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Welcome to Blois-Premiere Open Porto. It is our final day and the standing beside me is none other than Maui Snake and Nouveau.
Gentlemen, what a crazy journey we've been on. It was just a couple of weeks ago that we started off with 16 teams and now we're looking down to our final two.
It's easy to forget how many teams were here. The best teams in the world, down to the top four teams in the world, now down to what I would say are the top two teams in the world.
in the world. I'm also glad that the undefeated city has continued with the
Portugal tradition and just have a great crowd. I mean these guys have been
getting so loud. I know the hometown favorites have gone home but they are
still bringing the energy for every match. It feels like every time we get
their teams out there's a new crowd favorite. Everyone able to win over the
crowd with some good counter strike and yesterday that's exactly what we
got to see right. It was really sad to have to say goodbye to both
Falcons and Vitality for the counter strike they played and the series
and which we had to say goodbye to them was next to none.
I mean, that Falcons and Spirit Series,
the way it ended was crazy to look back on.
I would even say the teams kind of,
the crowd swapped teams mid game in some of these, you know?
When the teams were playing well,
when they showed good counter strike,
we saw them swap around and decide to cheer
for whichever team was playing better.
And I mean, we saw Falcons devastating defeat
after a near 1v4,
and then we see Maus make it over Vitality as well.
They keep on wasting Testus' efforts,
They're like, oh, I'm going to
play a game. I'm going to play
a game. I'm going to play a
game. I'm going to play a game.
It's pookie is doing everything
they can to bring Falcons over
the line and monocie almost one
up them. But of course, yeah,
the one before did go the way
of spirit, and I feel like it
was well earned. They just
have looked like such a great
team. They have, and that's
why they've made it into that
grand final slot for
themselves. But of course,
when we look towards what
happened later in our
semifinals day yesterday,
Vitality and Maus is a simple
sort of story. I actually
didn't know where the
crowd was favoring on that
the only thing the crowd was
certain of is they were booing
Apex. They were going to do Apex,
so we're going to cheer whichever
team was playing well and
Vitality did make it close. I
mean, Malus had to have a comeback
on the first map of the series,
but map two was dominant to fair.
A bit shame for the legacy of Apex.
He oftentimes revere IGLs for
what they're able to accomplish
with stand ins. Nonetheless,
inserting a player like JL who
has a very rigid way that he
wants to play the game into a
Vitality system that is so
tried and tested was always going
going to be a tough tassel. The better overall squad and more polished squad and mows were able
to take it. It's crazy to think that they did go through that little bit of a trophy drought,
right? We were talking about all the tail ends of vitality's legacy, their errors and all that
sort of stuff, but you get in a stand in and you actually just break the semifinals drought.
You're already taking great steps there, but I'm so intrigued just to see how our rematch
of a mouse spirit grand final is going to play out here because four weeks ago both of them
them wearing up lost bounty grand final four weeks ago everyone thought spirit
was going to mop the floor with and then showed hey even with a couple of
changes we're still here to fight and we can actually win some grand finals and
I think they're looking to do the same today but you know that spirit is just
coming for revenge that after winning the last trophy there in Paris it's
really great that we actually get the two teams that have won both of the
last s tier tournaments that just shows how stacked this whole overall
tournament was even if you go to the quarter finals look at fury and
the next S tier tournament
because you don't have the
other four semifinalists and
grand finalists from this one.
It is also insane to look at
that journeys, right? Because
whilst we had them both for
our Blast bounty grand finals
that it was just completely
different teams that they had
to go up against because of
the different format and
everything. So most notably
now is being able to beat
their kryptonite of vitality
yesterday to make it to a
grand final. I feel like
they've got to be riding
some sort of emotional and
mental high into today.
Yeah, I mean, going back
to bounty, they looked
really shaky. I mean,
they looked really shaky
and they looked really
going back to bounty they looked really shaky going into the grand final we
didn't think mouse were at their best they almost lost to a three max now they
come into this one they've dropped one map this game or this event to a falcons
that looked very strong then they dominate vitality they've dominated
almost every opposition they've played I think they're definitely on the on the
come up into the grand finals the name mouse maybe doesn't strike fear into
the hearts of everybody but it will this season does feel like something's
brewing something's a little bit different that because of the
retooling of their roster that they've added some firepower and I still rank the whole brain
trust of Zursion, Cyclone, all of it to be so incredibly high.
We've had nine days of beautiful Counter Strike, nine of your including today, I should say.
We've had 16 teams, we're down to two and it feels like the only thing left is to start
our final day here in Porta.
Right now I'm stood on top of the Super Vok Arena and by the end of today,
One of our two finalists will be on top of the world as champions of Glass Premier Open Porto 2026.
As we look around, the sun is beating down on the battlefield where mouths and spirit will go to war.
Thousands of Counter-Strike fans will be watching as this clash of the Titans
from inside this dome will go down, with millions around the world joining them to
celebrate every clutch and every kill. And at the end of it all, only one name can remain in
Invictus. Invictus means undefeated and that is what both our teams have embodied all event long.
Spirit, they've got undefeated without dropping a map and now enter into their third grand final
in a row, looking to get revenge on a team that stole one of their trophies from right under their
feet. While Maus have also proven to be undefeated they did show that they can bleed, but the
The new young players and their strong mentality help them switch things up and jump over their
nemesis and now they must lock in once more to divide and conquer the dragons for a second
time in a row.
This is the Grand Finals of the Blast Premier Open Porto 2026.
For centuries, the sea has carried the brave to these shores, glory, treasure, infamy.
Those who came were tested by the journey, tested by the storm, by what awaited them.
But some are built to endure it.
Here, legend doesn't belong to those who arrive.
It belongs to those who leave their mark.
Generation after generation have come to Porto,
daring to challenge, daring to conquer.
But Porto remains.
Invictus.
Welcome to Blast Open, Porto.
Welcome back!
All out, Borto!
And hello to all the Counter-Strike fans around the world.
We're ready to rock it again, man!
Yeah, this is it.
This is the day we've been fighting for, watching these teams going against each other non-stop.
And to be honest, we were blessed yesterday.
And I think these finals are well packed with a lot of talents.
A lot of talent for sure and these are two teams that have really lived up to their expectations
by being undefeated all the way through, making it through to the semifinals early from groups
and then coming in strong. Sometimes it doesn't work that way. It's easy when you haven't played
the official first touch the stage to fall down and suffer. But also I want to take a moment
to say people kept telling us every time we came to Portugal come to Porto come to
Porto guys every single one of you you have been incredible these last few days
but we're gonna need all that energy across this grand final I believe so I
actually believe you might even go to five maps we could be blessed by that I
know a lot of people are looking into a mouse is it
Is it spirit you want to win?
I have no idea. It's split in the middle.
It's very split in the middle. Let's give that a try again.
Guys, are you cheering for Maus?
Is it spirit?
I kind of feel like spirit have their edge in it overall.
But when we look at this matchup and for Grand Final as well,
last time these two teams faced it was mouths that got the better of spirit and
that was kind of unexpected at the time so maybe you're right maybe things will
switch up it maybe you will be blessed with five maps here today one once
revenge the other one once just take it all that trophy belongs to one team
alone but the hype belongs to you
Let me hear you, portal!
I'm sure we'll get the fight out of here!
It's done!
Where is the update this round?
I mean, the surprise is on us in here!
Spirit up against Maus, our grand finals here, a rematch that happened only a couple of weeks ago
and it's crazy to see the path both of these teams have taken. We talk about, you know, the undefeated nature of it.
Well, the spirit, they haven't dropped a single map. For Maus, it was only one up against Falcons
and that was back in the group stage. So it's crazy to see just the trajectory and the caliber that will happen today.
even in a Starstack event where you have the top six top eight teams coming in
and showing themselves you still have these two teams clearly showing
themselves as a tier above in this event and we saw it at Blast premiere
bounty as well where we had these two teams coming to the final mouths were
still powering up spirit was already at their peak but now shut them down
easily it caught us by surprise that mouths were able to win that matchup
at the bounty to kick off this season.
However, it was Spirit who were able to bounce back themselves
with their win in Paris.
And we really, in my eyes, have the best two teams.
If you were to make a power ranking today,
I would have a very difficult time
listening to anybody other than Spirit and Mao's at one and two.
I mean, looking at those last five matchups
that they've had between them,
it's so heavily Spirit-favoured until you've come into this season.
It's only happened once to them,
and it was Mao's that ends up taking it away, Viv.
Yeah, Maus, you started to question them with all the moves, with the stand-ins, with their inability to keep a five-man roster,
but now they've managed to get PR and Zelex slotted in.
Zershin is the IGL, they're looking incredible with him at the helm, and he's managed to keep some of his fragging as well.
So you come into this season and they talk about slaying their demons, their struggles on stage in arenas.
They seem to have completely forgotten them, put them to the past, relish them to a memory that they will easily overcome time and time again this season,
and we'll see it again against Spirit here as well, I believe.
ZLX after yesterday's game, how was it getting to sleep
with all that adrenaline pumping through your body?
I mean, it felt great to be honest.
It is a nice sleep, but of course I tried to have as much as I can
and have a good night, to be honest.
So I was both focused on that.
But yeah, it was great.
Do you feel like the team has been able to reset and refocus
ahead of today's grand final?
Yeah, I think so.
I think we are all feeling great.
And yeah, I would say we are ready for the game.
Looking at that, you already beat Spirit once in a grand final, back at the bounty.
Does that put your confidence levels right now through the roof, or can you notice a difference in them?
I mean, I think, at least I'm confident personally, but I think the whole team is...
I wouldn't say that it will be an easier game today or something like that, because we beat them once,
but we will just play our own game and we will see what we get, we will try our best,
and then, yeah, I think it will be a fun B05 to be honest.
I'm looking forward to it as well, but you've got to tell me this, you're still so young,
not used to these big stages, the arena doesn't seem to bother you though, how have you done it?
I mean first time I think it will be like this bigger one and it's a finer so it's a
bit different feeling but I will try to just enjoy it, I think just bring in the energy from
the outside to be honest and yeah I will be just enjoying it and I'm just not focusing too much
on it but I think it's a great moment to just enjoy. Very smart words man, thank you very much, good luck.
Enjoy it, overcome whatever hurdles people feel that they're putting in your way there,
that's the motto of this new mouse of a new tier one player in zealots there and
whilst they have a 100% win rate when it comes to grand finals this season there's
the flip side now where spirit have been able to make all grand finals so far this season.
And that sort of resume and how it's already building for spirit is showing that they are
trying to build an era they're trying to show that they can stay dominant something that spirit
in the past has had a lot of difficulties with you've seen the flare-ups in the past
but the reason that it's actually coming together to me now is because they're getting their third guy.
History has always shown that you need the bits to your electronic and simple.
You need the majestic to your device and to pre.
Now they got to near, so they are actually looking way more ferocious.
Shira, just tell me how important was that wind yesterday over Falcons for the team?
We are feeling good because Falcons to beat us in Major, you know. It's a good achievement for us.
How much stronger is spirit now compared to when you faced Mao's last time?
No, we just try to play, you know, because Mao's is really good play now and good up enemy for us.
Are you motivated by some revenge?
Yes, yes, of course, of course. We need to win, right?
We can try to play like good now, you know, because Blast 0-3 we lost.
All right, well, let's see if you can make it one.
Thank you very much.
Revenge is the motivation right now,
but I feel like there's a little extra oomph
when it comes to Spiritville.
I feel like you never really know how they're going to show up.
This is a team that, when they do, they're scary.
And when they don't, they're still scary.
There's nothing that's going to prevent Don
from not showing up in entire Grand Final.
He had a really rough one in bounty,
but he still had a couple of maps he can take over,
which means when this team is active and running
and they have their system actually working the way they've seen this season
where you've got to near and Zontics rounding up the five man roster
with some great fragging as well.
They are an incredibly dangerous squad for any team you place in front of.
They just look like they're finding the balance
whereas before it was the single sharp spearhead in Donk.
Now you're getting a more well rounded cast
instead of just the superstar popping off the page
and it's just live or die by his sword.
You're now getting other win conditions.
So for spirit, it does feel like the time was soft.
Even the time without a coach, all of that's been coming together.
Magic has talked about the fact that it took Holly stepping away for them to
recognize what it is they need to take from each other, what they need to give to each other.
And it just feels like a more divvied resource allocation.
Well, one of the best things about a grand final is it's a best of five.
The fact that we are going to be seeing hopefully five maps play out.
I wonder where exactly the stage will be set for the first few.
It's a best of five, so you can pretty much know what maps you're gonna be getting.
But as always, I want you guys to join in.
It all just matters about the order of what maps go down here and how it will play out.
It's going to be extremely important, so let us know what you feel about each map,
a pool, or a really big chant as we go through them.
No time to waste.
Bring the first one.
Expected bands
We're cheering for that band though, so there is still some haters out there for the in front of the next one out
We know what it is. There you go
Now the important boss first one the first map what are we gonna see in this series?
My dust two enjoyers and next from the side of miles
We need
Bring more we need to see what's happening afterwards
Okay
Not excited. Not as excited, but that's a good map for spirit hundred percent win ratio and that right now dominance from them
What a noble when they're cheering for a good map like new that is the way we want to see it go
And then, Cassius, the final one, but it's all about trying to get there.
Porto, I said we're gonna need some energy from you guys.
So, my bro, what are we doing this time around?
How are we getting them lively?
You know what? We got the maps, we got everything ready, but it's Portugal.
Let's do some noise. Hands to the side.
Hands to the side. Much for a lot, brother.
Everyone, everyone!
Everyone, I wanna hear this one!
When I go up and I clap, you clap with me and you shout who?
It's you. It's your map. This is your show right now.
Let's get ready for it.
That's so bad, Oryaa!
I'm not surprised they picked us two.
I think that they definitely feel really confident on those two,
maybe a little less on ancient, even though they sum up that they won so many times in a row.
But yeah, I mean, not surprising that they picked us two in front of ancient,
And yeah, we're just gonna do our best to try to disrupt their game plan.
Grind final, the preparation, like you still do prep as usually you do,
but I don't think it goes as deep because you've played the maps already, you know.
People are smart, people will change small stuff and maybe you can get some reads still,
maybe you have really good understanding, but when you make it to the entire tournament
and you play again and again and again, it's not common.
What's that you have people things some stuff you do and I think the best teams they are able to change it up and they mix it up
But I think in general as a team we understand
Their philosophy and how they play in general. I know for you revenge is probably not a
Motivation it's all right. That's not something you care about
But do you feel like your team have a bit of focus on that they want revenge against miles? Yeah
Easiest that thank you very much on things
the game. We're going to be
talking about the matchup there.
They're anticipating of a grand
final. What do you guys make it
the order in which the maps were
picked here? It's actually quite
surprising not to see an
immediate pick of ancient from
spirit. Dust two is a map that
mouse is fairly comfortable on
spirit are great on this map,
but ancient will be picking
into spirit strengths and
mouse weaknesses. Exactly. You're
still going to see it, though,
guaranteed. That's the benefit
to get off on a good foot with your best map.
But for whatever reason, Spirit themselves
don't seem to always love picking ancient.
They did it in the semis, of course,
but so oftentimes it's actually picked against him,
or even the third decider map in a B03 sort of structure.
But I feel pretty great about this for Spirit.
I mean, looking back at the previous match
that these guys had in that grand final,
it went to four maps, so maybe something plays into it
a little bit as well, where it's like,
if you can get that win on a map that Maus is comfortable
on, it feels even better for you
knowing that it could still go the distance.
Well, it went to four maps because of Ancient, right?
And it was almost too late into the series,
I think, that then Ancient came out.
It was map three as well.
They're already down 2-0.
They already got dominated on a couple of maps.
Then you fight back on Ancient,
but it feels like you're already fighting
from too far behind.
And it feels so important to just get
Donk off to a great star,
which is something that he's been doing
on Ancient so well, where else on Dust2 sometimes.
He is the more selfless entry fragger on that map.
So I feel like it can be a bit of a,
yes, he's your win condition,
But at the same time, sending your purest win condition out first can be a suicide mission.
We could talk about both teams' win conditions then because we're looking towards Donk so often
than not on the side of Spirit.
But for now, there is still that conversation around, you know, is it Spinks or is it now
Zelex, someone who, again, we're saying is so new to Tier 1, but has been showing
up like as if he's been here for years.
Spinks would normally be what you consider their win condition, but Zelex at this
tournament this season, I think he has very often been the thing putting them over
the top. Zellix has had just a sharp aim. He's been in there in the trade
frags quite often. He's been a site anchor on the CT side that's been
locking things down. And as much as there was questions about Zellix when he
first joined the roster, even into this season, there was questions about
him. I think he's showing at this event, especially that there's a
reason he got picked up. There's a reason he's put in these positions
and he's looking to solidify that MVP race if he wins it here. That's
the crazy thing to talk about Zellix in this fashion when in his
the first couple of outings with Maus.
He was in uncomfortable positions
that it looked like they weren't going to get
the most out of his abilities,
but he has just put his nose to the grindstone.
The fact that this guy has a personal psychiatrist
that he works with, it feels like so many times
you hear the top players finally decide to give in
and they work with that sports psychologist
to see why am I choking?
But as Alex said, I simply will never choke.
I just, he just wanted to make sure
that that was never going to become a reality.
So not only does he have incredible mechanics,
but it feels like his mentality is razor sharp tail.
And when you look at the way the last matchup went,
Zellix and Donk were the most common head-to-head
in their last matchup,
and Zellix had him beat 19-14 in the head-to-head duels.
He was a player that when you put his aim against Donk,
you don't expect it, but he can go toe-to-toe aim-wise,
and that can shut down a Donk that, I agree,
I think he needs to get to a running start
to carry this team across the line,
and Zellix can be the one to snuff that flame out.
I will say that now, you're talking about this,
that Spirit pick up Dust 2 here.
Sometimes the win condition of Donk
is kind of fed to the Lions, right?
He is, but in this position where he's not set up for success,
but it feels like a Spirit that is able to still win rounds
despite him being the kill that dies early.
Spirit didn't want to just become one-trick ponies,
that it's either Donk or nothing.
And so they have actually improved
some of those four V5 win rates on the T side.
I would say that this round that they played against G2,
it does feature Donk where he is the selfless
running in first entry fragger, but he dies.
But how do actually spirit respond to this?
They're already in a great position
because they're executing onto the bomb site.
But what is really impressive about this
is the way spirit go above and beyond,
the way that they decide in this kind of moment,
you don't want to be bottled up onto the bomb site.
They take a risk and they actually push towards long A,
understanding the likelihood that one,
there may be players in CT,
but they're willing to take that risk
crossing right there towards long.
And two, that they need to just make sure
that they take some space back.
So even when Donk falls,
You now see a spirit that immediately understands
what their contingency and secondary plan is
if they don't get that opening pick.
Thankfully, Donk so frequently provides that,
but it's nice to see that they have something left
in the tank even when he falls first.
The most impressive thing about Spirit this season
is absolutely their ability to win without Donk.
And that's just such a heads up play.
You know, they're going to be using their utility
on the other side to retake short.
So you go across, you push in, peek into CT,
clear out long, and then you have G2 retaking three short
but they're just in it.
It's almost as if there's CTs holding onto the bomb site
there from all the best angles.
Is that enough for you guys to think that this grand final
is heavily favored in Spirit's way?
I think this is a Mao's favorite grand final.
Maybe 51-49, but I still think Mao's are the better team,
even if Spirit have the better individuals.
52-48, Spirit.
I also think that this is gonna come down to the wire,
but I've just been liking the aspects
that Spirit's been bringing,
both the trade fragging, the late round plays from them.
it all feels like that's coming together.
Look, I am just so happy to know that it is not necessarily heavily favored one way or
another, that you guys believe at this point in time it could be anyone that takes our
Grand Finals and we're looking at it, both of our teams undefeated.
It's only fair that we finally bring them out for our Grand Finals of Blast Premiere
Open Porter.
is a fickle thing. It teases us. It shows us glimpses of what could be. And then it
rips it away, leaving only Sodad. The very fact that you were here, that you have gotten
this far, seemingly inevitable, though fate can change its mind when we least expect it,
Raise us! It pulls on our strings and dares to tell us that it's decides who and what we are.
You are the few who refuse to be played.
The will of one is enough to cut those strings and say no.
I am the master of today.
You will not let Faye dictate what happens here.
If there's no way around, go through.
If it's malleable, then mold it.
And if it's not, then break it down!
Make a little bottle.
Speaks!
Tonee!
Tonee!
Tonee!
Magix!
Xontix!
Shirou!
This is the terrifying...
...TEAM SPIRIT!
The joys and the excitement, the pressure of a grand final, mass and spirit take into
the stage, getting themselves ready, which we can all only hope goes a full distance to
five maps here.
Oh, this is going the full distance.
This is a five map affair, absolutely.
Both of these teams are too evenly matched.
The map pools are too evenly distributed.
This is going to be a barn burner.
It's going to be a crazy game.
We have the two best teams in Counter Strike here,
Bar 9.
I know that there might be some more name value out
on some of those teams that were eliminated.
But these guys are playing the best overall team
Counter Strike.
On top of that, the fire upgrades from Mous
have already shown to pay off.
And Spirit, you already know they got it locked and loaded.
The things behind the curtain, if we
wanted to look just outside of these players,
is their coaches.
Someone that you love to hype up time and time again,
Maui is Cyclone right for the side of Mous.
You constantly put him in your top three of coaches.
Definitely.
I mean, I was even breaking it down further
and he's got to be my number one right now.
Against Holly, I feel like that's where the biggest mismatch
on paper is in the favor of Mous.
I've seen Cyclone game plans as he is held
against Spirit at the bounty
that were more than successful.
They were dominant and that is where I feel like
it will come down to those sorts of margins.
Can they execute Cyclone's plans
because this guy's raised up so many in-game leaders
at this point.
He may Brolin look great.
He may Chuhei look great.
Where are those two guys now?
And now he's working with Exersion,
who's his best fragger of the three.
If we look at this from the bounty perspective,
I think Cyclone did get much better of Hawley in that.
And that's what pushed Maus across the line.
But Hawley had just come back from quite a long leave
of absence.
I think in his stead, you had Sokvik,
you had Yab Yabitch, or the lack of a coach,
we should say, that allowed Spirit to find themselves
to realize what they were truly missing.
And then you bring Holly back in.
And I think they did falter from a game plan perspective
in the bounty final.
But now he's had time to work with the team again.
He's had time to get it back together.
And I think this is where you see a little bit more evening
of the playing field there.
Even if I do agree that Cyclone is the best
coach out there at the moment.
In Holly's absence, the flash assist numbers
were spirit skyrocketed.
It was better than prime vitality.
And the crazy thing about this season now
that Holly has been embedded in the system once again
is that in general, they have actually maintained.
They're still looking extremely good,
not quite at the highs of Asana or Rio,
but they're 50% better on average
than all of the tournaments they were playing
in the previous season.
And that's what makes Spirit so damn dangerous now.
It's not just the Dawn show running in first.
He's got great utility, queued up for him.
He's got great flashes in the late round,
and you still have that utility
to allow it to near in Zontics
who can't brute force the same way Dawn does
to find their success too.
This is the third Grand Finals in a row for Spirit.
They lose that first one at the start of the season,
two miles in bounty.
They go on to win the EWC Grand Finals.
What was the difference between those
and that you're hoping is a difference maker again
today for them?
The difference is that Foot choked
in the EWC Grand Final.
They were at the door ready to win.
They were the better team for much of that final.
Spirit, I don't think perform at their best
when it comes to Grand Finals
and that's why I'm giving this one to Mount.
It is worrying for Spirit
they have had some individuals fall off in those kinds of moments but people are going to look
back at this tournament and they might think that it's just it's just a tournament in the middle
of season. I think this is where spirits start to make their mark. They make an impression that
they can win consecutive tournaments with magics at the helm and if there's a spirit error you're
going to start beginning to feel the rumblings of it after this kind of tournament. The preparation
is done. Our team's taken to the stage and our grand final best of five starts now.
There are rumors that the era is over and if that's so then we must ask what or who comes next
It's through the rubble of team vitality new champions will arise. We thought Maus's Prime was spent in the shadows
but it seems they may emerge while spirit speaks of domination, of a reckoning, of an epoch of their own.
So it is here, in the invincible city, where we crown our newest kings, for there is no better place we could do this.
Porto is the home of Warriors!
So you are in this black room!
Yeah, they love that.
A final that can go to the end.
No doubt about it.
The stage is set, maps that can be close to the best bands we could have got to kick off,
and now it's all fights.
The biggest question is on spirit in these finals.
with that one flash primed peek first at a Torsi, and there it goes.
It's going to interrupt Maus.
Spirit hit the pause button.
Ooh, it's tense, huh?
Coming into this pistol round, five maps on the line.
Thoughts of putting building blocks in place for a team Spirit
that is now just grouped up fully.
Barrington here, late long play perhaps.
First kill goes to Zell X. He just keeps putting up.
Concertion quick on the scene to be right there with him.
Helping out with the assist.
Chiro got his empty.
Teneir's too late.
Teammate's dead.
You'd think this one's wrapped up,
but he's got nowhere else to go.
Or does he?
35 seconds and he'll double back.
What, to keep the Kevlar?
Maus, quick move into that A site to shut it all down.
Yeah, with the amount of time that Teneir
can try to run at this.
There might be one fight in here to kick off,
but with the HP, two players, totally fine at the moment.
They'd have to completely blow it.
That was the chance, right?
One head shot there.
Oh my god, he's got him now at a single health point
for assertion.
Spinks, Duberetta's, rock solid.
He could feel it starting to come together there
for a moment, but Mausel shut it out.
It absolutely looked nervous to start this grand finals.
As they were setting up inside of middle, for me,
a lot of this comes down to the first map.
We see that spirit.
When things don't go their way right away, then it can ameliorate against them.
That's happened so many times in the past.
Maus' ticket winning B-Fightality taking Dust 2.
The only team, by the way, that beat them on Dust 2 at Porto.
No bomb. Yep.
Even though this is Spirit's pick, Maus are completely happy to be here.
Big feather in the cap with that Vitality departure.
You know, I don't think I've seen Zellex stop smiling since he's hit the stage.
Such a key element of a mouse that kind of blows us away with just the individual power they brought to the table to that game yesterday.
We weren't sure, you know, if they were to hit another stage versus what has been historically their kryptonite, even with the stand-in,
whether they could really gel, but they do.
And in these big games, you've also got this arrival of Spinks time and time again.
time and time again. Big driving force back at bounty. His
grand final performance was MVP worthy.
Ooh, this really changes things. Two smokes go out instantly.
Teese starts to organize towards the B site. PR doesn't have a
rotation for a minute. He's got to deliver.
Oh, goes for the back, black play. Starts firing off and gets a
good amount of damage out. Then he just forces them to go
for a cross here. Good on PR. There we have it.
Adjusts, knows in that moment that he's going to sprint
over, grab that M4 instead of the Galil and Tenir.
Short, two Desert Eagle kills this round, but it's a majority up for Maus to get that 2-0 start.
Yeah, bomb plant fell really likely there.
We have PR who yesterday really wasn't totally needed.
I think he played pretty well overall, but it was 4-5th to the team that wasn't him that were really stepping all over Vitality,
and that was incredibly impressive because the main reason we're excited about this Maus lineup is him signing for this team.
Obviously, not nearly the same accolades, but we're kind of hoping PR will be like that
Womps moment for Maus, except for Oberon Vitality's side.
Is it what gels, what locks, unlocks all the other pieces?
Time will tell.
And like Maui said right before we came into this game, it's a big matchup in the
middle of this season to really determine who's moving forward as favorites, who can
leave a mark on what's left of 2026.
