missed out on one of the top spots. 

While the team has been a well-oiled machine, the player who has consistently caught my eye has been Braiden “Drox” Webb. Drox has been playing consistently well—a rock for a team with very streaky individuals. This level of consistency has been long sought in the region and Drox has been very very fun to watch (yet again, lucky Oni!).

God's Work

Matthew “Swanky” McDonald has done it again, he has made an ESEA Open playoffs. It's hard to give Swanky all the credit, though; he has been surrounded by a lineup that has been here and done this before. 

The roster, especially Hayden “nibke” Cooper and Fabian “Fab” Constanza, should be comfortable with making a deep playoff run in any case. 

Let's be real; it’s God's Work, they are going to make a deep run nevertheless!

Canon Event

After the loss of Michael “Kras” Krasnoff, the future of Canon Event was up in the air. While others may have written them off, Canon Event stuck to their guts and made some solid moves, picking up AWPer Reegan “Crack” Bell from Altered Edge. who immediately filled in the void left by “Kras”. 

The Parnell disciple has transformed a team from a directionless baby deer to a top-tier and top-seeded team that looks to compete at every level. However, just to avoid filling his ego too much, credit needs to be given to in-game leader  Miguel “Mitzy” Tribo-Errazo. His calling has improved so much recently and he looks to be on the up as a future IGL in OCE. Overall, this team looks poised for a deep playoff run. 

Has Crack filled the big shoes of Kras? Maybe: The best way to test it is with the best of the best in the ESEA playoffs.

Rebound

After a deep run in the ESEA playoffs last season Rebound looked poised to be a frontrunner of Season 51. However, the eighth seed had losses to Dinq, Inferno Gaming and Zeo,  showing off their inconsistency all through the regular season.

The past is the best indicator of the future; they should turn on the jets and have another deep run to get a relegation spot yet again, especially with the impact of the Nope duo “Oddnope” and “evenope.” 

Their outside-the-server antics have easily made them the villains of the current bracket. It's going to be an interesting storyline to follow. 

Five Kings

At the time of writing, Five Kings have come off possibly their worst performance on Mirage against Larzes Legacy. It was a tough watch and I imagine that it would have been rougher to play; however, the ninth-seed roster led by Adam “Ratzz” Henderson has been an interesting watch. 

Wins against Dinq, Grip n Spin, and Bronze Movement have shown off their ceiling as a team. However, with the team being known as ‘face it pug addicts, ' They still have a lot to prove as “FACEIT pug addicts”, so hopefully, this is going to be an interesting mix-up. I’ve got them finishing middle of the pack in my mind but it should be a good showing for the upcoming kings. 

Altered Edge

Altered Edge, sigh. where to start? 

They have been the definition of a single word this season — inconsistent. Elijah “CoachParnell” Parnell’s men have been showing signs of the great Counter-Strike we know they can play: We have seen this team fire on all cylinders and look unstoppable.

New pickups Lachlan “Belly2k” Bell and Rohan “Myst99” Dube have performed almost instantly after being added to the roster, allowing them to find their footing and giving the team more consistency. But the role shuffle after the departure of “Crack” has given at least more responsibility to the core of this roster: Mitchell “ElephanT” Rahn and Ethan “lawlkay” Mistica have both changed roles and while there were growing pains, they look to have settled and just in time for playoffs.

Honestly, the only thing I can truly bet on is the Parnell Principle: If Parny wins, we all win.

Grip ‘n’ Spin

If there is one thing I know about the Grip ‘n’ Spin boys, they are gripping me tight and they are spinning me until I pass out (a true love story, some would say). 

The five stack, led by the forever journeyman Marcus “Phones” Allendrug, has been placed as the fifth seed but honestly, the fact they have to carry the ‘backbone’ of the team, Jarrod “streaty” Streatfeild, I fear it may be too much for the likes of Ryan “7ambo” Patteison, so for me, they aren't going to go far in the playoffs.

Not even worth talking about! At all! (I’ve been informed that they aren’t able to play playoffs anyway)

Above the Rest

Look, I'm a simple man. I see Luke “Zuko” Sanders, and I fully believe in any project. 

After the roster shuffle saw the removal of Kenan “Kezza” Alhadweh, Aidan “CrasH” Ziersch, and Seph “luffy” Lasakul, Above the Rest has been built around the ever-improving AWP of Elijah “Rhyu” Pair and the calling of Connor “csJ” Jones. 

Additions of Zuko and Alexander “AJ” Dummett have proven to be some of the sharpest shooters in the region and they have performed. Zuko and AJ have given experience and space to a caller who is new to the role and allowed him to flourish in a new environment.

It's something that's allowed the power duo to be one of the scariest things in the regular season (other than Vantage Navy, that is). They should go far, but don’t be surprised if the team needs another season in the tank to improve. 

Underground ESC

Underground, you remind me of a night out. It starts amazing, time and time again, but always ends up with disappointment and a mighty headache the following day. 

The number of times that Nathan “Mechanical” Scott’s men have started a season amazingly but have always fallen short at the final hurdle always causes me heartache. This time, I think it might be different (I sound like I'm going back to my toxic ex). The team has shown a level of cohesion that is unrivaled in OCE. Alongside the amazing levels of teamwork, the personal effort from Luca “beeb” Lyons and Cooper “Coops” Taylor has been outstanding.

The duo has hit his top form coming into playoffs and I expect it to continue throughout the whole playoff series. It may be enough to get them over the line.

Shanghai Sharks 

Last but not least, the Sharks. The names on this team alone should make them an automatic lock for a top-four spot in the playoffs. 

The amount of talent that comes out of the powerhouse trio consisting of Matthew “Mag1c” George, Alex “Harbor” Debney, and Hayden “W0mbat” Hamilton has been the best show in the server for this season and I assume they have no plans on stopping for the playoffs.

This is a team that aims to win it all and probably has the best chance to challenge favorites Vantage.

Best of luck to all teams! This series of playoffs is possibly going to be some of the best Counter-Strike we have seen in a while and it's good to finally have some good food around this time of year!

The ESEA Open Playoffs are on RIGHT NOW! The best place to check if there are any streams is here under the live stream tabs to see if any games are being broadcast live!