Brstimir takes another win; Novo still winless

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Last week we have had many exciting matches in this season’s FIFA competition. The first round of FIFA22 in A1 Adria League had an amazing start, as we have seen brstimir took down Novo, the three-time champion. While rookies like Jero debuted in the league. Yesterday the second round of the group stage was played, and it wasn’t any less interesting.

Brstimir, Mrky2402, and esad1memic defeatless

Last night we saw another surprising playday in the FIFA22 competition. Round 2 in the group stage opened esad1memic and Encika, two Bosnian players. Esad already secured his first win last week, and he was looking good before this match. The match itself started patiently. Esad waited until the 70th minute to score his first goal. And he kept the lead until the end. In the second match, Esad opened a bit more brave, and he scored 3 goals quickly, putting himself in a great position before the next round.

In the second match played between Serbian player brstimir and Pecho, who both had a 1:0 lead from the previous week, brstimir still was a slight favorite seeing he took down the three-time champion Novo in the first round. In yesterday’s game, both players took one win for themselves, while the third and deciding one went into the hand of brstimir, who is showing great performance and becoming a huge favorite for winning the whole championship.

The third match of the day was played between our vice-champion from season 5 JasikFIFA and our newcomer Mrky2402. Mrky totally dominated in the first match showing no emotions on our screen whatsoever. And we know it was not because he is shy in front of the camera. It was because he knows what JasikFIFA is capable of and that he might come back into this match. The second match produced a ton of fun for our viewers. JasikFIFA took the lead 2 times, but it was not enough to get away from Mrky’s offensive abilities. It was extra time that decided the winner. Mrky scored in the 114th minute for his second win of the day. This puts him in a very good position for the next week, where he might be our first player in the final 4 if he manages to beat brstimir. Which isn’t going to be an easy task.

The last pair was Novo versus the rookie of the season Jero. Novo came in as a clear favorite, even though he lost in the first round, he has a lot more experience than his opponent. But as Jero didn’t have anything to lose in this game, he gave his all, and in the end, it was worth it. He managed to win against the three-time champion of A1AL, and show that Novo’s form is not as strong as before.

FIFA22 standings

A good day for favorites in the Brawl Stars tournament!

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After a short delay, we are finally having the first round of the group stage in a mobile game Brawl Stars. The ninth season of the A1 Adria League in this game is starting, and we have already seen in the qualifiers how interesting and intense these matches can be. The group stage is continuing in this matter.

The top teams came out victorious

For a couple of seasons now in A1 Adria League one team has been the dominant force. Salada de Frutas, ex Zidari have been showing a great performance for more than one season. This was without a doubt the best regional Brawl Stars team, and this season these guys are aiming to defend the championship and the good name. As we have seen in the qualifiers, Salada de Frutas managed to win three consecutive ones and advance to the group stage as the first seed. As the highest placed team today they were fighting the eighth-seeded team Balkan Kids. It was a stomp from the defending champions, and the match was over before you could blink. After just 15 minutes Salada de Frutas defeated their opponent without losing a single map.

In the other matches, we saw Skeleton Army or Smetlari as you know from qualifiers take on Jazavci, the team that won the first qualifier. In the end, it was Jazavci who came out victorious as expected, as well without losing a map. The third match of the day was between Big F, a team that showed really good performance throughout all the qualifiers, and You Lose. The favorite in this matchup was Big F, who justified their role and finished the game with a 3:1 score.

Dogs and 33 Esports were the pair and seeds closest to one another. Dogs finished the qualifiers in fourth place, 33 as fifth. In the end, it was Dogs who managed to secure their first win in the group stage and gain an advantage.

Brawl Stars standings

4glory demolish ghoulsW; BLINK takes another win!

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Only a couple of days after the first round in the CS:GO group stage, we already have teams fighting in the next one. The second round of the A1 Adria League was an interesting one. The favorites justified their role and secured their well-deserved victories making their way to the playoffs. Slow and steady, but surely. BLINK and BLUEJAYS are so far the best-positioned teams with two wins.