I mean, this is massive for miles because it's a crowd now and they had one in
Malta, but it's not a stadium.
Yes.
And this is a stadium.
This is the one that spirit are going to feel like actually counted.
Even though the first one did as well, it was the beginning of the season.
There were so many upsets going around.
If people's form was a little bit off, they had an excuse, but spirit
don't anymore.
And they had a brilliant run to get to this point.
They look insanely strong.
First gun round for spirit and it's going to be docked to tone through
the doorway, just a small path behind the flames for him to get out, but doesn't go entirely
wide. Operating on his own. He got magic behind him, smoking a flash as needed, but sometimes
Doc doesn't really need support. He just needs a tool. He needs somebody to step up into
the crosshair exactly the way Zershin did. And now we've got this looming threat of
another B hit, and indeed it will be tunnels. Yet again, four members strong, making
it out. PR finds a quick kill. With Tenir dispatched of, car players still yet
to make a move. Spinks plays along the wall. PR has gone ahead and gotten a second, but
now he's going to have to go more because he loses that car player. Torji's managed to
get through CT spawn, but they're getting ever closer. PR's not being given fights anymore.
Still, he hangs on. This is all PR from the get-go. Torji in through the doorway, and
if it wasn't PR, this bomb site would be gone. Seven seconds, Shiro headshot connects.
Oh, he could try to kill it. No, he's out here. He's got to chase him down.
Oh, it's the last one and the peak never comes.
Torchy gambles correctly and she-
Oh!
Oh, he dies after time.
Passes taken, eats a two.
That was unbelievably timid out of Team Spirit on the exec.
Watching that from the back of the site,
first player jumping up as a death.
That's already a little bit scary.
They get the kill inside of mid, but that's an instant.
4v4 now with no trade.
And then they take forever to try to scale.
And Timon is shown to a bomb site that we've questioned in the past, that's shown weakness at times.
Not in the start of this Dust 2, Maus 3-0 up and now versus a scout here for Shiro.
Now that's no one taking charge. Besides not getting his kill, it's a team that basically had a layup to go one for one on each player,
or at least try, maybe they could even get two entries and have no deaths.
And yet they gave mouse a good chance to have lots of time
No ballies to the back of the site no flashes as they tried to get across the site
That was just an easy cold for mouse
Think that smoke comes down. I don't like this two player outside door situation. We've got going on for mouse
Don't really have much to worry about this round
You say that as Donk takes the charge, tip toes forward with the deagle.
A good amount of space given to Spirit as they group up on Xbox, Scout goes out through the doorway firsts,
almost found a chance to strike one down off window, even getting some damage in here.
It's crazy as they're holding long at the same time.
Writing this plate awards A. Now let's have a catch all set up.
out late smokes brutal this is where they should test how well they can execute
together got to commit big pop through and four finds one easily smoke covers
the cross of the next two and that's still in there in the background
Zellex is on the scene though alongside Zershin these two just tear through not
a single beat of select so far for Maus barring that pistol when maybe
We haven't seen Spirit actually have their finger on the pulse of this game.
As a team, it's a terrible start for Spirit.
You knew Maus were going to start fast, you knew they were going to play well.
They have never really given us doubts so far.
Spirit come into this, the simple things, man.
Once all the utility is out and it's time to go, they're not close enough together
to make sure they put pressure on people to actually have to give up their angles.
If they're peeking from the same spot back on default, from the back of the site in B,
and they can continuously take fights and then chill,
You know you aren't exacting properly
Just the blood bath made easy
Blues
I
Enjoy it while you can
Always feels like even with slow starts he finds a moment right now to be sure
Zontics ready for the trade-out
That's actually dog who peeks in and dies so not only does shiro get tagged by missing an off shot
Donks the first guy to step in to try to capitalize on the moment. He gets shredded
Yeah, we saw the stats from his grand finals performances.
Shiro's going to be the one to watch.
I'm really excited to watch Zelex try his hand at long play
again today was just ever present versus vitality.
Feels like we've got high praise for his anchoring spots.
You know, when he can just plant his feet
and mow down multiple bodies.
That's where Zelex shines.
But it's not him that's given contact right now.
Rifler's moving on the A site behind towards you just missed that timing. Oh, he's missed now both offers have missed
What could have been critical kills so far in this round?
Jitters bowl go both directions smoke as well ahead of the pack
That frag could have found the right target then shiro would be dead
But he looks to link up with this boosted to near position that was never given anything to tug on
Zellex has just leaned back and so at 30 seconds we're gonna get this attempt at a spirit
Zellex could for the first one takes a bit of damage and Taneer will capitalize on that trade trying to push the ball in
Torji doesn't have support down here in CT. So he actually forfeits space
This is gonna be an open door for spirit at a critical 20 second juncture
It's here on Sonic so there's not gonna be any cover for this cross
Yeah, he's the healthiest one. He's gotta get this out at 10 seconds
That's gotta be thrown out in order to get this bomb over took so long to do it
One Hail Mary shot, or if that Nate finds the ball.
But Taneer has got it where he needs to go.
And wow, Spirit pick it up off of kills.
They win by elimination.
I can't believe Xontics has taken his time
to line up a cross smoke with the amount of time left
on the clock.
Calculated to perfection though.
Four seconds and they're planning.
It's fine.
Spirit get away with this.
Since Xontics forgets that not everybody likes playing
late rounds as slow as he does.
get a move on. The long players start to sweat the prospect of getting interrupted on the plant.
That one's a bit of a gift. They kind of barely get away with that, but now it's just about building momentum.
Another early B group. Bomb outside of tunnels, but close enough to commit here.
Speaks off cars, clear. BR gets blown out by Shiro. And that bomb will be grabbed,
but no further move. Don't just sit in here.
Shira wants to make sure no tunnel push comes out.
They're worried the mid is falling.
I feel like a moment like this is a perfect example of like,
you just open the door a little bit in that previous round,
barely let one go, but then look at the other team
and what they make of it.
Suddenly they change their habits.
They're way more committed when they go into B,
like they really look refreshed all of a sudden.
Everything's going a little bit faster.
Not the worst situation in the world though, for Maus with their three saves.
Just that the money on the other two will mean their buy is not going to be very competitive.
Give a round over for Donk to get his hands on a game.
Shiro also hits the shot this time. I mean, you think that B-side could have crumbled just as quickly last round had he got that opening shot?
Yeah, but
He missed the shot and then even though the CTs are making all these great moves towards
He misses a shot to and it's later in the round. So it is more impactful
Here's PR not getting away with as much as he has in the past
You know you use the word timid in one of the earlier commitments from spirit into that B site
It was the perfect adjective for the approach this round not like that in any essence
And I think it's the reason we've got spirit now finding those consecutive.
Yes, way more intentional. They kind of understood exactly what each other wanted to do.
Now let's go into a timeout, but Hallie will speak as well.
Again, for Malus, this is doing a bit of calculation and maybe thinking about what their opening move is going to be.
It could be time for a pick play here on Torsi to make sure they make the most of him.
All right, so just moving into this one with what they saved.
Surrounder would expect to see Torgie on a boost, you know, with a pistol and a player.
At least throw him over at the B site.
I think because Shiro's been going for those tunnels picks, it makes sense that he could
get ahead of this.
Kind of love the call here from Spirit.
I mean, they found the gap, they take a small risk.
They know there's at least three-fifths of them by,
but this is already going to be very difficult for the C.
He's always ready to get to kill through the smoke.
That is huge.
Now, Torsi eats the flashbang, looks to recover vision,
has to dodge a second.
It's suddenly way more awkward,
and he was only set up by a USB.
Offer beats in, Soktyk's dead,
and it's actually Shiro with a pistol out.
Magic's just flanking this Offer,
and that'll clear things out,
but with fire still in front of it,
Shiro decides to run through,
offers up 70 health just to get in here.
And it falls on Spinks for an early clutch.
Still bomb, yet to cross over.
But Smoke could secure the angle.
Spinks doesn't really think about it.
No, he's gonna let that bomb go down.
I mean, they're hyper vigilant, right?
Looking for any kind of push.
They're low.
Spinks definitely has a chance.
Okay, now Magic's has good.
Oh, you're over for it.
All right, another hotly congestive moment
from both sides of that.
You know, Torji's in a good position,
but Magix is still able to skip through middle.
I mean, if you don't cut down Doc through the CT smoke,
though, I think that'd be Scythe's doom.
And it's, uh, yeah, absolutely.
The gap they found through going through the smoke
at the beginning was the real MVP of the round.
A starting target over a B probably.
Scared Team Spirit a little bit,
but they handled it very, very well.
So three consecutive.
There was three weapons for Maus saved now. Full investment again.
Just move past that offer's line.
Nozelec's not always one to go for these early-doors aggressions.
But he'll at least lay down some lead. Let them know he will press in.
Dust 2 PR, the weakest map since joining Maus.
He talked about the issues over on that P side at times.
It was so impressive then to see him get that multi-frag out of the gate.
It's clearly been getting better. I mean, since we first saw sort of integrate that was a massive sore spot
Does feel though like there is still attention turned to his bomb site by spirit yet again
He taps a couple of bullets through he is operating on his own here
They're actually starting to peel him back from the doors mid utility starts to trickle out and the smoke in the tunnels
It's gonna be puts one in
They're going to catch through by my back.
He doesn't hold, Sauntix just deletes him.
Not even a chance in this round.
Four mouths, unless they get this mid kill
I think they have a chance to retake.
But Zershin taking all that damage in the process
I think they write this off.
And we've got Spirit tying the game.
Eight rounds in. It's such a small thing.
But see where that smoke lands.
If you're Spirit and you're sitting inside of it
You're thinking this smoke is landing kind of on top of us.
Going to bounce a couple of times.
We're already basically in front of it.
watching the mouth of it because they see the angle of the bounce as well it's
time to go.
Not all smokes need to be baby saft for the entire time that they're up but you
know on B especially you have to be able to you have full view because see the
amount of times that teams come through and smokes are not walls you can blow
them open you can come through on both sides there's only one guy on the
the other side of it is a good read and you can get punished for it a lot of
read based up that's working out quite well here for spirit in terms of the
game plan I feel like since the pause it's actually looked a lot better they're
given a gift of a round that was messy towards a baby one in the last second
off elimination but it's tough anchors being an anchor is a thankless job I
mean you get very few kills your holds are extremely difficult you have
Every piece of utility is designed to make you uncomfortable or blind you and
You know if you're a hero you get two kills. Yeah, but it's really not much more than that in it for you
But yet your job is so important
And on top of that if you die early and around like that your teammates don't even get a chance to play their life
They don't get a chance to leave an impact and so you're playing a site. That's not takeable and you're so low
And good teammates will still just try to keep you propped up and not kick you while you're down
But let that happen one too many times and there was that moment. I think and it was maps ago
And they've gotten a lot better
But it felt like spanks and PR no chemistry for a bit and then when rounds got really bad
Spinks just got farther and farther away from be chance, but you've got to finish this kill. Okay, yeah
At least the suicide fight happens, but obviously now spirit are gonna know they're red
So it's gonna be on top to try to just kick the door off the tinges
Smoke for the cross, Donk tag slightly still manages to be the one member of Spirit that gets over.
Flashbangs. Thick though. That slows things down.
No more mollies.
Now Donk looking for the headshots. Again, just hunting for duels, right?
Cut the numbers down, and that bomb will cross.
They wind up not going for the long flight whatsoever.
Even with five members of Maus alive, even though PR was back inside T spawn, they don't make it.
It's actually the T's now waiting out this long cross smoke so the CT's have to back up
It's the right play the boost gets disassembled bomb goes down full post plant position a
Single flash for both teams. It's all that's left over. So it's gonna have to be that flash you think you're no guns out
They're just looking for the tools and it's gonna be to near to pick up the two doc then finds the headshots
And we get a nice flash of brilliance from a guy that could do exactly that all night
long if you let him.
Already a highlight here.
Just shy of 10 rounds.
That's a hard position to play well.
They do it 4v5, which usually on long.
Barely over 50% T side when you have a 5v5 they lose their flank to PR, but PR doesn't actually pull flank at any point
And it's donk to get the quick cross and the way they wait out for long smoke is so important
If they try to get the bomb down to hastily
Then Zershin's boosted up they catch a planter that bomb goes down once you don't have anyone who's crossed yet
You're not getting it down again
Don't like this game was just going to get away from Spirit right away, but now they're actually putting up a few very good rounds.
And you know, just because of what they've accomplished already and the fact that Spirit have done more, it's those slowed down moments where the pressure creeps in.
You're trying to reorganize that I think we could still watch Maus struggle in comparison to what is slowly becoming the best team we have now in Team Spirit.
Letting him stew in it.
Yes.
This one, they don't cheat out any map control.
It looks like the B-Exec is coming.
They haven't snuck out through any smokes yet.
Oh, careful about reloading here, PR.
Good bank on Spinks.
Yeah, they're waiting for it. They counted it.
They come. They managed to get through.
And PR dead with nothing. Spinks is usually in this corner.
And they should expect that but he's in the deeper corner not quite car
You've got one tucked into the platform as time goes on. They may forget about it short enough
Spinks good patients zontics gets killed as exertion pushes through the door smoke
That felt very scary for two reasons the empty mag and also Spinks being in what I was gonna think to be a predictable spot
But they do get the numbers advantage and from their mouse winout, which means we've got a tight game yet again
It almost felt unlucky for Spinks with the timings as he was peeking in and out, but since he didn't see anybody they didn't see him.
And this just worked out in his favor.
But they really think that PR would use all his ammo and reload without a teammate in the site.
How little did they think of him?
I was scared there for Spinks as well because he loud drops off of the bricks.
But obviously with his opponents flashed in the smoke, etc. They didn't pick that up.
up. M.O. is a resource, but it can also be used against you. They're very lucky to get away with that.
Okay, that'll catch you off. A secondary off out of nowhere and now, let's find one with it.
Sticks his way into the duel, but Doc, Doc is dead. At least the first outing against it.
Torsi insertion here to reclaim, and as the bomb has been cut off by the other members of Spirit,
it's going to be Zershin down to two bullets. Luckily with a teammate right behind it.
But missing their chances to cut down this bomb could still leave a door slightly open.
Yeah, it should be a done position though. Very aggressive inside of middle.
Oh man, they got up minute 12 to kill.
They could read a book or they could try to go for an exact, a very low percentage try.
The opening years that we had from Mao's yesterday were ultra aggressive.
They were going through a lot of smokes themselves.
They were making it look like they played like that all the time.
And that level of audacity that Mao showed us was awesome because they also kept up
And beating out Vitality on an individual level
When it came to multi-fragging when it came to entries it was very impressive. I
Feel like spirit are gonna be a similar test
But it's a similar test with a thought amongst them
You know don't hasn't had the blowout halves were used to per se
But those taps I mean just a sign of what could come they're looking for the kill after time
And this would be brutal for a team spirit that's already got two players real low on cash
So we'll see if they can hang on critical down kind of
Sonics in the final round of this half two thousand for magics
You've gotten yourself into a place where look likely you have a little fun
So many times I've seen mouse get on the big stage up against opposition that just kind of crushes them and they they shell up
They get quiet. They look small and Cyclone sometimes
I was there to pull them out of that and it was there should absolutely and versus vitality
It tends to be Torzy, you know
But this is all something this mental blockade that they are trying to break through that they've brought two pieces without scar tissue in
They can sell XMPR and they want to say this is a defining moment for Maus as a core, as an organization
to not get stuck in the shadows a second time.
And they are looking renewed.
So a lack of a finger out of Maus' in-game leader and they will have a real advantage coming into round 12.
Three pistols for Spirit to play.
Two full guns they don't have. Lots of utility they're missing.
The fresh position. We haven't seen anybody get going.
There's a lot of mid control here, so PR can play Hummer because Torsi has full vision on
mid and there's no pressure. This is a great spot to be in for a full
attack. We're starting to walk out in front of the
smoke. Just be careful.
Looks down at his speed. Kind of blocks the deck nine, which is now going to just
run down the empty M4.
Oh, PR's got a lot to make up for it,
but luckily because he's just stuck inside Smoke,
they kinda forget about it.
It's only one kill.
You were looking for way more value than that,
but finally in the final round of the half,
of course, the remnants of Maus
will try to stage a retake.
It's a questionable defense.
It's one that costs Maus a potential lead
moving into the second half.
Magix commits to this plant now.
Fire in the site.
by them. Molotov here for Shiro. That's going to buy critical time. But it does go deep, and oh,
they can't go round it. We've already got a smoke up into the tunnels. Flashbangs here for Torgie to
try to make this happen. If Zershin wants to add an incendiary to the mix, then maybe you unroot
something. But the bomb has already halfway gone, and so the window push denied. This one gets
totally shut out until Torgie arrives. 10 out of 10 HD. Spirit absolutely battered bully.
That B bomb site, all half-long, and there is still some growing pains.
Four mouths on that half of the map.
We tied this one at six, going in to the second half of Dust 2.
Cool, guys.
It's Kixxan from Timorora.
So, are we from Mamey?
Hello, I'm Max.
And I'm going to raise some of your bet goldmines.
And find out if they're based.
First one, why is Jim Hatt on this team?
Lol.
Free Jim.
Yeah, I don't know, man.
I think he deserves better to be honest.
M80, can you stop disappointing banks?
No.
North American.
So, probably get used to it.
First, Stratboot has been condensed down to Don't Go Kill since early 2024.
Let's not lie to ourselves. They leave and die off of his entrance
It's only now that he's getting some support in the form of near. That's pretty based
So yeah truth here. So for setting to watch actual tier 2 theme
I wish I knew last year was their pick, but you are writing on internet and I am playing so
Sorry for that. Narn out here. Maybe it's been the most mid roster forever
Well, your vizs are getting worse.
Mouse no longer hour less, but spirit is spirit less.
Oh.
This is tough.
This is tough.
But mouse are hour less.
Anyway, even mouse is more hour than this team now.
That's questionable.
Nightseed really have been picked as a Viking ball.
You must try to trust Nightseed
to better put Nightseed in another place.
Honestly, Amadee just disbanded. Three years of life came in one tournament to be in giga ass for the next four months.
How do you think my life feels?
If this isn't a wake-up call to Ali, I don't know what it is.
A literal stuffed inanimate object has improved his team over whatever he has been doing.
Big Bro needs to just keep his mouth shut and let his players play.
Oh, this one is toxic as fuck.
Archangel underscore in seven.
If there was a championship for blue-balling Amadee would be a tie in the sea.
That's pretty good.
Aw, but you have a Cloud9 logo.
Ah.
Makes it a little unfunny.
Minus man win, never bro.
Minus man is my helper, so...
...nancy man forever.
They took the serious player to the head and made him a...
...bot 6-7.
Proofed him.
Don't worry, they play better.
It's stored as invisible karma.
It doesn't show up in the server now,
but NA will win another major in the afterlife.
Probably not, but we'll see.
Tixxan elevated Aurora from tier 2 to tier 3, maybe from tier 1 to tier 2 instead.
Who would have thought that wives in 6-7 are not enough to win matches?
This just can't be real, it should be working.
This was reading bad comments.
Thanks for writing these comments.
To be honest, I don't care too much on internet comments.
If it's right harder, if you're writing a bad comment.
I think you guys can do better, do better than that.
Thank you.
Let's start it off convincingly from Maus, which had kind of a certain flavor to it that we've seen all week long.
Fizzles out to the end of it and Spirit start to get where I think many expect the upper hand over Maus.
We see a slow start sometimes out of Spirit, but this one actually ended pretty well overall.
I think they got there looking for I think we did still see PR made a number of mistakes over in that B site
Sometimes they got away with it. Sometimes they didn't
Leaving them with six on T side on dust to that's a decent day now over on the other side on mouse
Torsi was
Actually very decent overall in terms of output but still a couple of shots here and there that could have resulted in rounds
Really surgeon his output in that first half showing he's ready to show up of this grand final 14 and 5
as we kick off the second half.
Love that Donk doesn't waste a second.
Moves this down into tunnels.
He's got a teammate right behind him as well.
So it feels like there's a good amount of effort here
to deal with the tunnels twice.
Oh, fast first snap.
Second kill takes an extra second
and that's what lets Zelex get the kill back.
They left the bomb, Spinks has got to go back
and it's in that moment that Shiro activates.
No bomb.
You may have the beginning of the bomb site.
They don't even worry about it. They're actually all running up into tunnels now
Sellex doubles back. He's gonna have multiple people to deal with
plus Shiro from the T spawn just cuts him down to size
That's two kills off Don two kills off Shiro very valuable setup from Spirit to go heavy in lower tunnels
And I love that they all just groove up here to deal with Zershin now
The bread is kind of welcoming you in. Oh nice kill on Zontik's up close
But too many bodies to handle three frags for Shiro in the end and Spirit take a step forward
Not only in the lead but into the tunnels to take that pistol on their terms totally another story. We're looking at it
It's hero and again a couple of critical misses out of him, but overall did also put up entries alongside dog
Could be such a key pistol in the series just because we know how hotly contested this dust to
Could end up we could see this being 1311 for either team. We know how comfortable mouths are on this map
The fact that spirit picked it
It's really been the ultimate battleground in this tournament so far
We got a pseudo tack pause here
What are they going to add a net?
Yeah, I know.
Give us a goal.
Oh, wait. It's football. Nobody ever scores.
Very kind of you to say football, though.
I know.
behind any lines. That was the last show match. I hope you enjoy
the grand finals.
Yeah, that's why they waited in spawn because up against the M4s,
it's flushed with phone. PR out of here. Core strong. I hope your pow wow was worth it.
Yeah, I mean it is important to talk because yeah, they've got to make sure they start
off right on T side. They even know that. This is the highlight. They even know they're
going to let spirit make money here.
Okay, try to get the mood up. I got to respect that. They lose one gun. Shiro's instantly
onto his up.
Still a couple MP9s to play with as well. So let's watch spirit maybe get loose at
That AWP takes a run at a risk top mid.
And I think these opening moves were already seeding out of the CT side in the pistol.
Now in the first gun round.
Spirit's confidence is starting to be on display.
Yeah, it's like a long push.
Just really wasn't there in the first four rounds.
It was scary to see Spirit, too timid to swing into a PR when there was three guys
that could have hit that bombsite.
But they've got their game going and so now Maus are probably up against what they
they would have expected coming into grand finals.
A team spirit looking for more silverware.
He's gonna watch through this.
Oh, he gets the kill.
Nice instant head shot at a Zershin.
The FD9 are close now.
Shiro's off-connect with one.
Oh, and the back drop.
Not to mention the Zoptic's damage
is what lets those Barrettas connect.
And so Torsi starts dropping this full belt of nades.
He's brushing from both ends.
Yeah, he closes the gap.
Spinks is here to help him.
But that SMG still keeps him tight.
Tenir getting low on ammo and also half health.
Yeah, they're caged right now.
I mean, they know their CT's on both sides.
Torsi just needs an escape route.
And he has to avoid all danger.
All while Magix keeps eyes over the smoke.
He's got the kill!
What a wrap around.
Wait, they can take it A. I mean, surely.
Torsi's getting the hell out of there.
Fast stopping.
Tenir is going to get presumably stopped
from the ground with still 60 damage, not half bad.
I mean, that's Torsi, right?
Yeah, with that with a Torsi's kill the bombs dropped in the open to be one in spirits favor
That is an early save
It's a crazy round out of shero as well
Great adjustment
That one just had to be
So far, it's only got three frags
Orgy was flowing and Zershin
Looking real loud at the moment, 18 and 8.
It's torchy behind him, 13 and 7.
And so the most scarred members of Maus, those that became far too accustomed to second places.
This is a risky moment now.
Low on Util, no kits at all.
They keep this up long enough for Zell X PR and Spinks to get the game going.
Donk and Magix on the cross.
You've got Zell, you've got Zontics behind you.
Setup is pretty good.
Oh, he has a guilt line!
Of course he does.
Zellax checking to quickly look back to CT magics,
and Tiniers sent bullets through for one.
But Spinks is just going to crawl out through the tunnels
and guarantee the bomb site as the bomb itself
doubles back around through safety.
God forbid you lose that bomb out mid.
This was the recipe for beating Vitality.
It was these last two rounds.
It's good positions for the CT side,
but it's the entry power.
It's actually on an individual level standing out that has got them out of these situations
Zalchis kill is so huge. I mean full flash player first bullet headshot had no idea what he did
The setup is very sound here from the CT side
They didn't have to worry about these so they pulled the goalie had two guys outside the site
They had a mid player ready for exactly what mouths were about to try to do
I was wondering if I could get a round by elimination here, just because these save guns can actually
convert to the next, they wouldn't have had any money whatsoever, but they will obviously
take a win.
Ridiculous, Gilberts-Ellis. Oh my goodness.
Just feeling like that flash would be enough.
But the bullet still lands somewhere.
And Donk learns it the hard way in round 16.
Looking like a Torji long pick.
It's Donk to be at the corner, so it feels like he'll be out there.
Well sure enough, Doc will find the headshot towards him, unfortunately just a little bit
around that door and exposed to a killer.
But a killer that's only 9 and 12?
Yes, that's true.
It's on top of the charts, alongside Shiro tied at 15 frags now, Zertian's gonna set
a bullet right back through the other way and with it comes open space.
Now that was the bomb spotted in that duel as well.
It's an interesting move here, I mean they have a third player coming up towards
long, this could be very hard to read for Zertian.
I feel like he kind of wants a little bit more info across the map before he makes any walkout happen. He can't just do this by himself.
What Maus are going to find is a bit of vacancy here. Catwalk not contested, nobody on those corners of middle.
This could be absolutely a defining moment for Magix. He doesn't have a good gun.
puts a smoke in front of it and there's a better weapon.
If only he could grab it.
Instead, that guarantees him an M4 swap out.
It's a little awkward because I think they know
that there's still two on A.
Not sure if that mid-cross was hurt earlier
towards the side of the map, but it is just a scout first zero.
Yeah, and they swapped out, right?
It was Donk here early with that opening kill.
Now he's over towards that B site.
This is crazy looking.
Cazursion has the bomb.
It's a scout and an M4.
Cazursion's eventually going to have to link up.
If the cap plate goes well,
He will come wide with a shot out of the scout that now goes back to the long
doors misses the timing on that challenge.
But with how late it is, Zershin, he's expected to not get cleared.
He's got to go.
He's got to make this move.
There's a heavy chance at taking the site, but with the cap players faltering,
Zershin never saw a chance to strike.
And so he timidly sits back, lets this expire and allows spirit in the lead.
I'm honestly, he was trying to ride that line between genius and madness.
I think by coming out very late and just hoping it doesn't get cleared.
It's a risk, but it's worthwhile considering you've got numbers on spirit.
They might not watch everything towards A, but then he takes a little bit too long.
And then you see, is this a half day plan really?
Hell of a scout shot also kind of semi flash, because if he had given up that
bomb way earlier, he could have pulled off the same lurk, but they could have
planted all this.
Anything you want to address?
I'm tilted.
I hate this much so much.
Oh, I guess he hates it both sides, you know?
Hilarious.
The first step is admitting that you have a problem.
And Dust2 clearly is his problem.
It's one you'll never get rid of though.
Doc in the corner, uh-oh.
Site players already got the job and damn near finished on his own.
Okay, Zontics.
Nice clean shots on Zontics.
It's at this point now that Doc's gonna go, wait, hold up.
My kills.
And potentially swing out wide to near fast flying.
This one goes back to what I thought was the early tempo set by spirit on the CT side, right?
It's opening moves, a bit of aggression, Shirou talking it on and off,
docked down in the tunnels with Beretta's, just pressing Maus, almost in a form of disrespect.
And the money now loadouts back at this one, big moment for Spirit to step it up,
and it's also Maus to kind of come to them.
