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I
Nothing here is given.
Sniper!
All of us left!
Every loss meant something more.
Oh, goodness!
That's the sort of loss we have.
They have stunned us, crowd!
It reminded us that victory is never worth it.
The world tested us.
Now they know who we are.
The champions are made in North America.
Everything here is up.
Not given.
Welcome to week two of the North American League playoffs.
So glad to have you with us.
It is the final week of the stage.
So we have to crown an NAL champion.
Well, tomorrow, thanks so much for joining us.
I'm Jonas Villinger alongside Laxing and Mint.
Guys, we have checked the EWC box.
We know the four teams going to the Esports World Cup,
but we don't know who is going to crown the truck.
Who's going to be the top?
I don't want to have NAL stage one.
We're going to have a new one because five fears isn't in it.
So ultimately, we are going to have a new one.
But the next best thing is being able to get home early,
since we're starting earlier, and to be
able to use the new Shopify rebellion bundle, the new Wild
Card bundle, and the new Dark Shield bundle.
I mean, anything else is the best.
We have the best skins, we've got the best teams.
You're not going to mention the Bolo MVP.
And the Bolo MVP.
That's what I was excited for.
Right, that's my fault.
I was just more focused on what we're talking about today.
Three teams in it.
Oh, true.
We're already looking ahead to what is maybe coming for you
in a few days when you get home.
But for now, let's take a step back and look
at how we got to this point.
Right now, we only have four teams left.
But we started with 10 and a best of one round
Robin group stage.
Everyone playing everybody.
And it gave us a pretty good idea of where these teams stack up.
Of course, our top six, four fun eSports included,
made their way into the playoffs just last week.
But there are some teams on the other side of that,
like Cloud9, SSG, Five Fears Outlast,
young teams that we saw a glimpse of their potential here, Kyle.
But we kind of want to see more.
Take Cloud9, for example.
Panba, Monk, two big additions this stage.
How do you feel like that team stacked up this stage?
And where do you think they're headed in stage two?
Cloud9, for me, they were actually
one of my favorite teams to watch this stage.
I thought they were a dark horse this entire stage.
And where they really shine was on their defensive side.
They were the top three rated defensive team with Pamba
at the helm for the defensive.
And the way they set up their defenses with their trades,
I think they were highest in the league in the trades as well.
And they just kind of all floated to helping each other,
which is really good in a young team,
how they were able to play fast.
where they really didn't shine though,
was on the attacking side, right?
They were one of the worst attacking teams, and...
You have to put it like that.
But only because I actually really liked their attacks, right?
I think they were trying to use all forms of attacking, right?
The three big ways to attack, the shields,
the information operators, and then the utility meta.
They were trying to use all of it,
but we noted before their shield play was not that good.
They didn't have a good win rate with the shields.
They were really good at the ying,
glass was kind of hit or miss,
and then the information ops seemed like,
kind of the crutch for now.
And I think that's just going to take time for me.
They are just going to need to learn under Pambazoo
their new IGL.
Again, they have a month.
They have a lot of these rookies.
Attack is that harder side, right?
That's just going to take time to gel.
So I'm never going to advocate for roster change.
I'm actually really excited to watch this roster for stage two.
I'll say, if you recall, you even said sometimes
they might need to make a roster change.
Now you're advocating that they don't need to make a roster
change.
This guy's going to call you out on it.
I, however, would maybe argue that maybe getting
a more veteran experience player alongside Pamba
could actually pay off tremendously for this team.
But again, I mean, maybe they do make it work for the next stage.
But what we did see, I absolutely agree.
Well, for FunE Sports, another one of these teams
that definitely has that chip on their shoulder,
they have something to prove.
They made the playoffs, right?
So they at least checked that box,
but very quickly got eliminated by DarkZero last week.
Lex, where do you think this team is headed?
What does it need to change here?
I mean, I think they're definitely
heading in the right direction.
To be able to make playoffs twice,
you could have rode off kickoff that that was lucky.
It was due to an accelerated league.
they got into it. This time, they actually had to fight tooth and nail for it.
They did get in. So you got to give them the respect there.
The bigger issue for me with this team, where I think if they use this time
properly and more efficiently, it's just in their operator lineup, specifically on
attack. We saw a lot of operator, they weren't playing into the meta too much.
They were either utilizing, you know, the shields or the cheese ops
ineffectively. If they can just hard focus on putting players in those
respective roles, just double up in some of those scenarios, I think we could
easily see them at a higher success rate than what we were seeing toward the very end of the stage.
See, that's interesting. I'm thinking roster chat. I'm thinking Scrap. No, the whole team.
I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I completely agree. It's definitely on their attacking side.
I think they're just not quite up to the meta, but you did. I mean, they did make playoffs twice,
but even in their comms, I'm hearing them and even in like that easy game. It felt like they had no
chance a little bit. So I like that. That's what I said with the whole pack. The impact wasn't doing it.
Who was doing it? Yeah. And I would like them to get like more confidence going in. Like they are the
the juggernauts right because until they beat one I mean they kind of are
underdogs right now but until they beat one I feel like that confidence is
gonna be lacking. Well speaking of comms as you mentioned a moment ago a team
that comms felt like it's been a focus for them is SSG a team that I know is
near and dear to your heart they bring in right dream leading this team of
youngsters trying to find this success another stage where they're just coming
up short. Yeah and again I feel bad for the viewer because we get to listen to
comms and you know they don't get to hear them all the time. I don't think the
The viewers will want to listen to the content.
For me, I feel like they actually are worse in the league with their comms.
And what I mean by that, though, is just, like, I think they have a little bit too much idea creation.
When we listen to them on attack, a lot of times when they're in those man advantages,
things start to get a little bit more hectic.
And they need to, in reality, just calm down, right?
Like, lower their voices, less ideas, capitalize on those man advantages, and just kind of end the rounds.
But it always seems to end up a little hectic, and I think that's their biggest focus.
I'd like for them to kind of review their communication structure.
too many too many cooks in the kitchen absolutely all right well that is a look
back let's take a look at what is ahead we have still four teams in our double
elimination playoff bracket and those teams are m80 wildcard Shopify
rebellion and dark zero we focus on these four teams who've already made the
eSports World Cup but as I mentioned earlier art chasing an NAL stage one
title later on today I mean the matchup to end all matchups Shopify rebellion
and Dark Zero, a Salt Lake City grand final rematch,
one that hopefully delivers a closely contested matchup.
But in the past, SR still have a lot of work to do
in that affair, should be a good one though,
but we start with what is guaranteed to be a good one
in eight, seven, overtime thriller just a couple
of weeks ago, M80 and wild card.
It was a all out brawl last time these two teams played
in the best of one, they went all 15 rounds,
and it was N-80 who came out on top.
But when you look at the major contribution on that team,
I mean, it was Ashen lighting up the scoreboard,
tearing Wildcard apart.
Yeah, Ashen was an absolute titan in that series.
25 and 10, the number one rated NAL player.
I mean, it speaks into existence as to why
that game was so close, and it really was because of Ashen.
The highest kill underneath Ashen, I believe, was seven,
and then it trickled down from there.
On the side of Wildcard, everyone was in double digits.
Everyone was playing so close and so well off one another
that it really came down to that heroic front spiker
dropping that kitchen hatch, getting a big triple kill.
They don't want that again.
They need to be able to put the clamps early on,
Ashen, for a lot faster success rate
at closing out a map.
Yeah, I mean, the thing is,
Ashen was the number one rated player in the NEL,
and I love how they've been utilizing him on the team,
but they have so many other talents,
Like I could easily see Kaveni dropping 25.
I could easily see Defuser dropping 25.
So I feel like it was just kind of his day in that game.
