Group B Finally Named Its Loser, and It's Paper Rex
Karmine Corp eliminated Paper Rex 2-1 in the Group B decider, and a back-to-back Masters finalist is out of EWC without a single series win.
Paper Rex is out of EWC. Karmine Corp did it, 2-1, in the exact match I said would decide who this group eats alive.
How It Went
PRX took Sunset first, 13-11, and for a set it looked like the grand finalist was going to play its way out of danger. Karmine Corp had other ideas. Fracture went their way 13-9. Lotus wasn't close, 13-7, and that was the tournament.
N4RRATE finished the series at a team-high 256 ACS on a 41/29/8 line. LêwN backed him up at 234 ACS. Those are the numbers that end a run.
The Stat That Actually Hurts
PRX out-fragged KC on first kills across the series, 27 to 19. They were the more aggressive team by a real margin and still lost. That's not a team that got outclassed on mechanics. That's a team that kept winning the opening duel and still couldn't turn it into rounds, over and over, until the scoreboard stopped caring who shot first.
What I Called, What Happened
Back before EWC started I called this the cruelest draw of the season and said someone very good goes home early. I did not expect it to be the team that just played back-to-back Masters grand finals. PRX opened the tournament losing to NRG, then got finished off by the home crowd's team three days later. Group stage record: zero match wins.
Two Masters finals in a row, then an early flight out of Paris. That's Group B. Karmine Corp gets to be spoiler and hometown hero in the same week. Paper Rex gets a long flight home to figure out what happened.