The ESL ANZ Championships is back for the second season of 2021. Who will emerge victorious and crown themselves one of OCE’s best in CSGO?
- CAMO replaces lol123 but go down in opener to LookingForOrg
- Dynasty put Kanga to the sword, will meet LFO
- IEM Fall’s Order and Vertex highlight day two on Thursday
In a late change to stage two proceedings, lol123’s disbandment on Monday meant next-best qualifier CAMO received a promotion into the double-elimination bracket.
Not only that, but CAMO saw the return of Vox Eminor legend Azad “topguN” Orami, who is standing in temporarily for the line-up in stage two.
Unfortunately, their opponents in LookingForOrg would show no mercy in their 2-0 (16-12, 16-3) victory, which puts LFO just one series away from progressing to the playoffs.
They’ll meet Dynasty in the qualifier, who downed Kanga Esports 2-0 (16-4, 16-9) in one of the quickest series so far this season.
Thursday will see a reshuffled bottom bracket following the inclusion of CAMO, with Order now taking on Exsto Gaming, and Vertex against Ground Zero.
We’re covering everything ESL ANZ Champs S13: schedule, results and more.
ESL ANZ Champs: Twitch Stream
Season 13 of ESL ANZ Champs streams live on Twitch. Miss the action? Catch-up with full match replays posted shortly following the live broadcast.
ESL ANZ Champs Schedule & Results
Week 6 Schedule, Stage 2 Bracket Round 1 (September 13 – September 16)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 20 | LookingForOrg 2-0 CAMO | 6pm |
| Dynasty 2-0 Kanga | 9:30pm | |
| Thursday, September 23 | Exsto v Order | 6pm |
| Vertex v Ground Zero | 9:30pm |
ESL ANZ Champs Standings (Swiss)
Stage one of the ESL ANZ Champs began in August. Hosting a Swiss format, three wins secures a spot in the double-elimination second stage; three losses, and the team is sent packing.
All Swiss matches are best-of-one, with the final round a best-of-three series.
Stage two will see the qualified teams battle it out in a double-elimination bracket – the top four will meet in the single-elimination playoffs.
With ex-Paradox disbanding, Exsto, who finished ninth in the Swiss stage, will qualify on round differential over CAMO and Warriors.
| Place | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LookingForOrg | 3-0 |
| 2 | Order | 3-0 |
| 3 | Vertex Esports Club | 3-1 |
| 4 | 3-1 | |
| 5 | 3-1 | |
| 6 | Ground Zero Gaming | 3-2 |
| 7 | Kanga Esports | 3-2 |
| 8 | Dynasty Esports Club | 3-2 |
| 9 | Exsto Gaming | 2-3 |
| 10 | CAMO | 2-3 |
| 11 | Warriors Esports | 2-3 |
| 12 | 8Ballers | 1-3 |
| 13 | Bandits | 1-3 |
| 14 | Caught off Guard | 1-3 |
| 15 | Alke | 0-3 |
| 16 | Fury | 0-3 |
Week 1 Results, Swiss Round 1 (August 16 – August 19)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 16 | Order 16-4 Caught Off Guard | 6pm |
| LookingForOrg 16-6 Ground Zero | 7pm | |
| ex-Paradox 16-3 Alke | 8pm | |
| Vertex 16-4 Exsto | 9pm | |
| Thursday, August 19 | lol123 16-11 Fury | 6pm |
| Dynasty 16-5 Warriors | 7pm | |
| Kanga 16-12 8Ballers | 8pm | |
| Bandits 14-16 CAMO | 9pm |
Week 1 Recap (August 19)
Week one is done and dusted for ESL ANZ Champs S13, with teams shaking the rust off following the month-long player break.
As expected, the region’s favourites survived their opening best-of-ones, with Order, LookingForOrg, ex-Paradox and Vertex claiming double-digit margin wins.
Charlie “zeph” Dodd (24-11, 133 ADR, 2.01 HLTV rating) and Luke “ekul” Blakey (23-11, 104 ADR, 1.86 HLTV rating) combined for 47 kills as Paradox put Alke to the sword 16-3, while Ground Zero’s Champs debut struggled to get off the ground against a resounding Dire Wolves 16-6.
lol123 turned heads with their 16-11 win over Fury as they continue their rebuilding phase. Peter “BL1TZ” Athanasatos (30-12, 102 ADR, 1.62 HLTV rating) was immense as lol123 put on a Nuke T-side clinic.