But again, yeah, I think they're going
to be worried about Ash, at least in this place.
I would be, yeah.
Well, after not making the Salt Lake City
Major, which was a shock for M80,
it feels like this stage has gone a lot better for them.
I mean, in terms of the SI points
rates, which all these teams are always thinking about,
it feels like they're in a good position now, right?
Wrong!
OK.
The stage definitely has gotten better.
Absolutely, the state has gotten better.
But in terms of their SI points,
due to the poor performance during kickoff,
it's set them back pretty far.
I mean, when you look right now,
they're the 29th lowest rated team
to be able to make that top 24 SI.
But just even going today,
some of the other teams acutely leading points
from other regions, they actually dropped to 30.
So now arguably, if they can finish this stage,
get first place that only puts them at a total of 480.
Currently right now, all of those teams above them
are still in contention to get more points.
So realistically, depending how things go,
they could stay relatively in the same space.
However, they need to get first year
to set them up for success later down the road
going into the next split.
Yeah, and it's gonna be later down the road
where they're really able to kind of get
a lot of SI points, right?
Because if you're looking at EWC,
I think the big thing to note is the winner,
yeah, there is no points,
and the winner qualifies for SI,
but I mean, to win EWC, that's quite a feat.
So again, they're not really gonna get any points
in that event.
They're just gonna need to set themselves up
going into stage two, going into Osaka, where there is going to be a lot of points on the
lining.
Maybe they could come out with a win in these fours with a cup, and then they would be able
to make it, but that is definitely the harder path here for M80.
But this is a team that is no stranger to grinding their way through.
I mean, they've been tearing this league apart.
We talked about the addition of Savage and what that would mean for this team, how they
would shape up.
feels like we've gotten our answer that this team is just lethal. Yeah, I mean I hate to say but they've been kind of proving
The doubters wrong and I was one of the doubters
I will I will have to say with that roster change that they made taking out hot and cold and
Adding on savage to the roster and there was a lot of people again
Maybe I was one of those people that were saying look at their schedule. Yes
They were winning they were flawless for a while, but all their hard teams are at the end of the road
Well, then they have the end of the road comes and well, there's wild card
They end their flawless streak, but again now we're going to take a look at the stats
It's not even just the fact that they almost went flawless
It's look at they played every single team just like everyone else did and they still came out on top in every single
Statistical category that matters and again, I'm not cherry picking stats here
I'm not using something that you guys can't find like this is the attacking wind percentage defense wind percentage trade percentage cost
This is the big four stats that really matter and they are on top of all of them showing what a juggernaut they are
Yeah, and it goes into what you were talking about, you know, any single player that you can highlight on this team could have a pop-up performance similar to what Ashton does, but it's the reason why that all five individuals and their supportive staff really is what's allowing them to thrive and be so successful.
They overcome adversity time and time again. We question what is going to look like in Vesta 3s and they are still putting up that performance. However, it's going to be going against Wildcard, the only team that knocked them off their high hordes and it's in the Vesta 3 series.
So I can't wait once we get into those maps and see where we're going.
Well, you mentioned Wildcard, right?
This team that truly has been, we say this a lot,
but like improving every single game.
And there is no doubt about that
from a pretty decent group stage
to so far, great through the playoffs.
They have also been really showing us
and everyone at home, like what it means
to take advantage of the information meta.
We talk a lot about this as a key component
of the game right now.
And it feels like they are just a step above the rest.
Yeah, for me, they definitely are.
Because again, we all know the information meta on attack,
the Dokeby Deimos snake, but they utilize it really well on defense, right?
We see just in that series last week versus Dark Zero, they were out of 20 defense rounds.
They ran the poll six times, Valkyrie 10 times, Echo once, Solis eight times.
And the biggest out of all though is the fact that there was only two rounds out of that
20 total defense rounds that they didn't run a single information or vision operator.
So they're using this to specifically get kills.
Yeah, and I mean if you were watching that series, especially on the Nighthaven labs in particular,
how many C4s were we seeing that? We're just countering darts here, opening up the shield,
and you gotta think of it from a mental aspect, when you're dying to all this utility,
you're dying to all this information, it really makes you even question your own play.
Am I about to get C4? Is a C4 gonna come hurtling over? They're even wasting C4s because they've
got so many, so much utility and making it work. I mean this was an insane C4, but again,
They are utilizing that information so, so well.
And again, it was a big contribution to their success over Darkseer.
And it's just what I don't see other teams doing.
I see a lot of other teams still running a lot of traps to kind of counter the shields.
But these guys, they're not worried about it because they're just gonna use C4s
and they're gonna get some chip damage.
I mean, we see so many getting thrown at them.
It was like Darkseer really had a chance with all of them kind of coming out of them.
I felt bad for Kino or anybody that was really on shield.
going to be at the top of which
is the most important part of
the game. You know the
garage has walked out, but just
don't terrible. But yeah, even
again, just using those
information. Give them the
managers. Then they're able to
fall back. They know exactly
what take is happening. And
it's just it makes defense so
easy for them. When these two
teams face off in that
overtime thriller in the group
stage, it was on Club House and
I mean one of the game earlier,
it was wildcard who came out on
top eight seven with a kind of
Labs and cafe with potentially shall they there in the future labs to start lacks
What do you make of it? I mean they're expanding more reps on maps?
I mean both of these master specter
They've only played once winning both of their series however again when we're looking at night Haven labs where did wildcard find a lot of success?
It was the information, but what do we know whenever you get on that side of attacking?
What do you ban you ban out the cave you ban out the bandit you ban out?
Maybe a shield operator information on whatever that is the question is now
Do you pivot your bands? Do you get rid of those information and make them have to rely on seeing things firsthand?
Not relying on a vision not relying on a camera. That's a big question for me once we get into this
Yeah, obviously I made me saw that game as well
So I expect a Valkyrie band or some kind of band on wild card
But did the cafe is interesting both teams last time the credit was versus dark zero and wild card
was a 7-5, but at the same time, M80, that was the time they got to 7-0 DZ in a game that we hyped up.
We couldn't wait to watch.
We felt way too much hype around that.
Yeah, and M80, they looked like they actually took the strategy from Wildcard of layering back and using those C4s and playing that information.
So I almost want to see both these teams kind of playing against each other.
Well, Spiker has talked to us himself about the power of C4 maxing, as you guys have said.
have said like like they're aware that when you bring bitter bit like more C4 ops or C4s
You're going to maybe get some more round wins like do we expect them to pull up be able to be
Successful with the same strategy against them a I do because it's left up
I mean if it's left up
I do just because again
I'm looking at the stat by my grant triple the more C4s you bring the more kills or the more you win your defensive rounds
It goes up to four, five, too many.
That's too many.
We're throwing at that point.
But these are really good maps where you can bring at least three or four of them.
And again, it's kind of like Fragrenades when you're able to cook them.
Like it's going to give you those.
Oh, don't back, right?
Yeah.
Bring those back or at least the ability to throw them back.
Yeah.
For sure.
I do that with that's old.
That's really old.
That's way before.
Now we're speaking to the end of these kids now.
But I mean, yeah, especially on a small map like Night Haven Labs on a map like Cafe,
I mean, you really can make use of those C4s properly.
And if they aren't throwing away some of these C4s,
they could just end the series just based off C4s.
So again, that's why I really want to see what those bands are going to look like.
And if we see a little more unorthodox decision on what we're going with those.
Do you have your eye on anyone in particular before we get into this game?
Right? You mentioned Ashton earlier and him lighting things up.
Number one rated player in the NAL right now.
Kyle, I mean, I'll start with you on this.
Is there anybody you're watching that is going to be the difference maker
in this series when these two teams go up against each other?
