SK gaming first impressions.

Since the signing of ’undefined’ the SK team have played 3 matches under the SK banner, so how did it go? 

First they played against EnvyUS, who until recently have not been on form, the maps ended up being de_cbble where parts of the former SK team under the CPHW organization have had some decent results (although their lineup was pretty inconsistent aside from hUNDEN, AcilioN and Friis) 
However, EnvyUS have previously shown that they can play cobblestone, but have not been playing it much the last couple of months.

It might have been a close matchup if EnvyUS had performed at the level they have done in the last couple of weeks, but it was an EnvyUS team who showed their A-game, and when they do that then there is only a handful of teams who can muster a defense. Cobblestone ended 16-7 in favor of EnvyUS, and the next map was de_dust2.

With SK starting as T they managed to finish the half with 8 rounds, which was due to some well-executed tactics and really nice teamwork with flashing and trading bodies. However,  as well as their T-side teamwork was as lacking was the CT teamwork, some of it in part to EnvyUS taking the pistol thereby putting pressure on their economy, and part to SK not playing according to the tools they had.
The match ended 16-10 in favor of EnvyUS, however, in spite of being a loss it was a loss to one of the best teams in the world on one of their best maps. For the first match under the SK banner it was a pretty good performance.

De_cbble faceit VOD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeLXp8LQ6UA
De_dust2 faceit VOD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-7lQZcdaaE

Second match was against Team Acer, and a game which ended with 3 maps.
I did not watch the match, however, after a close Overpass which ended in favor of Acer 16-14 the SK team took Mirage quite convincingly 16-10 after a strong T-side. The third and deciding map was the new Train where SK while starting as T managed to take first half with the score 9-6 on a heavily CT-sided map, and in the second half not letting Acer getting a single round making the score 16-6, a quite convincing victory.
Team Acer is one of the teams which since the first time I noticed them a Copenhagen Games 2015 have been improving almost every time, and taking maps of fnatic and EnvyUS, so the victory over team Acer is a victory worth taking note of.

The third match was against HellRaisers who since the addition of Mou (When he is not playing from Kazakhstan with +100 ping) have been looking stronger and stronger. First map was Overpass, which ended in OT with SK edging a win out with the score of 21-16. The entire SK-lineup was playing fairly good, however, kUcher from HellRaisers was above and beyond anyone.
Second map was dust2, and while SK had shown a good dust2 vs. EnvyUS they were able to utterly decimate the HellRaisers team on a map I would consider one of their best.
The pistol and following round went to SK, however, HellRaisers relied and it was 2-1, and then 2-2 with SK on a buying 3 P250s and Friis saving the AWP and a flashbang. The 5^th round is a really good display of how powerful a pistol can be, and how a single flashbang can switch the round around. After that round SK was on a roll, and only losing one round more to HellRaisers they showed a strong team performance as well as individual. Even with the DDOS on several players of SK they kept the engine rolling and ended up with the dominating score of 16-3. It was also quite obvious (aside that HR is a less skilled team than e.g. EnvyUS) that they were working much better together with trading and flashing for one another than they did vs. EnvyUS.

All in all it was a really good performance from the new SK lineup, and while they perhaps do lack the rawr skill and firepower to challenge the top teams they are a team who I do think should be able to put up a fight and perhaps even push one of the 7-10 teams down the ladder.