They’ll be put to the test in week two, coming up against James “Roflko” Lytras’ Vertex, who showed they won’t be easy to handle this season with their 16-4 demolition of Exsto Gaming.
Week 2 results, Swiss Round 2 (August 23 – August 26)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 23 | ex-Paradox 16-12 CAMO | 6pm |
| (1-0 Record) | Order 16-7 Kanga | 7pm |
| Vertex 7-16 lol123 | 8pm | |
| Bandits 25-23 Alke | 9pm | |
| Thursday, August 26 | Dynasty 6-16 LookingForOrg | 6pm |
| (0-1 Record) | 8Ballers 16-10 Caught Off Guard | 7pm |
| Fury 3-16 Exsto | 8pm | |
| Ground Zero 16-9 Warriors | 9pm |
Week 2 Recap (August 26)
lol123 have gone from strength to strength in their rebuild, upsetting Vertex 16-7 on Nuke. Daryl “Mayker” May (23-14, 91 ADR, 1.43 HLTV rating) linked with Hugh “HUGHMUNGUS” Anderson (20-14, 97 ADR, 1.40 HLTV rating) to secure lol123 a 2-0 start in the Swiss stage.
Order breezed past Kanga 16-7 to join lol123 on 2-0, while ex-Paradox did it tough against CAMO on Dust 2. Reily “versa” Dundas (24-19, 89 ADR, 1.32 HLTV rating) led ex-Paradox to a 7-1 start but CAMO bounced back, and after taking the force buy, they threatened a boil over.
But ex-Paradox held on, putting on four straight to lead 14-9, with the five round lead proving insurmountable.
Bandits, formerly Eetswa, iced a thrilling Mirage 25-23 over Alke in double-overtime to lock in their first win at ESL ANZ Champs, while Alke now sit at 0-2 — just one loss away from elimination.
Match day two saw LookingForOrg maintain their strong form to start the season with a win over Dynasty 16-6, while Ground Zero locked in their first win of ESL ANZ Champs over Warriors.
Week 3 Results, Swiss Round 3 (August 30 – September 2)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 30 | Order 16-9 lol123 | 6pm |
| LookingForOrg 16-5 ex-Paradox | 7pm | |
| Vertex 16-6 Ground Zero | 8pm | |
| Dynasty 16-10 Bandits | 9pm | |
| Thursday, September 2 | Kanga 16-12 Exsto | 6pm |
| CAMO 19-17 8Ballers | 7pm | |
| Caught off Guard 16-14 Fury | 8pm | |
| Alke 14-16 Warriors | 9pm |
Week 3 Recap (September 2)
Our first stage two qualifiers in Order and LookingForOrg emerged, following strong wins over fellow 2-0 leaders lol123 and ex-Paradox.
USTILO continues his stellar form to start ESL ANZ Champs, sitting at 1.54 rating heading into round four – a full tenth ahead of next-best Roflko.
With two qualifiers also came our first two eliminated squads, with Alke and Fury falling short in round three to be sent packing.
Alke began their elimination best-of-one well, jumping out to a 5-1 lead on T Mirage, including three bomb plants. The trio of Oliver “Oily” Wilson, Brad “cl0ver” Robinson and Tom “slipary” Goodman would combine for 68 kills in the map.
But it was Colter “Dirty” Barstad (26-17, 91 ADR, 1.44 HLTV rating) proving the difference for Warriors, who hit back to lead the first half, putting on their own 5-0 run, then breaking Alke at 14-14 to reset their economy and confirm the win for the New Zealand-based organisation.
It was a similar story in the other elimination match, with Caught off Guard struggling for T rounds on Dust 2 as Fury opened up a 6-1 lead through multiple clutch retakes. Zachary “Oliff” Oliff (31-20, 113 ADR, 1.50 HLTV rating) was a standout performer for Fury as they set a 9-6 lead.
It was a second half of streaks, as CoG opened with five straight, before Fury found their stride with five of their own to lead 14-11.
It would prove to be their final round win at the tournament, however. Josh “Misfit” Hazell (28-19, 80 ADR, 1.25 rating) led Caught off Guard back into the fight on CT, and went five rounds in a row to snatch back the map win, eliminating Fury.