What I like looking at the shield operators. I'm pretty biased there, so I'm kind of always looking at savage and where the spearhead's going in from because I think he's just been playing so well. I yelling on the shields, but I think to really highlight. I feel like
Govini's been a little bit asleep and I'm waiting for that pop off game again. We all know he can. He's obviously a top three Friday in the NAL, but I want him to drop 25. Well, I think if you're looking at my store shield, I'm going to be looking at my stores.
that are lurking around there.
I'll be looking for the baby shark.
I'm gonna be looking for the action.
See if they can find that gap.
They can swing that opening pick on
into their favor and then what they can do from there.
Night Haven Labs, where the series begins.
We expect this one to be a marathon.
So settle in, potentially a good three map series
coming your way now.
It is the upper bracket final, M80 and Wildcar.
And if Wildcar are involved,
you know it's going to go the full distance.
When M80, Wildcar, last fought,
in the best of one and went all 15. When they played crazy earlier, they had a map go all 15,
another map go all 12. This team seems to invite longer series. And if the previous M80 series
anything to go off of, it'd be love if the 20 bomb broke today by their action or any of the other
very talented players on M80. It's one of those things, isn't it? Wildcats games have been through,
you know, if we won by whatever means possible. And the third place they got out of the group
the group stage in was really
through sheer grit and
determination because some of
those games weren't that pretty.
It makes on the flip side. They
have had some very pretty games.
They have had some very dominant
scorelines and they went through
the group stage almost flawless
save for that last playday
against wildcard. Even action
dropping an ungodly amount of
kills wasn't enough to drag them
over the line in an overtime
game. So we get treated to a
We get to find out maybe what would have happened if that was a three map series because I think you could have made an
Argument for any game in the group stage to go three
I think a lot of people would have wanted to continue to watch an ATM Wildcard Duke you out fortunately enough
We get to watch that here today
And in our upper bracket finals to see will be the first team to move into the grand final of NAL stage one to decide
Who will be the best team in North America?
I think the top four given how things have shaped up in the past few months is I didn't pretty expect it
They're value in making it in just at the end there with an easy wild card and 80 as a pretty clear top three
I think
Everybody's wondering about anything and of course, you know, we've got the Salt Lake City
Grand final rematch in the lower bracket, but I think an M80 DZ final is on a lot of people's minds
But wild card as well as you said who she written in determination have made it here, but also quite a bit of skill from really making
Here I suppose
Very clear room for themselves a very clear space for themselves inside the NA League over the past year really surprising a lot of us at the reload
With that good performance older back last year in May
Consistently making international events after that one before
Struggling even to really make a name in the domestically roster after roster now here the upper bracket final
to see whether they can get one over M80 just like they were able to do in that best one.
Bands have gone through and we do actually have a little bit of hard breach in our band,
but just the band at this time, switching things up a little bit, Ali, as we're trying to get a
little bit of everything in these band phases. I think both seem to try to target everything out,
you know, both going for a little bit of hard breach, so important on labs, and then of course
the information that Grimm can provide is just paramount. Mira is a fantastic operator on any
map and especially lab can really get some easy easy mirror tricks off you get
some great lines of sight it can make connection a little bit more difficult so
good removals to start nothing to contest that it breach and that will be
opened straight away but look who it is that's the name that I've got a
suspicion we are gonna be seeing a heck of a lot up in the top right of our
screens tonight ashen opening things up there great entry actually called the
diffuser down outside as well he will be or could be getting pushed from the
bottom of these Aqua Stairs, Baby Shark will be there. Currently got Echo highlighted in
the Logic Bomb phone call, but can of course switch that around. I'm sure he's been able
to spot Ashen out there at the top and if we send the phone call that way you can see
he's just switched over to it now.
It's going to be a difficult player to take down though as the death's mentioned. High
straight player in the league, only player I believe average in over one KPR up to this
point.
So continuing with that average as well, hit by the phone call, I should lose a lot of
damage, but that's the benefit of having the shotgun in this position.
If you just hit that mouse quicker at that close range, it's going to be difficult for
any attacker to get one over on you.
Savage losing a lot of HP, might just lose the yokai as well, yes he will, as Adrian
is expected to open up the connector wall.
If you adjust around the corner inside of Electrical, preparing for a swing as he hits
the prone, he'd be even contemplating a push out into connector, but a difficult spot
spot. On this position, if anybody gives him a look over on the window, if he commits,
somebody might push in from connector and that's what happens. Adrien gets the kill
and it's all tied up with a minute to go.
Kind of felt like the fuselage was dead there no matter what he did. I think he was just
trying to play for a quick kill. There's a bit of information that they are worried
about those Yo-Kai drones. They are well and truly known about. Baby Shark, he'd be sending
that phone call over towards Savage, so I'm sure they're trying to eliminate some of that
information for a time being and make a bit of a push off the back of it, but there's
the stalemate right now. Kansan and Gunnar both in electric. Kansan, I don't think he
knows that Gunnar's tucked in quite close.
When you can see him waiting, but the longer this goes on and the less Gunnar moves, the
more likely it is. Kansan just walks forward, understandably thinking that it's clear, but
he still checks the corner. Kansan not letting anything slip by in the day as Adrian makes
his push into the site. Ashen finally falling on the Aqua side. And so even though I made
him, I get some trades on the way out. Savage who was damaged oh so long ago. Now needs to
win this off time or kills as
yo guys have been spotted in
shot now off the very nine
Adrian again good with it after
that entry wildcard pick up the
first on top floor.
Brilliant push there from wildcard
you can really see that they took
their time over that. There's a
four versus five as well. They
lost the diffuser really early on
over toward Aquarin. We're still
able to get out there, collect it,
make a push happen through
electrical and connector.
It wasn't too much of a focus on
the IT side. There was a bit of a
push in there at a later point
in the round, but I think they've very nicely demonstrated how you can pick apart quite a bunker setup that that top floor ends up being for attackers. You know, you've got a Xami, you've got smoke, you've got an echo. There are a lot of tools that you're really looking to build quite the base with quite a fort to defend yourself from.
and they attempted that and did a great job, but ultimately there wasn't enough places to hide.
Something that really struck me there is, already we're seeing some of the recent changes that have come through.
Obviously, the diffuser getting caught out on the phone call there and pushed into a different position.
And before the timer would have typically have reset, BabyShox then allowed to call Savage,
because the timer now is per individual, the cooldown per individual on the LogicBong phone call,
as opposed to being a global cooldown, so you can chain them together a little bit and if you have success
and you're able to take that player out
then you can very quickly move on to the next stage in the plan as opposed to having to wait for that cooldown to come out again.
So it's kind of a buff to don't compete a lot of ways, which I'm sure a lot of people didn't really feel like they needed
but Wildcard using it really well there in round one.
Especially if you're gonna have bunker setups like that and you can drone that pretty early and you know you can save all four calls from the later on.
Exactly, you can just chain them together.
Yep, exactly. So, if Walcard spot those bunker setups, I imagine Baby Shark is gonna feel pretty happy that he doesn't need to throw all those dopey calls out early and that he can't now chain them together later.
labor. Mine of course is not able to do that before Spiker also.
Clearly, Chamedo's deathmark trackers together, not at the same time, but
don't recall and a tracker will both be sent after Savage on the middle floor.
Understandably, we'll try to make his way back. Hp after the call explodes.
It's M80 not contesting the second floor all that much, but still spread out quite
wide on the middle, trying to contest the vertical, make sure that wildcard had to
burn some time to clear them out. The three-person roam right now with one
player playing the link position back. See? Two of them dropping down XO, Ashen again with
an opening pick. They'll quickly trade it. Wildcard good at minimizing these early advantages
acquired by a VAT.
