This past weekend marked the ZOWIE 16 Cup, the first tournament of the year, in which 16 European teams compete for shiny gaming mice and bragging rights. For many, it would be a first real preview at how the ETF2L season would unfold.

The first round proved to not be much of a surprise, with the high-level teams moving past their opponents with ease. This set up the quarterfinals with the first matchups between Premiership teams. Reason Gaming moved past recently promoted Premiership team dd + 5 friends with ease, while Full Tilt managed to secure a close 2-0 victory against Team Infused. A mix team of EU veterans called Russkies proved they still had it by beating Publiclir.se. The fourth quarterfinal, between LEGO and Planet Express, proved to be the closest match of all, with LEGO taking the first map of Badlands 4-3, Planet Express striking back by taking Gullywash 5-4, and LEGO barely securing the series with a 3-2 victory on Snakewater. Thus, four veteran teams moved on to the semifinals.

The first semifinal was between Reason Gaming and LEGO. LEGO managed to take the first map of Sunshine by taking the only round scored in a game dominated by stalemates. Reason Gaming were not to be deterred, however, rolling their way to a flawless victory on Snakewater. Thus, the series decider went to Gullywash, where LEGO were unable to stop Reason Gaming tilting the odds into their favor, closing out the map 6-2 to book their tickets into the grand finals.

On the other side of the bracket, established team Full Tilt were matched up against veteran mix Russkies. Full Tilt struck first by taking a close victory on Snakewater 2-3. However, Russkies fought back on Gullywash, where a back and forth game eventually went into their favor 5-2, tying up the series. On the final map of Badlands, Russkies took their momentum and used it to crush the map, winning the map 6-2 and taking the second spot in the grand finals.

Thus, the tournament came down to a matchup between the reigning champions of Europe against a mix of veterans who had won many championships of their own. The fight began on Sunshine, where Reason Gaming struck first by winning the first round after a 17 minute statemate. Russkies took their own lead by winning two rounds, but Reason Gaming reestablished their lead back with two rounds of their own to close out the map 3-2. The momentum from the win helped Reason Gaming to take an early lead of two rounds, but Russkies cut it in half by taking a round of their own. As time dwindled, Reason Gaming were able to stall the game out to ensure their victory in the map, series, and tournament.

Final Standings

• 1st: Reason Gaming (6 ZOWIE ZA-12 mice)
• 2nd: Russkies (6 ZOWIE G-SR mousepads)
• 3rd-4th: LEGO, Full Tilt
• 5th-8th: dd+5f, Planet Express, Team Infused, Publiclir.se
• 9th-16th: Got I'm boiz, PC MASTER RACE, Crispy Niglets, Lowpander, KaoS eSports, Stick Men, Uber Outcats, Peril Puppies