Playoffs kicked off yesterday in Guangzhou, as XSE Pro League rolled into the South China Agricultural University Gymnasium. Because the one thing this event needed was a venue change.

Well, we’ll cut them some slack here, as the first day of playoffs saw minimal delays to the first quarter-final and a manageable one for the second.

That’s how low our expectations are at this point.

Anyway, hometown favourites TYLOO were first to step out in front of the local crowd, as they took on tournament favourites turned Swiss-stage disappointments 9z in the inaugural playoff game. Despite the Chinese side’s stellar run through the Swiss group, the South Americans got the better of them when the lights shone bright.

The scoreline read 2-1 in favour of the Argentinian organisation, with HUASOPEEK stepping forward to lead his team to victory.

As the second game rolled around, the pressure was on for both sides. Neither Alliance nor Nemesis have ever gone this far in an event of this scale, and in terms of prize money alone, a quarter-final win would mean a lot.

But it meant more to one man.

We’re starting to wonder what the Swedish organisation is feeding their fifth players, as bobeksde dominated the three-map series, ending with a series average rating of 1.75 as the Russians were sent home.

Seriously - first it was poiii, then MaiL09, and now bobeksde? If you’re a tier one team looking to buy, fix your eyes here.

The Swedes will take on the South Americans for the second time this tournament in the semi-final, hoping to repeat their Swiss stage win even with the added pressure of the gymnasium crowd. No matter the winner, though, they’ll have a rough time in the grand final.

The other side of the bracket is a virtual gauntlet, as PARIVISION will start today by facing BIG, before FaZe step into the ring against BetBoom.

Our eyes will go towards JBOEN and slaxejezzz, neither of whom have ever faced a top ten side, much less played on a stage this big, with a million dollars on the line. Here, their teams will be asking them to deliver with more eyes on them than ever before.

Try to look past the fact that this is a tier one-point-five event in a university gymnasium - it’s the off-season, we need to make the most of it.