Far better on the trade this time, isn't it? Immediately, Ashen is punished and taken
down. And with a large portion of that mid-floor presence as well, you can't really see any
outlines at the moment that are going to be occupying inside this mid-floor. And with
Agents, Movements, Air, and just sort of pretty nonchalantly dropping down the hatch, you
kind of assume it's all clear we do have a little bit of pressure coming in at the bottom of these
XO stairs but I doubt that Savage is really going to go for too much of a look up there at this point
it really is just about bunkering down and going right okay which actions are they open
which vertical angles have they got fortunately the cameras have got taken down on the books so
those vertical angles they're going to be far limit far more limited than they otherwise would
have been and we're going to be left to sort of DMRs and breaching charges to make though isn't it
it will be far less effective so m80 can breathe a sigh of relief from that point of view there's
There's still a heck of a lot of time here that Wildcard have got to set themselves up to get down and transition into some sort of attack on the site.
And again, as you mentioned, those dokeby changes, any kind of bunker setup is a bit more vulnerable to just a barrage of calls sent towards the site.
Fyker also with one death heart tracker in pocket as well.
Not as much nades necessarily to root out players on the site, even still some smokes at a couple of angles.
Ooh, it's savage. Huge 1v1.
I mean, I'm not sure what they're doing.
Wildcard have done a great job at these late-round engagements
to push their way into the site, even in particular 4-0 right now.
Great on the cover, too. Wildcard holding every angle they need
and get every kill at the end of it as well.
It may be been good for these opening picks,
but when it comes to the executes, Wildcard are just uncontested so far on Night Heaven.
It feels like they're picking them apart, doesn't it?
I wouldn't be surprised to see the tactical time-out come really early.
I know we've not seen all three sites,
but we could argue that we've seen the two primary bomb sites
players to get into the
match. We've got a lot of
sites that M8 he wants to try
and utilize for this map, so
really wouldn't surprise me to
see. Fabian pull the plug and
just go, right? You know what?
Let's just have a chat, figure
out what's going on. Understand
what we can try and do to
counter this now in the match.
Wildcard. They're getting every
last drop out of everything at
the moment. Great opening clear
really quickly into the top
There was no sort of extension in there. There was no sort of hold on to try and be like, okay, we may have lost Ashen, but we can maybe play a little bit more time.
I think M8s need to be contending a little bit more because these bunker setups with the tools that are available to Wildcard at the moment and how they are using them, it isn't working too well.
We haven't seen that same level of C4 usage that we were kind of expecting from in this matchup.
I think it was Wildcard more predominantly that we're going to be using those C4s. Is it something that they like to do?
We need to see that sort of utility come to the fore a little bit more.
They've got three this time and they're starting to bring a little bit more information.
Whereas previously it was Echo, this time it's Savage on the pulse.
So you might have a little bit more active information that they're able to play off
and not just have some yokai drones that the Trenoway assist themselves with in various holds across the map.
Ashen been finding himself in these duels early, but Wildcard is opening up that window
to start, not letting him actually hold it actively for the time being.
We talked about the layering in either the website we just saw or this one, definitely
the two that will see that strategy available at the end of the old Wildcard when we go
for it.
All of the power is used to stop and open that roof, but in the ace as well, Wildcard
We have plenty of options to open up some of these exterior breaches and of course it being second for a better bit more...
Well, further of an extension. Ash and now 3 and 0 on these opening picks. It's not got M80 rounds, but we're looking for him to put up the kills and they've been high impacts, just not a lot been done with them afterward.
I think this is probably the most high impact kill that he's gotten as an opener now, isn't it?
You know, we've had the diffuser left on the other side of the map. We've had him taking out Volcon on the basement defense.
But this time he's gone rid of Dokkebin, and Dokke is in a huge part in the punch.
Adrian though just gonna throw a cauchy into the wind and sends it straight in on this top floor.
Two kills, but what about the back? Did you just get caught flat foot? He didn't have a clue what was going on.
And Adrian's not not been putting a foot wrong throughout this game so far, ready with that free-fire.
On for an ace, but winning a gunfight with this M10-14 close to the corner.
This would be a difficult one for Adrian to win. Flashbang goes out watching the cover instead,
Letting his teammates handle hollowing out the B site Ashton now first into the fray and last out of the round
It's like take hands and on the way into the grave
But you already got one foot in just incumbent upon wild card to escort him there. They put it in the post
It's good to benefit of ego even one player going to take the vertical angles wild card leaving no stone on turn
Ashton if anybody came to play it's him for the side of M80 5-0 right now still at 25 seconds to go
But again, Wildcard have retaken these vertical angles.
Candela's will blind him down below, force him off of the counter diffused.
That's Spikey's last Candela, but Adrian has got plenty of angles to work with.
Four kills in round three, the main man opening out these executes for Wildcard.
It just doesn't matter, does it?
Wildcard have won every single one of these rounds.
All right, okay, round two wasn't necessarily four versus five.
It was four versus four, because it was a very quick trade.
But rounds one and three have been four versus five.
Ashing gets the opening pick and they just go up there. So what bang? We are just gonna hit you where you are weakest
That push to the top floor from a gym is
Fantastic
Honestly, it looked like he was playing some sort of terrorism or aim trainer at that point because everyone was kind of just looking the other way
Right, you got some great
You got the great opening pick on this army boom diffuser as he was coming out of I believe electrical
And then from that point onwards it was just all about the push
It was all about that press keeping the tempo up and not letting anything get in the way of that and recognizing. Hey storage
Plant down on storage post plant from the window get someone upstairs nice. He it's almost impossible to lose at that point
And I think and I think for Adrian how good has he been so far at finding those at pushing at the exact right time?
Whether it's upstairs in that clear whether it's downstairs in round two realizing the exact right time to push in and put the diffuser down
not wasting a single second
knowing exactly when he's got the
opportunity and not hesitating,
not second guessing and it's been
the right decision every single time.
And obviously Wildcourt has a whole
looking very sharp playing very well
right now and setting up these
clears going through these executes.
But Adrian on the individual skill,
it's kind of hard coming out of this
tactical timeout to counter somebody.
If they're just hitting shots like that,
basically reading the game as perfectly
as Adrian has been throughout these
first three rounds to see what M80
can do though. They've lost every
every single site despite going up 5 to 4 to start every single one of these
rounds. I imagine second floor will be the first one we'll see from M80 coming
out of the town.
It's gonna be a big time out there hasn't it?
You know you've got to get a little bit of value off the back of that because
it is there only saving grace at the moment. It looks like there may be a
little bit cold coming into it, maybe not as the sort of correct warmup maybe we
expecting the map. It's not a map that we particularly associate M8 to it. It isn't labs. It's a good map for wildcard. It's an okay-ish map for M8 to. It isn't one that we really think of and go, oh yeah, you know, M8's own labs, you know, sign me up. We don't always see them, so I'll gravitate toward it. But at the moment, it is running a little bit deeper.
Change out of attack as far as I can see for this top floor is mainly just going to be the sort of information change.
We've got, you know, we've always seen a little bit of horseplayers and a little bit of echo play.
This time we're getting a little bit of aggression from Savage and himself in on the action nice and early.
Just letting them know that he's there. Quick jump out of electrical window.
Warning shots towards spawn.
We'll give the wildcard players something at least to think about a little bit as they move through.
But realistically, I'd say that the information in this round is always lacking as it has
been so far for the M80 players.
Maybe that is going to be the counter, maybe it's going to be relying less on that information
and worrying about where they are and just reacting in the moment and staying a little
bit sharper.