Yeah, it goes by quick, but it's actually so important.
Like, if we're now Spirit with 10 rounds, just like that, it's such an easy hole,
They don't lose any players. It's all about how goods on explains it
And I would have loved to see PR play this spot more often just there from the back of the site trying to play its danger
And play up utility crossfire between him and sphinx in that spot would have been so good
But the past is the past hour in grand finals had a lot of dust two games mouse have been successful in them
But this is the one that matters
Eagle for Zershin. He's playing lights out 20 kills to his name
If mouse could have even posted say one round that convincing
So far the battle, the B defense, tipped the scales towards spirit, now it's barely on the
scales with now this 4v5 single-deagle three-glock situation.
I think it's cool Matt, listen in that we hear Scythbone trying to address P.O.N.
Anything you want to address is hilarious.
So how are you feeling?
He doesn't even get to see his face and he can already tell.
Donk doesn't have time for your Tom Fulverine.
Your little pistols walking around mid.
They just feed into his AK-47.
Shiro's going!
I said it, no time for Tom Fulverine.
We got five mats to play and Shiro is finished with Dust2.
I'm going to twist it. He did it for the money.
It's that opposition.
All right. Well, that's a moment.
Mous will take one, too.
We've been talking about psychrone a lot and brought up him after
attack pauses definitely seen that impact.
Yep.
It's a moment where absolutely something needs to give.
And we have seen a couple of miracle rounds in this T half,
but again, versus vitality to kind of got away
with everything versus spirit so far,
they aren't just getting away with everything.
Painfully hilarious that it's PR again.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wise man one set best time to kick a man is when he's down.
true give that wise man a podcast
magic small it's off to the doorway but there is no aggressive approach on a
mouse zero and six this half one of those deaths to shiro's stiletto
well no questions about shiro nope that's something we had coming into the
final looking excellent
Donk had to get a few weeks ago to get his score line together.
It's basically been a couple of highlights, a couple of entries.
The volume wasn't that high.
But it looks like the impact is just enough.
It felt like it was always finally going to happen, but it's also Zellex who has
not been able to keep up his out of this world numbers finally this map.
All event long.
been up there mentally I'm wondering about the calling here for mouse but the
little weird not one round that they ran at a time towards long here we go in
between flashes kind of catching them with an off timing they got donkey goose
yeah it's got a palm flash to offer so doesn't swing in with it immediately
takes a second finds Zershin in the backdrop torsie the one return
frag PR's got to get out long it's an instant kill from Tenir who just
constantly looks rock solid magics this whole time skeptics hud tucked and
Malus have just let the tempo of the round change looking for one this day forward
Torgy moves this in and he does it just enough to put a bomb down curious place for torgy considering spanks
Is in CT spawn?
I mean shiro the sitting duck you'll never expect this but now that the jig is up now torgy needs a set of hands and well
Flags on flanks topics still at the b-side torgy to the one beat three
Down low, but it doesn't make it lethal fresh mag into the mix and now the headshot
And they need those moments right now mouse because spirit rack up rounds
Map points on dust to I like we get a camera on to near when his frag is extremely critical
He's been doing well this half or this game so far
But just shutting out long means there's basically no chance here for mouth unless a miracle happens
It's on takes he really he marches to the beat of his own drone. What's he up to?
He got over there on his own time, okay?
And to be honest, it was so late that even Spinks wasn't ready.
He had all players.
Spinks.
And it's not even like Zontics was, say, mid-doors.
He was still outside the B site.
He's a homebody.
got to read in so many ways to be fair without seeing Spinks maybe he was
thinking it's a late Tunnels walkout right and strikes the right moment cues
up the retake and unfortunately towards these individuals just slightly off the
right mark right if it's just his pristine mechanics in that moment with
the AK clutch is on but a little too labored plays are getting a little bit
simple, a little bit more structured, readying the B attack. There's no lurk in place so far.
It's a very good grenade.
Empty mag for Magic, spamming through.
Shiro over on ramp, on his own, to near back towards Long Scott.
Nothing to handle.
He is headed right now!
By all means, Shiro! Do what you gotta do!
Magic collects one in the middle. That's the bomb confirmed out, Elbow.
Finally, U.S. Miffs one.
PR trying to find a moment. His first kill of his D-side.
And is it enough to open the door for the bomb plant?
Is it enough for him to go a little further?
Because we've got a fast-moving flank already coming up back.
Catwalk dongs on arrival, not waiting for his teammate.
Down to the halfway point, Corsi just can't manage.
These guns get away from them individually,
coming up short as Spirit go frantically in for this retake.
And watch this replay before we send it all.
What a second shot!
If that's what Shiraz got in store for us,
then enjoy this grand finals.
Yeah, ends it on a bang at 19 frags in the end for shiro.
It's a quiet close for mouse.
Unfortunately, a dust to where they've been extremely fearsome
and it felt like after the vitality game,
anything was possible to kick this series off.
But now it's spirit who are very happy in the right place
mentally and a shut down mouse and we're probably worried
going in that they were feeling themselves a little bit
too much.
Well, it's like that story is different now.
What's your first map here in the convincing fashion?
Just tell me, give me a bit of a feel on the energy, the way you guys came back into that
second half as well, and the confidence you felt here.
First couple of rounds were kind of shaky, but due to individual brilliance of some
players, we managed to get a couple of rounds towards the end of the half.
But on city side, we pretty much were ready for them,
for what they were planning to do and encountering them.
Are you sure you're ready for them now going to Mirage as well?
Is it going to be more of the same and Spirit can continue to dominate?
We will find out.
We will find out. Good luck, mate. Thank you very much.
Magic says it was a shaky first half, but they ended 6-6
And that's more than enough for them to be able to move into that second half,
have a great CT side for themselves,
and ensure that Maus's T side, which has looked pretty strong on Dust2 before,
this grand final, is ultimately squashed.
It was a shaky first half because I think there were one round away from that half,
really running away from them if they hadn't had some antics pulled out by Xontics
in a 3v4, but you get into the second half and then they are lights out.
It's so tough to deal with Spirit,
where a lot of teams like attacking B and mid to B,
and Mao's did the same against Vitality.
You're running into Donk and Zontics on that side of the map.
It's a very tough task.
They're both actually working off of each other extremely well
on top of that.
When they are pressuring that side of the map,
you get to Nir, who's very willing to flank from long
as well.
The macro understanding from Spirit,
once they switch to the defensive half, is excellent.
And even if you do just pressure them into a bomb site,
you see what happens there.
People like Shiro have the potential
to get multi-frags.
Donk always has that up his sleeve.
and Zontics too is really a great defender.
Yeah, you're talking about that Zontics shenanigans.
It was specifically in around five,
the first round that they end up picking up for themselves.
And it's insane to see how it ultimately plays out
and how he's able to get that first round win for them.
Yeah, this is one where they start out with a shiro miss
with Don going down, he starts the game with one and five.
Then you end up getting the A bomb site pushed back,
Torchy has to give it up to near on the lurk
on the other side of the map.
This is a round that's going in Maus' favor,
Especially after zelex gets one and a half. I would say almost two to near gets the trade
It's it's torgy kind of stuck here on elevator, but this kill from the zon'tix on short is the breaker
That's the one where it's it's on things goes down there that round goes miles this way
Then you have another reset you have another pistol you have another eco
And then all of a sudden miles up six zero and it's gonna be a very tough one to come back from
Yeah, I was incredible presence of mind there from zon'tix to be able to get the kill like you said
which was the really most pivotal frag of that.
And in such a tight situation like that,
if Spirit fell apart,
that would have been really Maus beginning
to build some semblance of a CT side,
but to go into the half six six,
never really gonna be good enough.
We then see them be able to get a couple more rounds
for themselves.
Five leads into six, into seven,
and then ultimately dunk,
which he didn't show up the last time.
Maus and Spirit went off into grand finals, decided,
this time he's not gonna have
that sleep or agent mentality for himself.
really showed off. The thing is, Donk in this game, he had some very impactful
frags, but he still wasn't the Donk that we know and expect, right? This is what
concerns me the most from us. It's a solid game from Donk. It's not the type of
game that we've seen him struggle on, but it isn't other than this round, one
where he's popping off the page. Yeah, you still see the explosive moments
that have Donk with this round here. I mean, this is one of the best
highlights I've seen all tournament, but in terms of just the sheer output
that's something that did feel a bit missing,
but also goes then back to credit to Spirit
and the fact that the team was able to step up
that to near and shiro were both able to pick up
the slack when Donk didn't always get those
instant entry headshots.
I mean, that's one of the things that we've been
loving so far about spirit ride.
The fact that they haven't dropped the map is
because even in those moments that we're not
seeing that that player in don't step up,
everyone else is able to do it.
But always at the end of the day,
don't get a 3k for himself, but
Taneer and Shearer are great pivots
and points to look at as well here
because a conversation of yesterday was
who is that third star
and Taneer himself said anyone
could really show up at any point,
but it felt like at this time around
it was all a poke. Have you ever asked
Spirit, I think they would still say
Xantix is supposed to be their third star,
but it's really obviously Taneer
and Shearer obviously as their second star
with the off and hand. You're thinking of them
them as a rightful where is the second rightful it's going to be to near but
shiro was here he struggled in grand finals recently this year I think he's
got a point nine five in grand finals this is one where he pops off the page
that's going to go up after this one thankfully for shiro's case as one of
the best players in the world as for to near I really feel like if you give
him a little bit of autonomy and tell him you can go for these shots you
can go for these fights especially when he swaps over to the defense
then you're able to unlock more of his potential because that's what the Holly
Sofick change. I mean it was just a player that was chained to then suddenly
being unleashed and I liked it already the seeing the signs on Dust 2 in a
grand final high pressure situation where they released two rounds at long a where
he pushes to try to flank mouse recognizes I have an opportunity to
strike and he just goes for it instead of second guessing himself. It's just
one of my favorite things when Vue comes in and says yo the sharing number
is out looking great and then he puts up something like that a map one of
the game, and it's like, you
know, it's like, you know,
it's like, you know, it's like
it's like, you know, it's like
the end of the game for grand
finals. This is spirit. This
spirit. You know, they've got
don't they've got shero that
got to near the guts on these
are all players that could be
stars on another team. They're
just overshadowed by Don't
and don't when he's having an
off game. We want to see
spirit work together as a
team like this. Remember
magic's talking about the
fact that it is a shaky
first half for them, even
though they did end up being
able to tie at six and six.
most importantly something that has been time and time again brought up in a bit of a weakness for
mouse is PR and how he is left to learn on that B site. PR on the B site was a huge problem at bounty
and Spirit really in a huge mistake did not attack him on that B site. They left him on his own,
they tried to go to the A side of the map and this one they do try and go to the B side.
You see the one really successful round he has there round three from there on out it's
entry after entry for spirit onto the B site almost making up for past mistakes. They continually
attacked that B site and despite the fact that Spinks was there quite often. He was actually on that
B site more than you might expect given how badly they held it. It's just there's a real lack of
synergy between PR and Spinks on the B site. One of them is going to get one. The other one's
going to get none almost every time. That does seem to be the case frequently and you
could see I mean the ADR is surprisingly good for PR there but the fact that he doesn't close
out so many of those kills on that defensive side, just left a huge hole in their defense.
And so PR, I definitely saw the frustration.
I mean, we saw it in the player cam the way that he just looked down at the table.
That looked all the way along as well.
It was extremely long.
The thing is that if they replayed the entire time, because we can see in the back how
long his hand is in his face, then it is, I mean, that was probably 30 seconds
long.
Like he was rethinking a lot of choices he made in his life at that moment.
I mean, he did die early on in that round and I would say it was like five seconds off
for he died.
It was head in the hands right away.
This is one of those ones where PR has some kills, he has some ADR because the B site
defense is so bad they keep going there.
And one kill when you're playing so stretched out, you have three on A, you have nobody
in the CT rotation, one kill's not enough.
And what's frustrating about it is that the biggest weakness of PR came at the
beginning of this year when he lost his IGL, when he lost Ash as a coach on
game religion and then the frustrations clearly were building up. That he was saying in interviews
how he didn't like how certain things were operating in the team and his performance definitely
dipped because of it. I thought as soon as he gets to mouse clean slate you're going to be working
with some professionals around you. One of the best if not the best coach in the business
and so he'd be able to get his head on straight but then we see that his emotions still seem to
control him in these high pressure moments. Admittedly I'm hoping that it's contained
to dust to again we've proven that it isn't just him right how are you supposed to hold
aside when four people are coming at you five people are rushing you because they know it's
a weakness in Maus's strategy here so it's not fully on him that it is such a frustrating map
for him you're right there could have been elements in which he held his head a little bit
higher but I'm hoping it's contained to dust to and that we look towards the rest of the grand
final it's a different note for him it's a different note for Maus because at the end of
the day. I want to know your predictions, right? Over on Polymarket, it is the main one that
we're looking at. Who is going to be our last Open Porto winner? Maus or Spirit?
I had Maus before the series. The number's going down. I'm staying with. I'm staying
with it. I'm 21%.
You're holding strong.
I think that at least 30%.
I would say with that number, it's not enough value. But I said prior to the series
starting, I would have taken Spirit. It was a bit of a, just a very slightly
favorable coin flip for me to go for Spirit, but after taking that map line, it's hard to not say that
they're looking like they're in better form. They've remedied some of the problems they had
in that initial showing at the bounty. Even though it was Spirit's map pick,
surely we should have been giving them the slight advantage for a map line.
What comes, what we talked about before the series where we were questioning the
Ancient as a third map now comes back to bite Maus, because you know that Ancient is an
incredibly strong map for Spirit. When you get there, it's almost a guarantee. It feels like
That means mouse need to win map to if they want a chance at bringing it to five pounds
But is it still those percentages right if we were to just narrow it down on Mirage as to be that blinch pin as to who could win
Lost open Porter. Is it a 21 to 79? I give them 30. Oh
I'm a Mirage
Individually as a map. I mean I feel like this is again back to being a pretty 50-50 affair
Okay, it's still a 50-50 then I am just trying to fish for it because at the end of the day
I really want to be able to see five maps.
I want to see mouths bounce back, dust off their shoulders
and look towards what is going to be a great
garage after this break.
I
I'm looking towards a map number two here in our best of five grand final and now is
even though it is that pick you have to be wary of spirit right now because winning
doesn't just put them one map advantage and being able to close out this grand final.
It was also the first time Spirit have been able to win a grand final map with Donk being
below a 1.00 rating.
My concern for Spirit on this map is I'll give you another stat.
Zontix doesn't have a single map where he's above a 1.00 rating on the CT side.
So you're looking at Donk in connector and Zontix on short.
That's how Spirit played this map.
They played a fight in middle.
If both of these players are offline, they have no chance of beating a mouse team that
are so good as a five man roster.
Come on, Boo, you of all people know, Donk having two bad maps in a row is an unlikely prospect,
though.
I have total faith that Donk is going to be able to clean up from Khan.
I feel like the synergy that he's found with T'Nier playing the A bomb site has
looked a lot more active, that they're willing to run a variety of setups there.
Shiro is also going to be coming in from toll booths so frequently.
I feel like they have a great opportunity to break mouse as they're trying to get to that side
It's not often donk has two bad maps in a row
But if there's a team it's happened against it would be mouse
It has happened against mouse even just this season, and I think they're about to do it again
Are you hoping then that this third star the question mark that keeps arising around here
It is gonna be able to show off on a mirage. I think zonk is gonna struggle to near is gonna have to step up
He supports donk and connector some of the time
He's more active than he's been in the past.
I think that's where you're really going to need some activation from Spirit.
But that's where I feel like the other map maybe needs a little bit of focus.
Because Magix and Zontics can be weak there, and Maus, they are just on top of each other.
Their trading on this map is so elite.
Throughout this tournament leading into the Grand Final,
they had trading numbers that were really better than we'd ever even seen by Tality during 2025.
I mean, they were playing excellent team counter strike.
And when they go for those B execs,
and it is magic since on ticks,
I don't see either of those guys
getting more than one kill at a time.
A mouse and a spirit grand final with spirit one map
win to the name right now.
But we're looking towards mouse's map pick a mirage,
which could even out the playing field,
knowing how well they play it.
Well, the last map wasn't a punish,
and this one won't be either.
It should bring the best out of both of them
to put together a great series.
But with the way that ended,
Maus with a whimper,
they're looking to barrage
where they also humbled vitality
with an excellent T-side
and are looking to mirror that.
In front of you, Porto,
in front of this crowd,
they need your support.
They may have done it to vitality,
but they look different versus vitality.
Today, Maus up against a spirit
that even looks different.
What an incredible piece of history first grand finals map victory for spirit with doc sub 1.0 rating
And I like that boo still kind of made this argument that maybe the other pieces here if they're off their game
Won't be able to hold back a mouse
It'd be the easier road to go into the spirit camp believing that with dust to they've got this in their pocket
Let's see what an off-day might look like if it's an off-day and not a map for Donk.
First gush on Magix, easy.
Xontix allows a bit of space out and that's going to cost the in-game leader of Team Spirit
dearly.
Down he goes, man-advantaged Maus, but quickly on the scene comes Donk.
Done after one.
Zellex also trying to get himself back into the heights that we know he has, but
Now all of a sudden with shiro and zontics pulling a player off both sides of sight
Things are back to the realm of possibility in the 2v2 zontics goes quickly around for the murder hole trying to link up first
So now it's the e-box play cross while the smoke was still up. So it's possible that I'm thinking about it
Zellix is insanely vulnerable. This fight wants to happen early. It's good on spanks to give a little bit of distraction
Zellix just looking to rip the headshots off. We've got that kid as well for the duel Peretta Zellix gets his
He knows where you're at
Shiro hunts you down. He just had more health to work with man. Shiro can really be something special, huh?
Dude, I mean this is very special because we're talking about grand finals the last round of that last game
That flick that he hit off of the A site. He is totally locked in
Also his second 3k with paredos in the pistol rounds
So leaving his mark there the early starts of these times to give spirit the best chance
That's a 2v4.
That's an unlike...
It's a 2v4. It's a very unlikely position, even when they get the first kill coming into the site.
They were smart to put that bomb down as quickly as possible, I think. Part of them felt that retake was gonna happen.
Now the A plays, again. Vitality match. A plays were such a big part of their game.
Even when Vitality were set up very well, they still couldn't get the kills.
Will that happen to Spirit?
Nades up and over to near
Preston doing
Guess he didn't notice
Zell X walks wide still bit and hit by those flashes and smokes again. Yeah, that's true
That was such a key element of the vitality game. They got away with it
They got away with the vitality game, but spirit are a different beast and so this force up
It's gonna find nothing to be proud of it made it so hard to criticize
but it's also sort of the one moment that we see that happen and
So you wonder can they do it again?
Can they do it in back-to-back days when their opponent just watched that match as well
And is that really them or was that something they were only going to use versus vitality?
PR looking to rebound off an incredibly rough dust you
Just raw on his response to Cyclone. I hope he likes dust three. Yeah
Yeah.
Eagle shot misses and that's going to be a majority up for Team Spirit.
So Tenir pressing the MP7 into the ramp exit.
We get more of what we got versus Vitality in the smoke walkouts.
It's a very valid point.
Like you just watched it go down last night.
And I think if you're the spirit camp, sat back at the hotel chilling.
Watching those performance happen.
You go, let's stay in front of the smokes.
Yep.
And you're going to say to yourself, not us.
You're not good enough to do that to us.
We are Team Spirit.
And also, I think Vitality had any kind of forewarning that was going to happen.
We don't know what their response would have been.
We don't know how they would approach there.
Yeah.
Well, I'll go to say that Vitality actually did a good job of kind of eventually stopping
Fioria from trying it.
Xtaz in the post-game interview after the quarter-final said, yeah, they caught us off guard with
aggression, but we stomped it out.
You never did stomp out Maus's aggression.
They weren't that much better.
So funny.
about mouse as in agro team like almost never but it was great to watch and it
worked very well and I'm not entirely surprised that it starts to happen when
we take a guy like Zershin who's just bred as an aggressive player make him the
leader at a guy like PR you know Zellex is malleable and soon enough you've got
mouse kind of swinging earlier than anyone would expect at least until they
do it a few times now spirit seemingly aware as to what mouse want to start
the game with this top middle push gets absolutely denied a little bit more
damage there for his office to have to stomach it's a team spirit 3-0 start off
the pistol and they will be fighting for mid just as was talked about this is a
team that likes to go for it I mean when that you know first when don't first
started breaking out it was literally him at top boxes every single round
since then they've kind of gone back and forth between him being a little
bit more passive towards mid to going back to finding that aggression again
but it feels like definitely they played their best when they press
forward when they take over early mid on CT garage and I wouldn't be surprised if they just make that their game plan today
Now's we're gonna try to still find another ways to get it back from them though. I'm not shy about it either
If it so happens that donk has two bad maps, maybe they'll find that solution
Let's see they showing different
Differences in their game plans. It's another good read out of spirit
We did see a couple of these early moments from them where they found a massive gap
The bomb is running back at this and dies
just
first on round
There goes donk hits a headshot, but AK bests M4 every day
I want to say crazy for donk to stick around when ten years falling back. He gets the kill
Nobody hears him run away, so they just assumed someone's there
Donk tries to remain adamant about it. Tanir also just wants to linger here.
He's gonna burn time off of the clock as they have to approach it slowly.
Could have maybe found the low player with that nade.
Instead, Zelex with bomb sits on top of the ledge, and it's at this point
they're gonna just start dropping smoke grenades.
They've still got on the default position. Another smoke and an incendiary.
We're looking at 45 seconds on the clock.
For a mouse that has shown a willingness to pop through smokes,
it feels like they may be forced to do it again, but this time not on their terms.
to near-flash wide, and he will mow down both.
Ooh, they trip over there on feet a little bit.
Running over the bomb, there's still a chance to get this back.
Molly could be good.
Taneer wants to run out in front of it.
Spinks is going to win.
Taneer though, got to be careful.
Down the four bullets in that magazine,
and Spinks has been given a chance to grab the bomb back.
Still needs to cross over.
That won't be allowed.
Not with the way she replaced tonight.
Zershin though, it falls on him.
It's the in-game leader versus 300 health to do this.
They surrounded it, but he already kicks up a fight.
Headshot continues, a great start! Flash blinds the AWPers!
That's both players he knows is low!
Zershin, really?
To the top stairs goes this low health AWPer.
First gun round, critical 1v3.
And he loses track of Shiro.
He's got to read now. He knows he's going to walk around through triple.
That he does, slowly coming through.
It's a pistol out, but it's still 50 health.
Zershin wants to swing!
No!
And now he's starting to crash for the house!
And that is leading from the front.
Not the guy you see left in the 1BX situations often, but it looks like when he is, he delivers.
You always worry about spirit in spots like that because they put three individual isolated
duels together to invite that to happen.
They almost allowed that to happen with Monacy.
We saw how close they were to bungling it because they didn't double up on any one of their peeks.
And here it happens again, but tragedy actually strikes.
That was such an easy round for Spirit to close, and now they let mouse into the game.
That flash is critical to get the author off the line.
And kind of while the app is jumping back trying to get the vision again, Magic steps
into the duel.
Donk head on his hands. Well hands on his head
He was thinking man. Is it really cuz I push they ran right?
He has no impact on that round in that regard. It's so hard to blame them though like that spot
It's just so low odds planning default everyone knows you're there. They're all three there as well
It's just such a fun spot
You know really if I'm to near I'm thinking this is the 100% position
He's going to try to swing even if I'm ahead on headshot. He's going to be swinging right for my head
Why leave him the chance Nate also misses which would have helped shiro out a ton
Go for an early collection into the apartments out of now as we've got nades primed here by magic
So it could land too late and shiro still concerned about middle good mid windows smoked off magics
He's gonna let the Mount Shirou will cut down the one player coming in from Katwalk
He gets clipped out the open now it's talk on the scene with nothing. Oh, yeah
He's just everything up bested by PR
Who wanted nothing more than to get off dust to and spanks will extend down the Katwalk just sweeping another body under the rug
Spirit have let this one go with a one versus three
Mows then capitalize and keep majority alive in the follow-up. This is what spirit did to them
This is what mouse do all the time when the doors open a little bit. They barge in
They recognize the gift from the last round they take full advantage
It could have been shiro with a 2k. He set himself up in a good spot
It could have been magics with one kill and shiro is already guaranteed frag
Chalking to see don't get outgunned in a 50-50 for a player that he's waiting for but it happened
Watch this second one is done emerges through the back door
Set up was not anticipating something that quick smoke coming out in that situation would
It could have been a Molly if they had a feeling it was going to be a rush hero still got a shot, which was massive but Magic snows you needed to compliment that one.
Solo push with a solo gun and it works.
Taneer was a workhorse back on Dust2 went a little underrated. He's up to six kills already.
And Zershin I mean he's just got a Mach 10 to hold back.
Well it takes runs out to grab an AK Zershin pops up to deal with that one M4 still locking horns with Zershin.
That's a good punish.
Zershin wants to come at this.
This is a Molly, but they're up-catch.
Yeah, that's great. It's a good distraction.
Perfect, actually. Goes in, kind of deals with the gun,
totally keeps that import preoccupied,
and all the while,
is over here mid.
We talked about the off-shots that Shiro was posting,
and they deserve their praise.
Let's see if Torzi will be able to rebuttal.
Easy pick-offs versus players
who are desperate to get any kind of an impact,
so they will happily just put themselves in that scope.
But the more bodies that find themselves in the center of the penalty screen,
the more players he's going to drop, the more confidence he grows,
and the more impact he could find for Maus.
Yeah, still the best guy to die to for only the $100 kill bonus on an anti-eco.
Spirit come into a follow-up, they have Shiro back on the up.
Not leaving any money left.
I mean, Shiro could get a kit.
Shiro's walking on a spawn without a kit and 550 bots.
Let's see if that's a problem.
I gotta meet this sword like guy.
And Zershin, whoa, he's way ahead of this.
Oh boy.
I mean, this would have been hard to hear.
They're coming back to clear out connector.
They're coming to see him though.
They'll find a double setup down to the underpass.
Didn't see anything to keep him preoccupied.
So now they're gonna just go that this would have been the fast A split.
Oh man, totally denied.
Every kill in mere seconds.
How long was that round?
I mean, I feel exertion felt the danger.
He was up there so quickly, didn't see a single person,
and he ran the whole way.
So clearly he did alert them.
They came back to check on him, back turned,
nearly clipped off someone in jungle.
And I think in his mind he's like,
if I get one here, my teammates can deal the rest.
But they were ready on the inside.
They had a failsafe.
I don't know what the player is saying.
I guess they did.
I mean, you should have known he got away
with a little bit too much, but I think he still realized
like I just need to find someone to kill first.
They evade him and kickstart.
Another sequence of buys now out of spirit thanks to that one.
You let him get away with such a convincing round.
They're gonna have money for days and on top of that re-establish
the one round leader, Doc, tests the waters
and they will stamp back through.
So he's not getting multi-kills out of these moments.
You put Doc down
and that's something that Voo had to say.
Miss window smoke.
Uh-oh.
You know, Donk was saying, or Voo was saying, if Donk can only get one, if Zontics can only
get one, then maybe Maus will still have enough firepower to break through.
And in this round we find exactly that.
Donk goes all in for a moment that only nets him a single kill, leaves the numbers
thin.
Thing is, wasn't true on Dust2?
Isn't true right now between Shiro and T'Nier again?
Oh!
Nice move.
What a fine spirit.
Decide to prod in the mid-round emergency mall. He's great flames in front of cell X
That's gonna whittle him down to 65. So you've got them softened up as well here at least two of the three
Always cool with it
Taps a couple more bullets over the bow finds the headshot and leaves spanks 1v3 no bomb possession to near up in apartments
I mean, this is plus it's pink so you know he's gonna be the guy coming into the site a little later
It's got to transition into a save. You guys can boof, you'd like.