BLINK and BLUEJAYS defeatless

The second CS:GO round was opened on Inferno with the duel between XTEAM and BLUEJAYS, one of the top favorites for winning the tournament. XTEAM had a great start, which was surprising seeing who they were against and the fact they are the second-worst seed. They managed to win the first seven rounds, and it looked like they would dominate the rest of the game and make a big upset on BLUEJAYS. However, the Macedonian squad got back in the game and took this win for themselves.

BLINK, the team that was one of the first to secure their spot in the group stage via qualifiers, secured their second win of the tournament. They were playing against Zero Tenacity on Inferno. Even though BLINK had a great start, Z10 managed to even the score out to 11:11 and for a second it looked like they were gonna reverse the game to their advantage. However, BLINK kept their cool and ended up winning the five remaining rounds, ending the game with a 16:11.

The third match of the day was between 4glory and ghoulsW, this time on Ancient. The clear favorites of this game were 4glory which made a statement tonight. They dominated their opponent, didn’t give them a single round, and finished the match with a 16:0 score. After a shaky start last week, where they lost to XTEAM, 4glory is showing they are still the strongest seed and huge favorites for winning the championship.

The last match of the day was clear domination from team Oto100. Again on Inferno, they easily defeated their opponent Monad eSport. Monad had a really bad performance today, they had only one member of the team who had a positive K/D, and it was ROGA with 21 kills and 15 deaths. In the end, Oto100 deserved this win which they ended with a 16:7 result.

CS:GO second round standings

Next two CS:GO playdays are going to be a part of round 3 in the group stage. After which we will get the first team that will advance to the playoffs and one that will be eliminated. The next matches are scheduled for May 15th.

XTEAM upset 4glory; Great start for BLUEJAYS!

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The first matches of the CS:GO group stage in the A1 Adria League are over. We have seen the best eight teams take on each other. Even though it’s still the first round, every win counts, and it is better to get those leads early in the stages, seeing the competition is fierce this year. BLUEJAYS were one of the teams that showed their dominance right at the start of the competition.

Different starts for 4glory and BLUEJAYS

The first matches of the group stage were really intense, and after just one playday we have seen some surprises. All matches were Bo1 today so there was no place for mistakes that could easily be punished.

The first match of the day between the invited team BLUEJAYS and the qualified ghoulsW was played off-stream. Both teams had a chance to show their skill on Inferno, but as was expected the Macedonian squad came out victorious. It was a clear stomp for BLUEJAYS who ended up the match with a 16:2 score for which they needed only 25 minutes. BJ means business and they showed it already in the first match of the group stage. This squad is a familiar name in the region and A1AL. They have been playing in the league for many seasons now and are at the moment number 47 on the HLTV ranking of best CS:GO teams.

The second match went into the hands of Zero Tenacity who managed to defeat Strive in chaos, now Monad eSport. The map was once again Inferno and Z10 bested their opponents with a 16:9 score. Monad signed the defeated roster of this matchup and they are now playing under their name. Great things are expected from this team, and they will have more chances to show that.

The biggest surprise of the day happened in the match between the second invited team of the season 4glory, and the qualified XTEAM. The Serbian squad as the first seed took on XTEAM which was an eighth-seeded team. It was XTEAM who managed to defeat 4glory, and it was an easy win for them. Even though the score on Vertigo was 16:11 the skill they showed deserved an even better score. As the match was coming to an end 4glory woke up, but it still wasn’t enough.

The last match saw the favorite come on top. It was Blink who defeated Oto100 with a 16:7 score on Mirage. Blink was one of the first teams that secured their spot in the group stage of the ninth season, and they are showing it.

The next matches will be played on May 11th, and seeing how today went, from here on out we can only expect even fiercer battles.

CS:GO group stage round 1 standings

 

Best Clash Royale teams made it to the playoffs!

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The one and only qualifier for one of the most popular mobile games Clash Royale is over after a long day and some tough battles. Clash Royale is making its return to the A1 Adria League after a break of two seasons.

Team Snipe and Bomboñera came on top

This Saturday we have seen some great fights over the eight spots in the playoffs. It was as intense as ever and the best eight teams successfully secured their place in the next stage. Next week they will have a chance to fight for the 1000€ prize pool.

The qualifier was held in a SWISS format, so eventually, the teams that managed to gather the most points went further in the competition. We have seen some familiar names such as ConeKorleone who was the champion of Clash Royale in season 4 of A1 Adria League. This time seeing he and his team didn’t have a good time, they finished the tournament at the bottom, due to the early ragequit, after just two rounds.