Well, especially switching in the 2-barrel, if Walcart had been so good at setting up,
just maybe once they commit to those positions, just trying to freeze them, slow them down
as best they can.
Adrian 8-0 right now has been moving in so quickly when he's got some back control.
Fall card though, it'll be a slow beginning of the game, as it always is when you're
attacking the second floor and not going for a rush. You've got to open up the IT breach,
you've got to open up the connector breach. The standard steps, every team needs to trod.
And of course after that, Clearing up those Keebas, pushing away into Electrical and
Connecting himself after that C4 out. Great line by Gunner. 4-0 now for M80, though,
There's the first one that the player not named Ashton has got the opening.
That's another one that's a little a little new new beat in the most recent patch though.
It's the C4 on the Wamai. Expect to see a lot more Wamai play in not only Iran games but also
in competitive as well. Speaking of the Wamai, Gunna will fall for Bay. Zafia again another
staple another operator that has been changed in the most recent patch. A lot more utility now
available in Zephia's launcher. So again expect to see a little bit of a resurgence of that up as well.
Bay's already putting it to good use here. Froze now on the connector breach then.
Two Selmas there just waiting for that Zoto to expire. Savage has sent his last one.
Well there is an engagement brewing downstairs. Gavenny himself to a real unorthodox position
here for the Azami. And Bay's just going to be watching on to him.
Loaning your mat.
Wham though! Gavenny pops up out of nowhere. Jack in a box style and takes him down.
Yeah, I give any able to weather the storm standing on side of garage behind these kibas as well
You can see this Zoto in these smokes and especially Gavini winning that mid-round fight
That would be the big difference maker for I'm 80 able to retain this advantage keep this position alive
Fight her down as well. Maybe sure I've got plenty of time to pick him back up and got the position to do so as well
They're clearly concerned about kind of swing or push from close
All the denial has been used by a baby the Zoto's the smoke canisters have found their targets
and both remaining wildcard players tagged up worse for wear, savage losing the fight on the column, but again this advantage acquired by Gavini to make it a 4v3 has been traded down and with such low time, there's barely anything for Spiker to do.
Gavini pushing in, even wins the fight with the Deagle. Big round from Gavini, instead of wildcard taking it 4v3 into the execute, he gets M80 a much needed advantage and converts it into a win.
the opening pick traded into a
round when. Hasn't been a
trouble for M 80 so far. They've
been brilliant on the opening
engagement. And finally, we
started to see the fruit of
that late. Maybe it's action.
Maybe if action gets the opening
pick, they lose the round. If
somebody else gets it, maybe
that's maybe that's going to be
the round when we have to keep
an eye on that and see if it's
a stat that trends. Of course,
it would have no real bearing
to anything. It would just be a
little bit of fun. But yeah,
finally, we start to see them
of the good positions that they've been putting themselves in to give Wildcard a
bit of trouble on that top floor and now forced into that site rotation. Previously
the top floor was given away pretty much for free as it sometimes often is for
this basement site but I think there needs to be a little bit more presence
up there, a bit more phantom pressure to give Wildcard something to worry about
because with their efficiency in the drone phase and how good they are at
setting up these pre-plates.
They can move in very quickly off the back of those.
They need to try and deter that as much as possible.
A couple of rotates being made up here.
We've got Gunner currently just gonna be reinforcing
into connector as well.
So it should give them something to at least play around.
Savage gonna be joining in,
likely some new jammer's dotted about.
I like this more.
I think it looks a little bit better.
You need to waste a bit more time.
And it's surprising that it worked out quite well
last round, though I'll be in a different way,
wasting a bit more time on or around the site rather than off of it as we're
seeing right here Adrian put to one HP at the beginning of the round. Didn't have
as much impact from round four as he had throughout the first three but still
time and long especially with the utility he has. The kill would have been nice but
talking him up is at least a consolation prize once he pushes in later on.
Opening up, there are these extra new walls down below.
See, there aren't quite a party gathering outside of the breaches, especially outside of Animus.
Three players right now, downstairs at the moment.
So the rest of Wildcard just seem to try and gather as much information.
You mentioned their drone game, and that's a perfect one right there.
It's going to be a lot more direct, isn't it? They've not got any soft breach.
So there's no real point in taking that vertical control.
They're instead going to try and utilize the roar as to close off some of those doors, close off some of those lines of sight,
and really make something happen with that.
The Rora cool down again,
something else has been changed in the patch.
Wildcard really on the cutting edge here
with what they are utilizing
and how quickly they've adapted
to this mid-season patch that's come out for us.
That reduction in time on the Rora device activation,
the doors going down,
it really can make it so that you can burst in
and bam, bam, you've got two doors closed off.
You've got, you know, far less to watch, far less to worry about.
They are going to need to cause a bit of a ruckus upstairs though
and just keep M8 to believe in that it isn't a direct one.
Because if M8 to get a sniff of it, they will rotate back.
You can tell Baby Shark as well, I was about to say,
trying his best to stay hidden as long as he can,
cut off the roamers as they fall back.
The traits this game have been really good from both teams.
Generally within 5 to 10 seconds, Baby Shark down to the count,
he's able to take one on the way out.
Kansa now creeping down below.
He's going to make a hell of a lot of noise as he moves in.
It is a full direct take,
while they know she's up above and see the solution, trying to creep around upstairs.
Kansen felled by Ashen as Wildcard's plan to bait out the plant.
Forrest and Stolist the loot hasn't worked so far, but finally Ashen reveals himself.
But M80 have done such a good job getting these kills, the diffuser stuck down beneath the diffuser.
You've got one outside to reach, one upstairs.
They now chances it.
Looks to push in.
One player, bottom XL.
This is a must win fight for Bay.
Oh, but the door closes at the perfect time.
If that door was even a couple seconds slower, if we're one patch ago, Bay has to take that
fight, but Wild Guard adapting so quickly to the changes of Rainbow Six Siege.
Safeguard's Bay moves us into the post, now puts Gunner in a 1VX, spotted around the corner,
Bay survives to get the final kill, and Wild Guard take the lead, well keep the lead alive.
the game. It is fantastic to
watch. They are utilizing
everything that's new. Everything
that's been changed, making the
most out of it, showcasing just
how fun and refreshing and
different it can be. A really
good take. You look at that take
on paper and you go, Oh, no
soft breach for a second
baseman on lab. Not sure about
it, but it's perfect because
you've got the distraction
elsewhere. Got the players
You've got the players upstairs, Spiker himself had to rotate up and sort of finish off the job, the timing on the door was brilliant.
Easy as you like in the post as well.
See what I mean? You've closed two doors.
You've got half as much to watch.
It becomes so realistic to watch it.
You can wiggle peek onto one angle, and you can just listen for the vault on the other.
And as soon as you hear the vault animation, bang!
You swing on contact, you both swing together.
You can't look into places at once.
Genius from Wildcard.
And you can tell Spiker at the end there understanding how close that came, especially on the roar,
and how quick that reaction needed to be.
Oh, one or two seconds in the way and we'd be calling them frauds with the time in spring's up for each.
We'd be like, keep that in there, keep that in the oven, it needs to cook a little bit longer.
You just go the old traditional route.
But it's still testament how far Wildcard have come.
You know, a year and a half, two years ago, I don't know if they're winning close rounds like that.
against a team like M80, but now you're able to problem-solve, you're able to con,
it's why in particular as a leader who's developed so much in the past few years,
able to get the team together and form an operator with such a key utility in that moment,
able to put it in the right places and somehow form a very beautiful late-run execute around
that very nearly and probably in most other worlds should slip through their grasp,
but really well fought out by Wildcard. And now the possibility of a 5-1-1-2 has M80 still
looking better improved after attacking the time off a wild card not really
breaking or losing much momentum after it.