They're like, we love Spinks yesterday though, we don't want to do this.
Stop.
You can also cheer if you want to.
That'll be something new in a stadium, cheering for stays.
Fizzles out, spirit to the two-round lead, and again, it's majority alive.
So healthy state for this CT half so far.
They risked it on a high tempo round.
Zerk, Cyclone's going to get involved.
The buy coming up though for him to help with is not going to be a lot.
It's got to be really creative with this one.
I mean, TR is not even going to be dropped in a gun unless he goes Galeel.
We'll see how well Sikron give the map.
That Zontics poke finds the poor man, top mid scoped in, look at the wrong way.
And he gets away with that last bullet headshot.
It's refreshing to see Zontics play that well.
You know PR head and hands we saw that back on dust to we heard the listening that's talked about it in between the maps
So deflated just about that map, but the call swords a palace walking all right again. It's a lot of utility going up here
Show behind triple thunk over on the stairs, but they're smoking for the palace first
They're just gonna walk it right there any utility outside a zershin in mid. It's all in palace
It's gonna be surprise maneuver
But so far, Spirit haven't been caught off by the surprises.
They're waiting for a smoke.
They have been.
It sits in front of him.
Shiro still kind of up two mines.
Shiro's on Nades out.
He's already.
And so they do fucking putting out where it's off.
But still he finds a kill off the off and don't catch the headshot.
Oh, it's gotta kill him when you can.
Shiro still standing.
And the last piece left is that that had no gun.
They're trying to kill me.
Do you know who I am?
Man, they got that moment that they weren't prepared,
but they couldn't find the instant headshot
to release the valve of pressure on the site
if they had taken out Zero.
Would have been a little bit harder
to take advantage of the player
who was standing there on stairs.
But it's, you know, a couple of tempo calls here
for Maus that have been totally shut down.
Yes.
They're really risking it with that.
And they're also continuously looking for these smokes
to play out of and it hasn't overall been working today.
It feels like that one actually did offer a good distraction.
You saw Donk go back from stairs
as if there was really something in connector.
But then you look at the individual spirit have,
you look at the form they're all in.
Shiro 11-4 once again.
And Donk, even though he left Shiro to his own devices
for let's say half a second,
there's no answer back at a mouse
in the middle of all that mix.
So back to the pistols we go for mouse,
this T side still so flat.
Again, it has shades of what we saw yesterday versus Vitality.
It just doesn't have nearly as much success.
No.
Oh, what a block, oh my goodness.
I've never seen that.
Sits up top, Shiro's got him covered, still these pistols down before PR can even get
back away from that scope.
Shiro's nailed the second and the third.
Oh, it's sticky with Shiro, man.
Sticking to everyone.
That off is magic right now.
Looks like he can almost not believe that all these shots are landing.
Fourteen and four is Shiro.
Oh, no, wonders.
Stonk is laughing, Spirit's having fun.
Oh boy.
It'll take a reverse sweep if Mal's going to pick this up and, well, we know how
So, often that happens.
That by Nate's on the approach, we've got this Tenir Donk, double up inside Conn.
And even when they have had players top middle, there's just, you know, at times,
Mao's kind of depart and then Spirit have this affinity for the mid-round poke.
Go back in, see what's up.
And now Mao's actually sticking around with more numbers.
YOLO alert from Spinks elsewhere.
PR trying to join up through underpass a little bit late to near slips the net between smokes.
Oh, insertion's just walking through.
Oh, walking.
There's it, there it is.
Bomb tripped and dropped as Doc comes through.
Really taking the win out of the sail into the next duel.
Down goes Porgy.
PR comes in through and at least he's got a little more room.
He's got himself a second.
Autniss shot from Shiro that allows PR to dive the stairs.
He needs to get into sight.
Hell of a recovery mission with that bomb and it falls on Spinks now five health.
Does he know, does Ciro know, oh he's going for the AK right away.
Default again.
Spinks must clutch.
Another clutch demanded of Maus.
Big moment for it.
Ciro is gonna end it.
One bullet from any of his guns gets that job done.
Best effort by PR to recover a scary spot and he gets the bomb to Spinks to try to clutch it.
But they were also low on the approach and no denying Spirit this eighth round.
How many times are they walking out of smoke with the spirit player standing behind them?
Just looking.
Now, this is a more classic position out of mouse, which I expected to see more of in this D half,
which was establishing on mid with five players alive, sneaking into a bit of map control.
And yeah, even old mouths would still try to lock up through a connector smoke.
But the amount of times that they're getting caught off guard,
at some point,
You would think this is not the team to do it against.
Those are racing through these timeouts.
Best they can do is a four-round T side.
That wouldn't be the worst case in the world.
It's more the nature of which they're losing.
That's concerning.
Just really failing to get off the ground with the style of Counter-Strike. We thought Maus were gonna start making their own
27 and 8 with nine multi-tales on CT side this series. Oh my god
Potentially one more for the road PR. That's a big one trying to break positive now
It's with the most amount of kills on all of mouths. Okay, don't get uses less bullets than Spinks needs
Headshot connected back. This would need to be a three versus five all started by Donk. It's an empty B site
CT's run at this. They're really worried that it was about to be an exact. It is anything but that the bomb is still at top mid
The T's have not made a decision yet
And on a respread of the map this is where it comes down to Zershin
You find the weaker position
Magics didn't do much back on Dust2 starting 1 and 5 here, but now it's a 3 on 4 and Tonks
made his way all the way around to Kat, just to meet them.
They hit that pause button and Tonks didn't waste a second.
Oh, Zellax won't face many bullets, finds the kill, Torsi to trade, looking to move
these rifles and that bomb inwards, but the fact Torsi does that with one help,
that is how close all of a sudden, Maus could have been to scrambling back to
to grab bomb and you would have just been giving a critical amount of time to a guy like
Zontics who loves to play, like you said, to the beat of his own drum.
Slow approach, tons and nades, final seconds of this first half.
Tiptoe's into PR, who's gonna find himself a multi-kill, damn near breaking, even Peo
on a recovery from map one to two.
last round for Maus on a four round T side.
We're at the ASUS ROG Lab. It's Maui Snake and Voo. And we're going to be looking at some clips
of pro players from last events. And without the name plates, we're going to try to guess
who created the highlight. And this should be easy because we're looking at it in
lightning fast refresh rate on pristine color from Asus ROG.
We're gonna be keeping score,
but once you make your guess, you are locked in.
Keeping score, I thought this was just for science.
Science and fun.
All right, let's roll the first clip.
I can tell you that this one is Faze from 2025.
Who has these gloves?
Yeah, it's a weird skin combo.
It doesn't broke, you have, this is broken.
It's broken, lock it up, it's broken.
It's like, they're gonna lose this map.
He thinks about going for the knife kill, he walks around a connector, and then he goes to smoke someone, and everyone's like, Broke, he's got it, and then he's right back to beat the pump.
Alright, this one is the Huns 2025.
I know that it is, I can't remember his name.
A score maybe is the only game I can't remember right now.
I don't think this is a score.
Okay, yeah.
Someone else.
Okay, if we can't remember the name, I'm gonna say that what happens next is, he doesn't get a whole bunch of Eagle kills and makes one of the best clips that he can hear.
I was watching this in my mind, but I can't remember the name.
Yeah.
9.
Next up, Furia, 20-26.
Oh, this is K-Syrrano, this is going to be the pistol lace where he flicks, right?
Oh, this is such a sick clip.
It's one of the best highlights of the year.
I think it's four kills.
Let's hit four.
It's like a bounty, right?
Yeah, pretty sure it's like a bounty.
Yeah.
Yeah, there's...
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Come on.
Next clip is going to be Vitality from 2026.
Yeah, this is the Zywul Flick.
Oh, yeah.
This is the Zywul Flick.
Oh, the one he purposely looks into the wall when he peeks
so that he can flick really hard, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
This is the Zywul Flick.
A gratuitous flick.
This clip is Falcons 2025.
All right.
I'm taking Kyosuke. I think it's Kyosuke 5 kills.
Yeah, I'll give this Kyosuke 4.
The indecision and the action.
Niko would have already thrown the nade when it turned around.
Randomly swinging around shooting at Kyosuke and our shell?
Yeah, just looking for fights all the time.
Well, GG. At least the highlights were incredibly clear thanks to this ASUS ROG. I agree.
For a Maus that so confidently wanted to weaponize aggression, they find themselves with two successful opening duels throughout that entire T-side.
Caught off by forward spots out of Spirit and a growing confidence in the camp of a team that already have map 1 in their back pockets.
Still have questions about Spirit when it comes to trying to close on T-side.
on T side. We're going to find out quickly whether or not they have the chops, but think
mouse blew a grand chance at a much better half. They tried to copy and paste what they've
already done, and this was not the team to do it against. We know they have a great
CT side, but will they get a chance to play it? Yeah, pistol could spell disaster
if mouse can't hang on to what is a competent looking spirit set up for this A site. Magics
with the nades in the background.
Shucks him up and over.
And Donk on runways already in sight.
Mischance of the triple kills.
LX from down beneath puts him out.
And then the trade comes back from Zontik.
Spinks tests bench.
That's good, but kills a bet, one and done.
Shiro and Spinks each with a double.
2v2 were left.
Oh, Shiro, he's not done yet.
From inside palace with that P250.
This guy's got unlimited power right now.
And PR as the smoke fades has been found.
Shiro's got the responsibility of a bomb, but will he plant or just go headhunting?
I mean just go ahead and put it down, Shiro. I guess he's waiting to see if PR over thinks it.
He's gonna make his way around. Bomb will finally get planted.
Oh, he's running. And they're running away. Yeah, they'll just give him the space.
Magix turns around. Two different sets of boxes for the cover. He could see the shadow as well
for Shiro if he notices that detail. And so it's all about figuring it out. He goes back
back to the high road. I love that! They drop just to try to elicit something to get them to swing,
but he gets what he wants. The dual steps forward and it's spirit to get a ninth.
And he's shiro with a 4k this time. He's beating his own records on these pistol rounds.
Absolutely insane performance out of shiro.
Between the up kills on rifles and the pistols, it's pure impact.
I can't remember first pistol round, but I know from the second to the fourth it's 3k, 3k, 4k.
This guy just won scops.
Just makes the game so much easier.
Sante's holding back, he's got a little gap, nailed that one.
His aim's looking pretty sharp.
Okay, Zelec is still able to, huh?
Somehow hangs on.
This palace under wraps for Maus.
Not that they hang on to it.
Just pulling Zelec back to the platform instead.
Now just even into default, we get this mid-window smoke.
John does decide to forefoot middle.
They're just trying to make it look like a cap play.
Yeah.
Sending Teneer back through the palace on his own
on his own just to make sure that's all clear and you can just feel it.
Maus crawling away from A, putting Spinks over there as a third defender.
I mean, they're working with little so they really want to bank off this Fommus.
But if Spirit take a little too much longer, there's a world where these rotations do get in place
before the commitment comes through. Spirit making their move.
Now that's not gonna be it.
Oh, yeah. Burned out.
Down by the frag, Fommus strikes.
And with Tenir out of this one, it's going to be Donk to step up to the duels, but those are the two best guns Maus have to offer right here in front of Donk.
Insta headshots!
You think you have a chance?
I don't even know. It's so quick.
If you're Maus, can you even believe Triple Kill for Donk as he shreds the two, and that'll put Spirit comfortably up 10-4?
You know, you see Spirit using a lot of utility, but it's not like they're using utility because they're terrified.
They throw a simple fake towards mid, just loosen up the defense, cause a rotation, block some vision, and then the full exec with time.
It's not too late.
CTs are still coming in from rotator spots.
It's exactly what they were looking for.
HG to get the kill.
Donk on three of this round.
Not all eco frags are made equal.
These were definitely important.
Sometimes the two group teams go against each other and then both are playing well, the
playing smart out is spawned, it comes down to heart, comes down to energy and we're losing
on energy and heart right now guys.
We're gonna floss through that one, the emotional side of things, Cyclone's trying to point
to the belief that you can do it, do-mouse have that.
All the heart in the world, though.
It's up to make up for an advantage
with this strong AK's over pistol,
so we'll see what that has to say
once the guns come back through for Mauser
to get hell of a comeback.
There's a fun conversation around
Cyclone right now.
He's being one of the better coaches in the space.
What Maui said prior to this game going live,
he's got him currently ranked number one.
What he's been able to do,
transitioning Zershin into an in-game leader.
Absolutely.
I sit in the same vein as sort of a saw and a blade, it feels like it's the conversation.
It's consistent, never disappointed when it comes to what happens after he calls a timeout.
Seem the cat to build death.
We understand that he switched out IGLs and still had mouths be consistently proficient.
And it's a team that's never had a player like Donk or Zai Wu or anything like that.
That's also a feather in his cap.
What he says remains true, will take a whole lot of heart grip determination to pull out
of what is starting to feel like a tailspin at this point.
Now we have big expectations for Maus on Mirage.
Obviously Shiro's impact in pistols makes it all the harder.
put a little sauce on this one towards the end is almost there and you think we
have a couple back-to-back T sides where you know exertion through the CT side
and through dust to individually was fantastic CT was great overall but the
T side really did run out of gas it felt like towards the end
plays got more one-dimensional calls were more simplistic there was less
oomph to them this one felt like a very gimmicky T half overall I think not
too proud of that game plan and then to top it off heroes getting all these
pistol rounds just by himself.
And so Mao's get no quick starts, no room to breathe.
Already on the doorstep of getting 0-2 in this grand final.
It's the revenge match after Bounty, no spirit come into this one angry.
They come into this one knowing this one's in front of the stadium.
This is the one we're going to count.
Yep.
And Mao's want it just as bad for the same reason.
versus the very first event of the season.
This is the spirit coming off of the trophy lift in their last outing.
Torsche awaits this run up from the ramp and it is indeed inbound.
Two players, four mouths lingering out middle of the beat time.
He let him out.
Zelex is going to have to be a part of this as they've already sucked the climb over top of Tetris
and you've got Zershin dead.
That means Connector's compromised.
Flash in the middle thanks to Torsche sets up Zelex.
It's going to feel like he's time-limited though.
Put some other flashbang up there, trying to slow down Spirit, and he has effectively
cut down their tempo, but he hasn't cut them down to size.
And Sonic's feels the kill.
There's a lot of TTs on the perimeter right now.
Oh, Teneer back with one.
Oh, doesn't have the bomb.
He can't leave.
Feel a bit late.
Magix is just waiting for that murder-hole walkout.
Nobody coming his way.
Oh!
Teneer takes the heads off and finds a little more damage on PR still.
But Magix with a Mach 10, he's the guy that started it all.
And they do hold on to the defense once again a failure to scale they threw a lot of things towards that under balcony
But they're consistently missing this player that's willing to just go out and take the tool whether or not they're gonna win
So someone can go in and trade
Deluxe data live for way too long here. He makes good not even help them even while this smoke was up
And if that's not that kill they probably simply win, but that's a safe position
wants to take that dual from he understands that if he loses it well who's going to go ahead and try
there's no one really close on the bricks or just wrap instantly they needed to do it early and they did it
it's pretty much the only negative thing you could say about spirit right now
the only thing they've had to fix they still survived us to in spite of that
and they didn't change their ways towards the end of the half so we know they can adapt to it
But Halle takes a timeout, certainly to remind them of this.
Look at the players we have.
Why wouldn't you simply scale and trade?
Quick to move this off.
Torji, met by Smoke, and then M4 floating
bottom middle on its own.
He's going to pop it open, and maybe
Surprised to find multiple bodies inside it.
Donk actually uses that opening to catch.
Oh, what a flick that had to be.
And he's out.
Dorsi catching the head shot, still under pressure
from the cap lock.
Also eventually will need to help with B,
but now with the fire, he's been thrown around
back to that bomb site.
Magics drop through 11, and Zalex
wants to get his hands on this round.
Yeah, he kind of dealt with that a little bit.
What got scary for Zalex?
And he's made his way over to A ramp.
Won't be heard.
I love this reposition.
Yeah, but he's going to make noise.
Oh.
jump up and over. This angle could definitely catch you off.
Zonta isn't ready for that one. Little style points here for Zellex.
Oh, that was actually perfect.
Oh, Watt in here has stayed stuck in this corner.
And the rest of Spirit fell silent.
But Zellex feels like he's kind of off his leash, happy to go one further.
He moves over to the ramp, takes a kill down.
Now all the way wrapping around T spawn.
So this is a mouse being more active than what remains of Spirit.
But if they just get this convincing kill on PR as an anchor then this B site could be theirs for the taking that smoke is
Just made up out of teneur. He's throwing just a very simple fake trying to multiply his presence dropping in the connector
Loosening up the attention. That's big for cell X
But PR did miss a bit of timing let them get out
He can just instead stay into the cover because of cell X's efforts and kills PR doesn't really need output
He'll just keep them off the box
Very nice.
Very nice.
Really icing on the cake.
Not beyond another moment where, you know, spirit don't kind of overwhelm him.
They let him get away with his impact.
The round winner here is Alex, definitely made so much use of the space and also Torsi
shot unbelievable if he doesn't hit this.
There's no football to kick around here.
Who's talking actually?
It's all up here.
Just magics resting on his hand trying to figure a solution out.
It's cool in that last round to see
Zealots kind of let off the leash to keep moving, you know sometimes you would have just let him get the ramp kill and maybe got a little too static
But he had free reign on the round
winds up getting further impact
And again last map the first map of this best of five was the only negative rating
He has had on the stage and any of the maps so far that was up versus a vitality
that we're looking day by day better through a port though so cool to see him
kind of reclaim his position towards the top of the scoreboard for a house that
most certainly needed they're gonna need their hero and whether that's hero by a
committee or one shining star time will tell they cut this lead down to four
rounds spirit still shy of even confirming OT and even if it looks
It's so unconfident for Spirit to be walking around in a round like that when it is 11-6.
That's the time to do it.
Not when you've only got one by left to tie up.
Not when the maximum amount of pressure is on.
So that's all time to just let his ideas ruminate, consider what the best possible option is,
and then maybe as a final note remind everyone if you have an idea to commit to it.
Like it's Mouse who now want to start thinking.
their next move. For a guy that keeps floating around bottom middle, that's a
damning stat for Zershin. Off PR. Takes it a step further. Catches a nice
convincing headshot on Xenir. And a hand spirit of 45 to sink their way through.
Already back to a man advantage. Blinking you miss it with the way Shiro and
Don combine for a kill apiece. The Torshe's pissed. Yeah it's a crazy
find actually for Donk. He just waits out the incendiary. There's still a
Catsmoke up in front of him so doesn't bother extinguishing it.
Spinks has no idea what's about to hit him.
And now Xalex on the move again.
He has already tried this, and it was successful.
But man, what if they come up con?
Yeah, that's-
No spading, Magix gives it a look.
Plain from the back of the site.
Two CTs ready here.
You have an AWP.
Sir, she catches one.
Sees a player bench.
That's two of the three just gone in now.
Xalex is going to have to come sprinting back in.
Will they predict this? I mean, he pushed off site last round.
They're not going to see anybody. It says Bomb. It's a fake plant.
They're trying to lure him out, but he's waiting to play for his team.
They consider it. And Xersion starting to move that off at Catwalk.
Now with no push, they still don't know about Xalex, so they're going to be hyper aware.
Connector smoke's going to fade, so Donk needs cover. He's got to get off site.
Oh, they go for the ramp. Xalex hits his headshot. And Donk goes down with nothing.
It's going to be a shiro clutch. Bomb planted for him.
He needs to whittle down numbers first.
And Zershin's not giving him anything to work with, not yet, except now with Smoke, I mean that box Zershin's off!
He got away, can he get through this?
This is gonna give Shiro temporary cover, sitting on a quarter HP, remember Bomb is still on this side of the triple box,
and now he knows Zershin's position, he needs to set shots through, can he hit this?
AK Swap!
Oh!
That was quick, that was quick!
No time for that.
Deep view.
Boom!
In time moments.
It was looking like 2024 with that Shiro clutch attempt.
And wiping the board isn't enough PR comes out of that round with 10k left over
They wanted to win then in there could have been Donk
Could have been Zelex getting caught off guard, but again Zelex's patience pays off
Doesn't fight on the fake plant waits for a team to get a position finds the perfect moment to weave up that a ramp and grab a frag
Sometimes the downfall of players that can aim that well is getting too aggressive.
We don't see that on his Alex.
Really found his moment.
That's almost a crushing highlight of confidence, no top shot, does it?
So, this crazy PR wins that clutch and he's instantly head enhanced.
Talk about under pressure.
But again, those kills do absolutely nothing.
Economy still perfectly fine for mouse.
from a 3v4 position.
Look at the amount of info already gained at a minute 20.
I love that it's PR this time.
I mean, it's LX2 rounds.
Fallen getting dropped.
Shirro scoped in, sat here, like he's on vacation.
And PR, oh, hang on now.
Dopp's coming back.
There's two off the flag.
That's so good.
Wonderful.
Feels like Mao's bag and ninth round off that one.
PR comes through with a triple kill
He swaps into she rose off. No, that's that's beautiful CS right there
I mean PR could have just taken that kill if you wanted to they didn't even necessarily know someone else was there to be vulnerable to a
flashbang right at the top of cat
But they make sure to thought every I cross every tee and make it as
Good as possible because you're not going to be pushing through that early in the B apartments every round
Looks like PR is enjoying barrage much more than Dust 2. I'd say that extends as well
to Zellex, right? Two pieces quiet in the opening map of this best of five. Both of them pushing
off the perimeter of the map in their moments for real impact to make this a two round game.
game. How much they willing to lose for this because there is very little money for a curious
to try to chase this down. They have very costly for mouse at the end of this day, but
that's fine. Tons of cash still for their buy.
And they ran at that even though they knew someone else through the Molly.
Could have been real worth it. Would have left Zontics on 50 to near 300. And if anything
I think it's a testament to the confidence mouse have started to build up.
They're not exactly playing with fire yet, but it's still a position where Spirit need two rounds.
So if they do let their economy go slowly, even on the rounds they win,
one more of those
and it could be a quick two for one for Spirit.
That's what they have to be worried about.
I agree. Absolutely worth the gamble.
Oh, don't call off guard, barely.
Donk's output has been limited by this mouse and good on surgeon that's his
first successful opening duel in this game that's rough man he used to be the
guy for mouse on mirage when it comes to those one for 11
to have the nerve to take it to top middle while you're sitting at the
bottom of the scoreboard six and 16 but he delivers one and he delivers it
Versus the best donk is dead and the rest of spirit forced to scramble
Who will be the one to draw this round back into the possibility for spirit
They're gonna go numbers strong towards this can't be it's a low no version
Hp that was gets covered off by shiro. Maybe they made him into this, but it makes it a 4v4
You've got sphinx up here feels like he's got to deliver something
We'll find the head of SonTix and then Zellex tethers off of him
That's a clean double and shiro dropped to half HP versus an additional three players
We've got one to the right side ready for his approach
They cut him down to size as they do this lead. It is a one-round game folks. Yes, it is and we got 3k on four players
Shear with enough money to get enough, but this lead is banished from six to 11
With opening tools going the way of the CT side, they won a 3v4 already.
They could bring this grand final to life.
And off the back of a comeback. Nobody's filing now on Spirit.
We're kind of awkwardly tripping over themselves out of spawn, chucking guns back and forth, trying to figure out what the hell they want to do.
Donk will be the sole AK.
Look at him.
Staring into the wall.
Time to get focused.
Let's see what you're made of, Donk.
They already have an idea out of spawn.
Round 22.
There's no one else to watch.
For a team that was leading 11 to 4, Spirit clearly no longer look and control.
Drop in his last bit of utility. He's going to have two hands on this AK.
It's Donk or nothing this round.
One missed shot, one missed position.
Of course he left him out of the A-Ramp previously.
Now it's numbers strong on Palace.
Zealots has nothing but doesn't have to worry about it.
What's that? Molly's going to come sandwich.
It's fine for now. Just tucked in to the close bricks.
Hoping that the support of the teammates behind him may be a newfound confidence from Zershin.
Just getting impact last round.
Here comes the hit. Molotov's knocked for Zealax. This could be a golden spot.
He drops down immediately.
And that AK changed his hands. It's into Xothix's now. Tenir picks up the M4 in the meantime.
And with the smokes down, it's a little bit of room here.
Potentially room for a plant.
Potentially still room for an upset.
Oh, a deep CT smoke as well.
They were never meant to find footing in this round.
Magic's gonna have to go plant, will not have spare time.
He gets cut down, they need the kills.
Teneir does not have time for the bomb plant.
He's gonna get out of there.
Tie this game, 11 rounds all.
Torres is gonna drop after time, but Salt is Teneir.
Salt in the wood.
Mousa truly come back into this.
Yep, they save for that.
Only a half-buy to make sure they had a full one.
This one, Teneir won't see that money.
And it was Magix who was deciding to plant in the open when he could have planted on the inside of triple with the deep CT smoke
If that was calmed the other CT had already fallen back out of it. It would have had to be a spam
Teneir's limitation this time tech nine in hand she rose off
They'll get burned back from any potential opening pick to PR who awaits them on this B site
This will be a reference game for Maus if they really complete this comeback on stage in this Grand Finals versus their stifest competition.
Their absolute nemesis.
Especially after how it felt like Maus's game plan fell apart, like Spirit expected it every step of the way.
He's back on the line by utility.
Does he decide to play in front of that smoke?
How dangerous do Maus want to play?
They are sending space in.
He didn't waste the second.
It's the kill to Don.
Surtian's got him.
Oh my god.
Believe the way they shut these down.
They wait patiently with the little space they have collapsing on the mid.
One of the T side goes down.
Shiro shoots at nothing, and he goes down too.
Falls on Sante to try to step forward.
That's a no-cat, no momentum, no key spirit in this T side,
since the pistol and the conversion.
You would have thought that Shiro gave you everything
you needed on top of still being 25 and 12.
They somehow get to OT first.
Desertion starting to come alive on the back.
Maus making active moves out middle, slam themselves into a team spirit that could seemingly no longer keep up.
A singular chance to close this without going into OT.
That's what Maus have earned after such a slow start from 11-4 to Maus 12-1.
But T'Nier will set up an opening kill as they yet again step into the flames out middle.
Frag grenade could find damage, but T'Nier backs it up to keep himself alive.
You can already tell they're trying to play free now.
They come away with the opening kill.
Do they seize off though with all the options?
After such a run,
Zellex, who has found value in this ramp,
will go hunting yet again,
but there are two players and it's gonna take
a hell of a snap for the second.
No trade.
Insta-killed to Zontich.
They let him get away.
Even see him by the time the corpse hits the floor,
Zellex is back and he's still going hunting.
They set up to give that one away
and Sheerot with the bomb was too nervous.
Didn't strike while the iron is hot, and now it's a map reset.
CT's left guessing, but with more HP, they've got to be more confident.
It's a retake, or a reset where Spirit will sit on low utility. Here we go.
Donk's belt emptied. Execute up and over. Low health on Taneer and Donk.
Still has to somehow be managed, and Magix has got three kills this entire game.
He's a part of the connector approach where there is nothing
In terms of resistance, Zellex is still kept his head tucked up in Palace. Will this go unnoticed?
Flashbang, stop-dunk, only temporary.
Shiro in the back line, looks to cross alongside, and now comes to the handwich, and Shiro has to head clean off.
Zellex were getting packed, and he's on right there with him.
And so, it is about to stage an unthinkable comeback to give us a plan finals.
Truly a reference map for them in their short career together.
A fantastic moment for Maus in the most important part of this year for them.
