It's time to herald in a new season of the North American ESL Challenger League! There have been numerous changes in the league, with NRG introducing Nick "nitr0" Cannella as their new leader, BOSS undergoing restructuring, and various movements across teams. Last night kicked off with four league matches, seeing Nouns, LAG, Limitless, and others diving into the action.
NRG 2-0 Limitless
NRG started their ESL Challenger League season triumphantly, dominating Limitless. They swiftly secured a 2-0 victory, prevailing 13-5 on Anubis and 13-3 on Inferno. nitr0 demonstrated exceptional form, achieving a 1.67 HLTV Rating and a 1.64 Impact Rating in last night's performance.
Nouns 2-0 Take Flyte
Following NRG's lead, Nouns began their season energetically against the former One More lineup. They comfortably secured a 2-0 victory over Ancient and Dust2. Nouns decisively won on Ancient with a 13-3 scoreline, repeating their success against this lineup. The Dust2 match was closer, but Nouns maintained control throughout, clinching a 13-9 victory.
Elevate 0-2 LAG
In the first upset of the season, LAG surprised everyone with a narrow 2-0 victory over Elevate. The ECL underdogs, rebounding from their win at the Void.gg Invitational, appeared poised for a comeback after a disappointing end to last season. LAG's victory, especially after losing a core player, marks a surprising turn and potentially the beginning of a successful run for the young team.
BOSS 2-0 Mythic
Mythic faced a tough start to their ECL season against the revamped BOSS, who proved too formidable for the streaming team. BOSS' recent addition, Keller "SLIGHT" Nilan, excelled with 41 kills across their 13-9 win on Ancient and 13-8 victory on Nuke. The former Wildcard AWPer has already found his stride in the new team, and BOSS are kicking off the season positively.