Week 4 Results, Swiss Round 4 (September 6 – September 8)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 6 | Vertex 16-9 Dynasty | 6pm |
| ex-Paradox 16-12 Kanga | 7pm | |
| lol123 16-7 CAMO | 8pm | |
| Wednesday, September 8 | 8Ballers 9-16 Warriors | 6pm |
| Exsto 16-10 Caught off Guard | 7pm | |
| Bandits 9-16 Ground Zero | 8pm |
Week 4 Recap (September 8)
Despite qualifying for Oceania’s final RMR event at IEM Fall, 8Ballers’ ESL ANZ Champs campaign has come to an end with a loss to Warriors 16-9.
Colter “Dirty” Barstad (24-11, 99 ADR, 1.57 HLTV rating) led the way for the New Zealand-based outfit as they piled on the CT rounds on Nuke, leading the half 11-4. 8Ballers nabbed the pistol and anti-eco in the second half but their economy was eventually broken at 8-12, and from there, the Warriors never looked back.
They’ll look to reverse sweep the Swiss bracket against Kanga, who come off a 16-12 loss to ex-Paradox in the qualifying best-of-one. It was a back-and-forth affair, with each team stringing together multiple rounds, but Kanga’s CT economy could not hold back-to-back round losses.
Elsewhere, Vertex and lol123 secured their second stage with solid wins over Dynasty and CAMO, while Bandits and Caught off Guard were sent packing from the tournament by Ground Zero and Caught off Guard.
The final week of the Swiss stage will see the remaining teams battle in a best-of-three series.
Week 5 Results, Swiss Round 5 (September 13 – September 16)
| Date | Game | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 13 | CAMO 1-2 Ground Zero | 6pm |
| Kanga 2-0 Warriors | 9:30pm | |
| Thursday, September 16 | Dynasty 2-1 Exsto | 6pm |
ESL ANZ Champs Preview, August 16
With the mid-year player break behind us, ESL ANZ Champs Season 13 opens up what should prove to be one of OCE’s most competitive seasons yet.
Sixteen of the region’s best and brightest CS:GO squads will take on each other in a battle for Counter-Strike supremacy, with $20,000 and the title of OCE’s best up for grabs.
Order and ex-Dire Wolves are early frontrunners, but there will never be a better time for a challenger to take on the big boys, with teams looking to shake off the rust from the break.
Check out our full preview of Season 13, including our picks for who might just upset the top two, and who we think you should keep an eye on heading into this season.
ESL ANZ Champs S13 Rosters
The player break saw a number of roster changes. Dire Wolves welcomed back veteran ap0c, while Ground Zero returned to CS:GO after almost a year away from the esport, forming players from Bizzarre Gaming and R!OT Gaming.
Shortly before the start of ESL ANZ Champs, renowned Australian organisation Kanga Esports re-entered Counter-Strike with the acquisition of Simplicity. In week two, Bandits picked up Eetswa.
Dire Wolves are through to stage two, but the organisation have since announced their departure from CS:GO. The roster is now searching for a new home.
Chiefs and Paradox have both departed their organisations, with the former Chiefs line-up competing as “lol123” going forward.
UPDATE (21/09): lol123’s disbandment means that CAMO will be promoted into stage two, with Azad “topguN” Orami standing in for
| Team | Players | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Valiance | USTILO | Rickeh | J1rah | Vexite |
| LookingForOrg | HaZR | sterling | Liki | SaVage | apoc |
| Vertex Esports Club | BRACE | pz | ADDICT | apocdud | Roflko |
| ekul | bedonka | rbz | versa | xertz | |
| HUGHMUNGUS | gump | BL1TZ | Mayker | soju_j | |
| Dynasty Esports Club | yourwombat | supa | spidok | matr1kz | rhys |
| Kanga Esports | DANZ | valentino | Edlinn | TjP | ryza |
| Bandits | SWANKY | mchun14 | tomo | Froz | nibke |
| CAMO | PeetyG | NikkeZ | Straxx | topguN | CyanideJR |
| 8Ballers | bogeymanh | Pacificdongr | Shoey | JoolzCheat | Onii |
| FURY | callum_murray | oliff | toM | Jimmy | Shockwave |
| Warriors Esports | ApeX | dirty | Mingovi | deqny | HaZ |
| Alke | bandit | Mr Shark | Oily | slipary | Velocity |
| Exsto Gaming | thrila | synical | N1ghtraid | rainstylez | coachyy |
| Caught off Guard | Misfit | Mega2F | Rev | viridian | kayoh |
| Ground Zero Gaming | ObZen | rekonz | mizzy | guag | nexar |