SCL 1v1: Tournament overview

NHLGamers, 

We're now at the stage of the SCL 1v1 where only the best remain. Last year, we saw 16 of the best Swedish players show up at the LAN finals in Uppsala, but this time we're taking things online due to the pandemic and restrictions coming with it. The goal of this article is to give an idea of how the tournament has went and who the remaining players are. We're also taking a shot at overviewing who has the best shot at advancing to the finals.

Anyways, here's a quick rundown of the tournament structure:

Group stage - around 90 participants

• 9 groups with 10 players
• One game against each opponent
• Six players from each group advance together with the six best 7th placed players (60 players in total)

2nd round - BO5 playoffs (60 players left)

• players were seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation.

Third round - BO5 playoffs (30 players left)

Fourth round - Finals group stage (16 players left)  <--- WE ARE HERE!

• Invitee Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund joins the tournament at seed #1
• Players are placed into four groups with four players each
• Two games against each opponent
• Two players from each group advance into the top 8

Finals - 2nd of October @ twitch.tv/NHLGamer (8 players left)
 

Who's still in?

Lots of familiar names are in competition at this stage, but we've also got some fresh faces like @lidman1 and @Henka0009, who somewhat surprisingly are pushing through to the top 16 after upsetting @Frompa- and @Foppatofflan respectively in the 2nd playoff round. The reigning and defending champion Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund joins the competition at this stage and immediately jumps into action in a tough group 1 together with none other than dear teammate Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann.

Above: SCL 1v1 Champion 2019: Henrik "eken45jr" Eklund
 

We talked with the defending champion @Eken45jr to get an understanding of his mindset going into this tournament at this stage:

How do you feel about joining at this stage when the others are already warmed up, do you think it adds to the difficulty?
- It feels great to get going with competitive games once again, especially when joining the top 16. Watching the others play really got my itch to compete going. I don't think they have an advantage, I'm usually good to jump right into the thick of things.

What's your usual routine for keeping up the form?
- The recipe is simple, really. I just try to play some games every day against the best opposition I can get. 

Which players would you suggest keeping an eye on in the tournament? Is there any player that you wouldn't want to face moving forward?
- I feel that especially Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen, who showed off his talent at the IIHF tourney earlier this year is an interesting name in the tournament, he is really good. Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander has also looked great this year but has struggled in tournaments so it'll be nice to see if he can make it this time. Naturally we also have the usual suspects Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist and @Lehmannens who aren't to be counted out. I don't think theres any players I wouldn't want to face, if I can reach my highest level, I'll beat anyone!
 

Once again, due to my very limited knowledge of the versus-scene, I turned to a fellow gamer and community favorite caster Adam @esdor Ericson for some insight into who to keep an eye on:

Note that the predictions were made in the afternoon of September 29th before any games were played.

Group 1:
Advancing: @Eken45jr
The players fighting for 2nd place are @Lehmannens and @Tmybror, unfortunately for @lidman1 the group is too tough for him.

Group 2:
Advancing: @Rubituss
Obviously, this is Esdors own group and he would like to advance himself, but if the other guys were to be evaluated, @Henka0009 is slightly ahead of @amadee21.

Group 3:
Advancing: @SebbeLarsen86
Behind the clear winner, the group is wide open. @Thunborg5 has some skill but is prone to letting his emotions get the best of him. @JoeeelOD flies a bit under the radar and can surprise. @xwirran isn't one to be counted out, he completed a reverse sweep against @Kingen_86 before the top 16.

Group 4:
Advancing: @antoniomannen004
All the press is on Ante to take the 1st place but he has struggled in tournaments this year. @Hockeyjohannes or @oggezed is the pick for the 2nd spot.

Who is your favorite to win it all this year? The finals are on already tomorrow, so don't forget to tune in for that event!