In this first of a 2 part article, we will discuss the first 2 groups of the upcoming ESWC Masters of Paris tournament, and give a little insight into what you can expect of each team's performance later this month.

Group A

fnatic - Archi, f0rest, dsn, cArn, ins

Since their formation in early 2006, fnatic have been one of the best teams in the world. The Swedish superstars have won almost every tournament possible, and have some of the best players in the game on their side. With f0rest, the super fragger, cArn the in-game leader, and dsn with his incredible AWP, when fnatic are on form they're almost impossible to stop. However, their form has been a bit shaky recently, with a disappointing finish at Dreamhack, and it will be a major tournament for them to see whether they can reclaim their position at the top of the scene.

Made In Brazil - bit, ton, cky, btt, Lance

Since the first MiBR team has moved back to CSS for CGS, the second team has now become the only team, and is now the premier 1.6 squad in South America. They haven't had much of a chance to prove themselves yet, with only 1 tournament attended (WCG Pan Am) with their new roster, where 2 of their players were unable to attend. Forced to play with 3 players, they still managed to take 9 rounds off of EG.USA. However, will their new roster prove as succesful as their individuals abilities suggest? This will be an immensely important tournament for the new squad, and their future as a squad may well be shaped by it.

Dimension4 - YoRLiN, MaYeRs, YoShi, dafunk, OliGan

Although they are not really an international contender, D4 have one of the strongest squads in France at the moment, and have a lot of experience on their side, with OliGan especially being able to turn a game around on a good day. Although they had a disappointing dreamhack, having qualified 2nd in the French qualifiers behind emuLate, they will be looking to challenge some of the higher teams here, and turn some heads in the so called "Group of Death".

Spirit Of Amiga - ArcadioN, zitic, hpx, wazorN, spx

One of my favourite teams in the competition, SoA have had some tough times recently. Losing a few of their key players to bigger organisations in the last year, they have kept at it and remained one of the best teams in Denmark. Led by ArcadioN, who has stayed loyal to the organisation for years (despite having offers from superior teams), they have some great chemistry and really skilled players. If the tournament plays in their favour, they could get some surprising results here.

Roccat - ruuit, contE, naSu, plastE, tihOp

The number 1 team in Finland at the moment, Roccat are on incredible form at the moment. Beating fnatic, Alternate and SK at Dreamhack, and narrowly losing to MYM in the finals, they surprised everyone and had an amazing tournament. Although their form outside of Dreamhack has been rather shaky, their momentum should help them, and if they continue like that they should qualify from the group.

Group B

Meet Your Makers - neo, LUq, TaZ, kuben, Loord

The Polish dream team, MYM have blown the scene away in recent years. Coming off a tournament win at Dreamhack, and with some of the most talented players in the game, including neo (who was picked as eSports Player Of The Year, and Best Counter-Strike Player in 2007), and the in game leader LUq, MYM will be the group favourites, as well as the overall tournament favourites.

Mousesports - Kapio, gore, cyx, gob_b, Tixo

The first of two German teams in this tournament, Mousesports are on good form at the moment, but it hasn't been entirely consistent. With recent wins over the two other major German CS teams, Alternate and n!faculty, they have had a succesful run in ESL. Preceeding this they had a very disappointing KODE5, and this will be their first test against international teams since. If you go back even further, they had a very impressive win in Intel Extreme Masters, so they've been a bit up and down as of late. Coming off a good win in ESL, a strong placing here could provide them with the stability they've been seeking.

Against All Authority - Dr-Crow, YanK, KaRa, JED, xp3

Although aAa have had some great teams in the past, this current squad hasn't been performing so well recently. With a disappointing 3rd place finish at PxL LAN 16, and 5th at Gamer Assembly, all of which have been against French teams, they will do well to get a win in this tournament. Finishing 4th in the French qualifiers, they may be overshadowed by their national competitors, and I can't see them getting out of the groups here.

Team Alternate - approx, CHEF-KOCH, paN, mooN, Roman_R

The number 1 team in Germany, Alternate have an amazing roster. All of their players are huge impact players, especially the star player Roman_R. However, after a disappointing finish at Dreamhack with an early loss to Roccat, will they be able to bounce back and perform to the same quality we've seen them play in the past?

Team nEophyte.AVG - Oskar1, Monty, Rasan, Arsas, Johan

nEophyte will be the definite outsider of the group, and realistically I can only see them beating one team here, aAa. Travelling all the way from the Czech republic, they will be looking to get some rounds off the big teams and turn some heads realistically. With Oskar being a huge fragger, a lot of their performance may come down to his mindset going into it. If he can get in a good mindset, their luck may change, and they could cause an upset.