And what a beautiful story this could be if the guys to get them back into this game are Zellex and PR.
Tied at the top, 22 kills apiece, nowhere to be found back on Dust2.
But this is the moment where now we know Maus can turn moments around.
What comes up next?
We don't know, but we get more than three maps here in Porto.
11-4 down, backs against the wall, but Mowls have done it.
Just talk to me about what it took from the team, the communication,
how they were managing to pull that off and keep their head in the game,
especially how it went on Dust2 as well.
I can't imagine it was easy.
It took some mental fortitude for sure.
We almost let it slip again,
And I think Spirit are really good at killing the momentum.
I'm really pleased that our communication stayed high and we can keep the ping point going.
What are you going to say to them now going into Ancient Rite?
Because obviously Ancient has always been a top one.
It's been looking very good for Spirit overall.
But do you feel like your team have got some momentum themselves?
PR was just rocking it as well.
It's an opportunity to take a negative on another map pick of Das.
So we'll go with Das.
We'll go with that. Good luck mate. Thank you very much.
to be able to bring it back
for an 11 down. That's what
they were at and they closed
it out so many times. You see
comeback surmounted and full
short, but at the end of the
day, mouse on their own map
pick of Mirage whilst they
falter in the first half
really bring it home in that
second is a mouse team. You
can hardly believe they used
to have problems in the
playoffs. They had problems
in arenas. This is the
second time they did this
exact same thing against
vitality on the T side of
dust to this time CT side
of the game. They had
problems in the playoffs.
They had problems in
on the T side of Dusty.
This time, CT side of Barrage.
You have to hold your nerve with your IGL.
Really struggling.
You have PR and Zellix that push them across the line.
It's great to see that the young guns
are the ones that come alive most for them in this comeback.
PR pushing towards the B site.
Zellix with 11 kills in that nine round comeback.
The multi-kill to seal it for him.
The macro plays from him too.
I've just been superb.
I'm so happy to see this facelift
that Maus have received because of incorporating
this young gun because he is delivering them way more than anybody expected and
the confidence we see from PR as well after such a tough time on the B site of
Dust 2 you go in B site Mirage it's a nightmare scenario but he still has the
confidence to go for aggressions to go for opening duels knowing if I die we
lose this round potentially but he still goes for it and succeed and it's a
map that you think you have even less that you can do that the B
more of the jump spot simulator
whereas on Dust2 you can get frisky,
you can push tunnels sometimes,
but to see him bounce back in this fashion
off of having his hands in his face
just reeling off of some of those
missed opportunities on the first map
shows just such resilience there.
He literally had,
Gene speak, some call him say,
I hate this map, what it does to,
and it's great to see that it's left there.
It's left on map number one,
which was a bit of a disaster for them
to know that the Mirage is holding strong.
It's true to their form of mass,
everything that they've been able to deliver
throughout this event, it shows up for them.
And it's just, I can't even believe it.
We're focusing on the young guns
because they were at top of the scoreboard there.
They did so much.
But in the earlier part where it was still a struggle,
their IGL shows up.
Round number four, exertion,
getting it done for mass
and starting just a little bit of enough for them
to be able to mount the comeback later on.
It really felt like this round from exertion
was gonna kick something off,
But they were in a win a couple more off of the back of it to shave off to near like that is great to use the flash to get some damage now with full information.
The way he plays it here just to constantly be testing shiro in this sort of circumstances dance around the default box and even the way that he positions himself towards the tail end.
Recognizing that shiro is likely to be coming up on this site side and not really to even pin himself in in case of a jump spot like he's keeping his options open there.
there as he goes for the swing.
His presence of line in that moment was great,
and it's from a guy you really never see in the late round.
Fragging IGLs, right?
Going from that, if we're talking fragging,
he goes from there, three and three.
He's six and 16, about 15 rounds later.
Struggled from there on out.
That sometimes is indicative of a T side
that really struggled, but you go into the CT side
and he still manages to keep it together,
calls a great CT side,
and they manage to push it over the line.
That's the ultimate thing,
is being able to rely on your new members,
ones that are coming into this tier 1 scene so fresh and also being able to
rely on a new IGL it feels like so much is clicking for the side of mouse I just
cannot understate how amazing the comeback was and there were so many
close rounds the biggest one that was the pivotal turning point was round 19
I'm playing, I'm playing.
I smoked him, I smoked him.
I'm shooting, I'm shooting.
3, 2, 1, 2, 1.
Right side, he's gone.
He's peeking, he's peeking.
I'm coming right now.
I'm going to the fuse.
They're fused, they're fused.
I'm going to the way.
Nice, nice.
Nice, nice.
Nice, nice, nice.
Nice one to be on. Nice one though.
This is a round where Shiro in the 1v3, I think he might not realize where the bomb is planted.
I think he puts his head in his hands right afterwards, because this would have solidified the game for them.
Go up 12-7 and then you just need one more round to push it over the line, almost certain to get it eventually.
Instead, he gets the kills, but he can't get them in time. He spams the sidebox instead of the actual plant we had there.
Oh yeah, one quick scope, just a little to the left, maybe 10 degrees left, and he gets that one.
I also will say and remark upon the fact that Zelec's earlier in that round,
the way he played towards the A-Ramp, taking that space by himself,
just waiting for the prime moment to begin and commence the retake,
that also just showed that he was so well positioned throughout so much of this to even
bring it to that 3-V-1 advantage.
Yeah, that was patience beyond his years.
That's not what you're expecting from someone that's had three, four months in Tier 1.
Yeah, again, is that like some PO we could talk about for the whole day?
I feel at this point for the whole grand finals
But someone else that was put in such a precarious position shiro almost gets it done. You're talking about it
It's just millimeters its inches just angles that make the difference there
But he has been making a massive difference this period throughout this whole grand finals
Sheeran's had his problems in grand finals
He's really leveled up over the years
It used to be playoffs you would struggle in land events you would struggle in and as time goes on
He gets better and better as you get deeper and deeper into tournaments and right now the way. He's playing is not
Shearrow pass that passive style of opera you're expecting
He is in the mix in all of these rounds going for repeats going for plays while Donk is struggling alongside him
The way that he played in that first half of mirage here felt like it was just a done deal that spirit
We're gonna run away with it that she would caught complete fire the playoff rating that he has right now
is actually dwarfing dogs. He's looking like the best player of this event when
you factor in the stakes of the matches that they played in and today you
can't poke a hole in anything that he's doing right now for spirit. It's just that
weirdly it's him that the rest of spirit need to catch up to instead of the
usual suspect which would be dog. But look at this comparison. His finals in
2026 the rest of 2026 competitors today 1.54 that's crazy. It really is
just the slimmest of margins in which they could have been a 2-0 here in the Grand Finals
because of Shira.
It's incredible to see how much he's taking over this game.
It feels like in the 1v3, Maus were terrified.
They knew that Shira was not going to miss a single bullet there, that he was going
to go for the Peaks and the Blaze.
They knew that if they made one misstep that he was going to win that round.
It almost feels like playing his prime simple back in the day where you know that
if you make a single miss, even if you play perfectly, they played that perfectly.
He still put himself in a spot, one quick scope into a smoke, and he wins that.
Ah, yeah, just crazy stuff.
I mean, the clutching aspect of Shiro was something that was more than apparent in 2024.
I would say he was the best clutcher in the world then.
We haven't seen that as much this year, but it came back today.
Whilst round 19 was pivotal, a bunch of wood-oves could've should've beens for the
side of Shiro.
It was what perjured tri- I can't even say this right now, projected mouths into
that position for combat.
And round 20, following off of 19, was just significantly cleaner.
They were able to get so much done through PR.
If you're wondering why Mirage is so CD-sided recently, it plays like this, where you have
the aggression in the middle, you have PR.
As I mentioned, the confidence to go for the push here.
They've been attacking B a few times recently in this game.
PR pushes straight through BFs from the very beginning of the round.
The team collapses in the middle, and they can actually shut down a T side that
has to put all the resources in middle because of how
mouse are playing that site from a macro perspective.
It's kind of just, I would say it's a greater picture,
kind of a damned if you do damned if you don't for just T
sides in general in the meta where it's either you send
three, four guys in middle just to secure that space,
but then it always leaves you weak on some extremity.
You're either going to have one guy and maybe a ramp,
maybe one guy in B halls.
And so it was great of mouse as a whole in that round.
And in some of the others where you saw Zellix getting
more aggressive towards the A ramp where they just understood that there is
always going to be a vulnerability in this offense from spirit.
Yeah, you have round 20 where PR pushes B, then we saw the final round of the game.
You had Zelex pushing to wrap, get a kill, wrap back around pushing to Palace.
The understanding of the macro at this point on Mirage makes this map so
incredibly difficult for the T side.
We were talking about how much Dunk was struggling per se.
He still showed up in moments from map number one, but we're reading here
that since Cologne of 24, this is
Donk's third consecutive sub 1.00 rated knock.
This is.
In a row, I mean, you know, like, yeah.
This is concerning for Donk because he's
the best player in the world.
He's the best rifler of all time.
It's not that he's going to drop a 0.5 rating.
Like you might see from a Magic's ending that one
with three kills, I think.
You're going to see him drop a 1.0, a 0.95.
But that's not good enough when your team is entirely
set up around you for you to succeed.
Will Dunk's rating be higher or lower from map number three?
What do you guys put it at?
Because right now, back to back, low ratings
on maps in a grand final.
Nat, I'll take over.
I'll take over on that.
Ancient is going to be his playground.
He loves working that one.
Well, the bigger question is, is our item on the right
higher or lower market value than the one on the left?
Because we love to play a game of higher or lower
here powered by IC market.
You guys can also play at home if you want
over at Blast.tv.
higher, just like Donk's rating.
OK, higher, you're going for it?
That is significantly higher.
Definitely lower.
Also like Donk's rating.
Oof.
I'd say higher.
Higher?
It's an older case, right?
You guys are going to break the game.
Try again.
Just like Donk is going to have to try.
I'm lucky.
Now he's going to have to try again
when it comes to knowing what to do for ancient,
the way that they could potentially handle spirit,
because again that this is just 18 that has done so well on the map.
You sort of question Mark Maui,
is there really a possibility of an entry point for mouse in a map through agent?
This is not where I expected mouse be taking the edge in this series.
I do feel like spirit will further their lead after the conclusion of
Alright, we'll see if it plays out the way you're talking,
but first we're going to go to a break on the other side.
We see it does the streak continue for Spirit
or is Maus ramping up right now in our grand finals.
We spoke about this yesterday, right? About new things you're going to bring to vitality.
Are you able to do the same to Spirit of this short amount of time?
Yeah, for sure. I think Spirit are a team that relies a lot on their comfort and we're
going to try to disrupt that today. We have a good game plan and idea of what they
like to do and how can we disrupt it. And yeah, I mean, of course they have Donk
who is an Afinon but at the end of the day I think that we're gonna do our best to kind
of take him out of the server a little bit in some apps and I'm really excited for the
ancient fight because me and him have battled on me for a long while and now I'm back to
playing mid on city side so I'm curious to see how good he is now but yeah overall
just the same things and a lot of hard work put into it.
Before this grand finals Maus talking about the confidence that they had in their preparation
on how to deal with spirit, how to deal with Donk specifically, but Spirit themselves right
now on a 14 win streak when it comes to ancient now, it feels like you can't fault this team
for what they're able to produce.
They are without a doubt the best ancient team in the world and Donk is the focal point
of that.
However, what I like about Spirit lately is that they're not just a one trick, Tony,
all Donk or nothing.
They actually can sell some fakes.
They can actually get people to rotate out of position.
This round was set up by the fact that Spirit went for a full B exec, but then they just
walk out a main and this is on a second round where you don't have a ton of utility where
people like falling shouldn't be getting tricked and then they're able to secure things
once they get on the bomb site just playing off of each other in that fundamental counter
strike can be so sharp for a spirit team that when they are locked in on these bomb
site fights, it's hard to even think of it as a 50 50, which so often ancient
retakes become a year ago.
I think you would look at ancient as a map where donk could sometimes get shut
down because of the way the fights went down in middle. But when I see the way they use him now,
I think it's a lot more effective. And this is probably, in my eyes, it's Magic's best map
hauling-wise on the T side. He's made a lot of really good reads in big games and huge moments
in the recent memory with rotations around the map that nobody's expecting. And I think when
he looked at Magic's, you don't necessarily rate him as a great eye jail or in the hall of
greats quite yet. I think this is a map where he is up there as one of the best.
a strength for Magix and his eye-gilling on Spirit.
A strength for Spirit to be able to win 14 maps in a row when it comes to ancient.
And you got a question, is enough of Maus's power throughout this Grand Finals
and best of five going to be able to challenge that?
Very valid question, Nat.
We saw on map one, Torsi insertion try to kick it up a notch.
And we saw on map two where they were able to win Zellex and PR bring it to the table.
If Maus can put it all together, then maybe just maybe they could stop a spirit that looks so strong on this map.
Porto, I was getting nervous that we were sending you guys home 3-0, but looks like we got a little more action in the tank!
Ancient Tucknacks looks real good for a spirit!
But there's something going on with Donk.
There definitely is, and I also think that the stats are a bit deceptive right now because
Maus are better on T side than they are on CT side and even though they've lost so many games, they've won their last two, undefeated on ancient so far, Porto.
11-1 in pistols, R. Shearrow.
R. Shearrow, yeah.
It feels like more than one guy.
And so, what's he got next?
Yeah, he is the team on pistols, absolutely, and he's still alive.
And he's got that trusty p250 for the t-side zershin's barrettas in front donk. Okay
Yeah, three sub 1.0 ratings in a grand finals. That was the big question
Shiro is gonna find his impact in the red room now this b-sides
Okay, and there is a certain feeling about this one that it's possible after not being able to finish off mirage a
Spirit or pissed they're also incredibly confident when it comes to ancient. You know, I think they were mad when this series started
I think they were feeling great by the time that's to end it. I think they're right back to mad after that last
Allowing them back into the game and then I remember at that 611 you have that pause where like it's just an eco round and Magic's
Is thinking but he can't get it together and the other thing we haven't really talked about it
Doesn't matter as much but Magic's is having a
Performance that looks makes care of it right now. He's got so few kills that and and this is magic
who can randomly go crazy on Prague.
All remember, obviously, the Shanghai final.
We know what he can do, but this is a career-low performance
for him in a grand final so far.
And they just needed one or two trades in one or two rounds
in order to just close that out
and not waste a Shiro carry, but he couldn't get those.
Hey, you lose 13-11.
You know damn well, it's just that one moment,
and Magic's has zero positive moments.
It's behind them, and although he calls well on this map, as the desk kind of put,
this question about calling well if your individual level is still that bad, could be temporary.
Plenty of runway still to turn it around to discuss the five donkeys again into the kill feed
early days, yet to die on ancient. There shouldn't be too many casualties as the fourth five
finally strikes on the tail end of that red room push, the third piece of spirit that
that moves through that portion of the map is the one guy that dies.
Donk is going to have to go for the plant because they don't want to duel him.
We're going to keep that go-lil for PR if they can.
And we'll see if this low health Torgy57 gets more.
Yeah, we've got really, really tricky stats here
because Urshin just referenced like how much work that they put in.
Um, the fact that they again have such a bad streak on agent,
but also won their last two games, we all know it's recent performances
that can matter the most.
Okay, that's nice.
Little bit of value down.
And then the other thing is like being better on T-side on this map.
Them just suffering on CT side, well starting out without a pistol will only add to that, obviously.
But it does raise some questions about what happens in half two.
How much better they'll be versus Spirit today?
And how much work they put in that we don't necessarily know
that have allowed them to recover this part of their map pool?
Such an anomaly as well to have a bad CT side right now when it feels like there's a lot of the top teams are
Their struggles are on the attack and you know, I guess it's also Zershin saying I'm going back to playing mid on CT side
Yep, he's had a career of dueling donk inside of this position
Wondering how good he's gonna be today
It's definitely a great question. I mean Zershin towards the end on the back was
Extremely good on that CT side for a bit, but for most of the game. He was definitely struggling aim-wise
parabolic between dust to a mirage
It's a fun boost for the Galil, right?
You've got one rifle to make work and you put it in a prime place.
More magics dropped in this one.
Now the Spirit just want to transition into a quicker move here.
You find the Galil.
Although at the same time you hear this Desert Eagle rattling off, it's not Kevlar
or anybody else beyond PR with that one rifle and he still sits over towards red.
You would have loved for these defenders to just earn a little more space, drop a player, maybe.
But it's that Teneir's geared up for the deep peek, and now that Galil's been found again.
Can it really do anything else? This is a no-kit retake, but players already on close proximity to this bomb site.
And a missed opportunity to kill Spinks, who now has his hands on an AK.
This would be a hell of a round to rob away.
But the bomb near is the halfway point, the Galil goes down, and it's all about finding Zershin, whose 5-7
and snaps one off the site. You've got Doc tucked in. You can get away with an AK here.
That's the silver lining. If you can rack up costs, maybe even better. But you'll let
this one slip by. It is indeed spirit to the three zero start. But we saw what a pistol
and conversion ended up giving them back on Mirage. That second half fell flat. Yeah,
I mean, I don't care how many comebacks you make, you'd still rather be the team
to win pistol. Just makes it so much easier. You can randomly have a hero around that
comes out of nowhere didn't happen on Mirage but that's the anomaly that's
not what's going to happen most of the time at this level of competition
mentally though it was nice I mean I was even thinking they almost make the
comeback even if they lose they probably now still have a renewed hope in the
whole series even though they're O2 down and then they still and then they
completed so it's a whole different space that they found themselves in.
Psycron's tack he used to talk about as a leaf. Yep. Heart. Great.
Donk afforded space out middle as Zellex peppers smoke. Knows better than to stick
around a good job with the quick reposition that frag could have found
him. You drop Donk down to 40 maybe you can just get him to spin his wheels in the mud but with
the reload and donut he's gonna know damn well that you're back here Zershin and he's thinking
about coming through. Zershin is incredibly surrounded. I mean there's pressure behind him now.
His teammates rotating in to come and watch this. Smoke's gone. Whoa it's pushed in the backdrop.
Can't finish off Donk who's now down to 12 instead. Zellex has managed to frag already
and then PR gets active. It's the new pieces yet again defining critical moments in this
This first gun round of it! It's good!
Oh my goodness, they let so much time for the rotations to come in.
Once they had that pressure on Zershin, they had a name, they had a split going.
The Molly goes a bit too far in CT, Zellix gets in front of it, and suddenly everything falls apart.
Once you're out, it's really about, you know, Xontix trying to make sure they can't get out of a temple, they call a CT,
so that they create some space for the Donut players to once again try to scale.
That's been the downfall of Spirit.
Failure to scale.
It's almost ironic.
They're taking too much time when they have the easiest path.
Like sometimes the staging, that's the hard part.
Those little bits of map control to set up
for your grenades to exact, that's the hard part.
You've already made the right read.
You have an open site.
They just don't see that.
That's kind of what they've been missing.
And when you combine the maps as well, but it didn't really matter on dust who was the thing
Only score that matters is the one at the top
Luckily for us series tied
Light made though here for the doughnut player just a smoke for Zell X
Sonic sends a bullet Adam smoke in front, but they are still already two players through it big reposition from Zell X
Surtian gets damage on Donk, will Zellex swing for this?
Yes, sir.
Drops Donk in the process.
CT lane smoked off.
Magics, oh, that hasn't tested this just yet.
Zellex 15 bullets.
To have to handle multiple bots, they want to clear Donut,
they'll earn it.
And then that bomb can double back.
You could get an upgrade even with that rifle on the ground.
But T'Nier still hangs onto the MP7.
Magics with the rifle smokes off this mid-play.
What does Spirit do for their post-plans?
They'll talk for a second just kind of jumbled up on site.
Low health, low guns.
Not the best position Spirit have ever been in,
but they are still three-mumbers strong.
And now as the flashes come through,
it's going to be Mads trying to scale this in.
They found their targets with those flashes.
Magic's in the backdrop.
Time to turn it up a notch.
Damn.
He won't do so.
Sets up Shiro.
I mean, that's critical.
That's like the first bit of impact you've seen
as an individual out of magic so far.
Maybe that's a sign of things to come,
but that was not a great looking position
from Spirit overall.
Not like they were doing anything badly,
but they didn't have a lot of health.
They didn't have great guns on the two guys on site.
They didn't have a lot of options.
They really did rely on magics to make something happen,
and he pulled it off.
Ah!
No!
You can see how bad Donk wants this.
And their money was teetering, they're still coming in, two golels on this round for spirit
and it's Maus who invests, so it's an economic game of chicken here, everyone's spending
everything, Torsi and Shiro will both have ops, now Spinks is one guy who back at the
Bouncy final stole that MVP away with his grand finals performance.
We haven't been saying his name a ton.
We remember about to kill so far on ancient.
Oh, and speak of the devil stinks.
There we go.
There's a dual early in a main.
It's damaged the process, but I think mouse will be happy about establishing an opening 5v4.
And on top of that A main push, it was also this climb up from middle.
So I feel like Maus had a healthy amount of map control or at least had.
They offer it back over as the smokes fade.
You know, damn well, Spirit have plenty of time to come back and carve their path to
a site eventually.
So Xersion opts to just bolster his teammates from the back line.
They can kind of move into protocol.
My good boy.
Twice.
That was risky.
You didn't even shoot the first time.
There goes Zershin's smoke offered up to the top of ramp.
It's a committed cross and he throws that smoke down.
Torgy will shoot. They saw Zershin cross.
The T's are still interested,
but I think it's the CT's who are now a little bit
concerned about how much info they gave away.
Shiro just calls emphatically there for a second.
He's got tons of teammates around him.
They're going to try to use this temple close,
get cave close to site.
All of a sudden, pop through.
We'll see if Magix joins them from up that ramp.
You got a smoke on Zealots on the other side of the map, so there's no more utility.
They need shots landing, and Torji kicks off nicely.
PR will also deliver a death to the bomb carrier.
Shiro gets back in with an answer finally.
Magix's wallbangs right there, and now it's pressure onto Xershin, called over as Zealox.
He's just waiting for this cave exit.
Tough spot for Shiro.
He's on that, he's on that.
Magix peels one off of the ramp.
Xershin now just like, what is this?
And what a way to push themselves back into site, left, right, and center.
Bomb planted and now the AWP back up.
We didn't talk about Spinks.
He gets the first kill this round.
Now he's going to need to close it.
Oh, and he's going to shot it out of Magix.
Oh, PR.
PR, why would you do that?
They had a one position.
They were going to win on time.
He walked right into cave.
Gave a kill back.
Spirit were completely on the back foot.
It's a comedy of errors here for Maus. Started off by PR walking in the cave after Torsi
got them into a great position. And now they're dead broke.
That's magic up to seven frags on map three having twelve across the first two maps of
this grand finals.
M4 makes, gonna try to catch them, but it's the tempo here from tinier.
Oh no, if we'll just thrash through Maus, Zershin's answer via 5-7.
He can dive into the cave at least, it's a bit of space temporarily.
But unfortunately here for Maus, they never get any output out of that M4.
Is there a world where everybody else distracted could have led Zelex to that gun?
No, not with the coverage offered from Magic, who now doubles back for the flank.
That was a team flash as well.
Things get awkward in the chaos here for Maus, not just this round, last round too, Magix with another multi-kill.
You know, Maus have made a brand out of being probably the most responsible team in tier 1, so when you see moves like that, that's what other teams do.
They have great players, they get bailed out, Maus can never make mistakes like that, and you see what it leads to.
Perfect ground for it's in here to just go flying off the rails.
Doesn't just want to win, he wants to dominate.
Yep.
Key word used on chopper's stream last night.
While Zontics in the meantime has discussed that they want an era and they watch Vitality
build it.
They know what requires consistency.
Well, here on Ancient, that is exactly what Spirit are.
Matt Winstryk, unreal.
And at a critical juncture in this series,
even where it's going to let Spirit tap back
into the confidence that's got them to that only 11-4 lead
over on Mirage.
Zellex, again, will emerge through the smokes,
but he's unfortunately dropped to half health.
And Donk is going to go hunting.
Swings out, Instant Headshot takes the life out
of this round.
And we are very quickly getting into unwinnable territory by the feel of things.
This is a distraction offered up by Donk just so that Xantix can lurk his way behind Torgy and Spirit will dominate.
And the way that they attack the, they almost expel all their utility just to get in positions where they can all start swinging.
And it works out really well.
Not inviting any chance at a retake that mouse have tried to start a little earlier.
Don't want to sit behind those smokes and there haven't really been any site holds to speak of.
This is now getting beyond desperate spirit haven't even gotten to their CT side
I definitely have questions about spirit closing on T side flag that back on Mirage, but on this map
It would take a total mental collapse mouse need more than one round
Unfortunately, it's still not the buy to get their second
You've seen him try to enter these rounds with ideas, right?
That spanks single M4 by the boost that could have gotten something, but it's just really
the tempo right now spirit play with.
I don't give a hell what mouse's ideas are.
This is not a thinking man's game right now.
That's a brute force, absolutely.
They're gonna take a damage here and go down.
See ya.
Not much to work with, I wanted to say, but.
Yep, lovely stuff with the Desert Eagle and it frees up an immediate rotate for Torsey.
He'll let his teammates go grab that gun.
Zelex has been looking for output.
Remember, there's Kevlar across the board here still.
They saw the Eagle very far back and they didn't really see who else was with them.
Oh, should have been caught. Chance for Donk.
He's got good damage on Zersh.
Oh, not yet.
Get away.
At least not without getting stuffed in a coffin.
Donk cautious.
Torji hidden, but not for long.
How the hell does one Desert Eagle pull off all three kills?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's nothing watering right now.
Porto, don't you make a noise.
How does he get all of this?
Executes the first damage on the dog
You know, he's probably still getting traded but oh my goodness did he have a chance
You know don't be getting a lot of kill on egos, but honestly some of them seem necessary. Yeah, it's just
They remind me of that per quote as I get all the egos because if I don't get them we lose
Great answer here from dog to chasing down surgeon with the artillery strike and then also stopping the ramp push
Obviously, you look at that with Donk.
I just wish you had a 5-7.
Kind of like, stops the guy from getting away,
stops the ramp push that could have killed him,
stops the guy from inside the corner,
pulling off the 1v3.
It is Donk once, twice, and thrice.
To stop Maus in that one, Torsi just has to laugh it off.
It's just been an arm against them, utility.
So many early fights.
Pure action here on Ancient.
I mean, it hasn't stopped.
Yeah, look at that.
When they see somebody, they throw every single thing at them.
If this ever got into the late round 5v5,
Spirit would have no utility. We've seen them in that position where they couldn't exact.
I hope you guys like Nuke because we are nearly there already.
They're certainly looking like V-Way to play Ancient right now.
Really makes the win streak Spirit has on this map look like no fluke.
Surtian almost catching Donk, but even he can escape on 4HP.
And they don't. There we go. A little revenge.
Soaps up death the same way.
Surtian fell to it.
And there she tests the smoke.
This is a nice reclaim.
3v5 coming together.
You thought you were going to get into the cave?
I don't think so.
They got to wait for sheer fun.
A long lurk from his antics.
This guy is just from a different solar system.
Now he's got this lineup, but there is someone pressing in.
He is still waiting in CT spawn.
He is still sat back all the way over.
Finally somebody taps that bomb. Shiro's gonna go down to the wallbang. Zontik's bomb's not planted for you, brother. He executes spin
But it's 10 seconds. But it's 10 seconds. There's no kit! It's 10 seconds.
Zontik's there's no kit! He can still close this gap! Two seconds left!
Of course it's a 10 second!
He landed just the right amount of time!
From what planet?
Does something like that work?
Uh, 10 second stick.
