UKIC season 5 Division 1 finishes its second week with matches flowing in. Every team has now put themselves on the board with 8Sins having a rocky start and ANTARCTICA flying to top the league.
ANTARCTICA skating to the top
Coming into this season of UKIC ANTARCTICA had to field Alex “Byfield” Byfield for the first four games due to them changing their core. This meant that Fizan “Fizzy” Anjum had to sit on the sidelines.
Their season didn’t start too hot as they got demolished by Glitchtech, but this defeat ignited something inside of them. With three more games left to play with Byfield they started the week off well with a FFW win against Ctrl Alt Defeat as they couldn’t field a full five roster. Even though this was a forfeit win, this still counted as one of the games that Byfield needed to play.
A busy week lay ahead as they looked to take on three more big hitters in quick succession. First on the chopping block was Viperio Academy as they swept past them 13-8, keeping the academy searching for their first win.
In their final game with their super sub, a matchup against Royals looked like a daunting task. With a big win already under their belt in week one against 8Sins, it was going to be no easy task. In a thrilling 13-11 victory including a 1v3 from IGL Ehren “Eghren” Osborne ANTARCTICA found glory in their final game with Byfield.
stand-in buff last night in @UKICircuit Division 1!@ReasonGaming 13-11 @8SinsEsports
ANTARCTICA 13-11 @Royals_EC
Clean 1v3 from @AbysssCS pic.twitter.com/IByHhBsCWf
— UKCSGO (@ukcsgo) February 14, 2025
If the week wasn’t already good enough, Fizzy enters the server for the first time this season with a strong 13-10 win over TLR. This put them at the top of the table with a 4-1 record.
Fighting to find their first win
After a rough start in their debut on week one losing to Royals, things do not get better for 8Sins. Listed as one of our two favourites for this season of UKIC they go into week three still without a win.
8Sins started the week with a tough 13-10 loss against Belfast Storm despite individual heroics in clutches. As previously mentioned, they then ended their week being upset by Reason Gaming who were still using Ben “Rezzed” Bignall. With EPIC.LAN 44 around the corner it is safe the say that 8Sins will pick up the pace as their experience will show in Kettering.
Alongside 8Sins, Viperio Academy who were set to struggle this season of UKIC are not faring too well as they fell to ANTARCTICA 13-8 and sit 0-2.
Not breaking a sweat
ALASKA play their first game of the season against The Last Resort and they do not skip a beat. Understood as the unopposed favourites for this season of UKIC they start their campaign successfully with a 13-6 win over The Last Resort.
The UK team has struggled internationally after going 0-3 in the 18th edition of CCT Europe which puts them in a difficult position. Their VRS hangs in the balance as they are currently #90 and close to falling out of invites for other CCT tournaments. Therefore, in UKIC, ALASKA will be hoping to take another victory, hopefully, a LAN win in the finals which will benefit their VRS rank massively.
Outside of ALASKA, Belfast Storm have been brewing a storm as they end week two 3-0 after Reason Gaming fell 13-7 also defeating favourites 8Sins 13-10. It could be seen as beneficial that Belfast Storm matched up Reason Gaming while they are using Rezzed. We have already seen how dangerous they can be without AWPer James “Flicky” Errington. When he returns to the server we could be in for a treat.
The Last Resort not stepping up the plate
TLR picked up their first win of the season this week against Glitchtech in a close 16-13 overtime but could not sustain that success. Reason Gaming seems to be on fire even though they are using a stand-in, as they breezed past The Last Resort 13-4. As previously mentioned TLR fell victim to ALASKA in their debut of the season.
Similar to 8Sins, this roster is stacked with experience but is not currently showing in UKIC. While they are doing impressively in ESEA Main currently sitting 8-1, they will need to start seeing success regionally if they want to make a fight for playoffs. They end week two 1-3.
Week three of UKIC is already underway and with EPIC.LAN 44 starting imminently it could be vital for teams such as TLR and 8Sins to step up on LAN. Success on LAN for a team can transform the team’s fortunes and can show an uptick of success online which could be imperative for teams who want to challenge ALASKA’s throne.
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