We have also seen one team not follow the rules of our tournament. Namely, TeamPirates had a player from Portugal which means he couldn’t participate, seeing A1 Adria League is only eligible for players and teams from the Balkan region.

Regarding the teams who came on top, it was Team Snipe and Bomboñera who alongside Vazduhoplovci, Lava Gods, and Black Riders scored an overall of 18 points and secured their place in the playoffs. CRO-PRO and Elite Skills also made it to the next stage with three points less or 15 points. The last team that came through as eighth got an automatic win in the tiebreaker over their opponents who didn’t show up. It was team LEGEND that came in clutch.

Next week, on May 14th, we will see who will become the champion and take away the prize. Good luck to all qualified teams!

Brstimir took down Novo in the first round of the group stage!

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The group stage of the A1 Adria League finally started, and first on the schedule was FIFA22. The qualifiers were one of the most interesting and intense ever, and the group stage started in the same matter. At the very beginning, we have seen two of the favorites clash against each other, but the other three matches were exciting as well. This is also the first time this season that we could actually see the reactions of the players via their cameras on stream.

Brstimir takes the edge after day 1

Today we have seen four very interesting matches, and it all started with the battle between Petar “DrPecho” Susnjar who finished first after qualifiers, and the last place Enes “Encika” Hodzic. Even though Ecnika said he had already accomplished his goal, he showed today he isn’t done. In the end, the winner was expected, it was DrPecho who defeated his opponent with a 2:0 score.

One of the most anticipated matches was between the three-time champion Tarik “Novo” Novo and Miloš “brstimir” Majdevac. It was final before final, and their rivalry resurfaced tonight once again. Novo however couldn’t prove his legacy this time, and it was brstimir who, with patience and skill, secured a very important win today. With a 2:0 score, brstimir put himself in a great position after the first round of the group stage.

The third matchup of the day was between two Bosnian players, JasikFIFA and esad1memic. The first match was decided by the penalties. Penalties are Esad’s strong suit, but JasikFIFA probably knows him too well, and he easily read his cheeky panenka attempts. The second match gave us 7 fantastic goals to see. But it was Jasik who won 4-3. His passion and happiness were very visible on the screens, and he went 2:0 in the end.

Last but not least we have seen Marko “Mrky2402” Matancic take on rookie of the season Karlo “Jero” Jerkin. Mrky2402 came into this match a clear favorite and he justified this role. He was dominant against Jero, but seeing this was Jero’s first game on stream, he might need some time getting used to it. It’s only the first round, and nothing is over yet.

FIFA22 first round of group stage standings

The next round will be played next week, on May 13th.

Stevan Mačkić: The viewers can expect big surprises!

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We witnessed an interesting four qualifiers in FIFA22 this season. The group stage in A1 Adria League is starting soon, and the competition has never been more intense. Before the beginning of the SWISS group stage, we talked with a well-known FIFA caster Stevan Mačkić about the qualifiers, this year’s competition, his expectations, and more.

Last season FIFA22 was a brand new game. How different is it this season?

The transition from PS4 to PS5 included the transition to Hypermotion, and the difference is noticeable but difficulties exist every year and the players are adapting over and over again. The autumn season is always challenging for players in A1 Adria League because it comes at the transition from one to the other game, and they (the players) SWISS style part of the league play with new teams, but I think the quality always comes to the surface.

This season’s qualifiers were one of the most intense ones ever. We didn’t know who was going to advance up until the last qualifiers cup. What does this tell you about this year’s competition?

It is enough to point out the fact that for the winner of the second qualifier Luka, not even 100 points was enough for him to advance to the SWISS stage, and it’s clear about what kind of competition we are talking about. The bar has been raised to the next level and to enter the league stage is not enough for you to shine in one qualifier, but to constantly play well and earn points from week to week.

Many familiar names made their way to the group stage. Who do you expect to see in the finals? 

As a caster, I must remain impartial and objective. All I’ll say is that the viewers can expect big surprises.

FIFA Stevan Mačkić

What do you think about Amke’s performance in the qualifiers, seeing that he didn’t manage to win a single cup but still advanced to the next stage as the second seed?