They'll say, like in storage, could always face some issues on this clear
especially if they may be playing things differently.
We're gonna want more traps this time be sure.
I think they've just got to try everything, haven't they at this point?
They tried the information game, that hasn't really worked too well.
They've tried, you know, sort of just picking good guns and taking gunfires.
That kind of works a little bit.
That was the round they were successful in. Now we're seeing a lot more traps to draw.
This time, Agen tearing through. Again, Gevenny first to forward.
Fuse double down on G-Zip in the opening pick going in the other direction.
This time, while getting the opening pick, they're going to be even more dangerous.
Enemy last time, it required Agen getting a double kill just to bring it back 4v3.
Now clearing the exact same position, wildcard 5 to 3 with basically half the round to go.
It's just getting worse and worse for M80 as Wildcard are steamrolling them right now. Gunner making a heavy rotation across.
We can see if the player hops into the single window. You can even see M80 are playing things well. They're understanding their strategies, their win conditions and their protocols.
What are calls?
Maybe his wild card outplayed them right now, but something close around the corner on A
side, Canson spots him up above, and Spiker also, anticipating anybody looking into the
single window instead, walks in through the breach, walks over it briefly, got her below,
can he spot it?
Can he get the angle, but Spiker falls off!
He sees them, but there's only so much you can do.
Sprays that whole Scorpion Mag into the floor, and he got no C4, he got no explosives.
just going to rotate to the other side and baby shark will take them down with the canister
wild card five to one on night haven labs they have come prepared and they are playing lights out
five to one what a start for the wild card side on their own map pick things are looking very good
lax i know you're standing by the telestrator here talk to us about those first two rounds what did
you see from wild card that you liked i mean it's been a beautiful start for them i mean they have a
Good attacking strategy. They understand what they need to do in the late round, but in round one and two specifically is what I wanted to
highlight. Now, there's key positions here. You have electrical being the main key position here. You have sight. You have connector and you have
IT. Now, what needs to happen in this situation for M80 to swing this into their favor is Gunner needs to win this big 50 50 here on
Camden. If he wins that pressure, that not only alleviates the electrical pressure, but now he can assist Ashen to go for this double peak
when both Adrien and Baby Shark play and then it falls into Givini taking this gunfight on
to Bay. However, it doesn't fall like that. It doesn't fall into his favor. Kanzin ends up pushing
him to get that pick, which now sends Adrien and Baby Shark swing into Ashen. Givini, thankfully,
they trade here. This could have been a dire situation if Givini wins that, but the round
falls apart for them. A great excuse for them. Big 50-50. Now, this for me was where I made it
get a little lax, basical, doesn't understand positioning too well. You have, let's see,
You have one player on the other side of the map, you got two players in sight, you got Savage all alone inside of XO and Gunners playing that hallway towards XO.
Now you have three players of Wildcard all on top of XO stairs, you have Spiker outside the breach.
Now what I would have rather seen, me and Mint were talking about this, we would have much rather have seen another player Gunners specifically double up with Savage, but he doesn't.
And because of it, Adrien able to drop below,
get this pick on the Savage, then immediately go for a plant.
And because of that, it now lets Wildcard cutting the map in half,
essentially shooting fish in a barrel,
because all of MAD now is having to take these gunfights
that are disadvantageous for them.
And again, we saw round after round,
it was really small mistakes for the side of MAD,
where if they just correct some of those,
this might have been a completely different situation,
but other than that, dominant half for Wildcard.
Yeah, they were just playing too scared.
I mean, like, absolutely.
They were giving up too much of the map.
We saw it in round three as well, Ash, and gets the opening pick, and then they just
fall back and just let Adrian kind of, he just walks at him on the top floor.
So, after the timeout, they tried to correct it.
Fabian comes in, he says, hey, we're playing way too scared to take more gunfights.
Obviously, didn't really help them that much there.
Wildcard just, again, they just continued their dominant half with that 5-1 attack.
This is their map pick, but now they get to go onto their defensive side, where we just
talked so much about that information, meta, and the C4 maxing, and you have to get rid
the wall denial like you're gonna see right here bandit mirror taking off the board
That's gonna leave the information ops and we should see because they got rid of the
Okay, probably same thing with the Thatcher a lot of thatcher play seems to be the new thing
This seems to be kind of the new bands on labs run the Thatcher prevent the C4s and there's that val click
I mean they have the wall denial they have the val they have the C4s
I mean it's every little bit a piece of information that they need and the utility behind it as well
I mean, I think it's really gonna be a cut clean case for the sidewalk. Yeah
at just about two rounds away from wrapping his first map up wildcard a
four-round lead right now over M8. And just playing extremely well right now
Desk obviously mentioned MAD playing quite scared on that defensive half but
at the same time even when they adjusted Ali wildcard not losing any of these
fights either feels like everybody's hitting their shots exactly when they
need to. A lot of praise gone Adrian's way but the rest of the team also showing up.
You know on MAD obviously diffuser and savage struggling, Ashen doing quite well
but despite four opening picks, now down one to five and so much praise sung for these wild card
defenses, they only need two of them to close out Night Haven. There's a couple of true like exit
frags in there as well. They're kind of padding the stats for some of the players on M80, so you
can keep the opening picks there an impactful kill. It didn't win the round, but the kills still had
good impacts. They had the potential to, but there's a couple of exit frags in there that they've got
when you know they've been sort of one versus four, one versus five. You can kind of just remove
because the kind of meaningless stuff from that point of view, he starts to talk even worse, doesn't it, from an M80 perspective?
I mean, Savage, Diffuser and Gunner having two kills between all three of them, this is the problem, in the moment itself.
There is going to be an attempt at tricking onto this wall, but baby shark, it's going to be juggling a couple of cave claws there, but the user should be able to get onto this with the Thatcher.
Because the two brow are just making things a bit more awkward as well.
Ooh, very smart ass from Baby Shark.
She needs to be careful.
Yep.
He's only got one impact left and Baby Shark's been really nicely juggling.
Fell those K-claws so far.
I don't think that that's getting open, I'm gonna be honest.
And he's just gonna get open.
What's with the time?
Well, look at the time, but he's been, even if it doesn't,
the desk mentioned saving those EMPs to stop the C4s
and if Spike or Beeshark rotate down below to use them,
you can't really use those EMPs to stop them,
because, well, you have zero.
Ashen is also trying to use his firebolts
to dislodge Bay from the Raptors,
also looking to do the same with the Blackbeard.
When's the fight on Adrian down below?
So they have the advantage to affect this pinch on the Bay,
but with the lack of that utility,
again, Wildcard have a perfect opportunity
to lead a maybe of even more time Bay tries to cross,
but Ashton not only catches him, catches the player behind.
Gavini finishes off the kill,
and despite the excellent utility juggling from Wildcard,
M80 have just slaughtered the defense.
It's much better this, isn't it, from M80.
They look like they are far more comfortable
on the attack here tonight.
Chance there from Baby Sharkers.
Just had a play across in that IT wall.
He is a little bit split at the moment from Kansan,
but they don't have the fortune of playing puttyed up.
They need to win their own individual engagements,
and there's still 45 seconds to hold it on.
Blackbeard looking more way, but the fuser will fall.
C4 placed to the feed.
A chance for Baby Shark maybe to retreat back,
and Kansan can come into his fist,
because he knows this is where all the push is coming from.
Hit in the flank, he's a notice.
Blackbeard ready for it, but he hits the prefire.
Now Blackbeard trapped in the corner,
trying to quickly push in, catching DaVini on the headshot,
and Kansan hits the flick.
2v4 for Wildcard.
Baby Shark calling in Kansan with the assist.