It's an alien race of things that don't understand what pressure is.
Honestly
Great description of this man
Now finally that close to a second round
They have scrapped so far on ancient killed down bottom middle again
It feels like at this point gloves are off even if mouths are battered and bloodied
They just keep signing up to these early tools
What's interesting is they had actually done this without going for mid every single round and Zershin
plus box are going head to head with Donk in elbow not what he was expecting
get stinks dead for and now PR tries to move that bomb is out as Donk takes over your palm site
they know where you're at and Donk will not stop running these players down
again Mao's refusing to take a knee in the style of counter strike that ancient's going in with
It really is gonna have to take that knockout blow from spirit and we are three rounds away from the haymaker
No one can do what they're doing on ancient right now. Absolutely destroying mouse. I mean
This is beyond anything that we saw back on Mirage in the first half
Those are getting their shit pushed in right now for opening duals successful at least I mean that's twice as many as they had back on the Rage
and even that
once single round
how small you must feel as you keep on signing up
to these dangerous opening duals
Nobody in the world right now can take spirit out of the zone on ancient.
I thought things may be different.
They set up Nuke for map 4.
But if it was not for that comeback on Mirage, this would have ended exactly the
the way Dom wanted it to, with total domination.
And this is all a ruse.
Four players over on the B site.
It's an A-play cooking at the moment.
Zershin, who doesn't have any vision,
doesn't have any info, just sitting at Donut
and his teammates are dying on the other side of the map.
They really don't even need these jewels at this point.
It's time to get over towards the plant.
Zershin still hasn't moved, but no bomb spotted,
so surely Spirit know to watch everything.
Oh, my goodness.
OK, deleted.
All right.
This is insane.
What we're witnessing.
I mean, now's are just falling apart at the seams here on map 3.
Well, actually, they didn't rip the part at the seams.
I was just about to correct myself.
Yeah.
I don't think they ever had a chance.
Left in tatters so far.
Even this retake attempt, it kind of trickles in.
Piece by piece, single death after single death, PR tries this damn disc.
You got Spinks out middle, gonna catch Magic's off guard with that jump up.
Shiro's got a back turn to him and this is how this happens.
And a legend won, ski side out of Team Spirit.
Proving to the world yet again that when it comes to Ancient, you can't stop them.
Hey guys, it's Lee from Mammate.
Hey guys, it's Koala from the Nidalee.
Hi guys, it's Kixxum from Fimonora.
My just won't just be at this here.
I'm gonna be reacting to some of your bad comments.
I'm sure they're not too bad, but we'll see.
First one, Kixson probably belongs in tier 3 CS.
Yeah, I mean I was playing in tier 3 once, so maybe I can go back.
What the fuck is been dealing?
Uh... a team?
Maybe it's fantastic. Just needs to work on comms, aim, map awareness.
Spirits broken they took a sack of poor child to play with dunk all they do is meme around
How the fuck you want to beat the IGL if every interview is just troll answers
They're working to put some respect on people time. I think that
both
Me and the interiors and the cameramen are still getting paid
while doing this
Next one from Jaby Jaby fun. What the fuck I'm not fuck. Okay
A.I. Lubu already hates watching, all I can say is that time is now.
Crescer placement.
Economy management.
Pistol aim.
Off-latch.
At our own tier one.
I think so.
They're playing all the tier one events, so I think we are.
I don't know what people expected.
Besides that one major live game, he's already putting up IGN numbers without IGN
and Dude has no leader qualities and can't call for shit.
So, right with the Vitality Flare, Galveston knows the call.
Rade spots, smoked spots, bomb flashes, positioning.
5-0 to 6-6, 6-6, classic throw Aurora, just don't change.
Yes man, we're open there.
Bomb play positions, retake ability,
funding hopping, spray control, and getting kills.
It's a bind, you can do better than that.
This ship is so S.
Okay.
Minus Voxic plus Molliday,
would actually be a tier one team,
but I think we're tier one now, so.
Some IGLs have further like qualities.
For example, Fallen, Jame, Even Chopper, some are solid dudes with high probability like Apex or Kerrigan,
Maddox is neither, his calls are subpar, he doesn't even shoot well,
his supposedly good vibe is not existing anymore.
I do shoot well sometimes, I don't think that having a bird on a man is further like quality.
Aurora still suck unfortunately, Theo should pay speaking notes before they play,
reminding them to turn their monitors on. Yes, the blast should do this.
This is bullshit. Random level 10 face it makes playing better.
Probably.
We are done with bad comments for today.
I've seen worse, heard worse.
They are light as fuck.
Flaming us, okay?
Um, said worse to myself in the mirror.
So, do better than that.
After all these comments, I appreciate very much. Thank you.
I don't really care about all of these comments, so keep writing them.
We may not be here for a long time, but it was a good time, at least for Team Spirit,
an absolute thrashing of an 11-1 first half.
Maus left in shreds to try to make a comeback happen on a place where they already have
struggles and are up versus one of this map's very best.
Mohan, tell me why the people should believe that the comeback could happen again.
I should absolutely not believe this one is 100% over.
Mouss are getting destroyed.
Okay, I'll give you one thing.
Mouss' T side is better than their T side.
Okay.
But Spirit's T side is better than their 11 round T side.
So, okay, I mean, let's see.
You know, you can, oh, restart that one.
Quick little restart.
All start.
No problem.
And the way that Don was cheering so loud, even though they were absolutely running over
them the entire time.
I mean, it does go to show, though, like in terms of their energy when it came to trying
to close Mirage. They didn't have it. We remember Donk's best tournament was still his first
S-tier tournament win. It was the record that he set at Cattavisa, where he got scolded
and find, for yelling too much,
short video every single round.
Just a bunch of adults watching video games,
playing with balloons, huh?
Stay young, folks.
Stay young.
It's all it takes to play.
Is that what fun looks like?
Are the humans having fun over there?
What is the fun in music?
100 cigarettes
one guy out there with a helium tank under his seat.
of mouths going back into this game. I don't know if it's brutal or helpful to sit in this.
Gives him more time to formulate the perfect plan. Ah yes. Yeah that perfect plan that
Donk is just going to rip in half right in front of him.
Oh, no.
They're partying.
They're making fun of Donk.
You are her.
You know, Porto, I heard if you get loud enough, they're going to give you a major.
I heard if you get loud enough, they're gonna give you a major.
Please don't hold me to that.
Shall we play a little Counter Strike?
I know it's a fucking cheap half-voice and I know we didn't get a good look at this,
there's so many cool songs and they hit also some really good shots.
The super-box are flowing.
That's all you can say?
Yeah.
Trying to be as honest as possible?
I hope that guy's on mouse.
I don't know why he's...
Alright, let's get this fucking map done with, shall we?
We got Nukov next.
Nate's over top, fast rush out of mouse.
They're gonna try to fight fire with fire!
And hey, it's looking good towards the A site,
but the real bane of the pistols remains in Shiro.
And he's gonna take his time with that midler
because Zershin gets covered with bomb plant.
If ever there had a chance at another comeback, it needs this pistol.
So Matt Jitz is going to offer up a distraction, but it doesn't last long enough to really get Shiro into the play.
We've seen a lot of multi-kills from these Berettas in pistols from Shiro, but now it's also a clutch on top of it.
And if you can't kill them, just keep them blind.
Time is not on his side, otherwise he'd probably be good for three.
Exertion set in that. This is the best way to win, look. Save hero for last. Sure.
What? We've already seen one come back.
They must come back number two since they did it.
They have to dig deeper than ever.
They got nowhere else to be.
And their absolute most suspicious stack is being more comfortable on the attack of ancient.
We'll stack over towards the B site.
Great catch on the grenade.
Hmm, some spots not seeing anything.
But the CTs are still priming in.
That's actually the T-Sat that are going to run head-first into this if they commit.
Now they make that move.
Three of them down the ramp.
Not well equipped and the flash gets it going.
Oh, they got numbers.
There's a train of three T's all running towards A. They have a good way to cut off rotations.
Excellent guns still should be absolutely no problem.
It's the one and only Desert Eagle.
Just don't get deep.
But it's also the one and only Donk.
Just don't get deep.
Xalex and Torsi can alleviate the pressure of that flank.
And that's going to put Shiro in with the picked up Galil.
Now these are the weapons that Donk earned for his teammates.
No kit, but still some time for a scare.
Zontex actually has a smoke to use.
It's planted on the back of the site.
Why don't you go ahead and drop that.
Really just try to frazzle Maus in the middle of all of this.
Spinks doesn't get vision.
gonna be a wild spray at some point. All your ammo, careful.
Kill clear, Shiro. All's good. They hang on to it with two.
Wines up being a little costly. It's scary to know that Donk is out there in 19 and 7
hitting Desert Eagle shots like it's nothing. But at least Maus will still have a little runway.
Keeping them honest all the way through. They have a lot of scar tissue coming out for Raj.
So I think spirit still mentally would be in the place to say
We know we're going to close this game, but they also don't want to let any kind of come back happen
We know when we've heard
Paragon talk about it if you're going to win make it quick because that's going to be something they think about in the next
Now this series is a not over even with ancients
And all that took was that pistol for Zershin to throw up the two
He came down to a retake last round. No kit in play again for spirit this time.
And he's just taught that fairly.
Donk on the fallback, gets doughnut over. Four players in there now for Maus.
Leaving to Donk to find a spray because he just lost his teammate over the shoulder.
They're timid about it!
To the kill in the middle!
Oh my God!
Delivers it, Spades!
A complete massacre.
Was there a team kill in there?
Yes, there was.
He's got one of these frags.
All on 20 bullets,
forces Delix's hand.
He picked his line.
He helped his north.
He mows them down.
That one to take your breath away.
Donk will not have three
Struggle some maps in a row.
It's 123 ADR for him so far.
In this short game.
I think he got the headshot
on the player that was team killed as well.
It's just a menace on that A1S.
But did someone drop it for him? He switched over. I don't know if he's using that just on ancient.
Could be position specific.
Doc's hands, lethal.
You'll have an AK, thanks to the mouse.
And another chance to rack up a demanding scoreline, 22-8.
You'll want to feed him again.
He'll do the Missal and smoke him out of this fight.
They tiptoe their way around middle,
but there is just nobody from spirit to be seeing here.
here. It's an extreme amount of activity, but it does come at a cost. It's spirit who
don't have any more smokes. No mollies to work with. There will be some raw gunfights
here for spirit.
Was that deep red smoke that kind of had spirit distracted for a bit. Opened a door for this
free rotation from middle back through a main. First point of contact. Donk drops
a body and he's still standing. Torsche's peck nine. Topples two. That's a gun grab,
but as the cross happens, they're just trying to get that ball into position. Instead,
Now they've lost that M4 in the middle of all of this,
AK here for Tarzy, needs the 8th.
It's not going to happen.
Not a second time.
Commendable comeback on Mirage.
But Duff has arrived in the grand finals.
And Team Spirit, untouchable, map three.
Four and a half.
Like a piece of paper that was quick and easy for spirit.
And it does make up for Mirage in some fashion mentally.
They can't get that map back.
This could have been the end of the series point blank.
But at least they can say we're back.
There's a reason Spirit are undefeated right now when it comes to Ancient.
In terms of a now 15 streak for them, of course they've faulted in the past,
but not anymore. That is something of Ancient history in recent times.
They've been looking unsuppable.
They've been looking unbelievable on Ancient.
for one round and then just come right back.
They look unbeatable on this map.
Donk activates.
You have great calls for magics.
Taneer and Zontics do better on this map than most.
This is one where they all get activated away
that you often don't see on most other maps.
When you can miss a smoke, a Molly on a gun round,
it's not that it's just tactics
that's also winning you ancient.
There's other aspects to the success that Spirit has.
Mous were just completely outplayed,
but to Spirit's credit also,
their approach to many parts of the map, I feel like, is very well-rounded,
where when they were having troubles on ancient in the past,
oftentimes it was due to the fact that Don could just swing middle
in the first timing that he possibly can,
and then he's immediately just going to get clobbered
by all of the opposing teams' utility.
Now there's a little bit more finesse.
They're keeping teams guessing a bit more
when he's going to go for that inevitable swing.
And the way the Met is adjusted,
teams like Maus are giving up middles so often,
they're trying to play back on the bomb sites, duoed up,
And that means you don't have to send Donk out for these early aggressions.
You don't have to give a duel that he may or may not win
based on flashes being thrown over.
You can put him in advantageous engagements in the right sides of the map
and you can watch him thrive.
Well, that was the thing coming into this
is we heard from exertion starting all the way before the grand finals began.
How he was looking forward to ancient being played
because he himself is going to be back mid.
He's excited to be able to see what Donk has on the cards for him.
Well, at the end of the day, did you really want to find out?
He found out the hard way that's for sure.
I mean, it's funny that he says it,
and we do oftentimes pin the players in both positions
head to head against each other,
but it's not like exertion was always
trying to stick it to Don.
Sometimes playing back,
sometimes he was giving it a lot of space,
and I think that's also why it's so easy for Madfx
to make good mid-round calls on this map too,
because when you're allotted so much position,
so freely, because they don't want to contest
Don in any fashion,
then it doesn't really matter
what that head-to-head looks like.
If you're just gonna peel all the way back
before you take that first fight.
Yeah, I mean, Zershin says in the interview,
I'm looking forward to fighting Daunt in middle.
And Daunt says, how about no,
I'm gonna fight you on the bomb sites,
we're never gonna see each other in middle,
and you're gonna really struggle to get anything done.
They just took exactly what Maus wanted to play,
what they were hoping Spirit would do,
which is contest them in middle
and have a straight up duel
where Daunt has to rely on dodging flashes.
Instead, we're fighting you on the bomb sites
where we can dictate the pace.
A big switch up from them in that regard,
one that is massive fruition to them.
And again, just the ever-evolving nature of Spirit when it comes to this map.
The fact that they can play in so many different ways for themselves.
But looking early on, Voodoo will come round number five.
We're looking at Spirit, how they are able to change it up,
and switch to another round to be able to take advantageous positions.
Yeah, this is a great round for Spirit, but look where Insurgent is looking.
He's in the middle of the open, looking both directions.
This is a force buy from Spirit.
I see teams so often when you're playing against pistols,
or just an upgraded buy on the T side,
you double up towards Donut so you can stay together, play together, instead you have Zershin
kind of just in the middle of nowhere and Zelex gets two, but with Zershin falling very
much like B on Dust2. If your teammate dies, getting one, getting two isn't quite enough
and then you go into a 3v3 retake, it is the most retakeable site of any in the game
or up there at least and you see it's very tough for you to fight against pistols
very close range. I think they just gave them too much space, too much room to
work with and put themselves in a really bad spot when they were already struggling,
It was already four one that was seemingly the game plan for mouths here and despite the fact that I'll usually send so much praise
The cipher on the mouse or how they structure their defenses
This is one where I never you never really start to see the the triple or heavy mid-lean where they're just gonna try to lock it down and say
Okay, come try to unseat us from this position so frequently
We saw what we did in that round where it's just peeling all the way back
And then you just let spirit attack you from multiple angles
So then is this something that you chalk up to maybe a rougher call from the IGL,
something that Spirit was able to capitalize on, a mouse playing a little bit more scared on an ancient?
I think when you look at ancient it's the way they approach it from a macro perspective.
They don't want to use too much utility in mid where eventually you have to fall back anyways.
They'll do a light fight, a light contest in middle, and then they'll back up onto the bomb
sites and kind of play a bit of a gamble. Sometimes you break open the mid smoking.
We see that work sometimes, but when Spirit come at it with such an effective game plan to just walk back in the middle often with one player and take that for free, it really, you really struggle his mouse to get anything done.
Yeah, maybe it would have been nice to see somebody like, say, Torsi try to lock it down from a more aggressive stance like the cutout position, but Spirit always just throw the minimum amount of utility necessary to make sure that the common angles are really disturbed.
you know, you can't get
back into the game. You can't
get back into the game. Well,
the macro usage. Sorry, the
macro usage the macro gameplay
coming out from spirit, the
utility usage as well as
individuals showing up with
themselves because now in
round 10, you might think this
is something for mouse put
themselves in an advantage
position. But then you got
some text to deal with. The
game was probably already won
by spirit at this point, but
this is really was where you
knew that it was the final
this one back to a completely reasonable standpoint,
but then to just get completely flustered
and really outplayed by Zontics
that had kinda no business being in this round.
And this is by the way a reminder,
this is off the back of them losing a two versus five.
So I feel like this is where Maus
just kinda lost complete composure
where you're in this 3v2.
Shiro was probably already spotted towards the ramp
and then you just don't check this one angle
and you lose the successive fights
it's a chance to get to the
two zon'ts here and I feel like
towards the at this point,
you maybe could have even
argued he could get off of it
and try to go for the kill too.
But then they were just
completely stunlocked. But what
happened in the previous
round? That was a desperation
stick. I think that's one
where you're down eight one
and you just go if he's got
it, he's got it. And he had
it. He had that one.
The politics would be around
the world flank to come up
behind him, picks up all
three. This a great round
from Zontics, but almost
It's actually more so unbelievable that
mows could let it fall in that way,
but that's how you could tell.
It almost feels like we're ping ponging
now map to map the composure on dust two
with shaky mirage.
They showed absolutely everything you
want to see for this to be a competitive
series and an ancient once again.
It was just in the dumps.
Well, if you're thinking of ping pongs,
the back and forth, we've highlighted
so often that spirit are still able
to do much so much even when
don't get the first to die,
right? When he's the one that has
a below 1.0 rating on a map,
They can still close it out for themselves in a grand final, but this time around they throw it all out the window
And they go don't this is it it's your moment to shine
They're doubting you up there on the desk and you go to put that for rest
You can give don't do bad games in a row for one of the first times in his career, but you can't give him
Eventually he will arrive onto the server and he's gonna win you as we said before the series
He's gonna win you a map maybe even two in this series
You have to be ready and prepared for that if your mouse when you come into this to go the distance
can do a great job of disturbing Donk on a couple of the maps where they could just break
him down a little bit more, attack him from multiple angles. But when Donk's given that
steady diet of just midfights or be at bomb site execs, he's just in his own. Ancient itself
is just one of the most popular maps played in Basin and it's just angel after angel.
A lot of just right angles, 50-50 bites. And so if you give Donk that many in a
he's going to be winning more than 50-50.
He's going to win more than his fair share.
I mean, look at this, a 2.32 rating here on the ancient.
I mean, I remember round 15,
looking to be able to get a 4K for himself.
You're just sitting there and you're like,
okay, this one is just butter.
This man needs to try and bump up
what he's doing right now in play-ups.
Donk has arrived and learned
we often see him have kind of middling maps in a series
where, oh, it's only a 1.3.
What a mediocre map to know.
And then he pulls out a 2.3.
this was a tough series from him under a 1.0 rating in the first two maps. He does come back active for ancient, but we
talked to question what's going to happen here. Yeah, I think that there's a lot more room for outplay from now.
It's moving forward in this series, but it's nice that Donk was able to really reactivate himself.
This is actually kind of reminiscent of what happened at Bounty 2 where he was able to play himself back into that series
with some more ancient there. So I'm actually I'm glad to see you join the server.
I feel like though this is still kind of weird for the MVP conversation because he hasn't had the best playoffs thus far
Even though we popped off on the page in the group stage. Shiro has been flying hard to better playoff player
Although don't try to even up the score. Yeah, it's still gonna come down to a very big question
I think coming into the grand final
We're not expecting shiro to be the one popping off now that he is the MVP race is donk and shiro
I look at the end of the day
Isn't that the one thing that you want to be concerned over?
Am I going to win MVP or not?
Not about if you're going to win this Grand Finals.
They've put themselves into a great position for that
to be one of their main focuses here.
But I want to focus off on what Donk had to say
before our Grand Finals began.
You've been grinding all these times, right?
Like, not so many days off.
It's been more maybe grinding the normal, more team
practice, more face it or?
I think we had only like four or five days off.
And that's it.
Before EWC we had a bootcamp and after we had EWC and now we have a bus portal, so we're just playing non-stop.
Before that we had online practising.
So, for me, I think you are a player who loves this kind of grind.
Is it true? Do you still like this is where you are at your best when you're playing so much,
not just officials, but the face it, the team practice to be at your best?
I think, like, yeah, I like to play CS and it's clear for everyone, I guess.
And I enjoy to play competitive games, to play events,
to play against teams.
I don't really like to play face-it, to be honest.
It's just something that I have to do.
And that's it.
But we all get philosophy that it's
better to play officials than play proxies.
And that's it.
And we can get our best shape only from official games, not Prax.
We can play like six Prax a day, but still we can play really poor at Akishos.
And we get to the point where we need to play as much as possible.
He loves the competitive aspect of it.
He obviously just loves the general elements and essence of Counter-Strike.
But face it in his mind now, he's just something that he's got to do.
Hmm. I feel like it is the best way to get individual practice in.
So it's always a little bit curious if somebody says they've been doing individual practice,
but they don't use Faceit. Although there are of course other tools, but Dom knows really that being
the best player in the world means that you need to have an incredible amount of grind that
you're not going to just be showing up for practice every single day, day in, day out.
If there's a lot more to it in terms of making sure your form is a cut above everybody else,
You gotta be watching also what those young guns are doing in those face of games.
I think, uh, Donk has been having some conversations, maybe one too many conversations with Zontics.
Okay, because that is a Zontics style quote.
I don't really like face it.
I've played about 20,000 games of face it.
I just have to.
I must.
I must play some face it.
And in this case, he's playing a lot of face it and it's showing in his individual form.
I'm sorry.
They're gonna say that.
They're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna check.
The teacher can't in-game it.
I'm a little bit scared. You might have to get down.
Oh my God.
I feel like you're the side of the target.
Pull it down.
You're the leader right now.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
I think that was a breeze in the arena.
I'm leaving on the wind. Otherwise it was very close.
It's like golfers.
Just blame it on the wind.
I don't know what happened to that shot guys.
I swear.
I aimed right at them there.
But you're right.
There is this element around it all.
So much fun being had for this grand finals.
It's nice to get the extended break not just for the players, but I think just to enjoy the element of being in the arena being in Porter
Okay, they're moving. Okay. All right. We're moving closer
Yeah, go get it. Just put your head to sit down. All right. I'm gonna get that gently you know get it
He's already working hard. Well now he goes and gets that one though
So I'm going to give you guys some more information to work with the fill in the void of now the game gone.
It's going to be exertion and sphinx interviews before we had our grand final begin.
Talking about not just the crowd but also the mentality switch and the whole team.
How much does that help you because it seems like everyone has got a buff from teams you face,
from mentality coming into the game. It's kind of, it's a whole different mouse.
Well, you could say that this season already we beat the three big dogs in terms of their at least history.
Of course Vitality we beat them now with the standing.
100% counted, but at the same time I think they're still playing very well, so yeah
We are really happy with the current results. We have a lot of confidence, especially from the way we prepare for games
Starting at home practice and also before the game
I think me and Sikron put the team on a really good path and yeah
I'm just really proud of everyone and hopefully the hard work pays off today and either way
We're going to be very proud of our results here so far and hopefully we come back home with another trophy
That's what the goal is, but I also want to say when we first spoke
When you took over IGL in Astana, you told me you want to be a different kind of IGL.
You are proving it.
You have a 1.22 rating once here again, right?
You're looking very strong across the board.
But what does it take to achieve this?
Why have you been able to do it within your system with your players?
Well, first of all, I have great, great soldiers, I will call, that listen to me when I need
them to and do exactly what we wanted to.
We have full trust in what me and Cyclone being from outside the server.
At the moment, I'm getting a lot of help from Cyclone and Zipnix preparing for
games.
So it makes it easier for me to play.
At the same time, I think I was always a really good player and now as an IGL, I'm still able to bring some individual input, especially on city sides.
I'm playing better than T, but at the same time also just lead the team in some good situations.
Sometimes I also get to kind of get the three case or two case when we need them and actually be an important piece,
not only with calling, but also killing people.
So yeah, I would say it's been going pretty good with me as an IGL.
All right, Spinks. As of right now, this is your second highest career-racist performance at big events.
Do we have the passive star sphinx back in the server?
Are you finally at this level again?
I didn't even know the rating is this high, like 7th best, I'm surprised.
But yeah, I'm feeling confident in the game right now.
I'm playing pretty good.
We are the team playing pretty good, so we're all confident.
And I think when you're confident in Counter-Strike, it makes so much...
It's so important.
It's just so important, so yeah.
It seems like Zertian and Cycrow have been giving you a lot of trust within the team, with the space you've been able to take, and it's working really well for you guys, but do you think it was holding you back in the past? Is that why we maybe didn't see the best version of you then?
I don't know, I don't want to blame anyone, I think it's mostly on me as well. Of course sometimes you're more comfortable, sometimes you're less comfortable but still you need to perform to a certain level.
It wasn't like I was completely dog shit, but I still could be better, still could be better.
But yeah, I think it's rare where you see players like Don Xayu that they are...
They have crazy numbers throughout the entire year, and then they have tournaments,
and they have like 120 rating, and they're like, washed.
So I think it's not common to...
It's not common to be this consistent.
Of course I will work for it and try to go for it as much as I can,
but I'm not expecting to be like every tournament now have a crazy rating or whatsoever.
That's good mentality to have as well. I'd be able to handle all the ups and downs of it.
Now yesterday you said on the desk that last time you beat Vitality in the 70s
You lost the spirit in the finals. What conversation did you guys have as a team last night to make sure that doesn't happen?
You don't focus on these things and you come in strong because you've already beaten and wants the season. I think last time
we beat Vitality it was after a big lose we had against them and I think this win
it took us too much energy also after the game everyone felt really happy and all this kind of stuff
but we just won the semis we have the final next day the if you lose the final like we did the
same it doesn't matter so yesterday after the game we talked that they do whatever now that
we'll set you up for the best for tomorrow and also today morning we talked about it and
we all said like it feels different especially as the older guys like me towards exertion
If I go on, like, we experienced it,
said it feels different, it's not the same case.
So yeah, let's see.
A lot of chat from Gershyn,
how he's fitting into that, yelling,
how he's still in the plate as a player,
Sticks talking about how much energy was required last time
they'd be quite tired to connect now.
And the amount of energy Porto is giving us is insane.
Like, there is one thing I know for sure now.
Not only do you never want to miss
a Blaster Reader event,
but you don't want to miss an event in Portugal.
got socks. That's what you go
out of this one Valley. Hey you know
what it's not every day you get
something for free. D-shirt can ins
can also shoot out socks apparently. Who
did that? Not me. Not me. Today we've all
learned something new but we've learned
something new from both Spirit and
Maz. The way that so much can change in
four weeks because not only has Alvita
been the exact same from when they
came up against each other and lost
bounty but winning different maps,
winning them in different ways here
as well do that. We also have to talk about the fact that in youth, we're going to get
to see it a second time between these two in a grand final and there's the chance again
that it's a different result.
Yeah, Mous looked impressive, so we're hoping to see the same results so we can get the
cash. The fans, they want to see cash. I want to see cash, but it's going to require
Mous showing similar performances as what you saw at Founty on you.
And I'm going to actually have to see some great mid-rounding out of exertion because
because one of Spirit's ranks when they played Falcons
was how they were ahead of so many of Paragans mid-round.
It was extremely impressive,
just the way that they were able to assemble defenses
themselves when it was just even in man-deafened situations.
As we see in this round here,
Falcons are able to get a couple of kills early on.
They get the open and kill on the dog.
They get another kill on the Magics on the bomb site.
Tessus links out to get one himself,
just isolating the door.
And Zontics, along with the year-to-year
lower bomb site,
They have this opportunity to place in a handful of different ways,
but instead of actually pressing on forward,
which is exactly how Falcons are setting themselves up for.
They're waiting for a re-aggress.
It's actually Shiro on the other side by himself
getting the guaranteed pill with the AWP,
and a student's care again sees that.
He thinks that maybe there could be some more on it,
so they actually funneled themselves
right into the waiting arms of these two B defenders
from spirit, and this happened three separate times
with Falcon versus Spirit,
how they were able to just somehow overcome the odds
and even losing it winning after losing the opening kill.
Yeah, they still were inside of Tarragon's head in that one
in a way that they've been inside of Miles' head
for a lot of this series.
I feel like right now there is 40% out boys,
60% everyone else in the arena right now.
But a breakdown of Newark that way,
it really makes you show,
makes it known what is possible from them, okay?
Everything that we've been building up,
everything we would love to see about in map number five,
it is also something sort of poetic
that last time mouse were able to close it out on ancient.
So I'm sorry, on you, so this time around,
seeing Spirit maybe be able to close out the finals on a nuke.
I think we're all hoping, again, to see the catch.
We're hoping to see mouse win this one because I predicted it.
That's probably why.
That's exactly why.
It's completely self-serving.
You want mouse to lose here.
I want mouse to win here so that they can bring it
to map five and prove me right that this was 51-49.
My official pred was that it would be Spirit at five.
So to be correct completely, I
would need mouse to take this one on nuke. They have a great opportunity to do
that though. I think that the T side does have a wealth of different options in
terms of the way that they want to set things up on the T side. They do
confuse Donk on a regular basis. They're one of the teams that have really
humbled him on this one more than other teams I've seen. It's not just
predictions that people want to be correct about. It's also the form in
which you play Counter Strike. You want to have the best form possible. You
want to make sure everything you're doing is correct. And that is why
the game. So, you know, it's
going to be a great way to
refrag is one of the best
tools. You are able to do that
with. We do have the defender
mode here. Everything you need
to be able to hold down a side
be able to ensure that well,
New which is coming up is
going to be a strong side
for you. This is what is
thoughts going to look like on
the defensive the bomb site.
Well, this is actually just
POV footage from magics playing
against face clan in the
Shanghai finals. He just
to really get reps in in a live environment when you don't want to cue another game of face it when you want to just get that
Pure unadulterated practice, especially on gun rounds because what you're gonna play seven gun rounds, maybe it on a CT side
But on refrags defender mode, you can just play this situation over and over again different iterations of utility flying out
You peaks at different timings as well
So you have to be able to position yourself well react to that sort of oncoming utility all of this stimulus is crazy
but you can make it feel a lot more manageable with refrag and as we all know if you can dodge a wrench. I mean a Molotov
Drive peak face it swing into a bomb site
Hey, I don't want any more of this talk about what we're gonna dodge because at the end of the day
I'm gonna leave it to the professionals you guys out there
Maybe you want to grind it up try and get that way for yourself
But I want to leave it to them because continuing our grand final
Finding out who's gonna be able to take it and if it ends here if it goes even further is more important than anything else
This is your chance. This is your moment. The world is watching you all right now. And
this will be the last chance you have to give all your energy, all your strength. He's been
warming you up, he's been keeping you going. But this is where you show the world how
how much Portugal and Porto loves Counter-Strike.
Is it time, Porto?
Is it time?
And stand up.
Stand up.
Rise once again, as you did in the past.
You stood tall against everything, everyone.
When I say we once, twice, and clap with a ho.
Ready?
So, one, two, boom, and on the one, two, we go with the leg.
Let's do a test.
One, two.
Got him.
They did well.
Let's go.
One, two.
One, two.
Louder.
One, two.
Hey.
One, two.
Let's go.
One, two.
Louder.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Louder.
Yes!
Yes!
Mother!
Oh!
Keep going!
Yes!
Mother!
Yes!
Now stop!
What if I don't jump for everyone?
And we go to the game.
At the count of three, you jump and you say,
ah-hoo! As soon as you land. You ready, Jake?
Let's do it.
One, two, three, one, two, three, James Miceham!
No!
They're not here already trembling in their seats.
Now the earth shakes beneath them here in Porto.
But do they rise from that?
Can they step up to this challenge?
back to a mouse map pick but unlike on map 2 there was no comeback mounted there
was no respect earned it was spirit stomping them out of the server as they
now face a loss in grand finals quick flash over top of main donks the first
into the kill feed he didn't have three bad maps in a row he was a monster on
ancients and he will get one here in the pistol to near from inside main
hangs on to the Zershin frag you've got headshots on to zontics to slow
him down, but those Shirou Barretas still unnoticed. Spinks goes over top for his
business. Chance from Shirou finally looking human in a pistol. Yeah, for once.
Maybe there'll be a chance for them back in. Could have been the kill right there.
Still nails it. Nice recovery. Wishes Zelex into a 1 versus 3. He's got a
minute to work with, unfortunately, no bomb. That's over towards main. It's a
tall order for Zelex to try to piece together and the longer Shirou
Stay standing here toying with him more and more impossible. This becomes
Chase down shiro get this frag 40 seconds still doable
He's got a bit of work to do but also a bit of time
We've seen spirit nearly blow this position once they have blown it first exertion back on Mirage
Is Alex playing like he knows it
Just the way you'd expect it to go nice try two guns pressed down on hot
Spirit with a CT pistol just overwhelming on these pistol rounds man. That's just been such a important stack for team spirit
A lot of contributing factors in this round none more overall of course the pure
And Donk again just trying to make sure the energy doesn't leave their team
I
Quick to top garage. Yeah, he's just yeah
Overtalk those back boxes. Hello you
He goes to those round gets killed.
Shiro crawls up the staircase.
Sontics is going to hear this run forward.
Would have loved to get a bomb plant.
Would have loved to have gotten a kill.
And that is exactly what they earned themselves here inside of the ramp room.
Little frag grenade to push Donk off the angle.
Would have loved to have opened up the door for the bomb to move downstairs.
The torch he pushes it into Donk who's a killer.
Triple on this one.
Off to a 4-1 start.
Sure.
So be it you give numbers to Donk you give him more and more to power up with so the 2-0 as mouse by first
Now almost backwards, but back on ancient
It was weird for mouse because they've recently clearly improved their ancient despite that game had two wins at Porto
Looks fantastic eat all their previous statistics clearly put some work in here on nuke. It's the opposite
They had a long streak of games that just got crushed by Falcons on this map
And now coming to this in kind of a weird spot
I'm sure they felt like it was just the one in the bag before that match happened.
And Spirit are absolutely competent.
Looking to make this lurky.
Two ways to catch this though.
As else as a lot of this play doesn't realize it just yet.
He's got it, he's got to calculate a lot of pairs of footsteps going by he doesn't push through that smoke and it's a full cross. I mean this will be calm rotation is coming in a little bit slowly just shiro over towards the ramp is
There's a footsteps going by.
He doesn't push through that smoke and it's a full cross.
I mean, this will be calm.
Rotation is coming in a little bit slowly.
Just shiro over towards the ramp.
His spin takes that perfect amount of time
and shiro just gets deleted here by Zelex.
So Zelex capitalizing on the peak up from Zontics
looking at the wrong target.
That one a little unlucky.
Yeah, that one may be a little unlucky,
but also, Mel's are ready to come at that
from two different positions.
And I think that in this spot,
like Donk here is all the footsteps.
They are only running because they took out Xantix who was in secret, didn't know that he was in big garage or near that smoke.
And yet no fast rotations downstairs, no attempt to flank right away from Donk which, as he did it later, got him caught by Spinks.
If he did it right away, actually would have just been something to equalize the situation.
A quick incision here from Maus.
It's just basically a kill that gets him around.
Perfect, first gun round as far as they're concerned.
And another chance for Zelex to shine with a good multi-kill early.
We don't wind up seeing it live, but that Shiro headshot at the bottom of the ramp had to have been clean.
There was a slow rotate, but if there was anything to come of the rotate, it should have been Shiro.
Zelex still really looking to leave his mark on this event.
You know he's proven now that he can beat all the top teams. They've got victories over vitality spirit and now Falcons also in the past
To do it in a grand finals is a whole other question
The guns come back for spirit not bottomed out just yet and a fast move
It is deluxe again instantly down those secret stairs bombing toe, but a little slower remains behind the red box
Instantly it's under pressure on the rotations. Last time they underreacted.
Oh, you kind of want to get that one, PR.
He was on the headshot angle. Donk stabilizes.
Spinks sticking around hoping to catch somebody in transition.
Looking like he wants to make a move. You've got two low health bars on the players lower
and a far more committed position from Spirit on this B site.
It feels like I mean they've actually now playing opposite that so could be covered. It speaks is playing it slowly
Simple door swung doubles wide open shiro's gonna put a smoke back there makes it a bit awkward for mouse
It does also feel like there's no one here committed into the site and that's free for Zodics now
Sir blindside surgeon. Although towards you that's the
going for the double goal and Stag and he gets there, Zellex peels off a bit, they're going to charge down the bomb plant to tap no money here for Torsley, nicely done from Zontik, played that as cool as he always is.
And just the right amount of support, it's like it's a smoke that you wouldn't actually throw once that cross smoke is in because you know it's not going to really do anything, but to mouse it feels a little bit desperate.
desperate so they say okay let's let's take a look then run right out it is on
ticks this I feel this is the big one right this is actually you are totally
catching him off guard having a headshot angle to work with a few extra
bullets it's an m4 that needs a headshot and an extra bullet and yet
donk still wins
not one of his faster fights either
whether there's actual bodies behind this. And slowly, Mao's approach.
Doc's still just waiting for it. Oh, there we go. Nice revenge for PR.
Makes up for that lost kill on the top of Main.
And he's gonna want to get his game underway sooner than later.
Cannot afford another calamity like Dust 2.
I mean, you're already in such a losing spot here.
that vent had been taken that they could go lower if they want to the CTs
don't have it moved at all big chance here for it to near to interrupt but we'll
see what he can catch couple bodies up and over third one's got the bomb and
to near crazy one behind the rafter just gonna dump utility up in front of
heaven at 30 seconds does cause a problem for mouse it looked like lower
was the right solution but and it was spirit who couldn't move and so
they're still upper still stuck here spinks downstairs alone he's gonna
offer up a distraction and hope that they really bite down on it but you've got
magics from behind sight with cover and Shiro just killed the first front
runner out, 4-0 with the bomb, dead and space back but late, 8 seconds through the clock
nothing they can do, Spirit pull off the upset within this round. Man I feel like
Spirit simply under rotated because they were shrunk down to one choke point
that was going ramp they didn't want to all make it down there they read
into what was a fake from Maus, Maus thought they would overreact it
didn't happen. If Maus took this kill simply went for lore control, it feels like Spirit
would have simply let them have it. And huge for each of the 8 defenders, both in fully
committed positions to grab their first kill. Main shut down by Magix, Heaven denied by
Shiro, stuck behind CT-Ven. And it was good on them for just if they do come back
up here we've got to cover yep that has been winning spirit a lot of rounds it's
definitely reads here steps out from hell catches that one player right and
then all of a sudden they understand what's up that's one of the big
differences between this head-to-head between these teams we go back to
bounty at the start of the season there was a lot of talk about tenure and
still some struggles and how with how Lee there it didn't feel like he was
the same as the time that how they had to miss events I mean changing
Brawls more than anyone else as well
Now today at this point of the season here in Porto
You get a team spirit that is integrated to near for impact and it's not always the flashiest moments
But it's solid and it feels constant at least it was back there on dust to when he put this tempo into place always missed this
Spinks has held on to that a k obviously they're gonna try to get it going
Yep, you're my magics
One, two, three!
Again it is him!
Boom!
It's a complete mow down out of Teneir from opposite.
Yeah, that's the overwhelming presence that you're talking about.
Sometimes things can feel so sketchy for a second until Teneir gets his hands on the round.
Magic saw peeking into hut, but played it a little greedy with the Molotov didn't want to say okay
If you're just faking this presence, I don't want to throw it too early
But that was the time to go for mouse and it definitely was a scary moment for spirit
Now snow they're gonna have to work hard for these two side rounds
But as long as spirit don't let go of the gimme it, then they're gonna be in a fine position
And it took their hand off that one for a second the tenures got a tight grip
Stops it in its tracks and sends mouse back into this next one of the buy
We've seen a good approach last time remember that wrap up into heaven felt like mouse had advantages now dog
Talks going for a run and if Sonic's to have to trade him out with Spinks the first victim
Surtian gets burned away from this angle lobby belongs to spirit for the time being shiro catches cell
Like to the back turn no trade off that one Taneer wants to get away from any potential duel. Oh my they've kind of taken up her at the same time
What's interesting is I feel like where's Torsi at yesterday on the roof of the bomb? Yeah, okay
tries to make his way down. That's a hell of a swing from Zershin.
It's safe.
Just in front of the smoke. If he was in the doorway, no way that kill happens.
He reads the corner well, and he did have Torsi dropping down at the same time.
Takes it back to the even keel, bomb being planted back in.
What's this retake look like from Spirit? We throw one up into the heaven, didn't try to hide himself.
Shiro announcing his position.
Very tough spot man Zershin he threw that smoke down a trophy and pushed it
Try to fly for behind. We'll see if he does get in here flashes fine. Sonic's making this awkward
Zershin's gonna try to come up this ladder at some point it gets red. Oh, no shiro. Wait look down
But missed it. He saw the entrance drop though from ramp and now Zershin back
Good execute. Sonic's long ticking quit shiro
Just gonna tap it, but the bombs on the other side.
Zershin's got a swing.
Shiro's off the deep use.
He gets the kill, jumps back on.
Yeah, he missed his timing.
It's a nice, slow burn from Zershin
that'll post-mouse his second round win.
I mean, that was so sweet out of Zershin, the smoke play,
because it looks like another risk
that he's unnecessarily taking at first,
but you see that that was imperative
to actually close the roundout.
And also, for the CTs,
you see a smoke 50 seconds after the trophy.
You're not waiting that out to flank into lobby,
He then had to clear all of Lobby, then take over the flank so he knew they were going to walk away from that.
Set himself up beautifully to close that round.
I'm pretty sure Shiro checked down the ladder.
But he was looking more at the arch from ramp and missed it. Azershin got past that.
But because Shiro gets all the kills, this is one situation where this actually matters.
It's an entire round of timing here from Zershin.
They've got four golels coming into the next because Shiro killed them all.
Economy teetering for both squads, I just prefer Spirit's five.
This could be an early turning point for Maus to bust through.
Zellex outside solo.
If it makes deep adds a lot.
Yep.
Prep to bounce, Nade hits him for half health.
That is a tough one to stomach here for Spinks.
And Tenure's got cover.
It's going to be tough to stop them from getting down the fin,
but they're going to swing wide instead.
They're trying to take this A site.
And Magics' MP9 offers up a distraction
so that Dom can emerge up from heaven.
Man advantage earned here by Spirit.
The defense holds strong.
Line sighting Zellex as he tries to close that gap to a garage.
Tors you with a clutch attempt.
Plays with a galil, no nades.
And Sontek stomping his way in already.
Yeah, they're all over this.
The 3v1, Spirit looking comfortable.
If Mauswan had bent it was there for the taking.
But that A site, Spirit said otherwise.
Kind of.
I mean, Taneer was also watching it just intermittently,
and he had that wide angle.
And they had the outside presence
to make sure if any lurks came in,
they'd also get vision on that.
And honestly, just a very good setup here for Spirit.
And they use every little bit of it to catch everything.
Even in front of the hut as mouse try to come out early.
Throw your hands up all you want.
That's what Doc does.
So Spirit gets all, I mean,
Jiro gets all those fields of previous round.
Then that's a weaker buy.
They get through that.
Now Spirit are looking to beat those on a half buy.
They are sailing.
A couple of nail-biter moments, but Donka merges as the top performing player early here on
Nuke.
The utility has just found its mark again.
Offer ready for the challenge.
Sees multiple players coming through.
Jiro's gonna give a little room over in ramp for Maus to at least establish wallbangs
that could have been.
Hey, there's a player up through Grosh creeping up.
Yeah, Zelex tries to jump him here and spawn.
He's got two players to deal with,
one of them's the AWP,
and he's got teammates coming to help.
This is Zelex with great space.
Zontics is trying to come and bail him out of this,
and Shiro just plays into the cover.
Also a ramp room player coming,
but Zelex wrapped back around.
Shiro back to the pistols.
Does big work with these guys.
At least they're alive.
Just saw it now in that cover.
Tethered with his teammates.
Team Spirit make sure their AWPer doesn't go down.
They're not letting isolated fights happen now, Spirit.
It's a team that's improved within this series alone.
Trading and denying trades themselves.
Another close shave, but as we get towards the end of the half,
all that matters for mouth is Rattles.
Here we can't catch.
Thorzy also wondering.
Does Shiro stay alive?
Quick to put that off right back on to the deep line into lobbying Seniors gonna use that line as an invitation
Oh absolutely.
Blindsided from...
Absolutely.
Spirit.
I mean...
Oh that's a little crazy but you got sure to trade out and it is still recoverable.
Nothing wrong with the right amount of insanity.
A rare spot to play here on the upper floor.
Now, Mells are gonna do something desperate, because now they're in a tricky spot. They have to.
So, I'll take Spitz himself in the spot to guarantee a kill. Not necessarily guarantee a two, but that's exactly what he needs.
They can kill him and not lose bodies, then maybe this round's still good for Mells.
Wow, great clear.
That's what you're looking for.
Take over the ramp room, try to move it fast, but you've got Shiro down here already.
Oh, doesn't decide to fire.
A little awkward here as he goes to the other door.
They're gonna use that left side to just scale up into the bomb site.
Ambitious wallbangs far off the mark, which means post-plant secured.
But you've called Donk downstairs.
Burn from the door, exposed to both.
Magic's has got some work to do, and that also eludes it.
The first stops his peek.
Shiro's on the other side of this unable to stop anybody mouse with that kill into the ramp room find themselves a
Solid take of the lower bomb site from a 3v4
Absolutely fantastic clear on zontics
See so often people walk out in that get killed maybe get the trade
It's still a bit of pressure on the economy out of shiro
I
Orto wants to see a fight and mouths are trying their damnness to give it to them
But it's so tough to just hang on to these moments
The spirit are throwing bodies into lobby like that, but honestly in the 3v3 it comes up entirely
Spirit, we're hoping for another smashing.
How is timeout used this time?
And well, you've got Maus back in with guns,
but still only three rounds so far.
This is where you can see the trophy in your mind's eye.
Mows know they can make another comeback.
Spirit need every CT round they can get.
Lot less pressure on lower early out of mows.
Nothing down bent, no quick outside crosses.
Slow on this one down.
Oh, he's got that spam kill on Magix. On top of Tetris.
Directly into the scope. It's a near-seer.
I think so.
taking any damage imagine if they pull off this 2v5 surely not not with Donk
downstairs I mean donk would have to somehow get his way out of the fence it
also their money they're not just thinking about making sure it doesn't go
beyond four assertions got nothing else to watch other than that then exit it's
a great round from PR slow start in this half yeah we saw that with over
top of the main roof.
I'm sure for a second he teleported back to dust to.
But he delivers in this one to instant headshots on a spirit
move mid round that was looking to take over another
compromising spot. A site without lobby. Scary plays.
But he locks it down. These two players saving for spirit
will guarantee they've got enough for the next one.
I'll be working with something at least.
Would have been dire otherwise.
It's going to feel good for PR to leave his mark on a round of counter strike here on that four.
There's the opening duel. Spinks just given a challenge from Magic.
He's thought maybe that high angle would help out. I don't think so.
Individually, Maus look fantastic in this round.
Incredible to walk into Shiro's scope and just come away with a headshot.
So, limitations? Sure.
Couple of MP9s for the Spirit Squad.
Goals to just keep Maus on 4.
I went to establish just like we saw in that last round.
Can't necessarily count on an opening duel like Spinks found.
Spirit don't want to be getting more mistakes.
Keep them guessing as the defense presses in.
SMG's got your dead, the bomb dropped to fresh mag.
It's in here right there to cover Spinks' praise for the double.
But it is stopped to stop it out.
And an eighth round for the CT side, earned by Spirit.
This core is topping the charts.
I feel no man, but that thing...
It's good isn't it?
I'm not talking about that thing, alright?
Is he here? Is he listening in?
I'll get this pie gone off.
One shotters remade for the human thoughts made inside that mine.
Oh, Duhunks, of course, with the headshots every damn time!
Dreams of chronic and sustained clothing.
Anybody that beats it, hits the ground!
Oh!
Oh!
Get in the crypt!
Still doesn't get a thing.
No!
He can sense the fear.
By speaking thoughts out loud!
Clashes and kills them all!
That's the question.
Majors are not banana cups.
If you ask a player, would they rather win cologne or a major?
No one will ever say cologne, unless cologne is a major.
And that's because of the prestige.
If the play's going to be iconic, you've got to start and play off.
The crowd on the crowd likes.
The call has to be so good from the casters
just to compliment that play perfectly.
Just the right amount of surprise and awe
and the reaction, just the raw reaction of the room.
So, I think it's just about the audience.
For me, my favorite major final was the Stralis vs. Verz Pro.
And this was right when Astralis had picked up Glaive.
This was very interesting because Kerrigan was a much more revered IGL.
But the one thing Glaive brought to that major into Astralis was he solved their choking issue.
He made a series of calls on that T-side comeback on train,
on train and it was a bunch of very aggressive confidence plays at a moment where if they
lost the next round they probably would have just lost the entire series and lost the major.
And that was the first of the four majors that they won. At a major where there's the most
pressure, Glaive was the best option. And I think that was a really key point for
both Astralis and honestly Denmark as a whole. When you look at FaZe at Boston,
one of the most iconic images was Nico blown up on the jumbo tron. As hard as
that might be for him to think about or go back and watch.
That's one of the things you remember the most.
Stewie being the guy who was the player that made Cloud9 into a winning team
and made Cloud9 into a team that was top six that year.
So the best sort of NA team that we'd seen in forever.
And then for him to have the clutch moment to bring the team to overtime.
It's not about the skill anymore.
It's about who's good under pressure.
And Stewie was that for Cloud9.
I think that one will be forever iconic.
I would never want to have to go through what phase went through at Boston.
But in terms of how much emotion came out of that,
it's sort of irreplaceable as a moment in history.
This entire Grand Finals has been Maus fighting off the backflip.
And if it weren't for Mirage, we'd be convinced
they couldn't do this.
But this is their second map pick,
another likely place that maybe a defense
can erect things, try and hold spirit back,
try to stave off consecutive trophies.
Porto, this could be it.
And it's mixed because we all want more.
We also know the comeback is entirely possible.
This one's not much of a joke.
This is four rounds on the T side.
It's not a good T half out of mouse,
but they did that without a pistol round.
I think they actually can be quite proud of how
they won those rounds.
But this stat for spirit has just
been the most imposing thing they've
had to think about who's gonna bail
those out usually it's shiro with this
p250 but donk wants to take it for a
spin and they got ramp towards you
knows now when they're committing
PR is gonna have to go massive here
trying to hold off both sides shots
missing can't find a head shot to shoot a truck take him out of the pistol maybe
you've got a chance bomb also thrown to the ground in the meantime towards you
fast to find Zellex is in everybody dead except Donk Beretta's on the other
side now they know where he's at remember they still got his bomb but
he's got 50 seconds to make this happen but yeah he said you're in here with
me I'm that door shut in the one on three bombs in an awkward spot on
railing, have to fight his way out. Don't get nervous, Mouse. Don't get nervous.
So shut it down. Donk is only one in the four and that was already a huge
reclaiming of control because when Forge loses ramp for free it's feeling like
Spirit can sprint to B. Totally. And instantly rather be Spirit in that spot
as they drop, it's exactly what you want to see especially with Donk on the
prowl outside getting a lot of mass control. They also couldn't kill him
fast enough. They really did. I've been coming with the attentive to getting
He's coming across the site early, but he stayed alive for a long time.
He's buying more and more seconds, precious seconds for Malus to put together a pistol.
A pistol to stay alive at this event.
This goes to map 5, all bets are off.
Spirit closing on T side is a huge question.
I'll apart on Mirage.
Gave Mao's a newfound confidence that they had no glimpse of within ancient.
Just looking to put Mao's in a world of hurt, but for now it's a couple of Desert Eagles
Tiptoe in their way, Outer trying to find a headshot to connect.
And a big question about if Malus is going to make a comeback happen.
Who's it going to be?
Damn, that's clean.
Not Sushun.
The free haircut.
Not this round.
The nearest got.
4 HP, but losing a player.
It's unsettling.
Drutorgy over PR better hang on to the ramp room because there's the second Deagle that'll
tag him down to 84.
Everybody else just grouping up for this commitment.
I mean, Tenir should be able to be handled.
Should be fine.
Oh my god, the lock kill.
It's even the single door!
What's he shooting at?
Down to Spinks and Spinks alone!
Spirit lost the pistol!
The rebound would be a threat.
Down to Spinks and Spinks alone!
Spirit lost the pistol!
The rebound would be a disaster here for Maus.
At least Spinks is able to get off site into the cover.
50 health and Thor grabbed.
They walk into this with two Desert Eagles,
but it's a double glock kill that gets it going onto the bomb plate.
What a steal.
It is beauty and brutality for Spirit to win this round of them all.
Think of how small mouths feel.
The odds of that happening were miniscule and a clean kill out of dog
definitely shook them to the core. Can you believe the gloss in unison to get those entries?
They got so scared they were shooting at nothing.
Leaving spanks in the clutch.
I'm surprised no timeout off that and rendering that pistol almost meaningless.
They just let Spirit come right back into this next one.
Two F-4s in the camp of the T's.
Got to hit upper.
Pistol tried to throw itself back site.
Zalax good for the first one.
That's gone dead.
The rest of Spirit gonna have to deliver.
So let's go back and forth.
Except P250 kill right away.
It stops them from getting across the site.
This one out of Xalex on the floor.
It spings in the rafters with the coverage.
Double-famous kill!
Okay!
It's the kind of counter-strike I think we should...
maybe end on.
Spirit don't want to take a knee first.
Buy back in with what they can.
But if you can win with Glock's,
no doubt you can win with this.
Oh, that's such a lifeline here for mouse.
It's crazy.
It felt like no way they're going to win the follow-up round.
The scary part about this is you've got Donk on that AK, Shiro with 1-2.
Absolutely, and you know, it's mouths that are on CT.
So in any situation like this, it's always going to be harder for them,
but they actually kept players alive that last round as well, so...
Give some a bit of a pillow for their economy.
This ladder there for exertion, chip damage coming in.
They're over in full effect slower pace in the rounds we've had prior prior here it
was just routing their appearance right now they're trying to crank it with this main rap
dog looking for a target finds his contact and torches him a second attempting to remain
it's going to be shiro with the AK another double kill with one of the lesser weapons
Damn, they coordinated this amazing attack on the A site with that little to work with so it made a big advantage.
Bomb plant still just stuttering here. Is there a worry that a CT will pounce them?
But eventually they're gonna have to commit to this.
Zontik's brother, you have the bomb. If you were to die in hut just there, this one gets thrown in the open.
But there's a better weapon here for spanks still. He hasn't announced himself. Bomb down, back site.
That's gonna cause a cross from both of these CTs.
Which means this man on your screen has a real line to lock them in.
Man advantage on top of it, but they find the headshots.
Now they knock him back here. They force his hand to near from the top.
Trying to keep Zontik's in this.
A Zontik's that got them onto the bomb site.
They have no wins.
Utility flies forward here. The Mackette finds the third.
Zontik still hasn't called on the cover.
PR's got a closest gap.
He's got a kill from Zontik's with an SFG.
A reliable pair of hands in this series.
Zontics puts that one together.
And is that a bridge too far?
Instantly two guns bought back out of mouse.
Three players that won't be able to afford one.
And this is where it gets so dangerous,
because these are the low buy rounds where
Spirit are going to be the strongest.
And they inch closer to 13.
If this investment goes awry, it's
going to be Matt Point instantly.
And the game to follow.
A massive fumble for mouse. They had one bat round.
Think about the ramification. It's spirit to save. It's them on seven. It's spirit on nine. It's completely different.
And honestly, it was a great sight hit.
With very little to work with the mini-wrap, everyone coming in from every choke point. It was committed.
They used multiple choke points at the same time. All the entries were great.
And yeah, now it's brought up close, but they didn't have a kit to win that round.
Spirit laying the pressure on thick.
Every round of this half, everyone buying down to zero.
Smoke spam. Could queue up Torji to make a move here, but I mean, again, these deaths feel raw.
This opening kill is going to be loud. It's going to be felt.
In this couple shots, Torji could fade away, could decide to try and hold his ground.
Spinks is worried about a challenge outside, and he's got cause for concern.
Don't mind the headshot instantly. Tenir also going to kill Spinks.
The two pieces of mouse that were going hunting get caught first.
It's near I mean this is just extra because it is already a full squad of
spirit downstairs. I mean Mao's not saving for the full buys like that's when
they're gonna be playing their best CS obviously you kind of feel like you have
to go back in with the game getting away from you. I can't help but feel this is
the best way that spirit could have won they play the most free on their
low buys they tend to doubt themselves a little bit more when they have too much
to work with they slow down they don't commit that's not been a
problem when they're forced up and they have completely dealt with now they're
gonna come hunting make sure this m4 can't be saved how is it that zontics
gets a quad kill on the mac 10 last round and now it's gonna be to near with a
triple this time just closing that distance on a map like you're talking
about an outer player into near closing in on sphinx taking over hell totally
compromising things after Torsi also dies to this is basically a curtain ball.
You've got mouths forcing again by for each team.
Every single round of this half so far, it'll go all the way to the finish.
So it's his first outing here in a stadium versus vitality yesterday.
Look fantastic in the grand finals as a whole other level of pressure.
Massive ask from the 18 year old the entered playoffs is the second highest-rated player at this event only behind Donk
This is not the beginning of the season anymore. This is the full stadium
This is the one spirit would want if they could pick one of the two
That's what mouths are looking to steal from them. Get something back in this head-to-head. That's been overall
so one-sided
So he's trying to set it up, Donk finds a headshot early, PR down with nothing again.
And tidbits of damage off the scout or one thing, but if you can't finish off those low
players, they're just gonna still consume the site.
So Donk finished by the 5-7, and Zontik's maybe still a liability down here.
The bomb floats, just waiting to see what else Maus give over.
And if Zershin gets caught, as he is currently outnumbered, that could have been his end.
Instead, he decides to remain tucked in.
Zellex is looking to make a move, and he will finish off
the pits that were left of Zoncik's.
He comes out for a good kill.
Flash doesn't work.
It's too short.
Here's that flank.
35 seconds.
You've got him boxed in.
Starting, though, to make a move fast.
It could get hurt.
And if it is, no, they're not ready.
Zershin's as in the kill.
Gets past the 5-7s with a double-door swing.
Shiro, he's opened up the possibility, but they still need to cross!
Torgie gets the one bomb planted, or rather spotted, in the process of it trying to close the gap.
Now Tenir knows his hands are gonna be busy, this is the chance for Torgie,
but obviously Magic just gives up the cover, a 12th round has been secured!
Oh, absolutely nothing to give if that flank kill from Zershin,
Shiro has to turn around, has time to reset his aim, and gets it.
It actually could have been a moment for Mouse.
A half with a buy every single time.
Mel's may play out this half and never see a full buy.
There'll be nothing worse to think about than that.
You didn't give yourself a chance and you didn't capitalize on the two mistakes that
Spirit made while they had rounds to play with.
They could have stomached it, but you can't.
To defend, three MP9s, a scout and an M4 on Spinks.
Spinks historically the big grand finals player for Maus.
There was ever a moment to play the lights out CS. It's right here right now.
He'll be set up for early impact, but it's a commitment in terms of bodies.
So you've really got to hope for Mao to say that he could have got something from that.
Silver lining is the rifle drops right into the pause of Zershin.
And Zellex now feeling the need to make a move as he sees them go beyond,
can't capitalize on the jumping player in the backdrop.
So Magic just peels away and Zellex redirects.
They've established inside a secret. They've got someone bunting up with the bomb that's
down.
Still watching for rotations outside. This gun is getting recycled.
Search and spotted with this and Spirit are just trying to collect information.
Yeah.
All match it has to be is a distraction and he served that up nicely.
Zontik's catching Celax.
Not one inch wide there.
starting to feel like the beginning of the end here for a mouse that would have
had chances, but just couldn't keep the lid on the jar.
One hand tied behind their back in terms of buys and the tools that they've had
to try to stave off a spirit that have started every single map of this
series strong PRs forward aggression rewarded. That's at least on six
dealt with. But all this time still you've got players downstairs to
finally go for their commitment with the bet popped surgeon starts to
Stomp makes his position known. That's gonna draw Donk's attention. Loves a fight.
Shiro playing with Yuto, good to fall victim to the Double Door Swing, but no.
Xersion shut out and now it's just this ramp retake left over.
And a two versus four disadvantage. Donk missing a chance to shut it down himself,
but Magic is there. Fold on and he lands on the ball. Team Spirit have done it again.
Surviving, what could have been a comeback if not for Nasty Four Spice?
This could have been a turning point for Mouse, a moment where they do it in Malta,
then in the stadium back to back versus competition that they know are so challenging to beat.
They still had an amazing run to get to this point and put up a hell of a fight in this grand finals.
And with their new roster, completing a comeback as they did,
themselves a chance to even see Nuke. But at the end, it's Spirit.
The Ancient is a scary crossback for any of their opposition. You can see small pieces of success being consistently put together for a Team Spirit that set their eyes on something bigger than just one trophy.
This is a Team Spirit that are no strangers to victory and they're no strangers to tough losses.
It's this newfound consistency.
That is what becomes the building blocks of this something bigger.
They watched in the shadows, vitality pieced together something amazing,
the best to ever touch this game, but they're gone.
And in that absence, there is a power vacuum to be had.
Team spirit scooping up trophy after trophy, win after win.
And nowadays, in such convincing fashion,
they've got one of the best to ever do it amidst their ranks.
But this team is greater than just thought.
Your blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed,
Team Spirit.
Another trophy in the hands of Team Spirits.
Shirou, a hugely impressive playoff performance from you.
What do you want to say about the performance from the team this win?
Anything to all the fans out there?
I don't know what to say.
I just play.
You just win.
It's OK.
I'm feeling good really.
We're playing three tournaments, not holidays.
It's OK.
We win two tournaments,
because we're going to the final.
It's OK.
Thank you so much for supporting us.
Thank you, my wife.
I love you.
Son Trix, for you,
I know you already said in another interview that it doesn't matter about being the best team in the world,
that's not what you're focused on, but another trophy to your name,
more trophies as you continue to have this dominant run, this time only dropping maps in the grand final.
Does it feel like right now, with how you guys are playing, we can get the very best team spirit we've ever seen?
Yes, I think the best team right now, but the status is not very relative to the fact that we are playing
the next hour again once later. So it wasn't that important the next time we play the games.
I'm not sure what to think about it.
Well, wait and see then, let your champion once again.
Tenev, you brought your friend with you, as you always do on the stage.
Your third career trophy for yourself.
You played so many now, back to back, grand finals, put up some great performances.
Anything you want to say to this crowd that cheer you at the end.
I know you've been signing so much for the fans as well. Any final words?
final words. I don't know, just want to say thank you for everyone to support us and cheer
and finally we can go to home. Get some well deserved rest after that important win. Magics,
you had a bit of a tough game out there but you still managed to call a great game and
get the win. Just tell me how you were able to reset after Mirage where we saw some
struggles and maybe the game kind of be thrown away by you guys.
Well basically the difference that I started to talk more and started drinking
in water and you know it was like three hours without consuming any water
like the before match first map second map it was bad but once I started to
drink water it started getting better.
Hydration is key and it's very hot in here mate.
There you go. Water's all you need as a champion. That's it.
Thank you very much, Maddox. Halley, anything you want to say, dude?
A big other, guys.
Suuuu!
Waaaaaaay!
Everyone loved that. Don, can we get that from you?
Suuuu!
Now Don, there's many crowds that you've won in front of the Don't Cheer, you don't applaud
you.
But these guys, they're on their feet for you.
Spirit jerseys in the crowd as well.
Just any words as you pick up another trophy, you dominate another tournament and maybe
you guys could be on your way to creating the era and the dominance that you want.
I want to say thanks to all the fans that cheered for our team.
The others who have chosen to cheer against my team have a good night!
And there we have it, SuperBot Arena!
Your grand champions for the Blast Premier Open 4.0 2026!
IT'S TEAM SPIRIT!
3 and 1 was the score line last time Spirit and Maus went up against each other in a grand
finals.
It went in favor of Maus but this time the story is all for Spirit.
Back to back trophies for them when it comes to tier 1 events and it is just the numeral
that we get to see them come back swinging, work into the season and prove that this
is a spirit that is driving full consistency when we're looking at trophies.
And I would say in this event, they were clearly the better team.
They were from start to finish.
They had great utility, great teamwork.
You saw Shiro popping off.
You saw Don struggling, and the entire team
still managed to get them over the line in a way
that you wouldn't have seen from Spirit just a year ago.
All congrats goes out to every single member of Spirit
and their organization.
Saw better game planning and teamwork from Spirit
versus At the Bounty.
So I'm going to tip my hat to Holly,
who actually looked like he pulled his weight on this trophy and of course donk and shiro
I mean it's a it's a tight bouncer who's going to be the MVP of this one but even more of the supporting cast who really shown in this to
near taking over in some of those defensive rounds it was zontics as well able to find some multi-frags a great clutch in this grand final
really just you see spirit leveling up who've now one back-to-back trophies with magics for the very first time something that chopper is
only accomplished a couple of times before. There's nothing you can fault
spirit for in the way that they played this whole tournament when we look at
it from start to finish everything that groups entailed for them as well it
was simply one map that they dropped this whole last two weeks this whole
blast from the air open quarter it was a singular map here in the grand
finals that they dropped and that was despite playoffs where don't had
barely over a 1.0 rating, I think it was like a 1.1 rating coming into the grand
final, first two maps in the grand final under a 1.0. This spirit roster will
always be the dog show because of how he warps the game around him, how they can
play because of how good he is as a rifler, but they've managed to really
come together as a team in a way I don't think most people were
expecting when you looked at them even a few months ago.
I'm gonna say I think that the time that they had with Sofik where they
They understood how much more valuable the utility on their offensive side in particular
could really bolster this team.
They won that Astana, they came in second place at that Rio, and then you just see that
it's actually had reverberating effects with the team.
They're using utility in such a stronger fashion.
We even saw on that Nuke how they game plan so specifically for how Maus wanted to use
their smokes, just trying to counter Mollie those smokes on the cross there.
I mean, this is a spirit team that looks like they're leveling up in a tactical way
because we already knew that they could shoot the hell out
of anybody in tier one counter strike.
But now when you pair that with some efficient strategies,
now you have a piece that is very difficult to dethrone.
And when you see them talk about the Sothvic Holly situation,
they've talked about Holly being more of the overall kind
of macro style coach and Sothvic being more
about the specifics.
And I think when you have both of them working together
now, you're seeing they do have that utility.
They do have the flashes, the ability
to win without dawn.
But they also have, now that Holly is really slotted in,
we didn't see it quite as much as the bounty,
he was still relearning the team after being away for so long.
We're seeing they have the game plans, they have the macro.
They have an understanding of the way Maus
was going to play coming into this one
that I don't think they did at the bounty.
Even though he was there, he just wasn't quite integrated
the way he usually was.
It wasn't even that long ago that people were telling
this story about Magic's IDLing,
how they weren't really confident,
they weren't really sure.
And I think that that's just another element
that we can add on top of this double-coach situation is how well he is finally growing
into that role as an IGL.
Magics is now done what Chopper has done before and the winning the consecutive trophies of
course Spiritnow are aiming for more.
They're looking to try to establish themselves and they've already done that in a way.
They've won the two most important tournaments of the season disregarding the Singapore
Major.
This was all of the top 10 teams in the world both at EWC and now here at Blast
Open Porto.
of the other tournaments coming up they're either gonna have smaller tournament or team fields or
it's gonna be missing some of those essential elite teams. Well I can only imagine how it feels to
be down that stage and lift the trophy with someone who knows how it does feel. So on ticks
congratulations back-to-back trophies. Did you cry yourself a little bit? Yeah glad to be able to
win even though I kind of downplayed by my emotions I would say but I'm a little bit
out of playing and just being away from home so don't really feel much at least for now.
But this is surely a payoff, you know, when you think you're bad at it you do sacrifice
so much time away from home, so much time from loved ones when you're also practicing
even when you are at home that getting to win back to back you realize this is worth
it?
Yeah, of course.
That's why we play, of course, everyone wants to win as much as they can and this
This is the second time we are able to win two consecutive tournaments.
Obviously, we can tell that we are the best team right now.
But as I said, three times already in previous interviews won't really matter,
because the next game we will play on Katowice, which is a month later.
So, yeah, it will be a whole another story.
So I think in October, the status of the best team won't be very much relative.
Okay.
What do you think felt different about this matchup versus Maus versus the bounty, which
obviously went the way of them?
We didn't connect to the server map, you know, we just had no energy for any specific
reason.
We didn't communicate, we played bad, it was just a terrible game for us.
And right now we're playing bad, I would say.
I know you're a guy that is very introspective, you think about a lot about the bigger
picture and everything like that and you know you're next to Donk who's just
every single tournament setting record's winning MVP's but what do you want your
legacy to look like in five years from now? Kind of Rob style I would say like
you have a big impact but no one really talks much about you unless you're
literally winning for two years straight and I'll say yeah that's
that's what I'm aiming for I know that with my like with my game
intelligence I would say I would not be able to be like a top one player to five
player whatever maybe I will not even hit top 20 in any of the years but I think
I'm doing my impact by some other other things even though I'm not the best
mechanically but yeah I think my goal is to win as much as I can and to be
able to just have the most wins probably I don't know how much I
I will play the game, but obviously it's very easy right now to talk about, yeah, I can name for winning like 50 tournaments, but in reality, I can never win anything else, so I don't know, I'm just thinking.
When talking about this team, it's so much less about the individuals before, but then you have that time with Sotfic, Holly comes back, and Spirit talked about Sotfic and Holly kind of duo coaching.
How is that working out now that Holly's back?
They have split their, I would say, something more of a micro guy, and Hali does more on the macro side, I would say.
So, I think that's a demo preparation for us to watch them in retrospective, like we lost the map and we watched it with Sothik and he tells us what went wrong.
And the campfire is being done mostly by Magics and Halle, so they kind of have their work to do.
And because of that, I would say both of them have enough energy to do whatever they have to do.
So we are able to be on two environments for 45 days and still being able to prepare as much as needed.
One of the things I noticed when you had Sotfic, you guys really drastically, you made your mirage much better.
better? Is that something that specifically Sawthick was working on or was Holly involved in that?
It always goes this way, like you have six maps and all of the time you have one map, at least one
map, being weak. You focus on that map and because you don't have time for all of the six maps,
another map becomes weak while you're trying to fix this one that you had problems before.
So right now we have our best map and should I would say statistically, even though there
There is a lot of closed maps, but you can see that we sometimes play bad on Mirage.
We will think about fixing Mirage, we will have eight wins in a row,
and we will have problems in Europe.
He just works like this all the time.
Okay, can I ask something individually?
You can try.
You like to aim for the body.
Recently you've been aiming a little more for the head.
What's the philosophy on aiming for the body?
How I feel? There is no, I would say a certain situation or position sits well.
When I think I shoot aim for the head anyways, like no matter the situation, but mostly I still think aiming for the body especially my role is a better way.
Like obviously if I had the ability to shoot like Kiyosuke for example, I would probably wouldn't be doing that, you know?
But I understand that I cannot suddenly just be the best player mechanically, or like don't, whatever, doesn't matter.
So I'm just trying to do whatever I can.
And I think I'm able to do enough impact with this style of aiming, it just depends on me.
I do want to quickly also circle back to when you're talking about Suffolk helps you guys with the micro
I want to know is that one-on-one sort of micro like what exactly when we talk about micro
Is it that he's helping either the team with or you as an individual at the team most?
Yeah, well depends. There is a certain situation with certain player and he goes like you know you can do this
Yeah, it happens, but mostly it's about team as a whole. Okay. I had a question also when talking to magic yesterday after your guys
victory over Falcons, especially on ancient,
you said that you said to call something.
And we have only heard little bits and pieces sometimes
of you coming up with secondary IGL calls.
How would you talk about your role
as the secondary caller on the team?
And do you consider yourself the secondary IGL?
Yes, I think it's obvious to anyone
who listens to a single team speaker in just one app.
I would say that I had never called that much, that I called it now, so I'd say yeah, I'm a strong second voice,
but I think the team functions a little bit different from what we had a year ago, for example, with Schubert before Sothwick.
I would say everyone on the team can play against something in game plan, either inside the game, literally after a free stand or inside a free stand.
So everyone can do whatever they want.
I would say we have a lot of freedom and I would say more freedom than we have before as players.
Alright, it was on Tix. We will let you go.
Thank you so much for spending time with us after your win there.
Congratulations again and yeah, enjoy whatever time you have off there to be able to enjoy being at home.
Thank you.
Thank you so much. We'll let you go celebrate everything that needs to be celebrated right now
because whilst he talks about it, they've done a big full back-to-back trophy.
I'm sure that there is a lot of joy coming out from the whole team there.
I mean, I saw Halle given donk a little bit of a cuddle.
I feel like this means a little bit extra maybe to him because there's been so much
commotion about it. Talking about the split roles and even everything
that Zontex is bringing here and the interview and the information.
I really do think that this means more to spirit than a team that has won trophies before.
I mean, you can't tell it by looking at him unless you know him really well,
but I saw a little smile on Zontex's face.
I think he's ever been in his entire life. It's definitely up there. I don't know what it would even be top again. I also think the Zontics, you know, he plays sometimes a little, dare I say, hard to get, okay, it's hard to crack him in some respects, because he'll always just focus on trying to be the most stoic player that he possibly can be, that he completely wants to just stay focused and locked in round to round.
He's not going to stop in round to round, never let a moment over overtake him, but he still has goals and even though you get these little snippets sometimes of him saying that he doesn't know about the motivation or anything, he still wants to be like someone such as Robson, a consummate winner, someone that's going to be lifting dozens, if not tens of maybe 50 trophies by the end of it all.
I mean, he even was so candid with us, right?
Just pure honesty where it goes.
There is a lot more emotion in me
than what I'm showing you right now.
Like he just gives that information
and that's something you can take away.
We might not be looking at him for the jumps of joys
like we saw from Halle there,
but he will always give honesty
in the words that he shares with us.
And it's just a massive congratulations again to Spirit.
I am really happy to be winning.
I thought we said you off, Sartex.
Oh, yes.
I would like to win trophies like Robs.
if I take my glasses off.
I'm pretty sure that's not the case right now.
Well, look, keep your glasses on
because you might want to see this,
or at least keep your ears open
because whilst you do celebrate spirits, win here.
Maus, unfortunately, not able to get a win here
at another Blast event.
With every winner, there's the other side of it
and these ones are never easy to do.
First of all, commiserations on the loss for this one.
Zersh, I want to just kind of pick your brains first of all
about Nuke as it was most fresh.
There was so much back and forth,
right, the forcing up into it.
having him on the ropes and then falling apart afterwards.
What did you see what was going wrong in these moments?
Was it just a scrappy fight?
Did you maybe force it too much?
What is it in your opinion?
Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I think, yeah,
Nuke just came down to the fact that mentally we were not
ready anymore to play.
To be honest, they had some good ideas
how to annoy us on their city side,
and they managed to do it quite well.
And yeah, we moved on to the city.
I was just not impactful enough.
I was dying in weird, bad ways.
I feel like I trolled that city side.
I didn't really give us a chance to come back.
So yeah, I'm super disappointed in the way
that I played Nuke.
And yeah, we live and we learn.
Looking at Dust2, I felt like you would have
some chances in it, but quickly that
started to turn the other way.
When I was talking to the spirit guys in between the maps,
they were saying that they had a good read
on what you were doing.
Were you trying to change up and stay away from that?
Did it feel like they had a good read?
I mean, I wouldn't say that they had a good read
of what was going on, to be honest.
at least it didn't feel like that on the server, but of course they deserve to win the game,
they deserve to win Dust2. They played better than us today, 100%. There's no excuses around
that. I do think on Dust2T side we had some rounds where we definitely could have won,
we had some really good rounds. The end rounds were looking good, but we just didn't have
the 5% to close it out and on the mental side maybe they beat us there on Dust2
and we unfortunately didn't manage to come back from that.
Talking about a positive on this mental side, was this Mirage comeback? It looked
like you were done for but then it kept coming back you kept getting you guys
started believing why were you not able to keep that mental going into ancient I
know it's just gonna be a tough map anyway right it's one of their best
maps but I mean what did you know it's just the difference between those two
maps because it was impressive what you did yeah definitely I'm really proud of
our comeback on Mirage on our grand final on the way we did it really
proud of everyone I'm really happy about that yeah ancient is just they
are the best team in the world on it we have struggled on this map a
little bit now with the role changes there's definitely some some people some
players who are a bit less confident still and yeah we just have to keep working
nothing more than just a lesson today that we got from spirit and yeah
overall that's it you said a lot in this interview already just about mentally
not being ready but I something I've actually been seeing as a positive for
you guys up until this what would you say was the change is it the arena is
it the people inside is maybe some of the younger players I did see one
moment for Zellex where he looked a bit checked out on camera which I
didn't normally see but obviously you can see in here things more than I
can I mean I think everyone today had their moment when they were a bit
checked out, maybe you saw Alex, but I think everyone of us had this moment, I think from
me it was a nuke. It was really hard for me to get into the game and I felt like everything
I was doing was going wrong. So definitely a lot of review. I'm happy that we at least
got one map. We can at least say that Mirage was a good comeback. And yeah, we're just
going to go back home and do our reviews and come back stronger next time.
Very important to do it. Lastly, any words you want to say for the fans? There was
a lot of mouse fans cheering all the way through in this arena.
I mean, for me this arena will always be special. Thank you so much for the
support Porto it was just amazing and yeah obrigado para tercida and tamo junto
beautiful thank you very much session
so sweet from session there and again just to look at this know that there is
always that silver lining that they're able to make a comeback like they did on
Mirage be able to win a map up against the spirit that is clearly on a tear
right now a spirit that is clicked for themselves this is nothing to be a
shame enough from the side of mouths when you think you have the answers
Spirit always throws his banner into the box.
I think you can be proud of the showing as Maus.
You come into this one, you're coming off of a disappointing, I think, semi-final exit at EWC.
You come into this one and you're still, you play vitality, you take them down comfortably.
You come in against Spirit, you have the incredible comeback on Mirage.
And sometimes the game just doesn't go your way.
I think Spirit had a great game plan.
They had their players activated Shiro in rare form as well.
I don't think you can beat yourself up about this one if you're Maus.
the next event. You hope you can get him next time. I would even make the case that Mao's made
such a great game plan that they kept Donk humble on the first couple maps there and it really took
until ancient before he blossomed and that's where it's just almost impossible to control him.
Mao's for me right now are the second best team in the world. Not just saying that because
of here, but what they proved at the bounty as well is just not every team is finding that
sort of consistency right now. You see the flaws in so many of the other elite rosters,
But now is they just feel like they're powering up. You've got a brand new rookie in zealots that is looking razor sharp
You've got PR who has his moments still as an individual and probably you'd want to see some more consistency from but sphinx looks
Fully locked and loaded he looks totally ready to go to carry this team and exertion is just gonna keep growing as an in-game
Leader the more he works with side grown
It's only a matter of time before we're gonna be seeing that team lifting trophies again making it into even more grand finals
because the fact that they've made two out of three
of the grand finals that we've had so far in this season,
it really speaks volume.
And this is a whole massive roster change.
So many roles change for themselves as well
and they speak about it in that interview for themselves.
But there were two spirit player games
that you guys had on the tips of your tongues.
Shiro and Dunk.
And I have to question was Dunk being humbled
in the first two maps enough to drag it down
that Shiro's over-performance as Voo has called it
is enough for him to get the MVP for the finals?
I wouldn't say it's just because of the Grand Final.
I would say it's because in the playoffs,
as you mentioned, Donk also had quite a rough time.
If you discount the Dendeley dominance,
where Donk just dropped like over 2.0 rating, right?
This wasn't that great of an event for Donk.
And then you look at the Grand Final
and Shiro was in dominant.
This is not the normal Shiro you see.
He was going for aggressive plays.
He was finding openings.
He was aggressive in the mid-round.
He was incredibly dominant at a time when Donk was really,
he was still asleep.
I mean, it looks like from the images right there,
that we've got an HLTV MVP on the neck of Donk,
and I don't, or actually, no, sorry, that was a blast medal.
That was a blast medal.
Yeah, that's how good they look.
Oh, okay.
Good looking medal nonetheless.
I mean, I would like to give it to Shiro
because of those playoff performances.
The semis and the grand finals, he really stood up.
And even on, I almost wish they won Mirage
for the sake of just closing it out in a way there
where you get Shiro on this massive tear
the way that he helped beat
Furia in the game that helped
them secure the semi-final.
But don'ts his total output is
so ridiculous still that it's
almost I'm not saying it's
voter fatigue necessarily, but
it's just so neck and neck for
me personally, I actually would
give it to Cheryl. I would
give it to Cheryl and maybe
that is just the tinge of
viewer. I mean, I have your
voter fatigue, but I just
think that the playoff
performances were so above and
help them secure the semi-finals. Well, Maui, I've got my finger on the pulse and
DeVosta, it is news, it might be bad news to you. It is Dunk that got MVP, so great
for Dunk, great for all of the Dunk and the Spiritbends out there, but
unfortunately it just wasn't enough from Shiro despite his amazing grand final
effort. An HLTV MVP for Spinks because he has one good grand final at the
bounty. Stole away from Torzy, who is also the author that could have been denied from him.
And then Shiro can't steal it from Dong for another great performance.
If I can make one argument against Gero, I look there's no paths in the playoffs in the playoffs
He doesn't have a single opening kill on T side
I see some entries when I see some zero entries for all playoff run
Well, if you're digging at the bottom of the barrel that you may as well say goodbye to everyone because it has been an absolute pleasure
So much fun. I'll give you guys the floor for last things outside about MVP
the contention, contentious conversation here on how much you enjoyed Porto.
Oh, it's great. And the way that we're hyping up the crowd while we were waiting here, while
we were at the event, while we're at the desk and they're jumping up and down, I thought
they were so mad that Fury had lost that they were going to tear the stadium down.
Well, thankfully they didn't because Porto definitely showed up. I would even make
the argument they won up Lisbon. Lisbon was great last year, but this was just
louder. I think it was more fierce in some ways. I think the playoff bracket
we were blessed with was so competitive.
Maybe we didn't get every single map possible
throughout all the series,
but it was all of the elite teams
and this was such a successful event in every capacity.
It was amazing not only to share it with you guys,
obviously everyone here in Porto as well,
but everyone that worked so hard behind the camera,
and of course you guys at home watching us.
It's been an absolute pleasure to walk you through
what has been Blast Premiere Open Porto
and I look forward to getting you guys
for Blast Privilege at Hong Kong.