GMPO and Vicious and Evil are set to go head-to-head tonight in what promises to be a headlining event of this first day of CDC action. Now that the early games of the day are been and gone, we are beginning to gain a greater understanding of the importance of games, and the form of teams arriving in Enschede.

Ah my friend, the inevitable. My third lan to date, and pre-setting off I had been determined to cover the mistakes of CPC1 and PGA and arrive with absolutely everything I could possibly need for the weekend. That was the plan anyway.

Tonight's 4-2 win in favour of Germany marks the culmination of an ET-Cup "World Cup", fraught with controversy, opinion and flame. Now however, despite what one match admin may have you believe, we have the prospect of a 2nd final in store, with Germany booking their place in the previous match via the lower bracket route.

As things stand today, you don't have to look very hard to find evidence of cheating in ET. From recent high profile bustings, right down to random highskill 3v3 teams, this xfire community is one which has had much to think about in the cheating department. Since RTCW's demise, ET has been the only real option for fans of strafejumping WW2 multiplayer fans, and the consensus has been very much one of 'grin and bear it'.

This phrase is one of the most common accusations and comments that I have come to associate with gaming; three short simple words, often seen alongside "no life", and that seem to suggest that the recipient - in black and white terms - needs to conduct themselves in different ways.

TLR, under their various guises of Team-ND and aMenti have witnessed quite a transformation over the past few months, moving up a gear from EuroCup mid-table obscurity to CPC2 winners, a feat which propels them into one of the favourites slots for this new EC 15 season. But just what is the reason for this refreshing success, and what are the chances of it continuing into the future, as TLR kick off their campaign against Incomplete tonight?

Another event of significance passes, and another disappointing display from the zeroPoint team. In their brief history, zP have so far only managed to place second in an otherwise lacklustre EuroCup, and second at sHgOpen where they narrowly won against mixteam Black Magic, only to lose to dignitas in the final. For a team with such promise, arguably rooted history in the form of saevus, and a fiercely loyal manager, zeroPoint just aren't delivering the goods.

Breaking news-

Maps will be Goldrush & Frostbite

It's the final we never dreamt we'd see. The final that most never saw coming. The final that proved dignitas just weren't the same with all their roster changes. And the way it has happened was suprising - with Impact being forced through the loser bracket, we're now left with the enticing prospect of TLR vs Impact as the climactic grand final to this gripping 2nd installment of the Crossfire Challenge.

Like the CoD2 tournament, we might still be in the dying embers of the group stages but still there have been some suprising results coming up, alongside those we all expected. Now however the knockout section is starting to shape up, and barring the final group games, we can have a guess at what is to come as the CPC moves into its second phase.

It may be early afternoon on Saturday in Enschede, but already we're gaining a better idea of which teams are looking likely to go all the way and win the big bucks in the CPC. Whilst some teams have struggled to aclimatise to the heights of a LAN environment, others have prospered regardless of previous experiences. Let's have a look at who is in line to come away with the prizes this weekend.