Matt Point on Nighthaven.
Calling in the big guns and Kansan says, yeah, I'll be right there a brilliant flank loads of information by the way
Still a valkyrie camera up there inside of electric. They had two yellow pings
They knew exactly where these players were and we have just seen the most passive black beard round
I have ever witnessed in my life
Savage is known for playing the shield it's like
This is what he's good at, and he's just cowering in the corner!
It's going on! It's going on! It's fucking going on!
Ah, players like that don't signal that the series is over, but signal, you know,
Night Haven, I think, is going one way, if Wildcard can win rounds like that,
but to be fair, I do want to acknowledge, obviously, that while there was a lot of utility used early
to stall time quite effectively against MAD, MAD very good at getting those picks,
Ashen able to effectively clear the garage position and basically be a one-man army on two different floors to deal with the players supporting and actually folding that position.
Able to, you know, generally counter a lot of the utility, end up getting the IT wall open.
There's quite a lot of good things that happen around the 4L80, obviously unfortunate how it ended, but still a possibility.
We'll gain a lead early in round 8 and hopefully prevent another 2v4.
And especially after this, bringing the opening kills back in M80's column.
I mean, I've sort of stopped getting excited about the opening pick because it just hasn't really
beheld any semblance to what's going to happen in the rest of the round, has it?
Spike is getting tagged up as well. He's going to risk a cross there.
He's going to risk a challenge. No, just another cross. He's just sort of playing chicken at the moment
as he's running along the lane that is being watched by Ashton.
The only player with any significant sign of life right now
on this M80 roster, in terms of scoreboard contribution, 11 and 6.
But we've seen this film before, we know how this goes.
Ashton was a good 4-22 kills in the last matchup
that these two played against each other,
and even that wasn't enough.
So it isn't all about one player getting a slew of kills.
Hard bridge. I would always rather have them more equally spread.
Tanzan, Adrian, Rubin, Scholder doing another, Spiker and Baby Shark again, very similar.
They just occupying that middle ground.
And considering the M8 to go to an opening pick,
they've not really worked too quickly off the back of that.
It hasn't really opened anything up for them.
I've kind of still able to hold by a firm here and Bade is by being called out on Deimos.
He's really happy to sit here and just generally challenge onto the window still.
I mean, based on the position, he's not really facing any pressure.
Nobody coming in from the kitchen.
Gunner's still over by Bottom House.
I mean, he's free to swing that window.
Think about taking that 1v1.
Certainly, it's off the game post around the corner.
See, Wildcard, despite losing, they've also not really adjusted much, but Gavini, oh,
what a big double kill.
Hopping in over by Garage finds both the pulse and the sentry roaming around, and now, at
this point, is where things get tricky.
the ball card might have been able to work before v5, but now with Spiker on low HP tracked
by the Deimos, Adrian looking to make a big play with the ECSG blitz around the corner,
hits the 80S, tags him up quite nicely and that's a flawless 4M80. Lost a lot of rounds
between here and their previous victory in round four, but not dropping a single body
is a good way to start a comeback.
Well, it's the only way, isn't it? They need to believe in themselves now from this point
onwards and just take it one round at a time. We've seen a little bit of a start there from
a couple of players that have been quite quiet all game long.
We've seen a continuation in the performance from Ashen,
who's been putting in a good shift so far.
But that now needs to,
sort of build, we need to build on it from here, don't we?
Because as you've said, Wildcard,
they're only one round away right now
from locking up this map.
It is their map choice.
It is Wildcard's map pick in the best of three.
So there is always that to sort of take into consideration.
Best of three is often simplified down
to win your own map pick and win the decider
and just ensure that you get to somewhere that you are comfortable on, on that decided map,
and your opponent's map choice, well, that's not always something that you can control.
But it would be a hefty comeback from here if M8C were able to chain four flawless rounds together,
especially given the speed that we've seen up to this point.
I don't know if it's going to happen, what we've seen so far from our card is a 2v4 and a loss, obviously they get the benefit of a small sample size or only a small sample size of victories being required to close out this half, given the 5-1 lead.
I'll say if I made you already able to pull those together.
That's something we'll do so, as well.
Especially if you're going to see Savage on this black here, maybe try to take a bit more of a pronounced roll in the clear early on.
Obviously he was a bit of a weird position, they've got themselves in around 7 in the late round.
And now as I made him defending the middle 4 site storage and control, extending upstairs, as teams normally do,
We do saw while the card works out here well on their attacks. I'll just stand the shield
Let's do the savage take a bit of a very pointed approach to the defense on the top floor with this shield
It's the judge doesn't really concern me too much and I know savage is a
Dangerous dangerous player on it
But the way that we saw him play in the previous round the way these rounds have gone. I'm I'm just not all like convinced right now
We need that bit more support maybe coming in on the shoulder of it. Obviously it's the Blackbeard, you're expecting it to be a little bit more active in a lot of ways.
Best change in this round for me is going to be gonna, information has been the name of the game for Wildcard.
Very often bringing that Valkyrie and then IQ is a perfect way to try and counter a lot of that.
He could be upstairs for a little bit of a glance, but instead it's now going to be...
Just turn his attention toward lobby corridor.
He didn't see if he can bait anything out down here while the rest of the team do some of that more heavy lifting work upstairs.
We've got rounds, so some of these vertical angles will start to get open now.
But a lot is going to come down to Savage on this hot floor clear.
He needs to be the point man, moving through and just ensuring, yep, every corner checked.
the thing going on up here we can now start to work but look at where Mr.
Nightie for is right now what himself sitting on off off on a pink low at the
bottom of the stairs so jibble ADS in time cut his head clean off another very
quick trade 12 card mitigate that early loss and sure on paper you might say a
zombie for an IQ that favors the attack but given the low time not that big a
deal in the grand scheme of things they wasted two minutes or so
Donner goes down as well, the spot a-driven beneath the window.
It's like Rat play from the thorn won't quite work out. As you see,
one player on the garage stairs looking to creep in, hopefully in tandem with that Blackbeard.
Ashen, all in six.
Test-read player inside of the lead, good for M80 in the few rounds they've won.
Now making his way down the steps as Savage makes his way into the site.
Wildcard have given up the space completely looking to try and layer play these vertical angles like the desk mentioned looking to layer
They didn't see four match try to land one through the vertical holes biker downs
He attempts to retake but Adrian lurking inside a garage
Whips up three with the secondary and now Gavini's got to run tail talk between his legs into the frame
But simply no time at all
That is the way you win your pick in the upper bracket final.
M18 is so concerned about what was going on down below,
they just failed to remember that AGM was at large.
Lynx hiding away, skulking around the corner
in a perfect position to swing and pick up two kills.
One of them being Savage who was planting with that diffuser.
M18, a very slow start.
Fortunately this is the best of three
and their map will be coming up right for this.
I
I
Let's walk in the park for Wildcard on their pick of labs a 7-2 win to start out this best
of three true domination here from Wildcard.
It seemed like M80 still hadn't gotten warmed up yet.
I mean, they start out on the attacking side,
they roll through, they shift over to defense,
and nothing changes.
Wildcard stay composed, and they stay with the control.
Yeah, and that's the beauty of a best of three.
You should win your rematch, respectively,
and that's exactly what they did.
I'm expecting the exact same thing,
similar to what we saw with DZ.
I mean, similar with the DZ Wildcard matchup.
When they went into Chalet, they got dominated,
but the spirit was high.
They were in good mood.
I'm expecting the exact same outcome from M80
once you transition on second map.
They wiped the slate clean.
They know where things are wrong.
They fix it going into bare map.
But ultimately, yeah, I mean, wild card,
that was absolute dumbest from the start to the finish.
