Live on stage at EPIC.40, the groups for the Intel EPIC Masters Cup Kettering tournament were drawn. The draw came at the end of a long show on the EPIC.LAN main stage, a talk show going across every game that was taking place this weekend. Led by the on-stage panel, the groups were drawn in pots, into their groups through random wheels .
The tournament will feature four groups of eight teams, played as best-of-ones. In a change to the previously announced format, in order to adapt for MR12 that’s required for CS2. First, as seen if you play the Premier matchmaking mode, there will only be one round of overtime if teams end regulation time in a draw. This will only count in groups, and will revert to normal once playoffs come.
As per that, the points that’ll be dished out will be the following:
| Regulation Win | 3 points |
| Overtime Win | 2 points |
| Overtime Draw | 1 point |
| Overtime Loss | 1 point |
| Regulation Loss | 0 points |
For seeding of the groups, they were put into the following pools in order for the best teams to avoid playing each other right at the start of the event. The pools are as follows:
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
| Raptors EC Make A Wish K10 Puffle Pals | Souls Land Invictum Grannys Knockers but Good genetexe | I need more bullets The Bald, The Gothic and the Squid Nose Chucklestorm Strikers 4NR Disposal | Flowstate Frogians Ross Kemp Bald Jeffrey Rizzstein |
| Pool 5 | Pool 6 | Pool 7 | Pool 8 |
| Left Lean Gang I-I-I-_-I-I-I The Binmen Algorithm | Weenie Hut The Last Resort The Book Club Temporary Fire | VALIANCE Tokugaywa Flashing Somewhere Sharp Dressed Men | TESCOOL Granny’s Knockers Diablo Litter Pickers |
As such, after the draw live on stage and stream, the groups will be as follows:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Puffle Pals Grannys Knockers but Good 4NR Disposal Frogians Algorithm The Book Club Flashing Somewhere Litter Pickers | K10 Souls Land I need more bullets Flowstate The Binmen Temporary Fire VALIANCE TESCOOL | Make A Wish Invictum The Bald, The Gothic and the Squid Nose Ross Kemp Bald Left Lean Gang The Last Resort Tokugaywa Diablo | RAPTORS EC genetexe Chucklestorm Jeffrey Rizzstein I-I-I-_-I-I-I Weenie Hut Sharp Dressed Men Granny’s Knockers |
From immediately looking at the groups, Group B is this LAN’s group of death, with a number of exceptionally strong teams from their pools placed right into it. Fireworks are expected throughout, so a good weekend of Counter-Strike is set to come upon us.
EPIC.40 commences tomorrow at 10am, with matches available to be watched on twitch.tv/epiclan1, and a selection of ones from community casters and streamers playing the games. Keep an eye on twitter.com/UKCSGO for links to those games, and the UKCSGO.com website for updates throughout the tournament weekend.
