osu!mania 4K World Cup - Group Stage Recap

Summer may be ending, but the excitement continues! It's time to catch up on the latest events regarding the hugely anticipated osu!mania 4K World Cup!

This past weekend saw the conclusion of the Group Stage, where we had 184 talented players representing 32 countries squaring off against each other to qualify for the Round of 16. If you've missed the weekend matches, you can always rewatch the VODs here, or settle for the weekly recap below!

Widely regarded as the busiest weekend in any tournament, this year's Group Stage saw a grand total of 46 matches packed tightly into the span of 2 days. Courtesy of our beloved mappool selectors, we were treated to a truly diverse mappool featuring artists from all around the world. As expected, the mappool difficulty has increased substantially from last year, though this has not discouraged players in the slightest.

Tim & Eric - Sports! was the most popular pick, having been played an astonishing 30 times! On the opposite side of the spectrum, stereoberry - evangelize (blurry images) was viewed in a more cautious light, having been banned 21 times. Finally, Takemura Kiriko - Ninja Re Bang Bang received the most attention overall, having been played or banned in a total of 41 matches!

With regards to the individual matches, there were definitely some memorable highlights:

Kicking into high gear on Saturday, we were almost immediately treated to one of our first tiebreaker matches of the weekend - Norway vs. Hong Kong! The unseeded Norwegians started off strongly, confidently taking 3 points in quick succession from the opposing low seeded team. Hong Kong wasn't even close to giving up though, as they promptly got back on their feet and responded in kind - evening up the score to 3-3. After an intense tiebreaker, Hong Kong sealed the deal by outperforming the Norwegians by a significant margin of 99,766 score, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Saturday also saw two other intense tiebreaker matches in the form of Belgium vs. Thailand, and Spain vs. Italy. While all teams performed admirably, it is unfortunate that none of them will make it through to the next stage, as they were all beaten out by stronger teams in their respective groups.

Not missing a beat, Sunday also saw its fair share of highlights. Perhaps the most stunning was the match between Sweden and South Korea. As the previous winner of the osu!mania 4K World Cup 2016, South Korea looked slated to win this match without a problem. However, the Swedish team shocked us all when they briefly took the lead over the reigning champions!

Sweden certainly proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. However, their mini-success story would soon be cut short. In the end, South Korea simply proved too consistent, and after several strategic picks on their behalf, they won the match 2-4. Regardless, both teams will be qualifying for the Round of 16, so be sure to keep a watchful eye - perhaps they will meet each other again in a fateful encounter?

Wrapping things up, below are the results of what went down in the Group Stage. For more detail, feel free to check out the statistics sheet!

After such a fiercely exciting weekend, only 16 teams now remain. Props to the United Kingdom for being the only team to leave the Group Stage unscathed - how much longer will they be able to keep this up? I would also like to congratulate New Zealand for making it through to the Round of 16. For an unseeded team, this is a remarkable achievement and they should not be taken lightly. Hopefully they will continue to impress, as I personally will be rooting for them!

This year's installment of the MWC 4K promises to be an exciting one indeed. Every team is looking eager to take the trophy home, along with the glorious title of osu!mania Champion! Be sure to drop by the osu!live Twitch Channel next Sunday to show your support for all the teams participating!

Don't forget, you can also show your additional love and support for the remaining teams by purchasing one of the many colorful user profile banners! These were painstakingly designed by flyte himself, and as an added bonus - the banner of the winning team will continue to stay long after the tournament is over. Get your profile banners now today!

—mangomizer