I have always seen Amke as one of the most talented Balkanian players. The three consecutive titles in A1 Adria League prove that. Do I agree with everything he did and wrote after the sixth, seventh, and especially the eighth season, that’s a completely different question. In the ninth season maybe Amke had a slightly weaker start, but I have never doubted that he will be able to adapt to the gameplay and secure his spot in the top 8.

Do you think that someone can dethrone Amke, or the championship is his once again?

Amke’s confidence is on a high level, after the eighth season’s finale he himself pointed out that it was “the easiest ever A1 Adria League title to win”. Is he going to effortlessly win another title in the ninth season we will find out in the next month.

The ninth season finals will be broadcasted as a part of Reboot Online Games Week in Osijek. What is your experience from the finals last year, and are you looking forward to the one in Osijek? 

After the one in Zagreb in June last year I thought it can’t get any better than this, but then in Šibenik, I received the stage and studio which can compete with the production of FIFA Global Series tournaments. I am convinced that the management of the league led by Leonardo and Marijana will exceed expectations once again and that all of us from the FIFA Balkan Community will provide the audience with the best experience that the regional scene can offer at the moment. I would also like to thank our tournament admins Maid Korić and Tarik Gagula for taking care that every week everything goes well during the preliminary phase of the qualification tournaments. Regarding us casters, Mole and I are ready and we can’t wait for the beginning of the SWISS stage.

 

killax: We are where we deserve to be, at the top!

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The VALORANT championship in A1 Adria League is completed, and after two weekends of great games, we have gotten our first champion in this game. Balkan Stars managed to defeat everyone and win the title. We talked with the captain of the team killax about their experience, the championship, as well as their plans for the future.

How does it feel to be the first winner of VALORANT in the A1 Adria League?

Firstly, I would like to thank the whole Adria team for the chance to compete. Regarding how we felt at the beginning of the competition, we were pretty euphoric, but right now we feel like we are where we deserve to be, at the top. We plan to stay there.

You justified the role of favorites. What do you think about the competition, and who would you single out as the toughest opponent and why?

That’s right, we even fulfilled our own expectations. The competition was solid, and we would like to single out team Minima who showed us for the second time that we shouldn’t underestimate them and that they are worthy opponents. They were the toughest opponents, and the reason is exactly the resistance that they put playing against us.

You didn’t lose a single match in the playoffs. What influenced such good performance of the team?

I want to thank the whole team. Everyone remained calm and kept a good mentality throughout the whole tournament. My teammates and I worked really hard to get to this point, and I’m glad we played the way we did. I would also like to thank everyone who showed their support. All the time we spent practicing really paid off.

This year we have had a change in the format, some games are only played for two weekends in a row. VALORANT fits this category as well. What do you think about this way of competing? 

We think that this format is good. Maybe it would be better for next time to separate quarterfinals from semifinals and finals. Because playing the quarterfinals on the same day can affect the players and their performance.

Instead of the standard four games in A1AL, this season we have seven. What do you think about these changes in the league?

We are happy that VALORANT finally got the attention, and we are glad to have had the chance to be a part of this league. We also hope that in the future seasons we will be there as well.

What are your plans now, considering VALORANT competitions?

Our plans at the moment are to be on the top in VALORANT East United, the competition which hosts more than 15 neighboring countries, and the competition looks interesting and very challenging. I would also like to take this chance and mention that we are looking for an organization that would help us improve and do great things together. So if some organization is reading this, and believes in our potential – we are waiting for you.

First VALORANT championship in A1AL goes to Balkan Stars!

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The first VALORANT tournament in our A1 Adria League is successfully finished. We have enjoyed two weekends of Riot’s FPS, and seen some great teams compete for the title. In the end, it was the regional favorites who won it all. Balkan Stars are the first A1AL VALORANT champions.

Balkan Stars dominated the playoffs

We have seen a lot of great matches today. Seeing that all of them were Bo3, the fights were intense. Minima took down in the first round a familiar name in the region. Zero Tenacity fell down to them after all three maps. On the other side of the bracket, it was Diamant Esports who was dominant. They went on to secure the finals without a loss.

