by OnlyJoshinTV
Welcome to The Recap, a new weekly content series covering Counter-Strike in the ANZ region with a touch of global action here and there. We aim to provide a regular series covering our region, from ESEA Open, ECL, and global events, to local LAN and online tournaments hosted here at home.
June 10: This Week in Oceanic Counter-Strike
After a packed season of CS, it was FlyQuest once again who stamped their authority on the region with another ESL Challenger League title win over Rooster. FlyQuest, who recently returned from IEM Dallas, were pushed to their limits by the Chooks but stood above all when push came to shove.
“It’s been a tough few games against them, they’ve improved heaps,” INS said following the grand final win. “I think we were kind of expecting to come out on top. Mirage didn’t go how we wanted it to—just some miscommunication and situations in the midround. We had confidence we’d win but actually playing well on the day is a big thing for us right now.”
The playoffs begin
ECL playoffs began with 4th and 5th (Mindfreak and Vantage) in the lower bracket, while 2nd and 3rd (Bad News Kangaroos and Rooster) started in the upper bracket. 1st place (FlyQuest) landed a bye and awaited in the upper bracket semifinal.
After a fortnight off for IEM Dallas, the first playoff matches began with Rooster against BNK. The two have kept it close recently in the battle for second in the region behind FlyQuest; however, Rooster blew the door straight off its hinges and smashed BNK with a quick 2-0 (13-2, 13-8).
Mindfreak and Vantage had an extremely close game, with Vantage taking the first map after a close OT victory on Inferno 16-14. MF broke back with a tense 13-9 Nuke win, while the 3rd map was a bloodbath. MF utterly dismantled and destroyed Vantage on Dust 2 13-4 and moved on to play BNK.
Titanic upsets as Rooster marches on
FlyQuest, fresh off the plane after IEM Dallas, was looking to march all over Rooster in the upper bracket final. The Chooks were looking to upset and seal their ESL Pro League spot early, but a 13-4 opener on Nuke to FlyQuest made it seem like they’d need to go through the lower bracket once more.
However, with outstanding performances from nettik (1.49 rating, 26-17) and asap (1.15, 25-20) Rooster was able to turn the tables and win in overtime on Mirage (how typical…) 16-13. Rooster’s momentum continued on Inferno but FlyQuest remained in the contest until the 14th round.
A crucial force buy victory for Rooster gave them the edge, and oh boy, they went on a wild ride that led them to series point. FlyQuest was able to come back to 12-11, but Rooster—with a clutch defuse—completed the upset and booked themselves the first spot at Pro League.
Like in the upper bracket, everyone was expecting BNK to walk over Mindfreak, but early signs pointed to yet another upset occurring on Nuke. An amazing T side for the underdogs MF eventually led to an 11-6 buffer with BNK on the ropes early.
BNK weren't going down without a fight, putting on a T-side clinic of their own; the 'Roos went 6 straight to snatch the lead at the precipice, but MF held on and forced overtime. BNK's regulation comeback ultimately took too much out of the team, while MF shifted up a gear to win the next 4 rounds and take Nuke 16-12.
BNK hobbled back to their map pick of Mirage hoping to equalize. A crucial force buy win helped immensely; however, a late half charge put MF in the lead at 7-5. Mindfreak dropped the pistol but managed to win the first gun round, and after that, they didn’t look back. MF won 6 rounds in a row to secure the second massive upset in as many days and send BNK packing early.
The FlyQuest bounce-back
This led MF to a lower bracket final matchup against FlyQuest. It seemed an impossible task for MF; Vexite (1.78, 17-7) and INS (1.63, 18-12) decimated the minnows on Mirage 13-3. Dexter (1.64, 21-12) and Liazz (1.42, 19-13) feated on the remains of MF on Anubis 13-6 to seal the EPL spot.
With MF defeated, FlyQuest lined up for a rematch against Rooster. The Chooks had a 1-0 advantage in the Bo5. The first map was Nuke, where FlyQuest ravaged Rooster with a brilliant CT side after being down 3-0 early. The Dallas reps continued their domination with an almost flawless 2nd half to win Nuke 13-5; INS (1.97, 21-9) was instrumental.
The teams headed to Mirage, where they were tied up at 6-6 after the first half. However, the asap and nettik show really kicked off; Rooster seized 6 rounds in a row to be on the cusp of winning Mirage. FlyQuest had to rally again but finally fell after a magical dangeR one-tap. Rooster converted their lead on Mirage into a 13-10 win and with that, the Chooks were on championship point.
FlyQuest rose up once again with an epic CT side on Anubis. Rooster couldn’t even let out a whimper as FlyQuest crushed them 13-3; aliStair (1.72, 17-7) and INS (1.81, 15-6) led the way in the drubbing, with only asap (1.31, 17-13) maintaining his pride.
This led to the final map of Inferno to determine who would be at the top of the bunk in OCE. Nettik, who had been firing on all cylinders this playoffs, was struggling to leave a mark on the series, while FlyQuest was hoping to ride on momentum.
FlyQuest started strong before Rooster rallied, taking the lead at 4-3. However, an INS-led blitz sealed the deal for the reigning champs with 10 straight rounds wiping out Rooster. FlyQuest claimed yet another ESL Challenger League title for the core and the first for their American org.
“Pro League is good for us,” INS said. “We get a lot more game time so we’re constantly improving. If we lose a Bo1 it's a shit feeling, but knowing we have a Bo3 immediately after it [like at Dallas] is always worse. We always enjoy [EPL] for more games.”
Both Rooster and FlyQuest will fly to Malta to compete at ESL Pro League Season 20 in September.