Amidst all the action within the TF2 community during the summer, one important event took place: the ETF2L Nations Cup #6. And in its sixth iteration, the tournament saw national 6s teams from thirty-two countries fight to see who were the best fraggers in Europe.
The absolute madman (picture by Ness "uberchain" Delacroix)
The tournament started off with the group stage, where teams were divided into groups of four, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the playoffs. Fan favorite teams such as England, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark advanced to the knockout stage along with other countries.
With the group stage done, the playoffs began, as the remaining sixteen countries looked to climb their way through the bracket. The first round of the bracket saw England, Russia, France, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, and Germany move on to the Quarter Finals.
The Finnish asset (picture by Ness "uberchain" Delacroix)
In the Quarter Finals, England easily dispatched the Russian comrades in a 2-0 sweep without dropping a single round, while the Frenchmen took a very close series against the Danes after winning a golden cap round on the final map of the series. Sweden vs. Czech Republic was another close affair, with the Swedes taking the final map of the series to send the Czechs back home. Germany was the last team to advance to the Semi Finals with a 2-0 win against Finland, though the Germans had to fight for their spot after the Finns gave them a run for their schnitzel.
Only four teams remained after the Quarter-Finals, and they would all fight for a spot in the Grand Finals. Kicking off the Semi Finals would be England taking on France in the first match-up. The series started on Process, with France winning a golden cap round 3-2 to take the first map of the series. England fought back on Badlands, and they were able to take control of the game to win the second map 4-2 to tie the series all together. Gullywash was the tiebreaker map, and after thirty minutes of fighting, both teams were tied 3-3, forcing a golden cap round to decide the victors. In the twenty-two minute golden cap round, France was able to pull the upset to eliminate the Brits and move on to the Grand Finals.
On the other side of the playoff bracket, Sweden looked to challenge Germany for the final spot in the Grand Finals. Starting off on Process, Sweden got the upper hand on their opponents to take a commanding 6-1 win on the first map, putting the series in their favor. Germany regrouped between maps to bring their A-game on Snakewater, taking the map 5-4 with a golden cap win to tie up the series. The final game on Badlands was a blitzkrieg for the Germans, taking round after round without any signs of stopping. Sweden tried to get a few points for themselves, but the Germans profoundly took the map 8-3 to close out the series and head to the Grand Finals.
The Epsilon super duo tagged up one more time (picture by Austen "tagg" Wade)
With only two teams remaining, the Grand Finals saw a showdown between France and Germany, with pride on the line for both of them. Process was the first map of the series, and while the Germans did their best to hold on to their defense, the Frenchmen broke through and took the first map 5-0 in twenty-nine minutes. The second map on Snakewater was more interesting, with both teams tied 1-1 at the six minute mark. The next twenty-four minutes however saw the Germans taking control over the Frenchies to earn two points and win the map 3-1. Thus, the last map would decide who would win the Nations Cup: Gullywash. Despite Germany going in with momentum from the last map, the French charged through the German squad and sliced them with their bayonets. With their stallions riding fast, France defeated Germany 6-1 to take the map, the series, and the Nations Cup championship for France.
The final standings for the ETF2L Nations Cup #6 are:
- 1st: France
- 2nd: Germany
- 3rd: England
- 4th: Sweden
- 5th-8th: Russia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland