Ten teams have gathered in Dallas to determine who will be the crowned the ESEA Season 4 Champions in both Counterstrike 1.6 and Source.

Several big questions are left to be answered. Can EG repeat their Season 3 success or will their arch rivals, complexity, deny them their victory lap? Will the once kings of North American CS, Turmoil and Loaded, surprise everyone and let it be know they are still a force to be reckoned with? Could the upstarts in DINC, Loaded, and Excello start a new CS dynasty at this event?

In Source can x3o hold off the rest of the pack? Will the guys in AYEDOG prove that what’s left of the OptX still can frag? Will Distinct 5 and Immortal 7 leave Dallas with a trophy and a chunk of change?

It will take some time to answer these questions … but we will start to get an idea of the things to come on Friday with the ESEA skills competition.

Check out the live blog HERE and the event's micro site HERE

Also check out our Vent Party @ ugt1.esea.net:28807

ESEA S4 Skills Competition

Friday @ 6 pm CST - Each qualified team will nominate one player to compete in 1 vs. 1 AWP map, aim map, and deagle map single elimination tournaments. Additional team representatives will randomly be selected to fill the eight person bracket. Each win in the tournament will earn the competitor $20 cash with the first place finisher in each tournament walking away with an additional $50 cash.

ESEA S4 CS 1.6 Invite Playoff Bracket

Saturday @ 10:30 am CST - EG, coL, Turmoil, DINC, Loaded, Excello will battle it out in a double elimination best of three playoff bracket up until the lower bracket finals.

Sunday @ 10:30 am CST - With only three teams remaining, matches resume with the lower bracket finals and grand final matches.

Map Rotation The higher seeded team will choose sides on the first map and the lower seeded team chooses sides for the second map. If teams split the first two maps then a third random map will be selected by coin toss between the two maps not played and teams will knife for sides. In the finals, the team advancing from the upper bracket will select the first map and the team advancing from the lower bracket will select the second map.

• Upper Round 1 - de_lite_rc2, de_inferno
• Upper Round 2 / Lower Round 1 - de_nuke, de_cpl_mill
• Upper Round 3 / Lower Round 2 - de_train, de_dust2
• Lower Round 3 - de_nuke, de_inferno
• Lower Round Finals - de_train, de_dust2
• Finals - Upper bracket team picks map #1 and the lower bracket team picks map #2

Playoff Seeds

• (1) Evil Geniuses
• (2) complexity
• (3) Turmoil Gaming
• (4) DINC_US
• (5) Loaded CS
• (6) Excello

Prize Breakdown

• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $1,750
• 4th Place: $1,100
• 5th Place: $700
• 6th Place: $700

ESEA S4 CS:Source Invite Playoff Bracket

Saturday @ 10:30 am CST - X3O, AYEDOG, Immortal 7, Distinct 5 will face off in a double elimination best of three playoff bracket up until the Finals.

Sunday @ 10:30 am CST - Matches resume with the Source Finals


Map Rotation The higher seeded team will choose sides on the first map and the lower seeded team chooses sides for the second map. If teams split the first two maps then a third random map will be selected by coin toss between the two maps not played and teams will knife for sides. In the finals, the team advancing from the upper bracket will select the first map and the team advancing from the lower bracket will select the second map.

• Upper Round 1 - de_inferno, de_train
• Upper Round 2 / Lower Round 1 - de_dust2, de_season
• Lower Round Finals - de_nuke, de_contra
• Finals - Upper bracket team picks map #1 and the lower bracket team picks map #2

Playoff Seeds

• (1) X3O
• (2) AYEDOG
• (3) Immortal 7
• (4) Distinct 5

Prize Breakdown

• 1st Place: $2,000
• 2nd Place: $1,250
• 3rd Place: $750
• 4th Place: $500

Coverage
As with each match across every division, all ESEA S4 LAN Playoff matches will have HLTV/SRCTV relays, irc scorebots, complete match statistics, and demos. We're also providing video coverage of the whole event with a 24/7 webcam and pre and post match interviews from every match.

So stay tuned to ESEA.net as we host the ESEA League Season 4 LAN Playoffs with North America’s top teams and coverage of each match!

Watch for announcements regarding ESEA’s upcoming Season 5!