The 54th season of ESEA playoffs is heating up, and the Entry Division is full of excitement. Panico eSports entered the knockout stage hoping for a strong start, but their opening match quickly showed that the road to success won’t be easy. Although the team had to accept a loss in their first game, fate gave them a moment of relief, as a bye allowed them to advance and catch their breath. Will this chance be enough to rebuild morale and come back stronger in the upcoming matches?
Panico off to a shaky start
Panico eSports 0:2 Unit
11:13 | Ancient
The first map of the series was Ancient, chosen by Panico eSports. The choice might come as a slight surprise, since in this season whenever Panico played Ancient, it usually ended in defeat for them. Nevertheless, the team decided to start the series on this very map. From the very beginning, however, the match was extremely close, with neither side able to hold the initiative for long. The first half ended in a draw, which only highlighted how intense the clash was. In many rounds, Panico managed to respond to their opponent’s attempts, but they lacked that finishing touch to close out the rounds. These small slip-ups ultimately kept the situation wide open after the side switch.
The second half also failed to produce a clear favorite. The score hovered around a tie for a long time, and the fate of the map was only decided in the very final rounds. There, however, Unit showed greater composure, capitalizing on their chances and closing out the first map with a 11:13 victory. Despite the loss, Panico eSports did not perform poorly on an individual level. The standout was Bud1nC4, who finished the map with 25 frags and 17 deaths. Voila also deserves recognition, recording 22 kills and just 15 deaths. Those are certainly numbers that could have secured a win in another match. Unfortunately, this time strong individual performances did not translate into the team’s overall result.
7:13 | Dust 2
The second map of the series was Dust 2, chosen by Unit. Panico had played several matches on this arena during the season. Some ended in victories, others in defeats, making it difficult to predict what to expect. On paper, it looked like another closely contested matchup, but reality quickly proved otherwise. From the very first rounds, Unit looked confident and steadily built their lead. By the end of the first half, the 4:8 advantage clearly showed who was controlling the game. Panico tried to recover after the side switch, but the opponent didn’t relax and closed out the map without major difficulties. The final score of 7:13 secured Unit’s victory both on the map and in the entire series, 0:2.
Unfortunately, this time none of the Panico players finished with a positive K/D, but it’s worth noting that the team looked solid as a collective. Voila and fRO5T ended the match with identical stats of 15 kills and 16 deaths, while Bud1nC4 added 14 frags with the same number of deaths. These numbers show that despite the loss, Panico was not clearly outclassed individually. However, they lacked round-closing efficiency and a cool head in key moments.
What’s next for Panico eSports?
The entire series ended with a 0:2 result, and it’s hard not to see this match as a lesson for Panico eSports for the future. On Ancient, the team was really close to victory, but a lack of consistency in the crucial rounds denied them a better result. Dust 2, on the other hand, showed that there is still work to be done on stability. The opponent took control from the very beginning and never allowed it to slip away until the very end.
Individually, the performance wasn’t bad. Especially on the first map, Bud1nC4 and Voila stood out with very strong showings. On the second map, however, Voila, fRO5T, and Bud1nC4 all maintained a balanced level. The problem, as it turned out, was a lack of round-closing efficiency, which is crucial in the playoffs against challenging opponents.
For Panico, this loss does not mean the end, but rather serves as a signal of what to work on before upcoming matches. If the team learns from their mistakes and improves their consistency, they can still fight for their place in the rest of the season.
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