In the first semifinals, we have seen Diamant Esports defeat SHEEESHSQUAD with a clean 2:0 victory. They were dominating their opponents in both games. As expected they showed great skill and deserved to be the first to secure today’s spot in the finals. The other semifinal was an intense one. Even though Balkan Stars won with 2:0 the fight was closer than it looked. Both matches ended up with a 13:11 score. Minima didn’t give up at any point in the game but in the end, they failed to make it to the finals. They were really good in the second game of the semifinals and had a lead over their opponents, but Balkan Stars after changing sides managed to come back and secure the finals.

Balkan Stars gave it all against their opponents Diamant Esports in the grand final. They took the first game on Fracture and showed some amazing gameplay. The second match was a really intense one. Balkan Stars started well on Breeze, but somewhere in the middle of the match, Diamant managed to even out the score to 8:8. After that Balkan Stars picked up their game and went on to win the remaining 5 rounds, ending the second match with a 13:8 score.

Balkan Stars win the first VALORANT championship in A1 Adria League with a 2:0 victory and take home the 700€ prize. Congratulations!

Bakistuta: I expect 4glory and BLUEJAYS in the finals

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The group stage in CS:GO of A1 Adria League is just around the corner. We will be able to enjoy the best eight teams in the region competing for the title and the prize. But before the start of the league, we talked with a CS:GO caster Bakistuta about his expectations of the upcoming CS:GO competition, new season, qualified teams, and many others.

The qualifiers of A1AL S9 are completed. Which teams that qualified for the league were the biggest surprise?

I didn’t see many surprises in the qualifiers, we have seen all of these teams many times in recent years, but if I have to single out one team it would be ghoulsW with one of my favorite players desire and FURIA. They had many obstacles in the qualifiers, and after their victory over ELITE they completely deserved the spot in the league. I would also like to mention another surprise, this time negative because I don’t see Marten Rising between the qualified teams. I know they have the quality to be alongside the best teams, and when a team has Muffy and Ruda, I only have the highest expectations.

What is your opinion on the power ratio between the two invited teams BLUEJAYS and 4glory and the qualified ones?

The fact that these two teams are the invited ones speaks for itself about their form and reputation. We have great teams who managed to qualify, but my head and my heart tell me that BLUEJAYS and 4glory are one step above the others. 4glory at the moment has one of the best Serbian rosters ever, and when your manager is Dejan “BAX” Atanackovic only the sky is the limit. I don’t want to waste many words on the Macedonian squad BLUEJAYS, their results speak for themselves. Great guys, fantastic skill. Aside from this league, I predict them even bigger success than what they have achieved so far.

What do you think about who will we see in the finals this year?

If the bracket allows it, I expect 4glory and BLUEJAYS in the finals. Both teams strive to become the champions, so anything less than a final for them would be a serious fiasco.

This season we are witnessing a lot of great individuals, who would you single out as ones that are worth paying attention to?

Everyone from 4glory and BLUEJAYS fit this category, it’s pointless naming them all. Besides them, there are old school players like Neno, pure class, to the young talents such as Depreshn and Katalic. I have to admit I recently have been watching a lot of Maki from Strive in chaos. When you take down a team like Fnatic, that speaks a lot about your game. And another man I have to mention, who isn’t a player but the coach, heart, and brain of the team Zero Tenacity, Untouched. Under his leadership, experience, and directive you can win against everyone.

How strong is this season’s competition compared to the previous one?

Every year the stage is improving more and more, new players are showing up, and blowing us away with their moves. Alongside the new players, the ones who have been there for years are becoming even more experienced and better throughout the practice and time. So every new season is better than the previous one.

Only the decider matches in the SWISS phase will be Bo3, unlike before when all the matches were in this format. Do you think that the change in format will have an impact on the final score?

I’m glad you asked this because often it happens that these kinds of changes go unnoticed. It’s a huge difference when you play Bo1 and Bo3 matches. Anyone who follows any kind of competitive game will agree that it’s much easier to upset and win against a favorite on one map rather than three. For sure this will bring a chance for us to see many surprises.

What are you looking forward to the most this season? 

I am looking forward to good broadcasts, many fantastic plays from our Balkanian maestros, and the enormous amount of quality content, as well as in CS:GO as in other games.