The underdogs are the talk of the town as the first 3:0 teams at ESL Pro League Season 22 Stage 1 were confirmed. HOTU and Inner Circle, two teams pegged for an early EPL exit, have taken down ENCE and Gentle Mates en route to Stage 2 after flawless starts.
But why have these dark horses come out swinging at ESL Pro League S22? Was it luck of the draw? Or is it a sign of the times that mediocrity won’t cut it for those lower Tier 1 teams anymore? It’s time to take a look.
HOTU ravage ENCE to complete near-perfect run
First to secure their Stage 2 spots at ESL Pro League Season 22 was HOTU. They made a brief appearance earlier this year at PGL Astana 2025, albeit without a key piece of this lineup’s puzzle: CS:GO Major winner n0rb3r7. Having that experience has been essential for HOTU, as they have managed to lose just one map to the trio of FURIA, B8, and ENCE. A legitimate run in the face of some very tough opposition.
The secret for HOTU? Keeping it simple, back to basics. This is a lineup featuring three Russians and two Kazakhs, a region defined by its raw power in its young players. They don’t need to try the galaxy brain stuff – they already have what they need to drag each team into a brawl and come out looking clean. It’s worth remembering that firepower can only take you so far, so it feels like HOTU have a ceiling at ESL Pro League Season 22. But the way they’ve already picked apart FURIA and ENCE is mighty impressive, and they’ve made themselves a must-watch team throughout the rest of the event.
Inner Circle leave Gentle Mates’ Major dreams in tatters to go 3:0
Inner Circle (formerly TNL as of last week) broke Gentle Mates’ hearts by leaving their Major qualification dreams in tatters in the 3:0 qualification match. At 1:1 in the series, Gentle Mates were 10:3 in the lead on the decider, an underdog story worthy of discussion all by itself. But the young Inner Circle lineup showed poise beyond their years to come back and take the map 13:11, securing their spot in ESL Pro League Season 22 Stage 2 in the process. Dismay for Gentle Mates, but a huge step for Inner Circle, who, in Stage 2, will now be rewarded with clashes against even stronger teams to really test their level.
There has been quite a lot of hype for this lineup, who, as TNL, have been chipping away at the online grind for some time now. It was only last month that they dragged NAVI to the brink at BLAST Bounty, so it should come as no great surprise that their grinding is finally paying off in a substantial way on LAN. A reminder – before beating Gentle Mates, they faced 3DMAX and GamerLegion at ESL Pro League S22, taking down both with style. They’ve gone three maps every time, but they keep coming out on top. Continue to underestimate them at your peril.