Yeah, I mean, you definitely want everyone to win their map,
but you don't want to go in there and lose it.
What was it, 2-7?
I mean, it wasn't pretty.
It wasn't pretty.
Definitely a little rough.
We have to have Fabian coming in to the comms
and saying we're starting out slow.
And they were starting out slow.
Like, literally no one was willing to take any gunfights.
It was just kind of like constant firing back,
just kind of chickening out.
And then on attack, what was that 4v2 they kind of threw
later into the game?
like they just couldn't capitalize on the man advantages.
The continuum that you said about 50-50s just kept happening.
A wild card showing us that clutch potential
throughout the game, including in that final round,
here's a listen in in the wild card comms
of what that map would sound like.
All right, yeah, get a finish off us, guys.
I have blue, I have blue, smoking game.
I can call the player.
Get a finish off us, agent, no.
I'm forping, I'm forping.
Not forping, yeah.
I have a key, stop glance.
He's gonna appear.
Let's re-play.
I'm forping.
Just shot the game, planting on floor.
I'm forping.
Fuck, I got supplies!
Fuck, I got supplies!
Fuck, I got supplies!
Fuck, we got supplies!
Just chill guys, we won the round.
Let's chill.
I'm sprinting down blue.
We're in.
Pick up me!
Again, it's just the constant information that they're gathering.
And that they have, and that they can use effectively to win these rounds.
And that's why we questioned...
Okay, are they going to get rid of those information...
Escaped.
And again, they're abusing it once...
I don't know why I'm saying they're say they're abusing it,
they're just using it the way that it's intended to be used.
And they're winning these rounds effortlessly.
essentially by that information.
So I hope once we get into cafe,
maybe maybe we see a little more traditional
bands go to the side and maybe more focused
on where wildcard strengths are.
Yeah, we said they were the best data for a reason
and they definitely showed it.
All their all their defensive rounds again.
Now that's three in a row.
They ran vision ops.
I'm expecting that to continue on cafe.
Well, part of maybe the lesson we can take to cafe, right,
is looking at how the patch notes that came out
just a couple days ago, right, influence the play here.
And we've seen that actively in the lobby.
The changes made to Zofia, Lamai, Doka, and Yeager,
straight buffs that have happened here
for at least three or four of these operators.
And you have to imagine that these teams are eager to use it.
We actually saw it, Kyle, from both of them right away,
how these teams are taking these new buffs and implementing them.
Yeah, this is why I love watching Rainbow Six Siege personally.
We get to see lots of patch notes,
buffs are always better than nerfs for me.
And here's will my a great position outside of the e-box. He's able to give the discs to his player Warden
And he has that new C4 so we saw him go for the e-box and then what does the attack do?
Well, there's that Zofia impacts from below that we have seen but now he's got that extra impact or Zofia has the extra impact
We're gonna be seeing a lot more of that Roar wasn't buffed in this recent update
But very recently Roar did have an update where the door shuts a little bit quicker
We saw it there safe base life. He's able to get the bomb plant down and this was a beautiful strategy to watch from Wildfire
And again, it's why I personally love to watch each we are a strategy game person for most not just an FPS
Right and every time we get those buffs
I love to see how the pro league players are going to use those new updates
I mean I was gonna say we played in a meta where it was nothing but utility that was being thrown being
Expand like you had to use it in order to get into site to go for the exact excuse
So it's very exciting to see Yeager be brought back to see what my especially get bought back
Which is insane
I mean those discs and the amount that he can do also have an deployable shield and you were also saying the C4
I mean a lot of insane stuff and then Sophia's entire kid
I mean six pieces of utility that you could throw out was to see now the guns
Yeah, that's a lot the power of what my especially I I was playing more during the days of what my pixel position in
cafe
Absolute nightmare got the shield back. He's got so much potential to be in a very similar position
I'm not saying that's what we're going to see him, but going into the next map you have to imagine that's going to be a
I mean that was a very normal thing back in the day whenever you saw pixel going on third floor cafe
It was guaranteed to be a Jaeger or will my there and are we going to see that again?
Maybe probably not because of via can instantly counter that a cap it out can instantly counter that effectively
But it's just good to be able to see these operators be brought back into the pool where they did kind of get put to the side
Due to where I met it was at for quite some time and both of these teams showing us that they're not wasting any time
Now adapting to the new update and trying to make use of it as best they can.
We'll see. I mean a lot of speculation, but we dive into cafe right now to find out Ken and maybe take their own map pick and send us through map three.
And with the performance that wildcard just pulled out, you have to be concerned of a quick to zero.
But I definitely think I'm more of the mind of a game on the desk.
Ali, I think that obviously wildcard performing very well on their pick to give away at 80 of play.
I'm not saying this will also be a 7 to but I think this is going to be a game of both teams winning their picks pretty well
dear
Kind of like I don't know
I'm leaning. I'm gonna be real. I'm thinking
Maybe wild card into at this stage because it isn't the wild card or any sort of slouch on this map in particular
They haven't played it a lot super recently the most recent performance is against dark zero where they were good for a seven five win
I do just start to think to
myself about teams that are
dominant throughout a whole
stage. How many times do we see
them be dominant throughout a
whole stage and then continue to
be dominant inside of playoffs?
Usually there is some sort of a
cool enough period of like, okay,
this team is now quiet and down
a little bit, getting to more of
a repeatable rhythm. Whereas I'm
not sure that M.H.T. are in that
space at the minute of is their
performance in the regular stage
Just kind of the last stage transferring into these playoffs at this, at this moment in time because that came in as wild card on labs like you can say what you like about the way that mate played and the way that the wildcard played, but they would just fail into shots.
A lot of it came down to, you know, the strategy and the operator selection and the way those operators were played granted. Yeah, it's always going to have a factor.
lot of advantages that was swandered. That's not really something that's like map specific that
is a problem that's like game specific so I don't know I'm kind of I'm kind of hopeful for Wildcard
in this one I'm feeling I'm feeling 2-0. Well you know might might be hopeful maybe 2-0 won't happen
I don't think it's probably a bit unhappy right now I've said earlier three C4s to the sweet spot
but five C4s are trolling well Wildcard certainly did not hear him all five C4s brought for Wildcard
A lot of useful primary utility as well because the Harbridge and Isle have the mirror window to create a really nasty fortress on this top floor as a symbolizing defendant using reading room and fireplace.
And watch your feet, you should move across that platform.
It's going to be hot, isn't it? It really is going to be hot.
What a C4s, but not necessarily the information to play off the back of him.
They've not got the pulse, they've not got the valkyrie, so it tells me that they're going to be playing in a much more aggressive way.
Kansan, top of white stairs, waiting to throw a C4 out for an unsuspecting player on that coattail side.
I mean, it seems to be quite hot on this, because they don't want to get themselves caught out by those external C4s that we see be so popular on this map.
this map, Spiker as well. Challenging at the bottom of that reading door has become very
popular to aggressively challenge onto that position and not really give anything away
for free. First C4 there from Bay will be blown, but with the addition of those air jabs, players
from M8C are going to feel what's safer getting themselves out onto the repel from a jump-out
perspective, but it still doesn't help that C4 threat.
And it seems that's a long card going for a throw up, you know, have a couple C4s budgeted
to throw out those windows and then have two to three actually try and deal with that
maybe as they push in along the third floor.
A lot of times, you know, waste it already, then at 30 in, probably going to take another
30 seconds to make their way across the cocktail and say that, got nobody behind the cocktail
mirror right now and they popped the other one.
If you use your mind, try to make his way around the floor pretty quickly.
Oh, C4 shot through the floor.
defined by the attack. Ashen, opening up map 2 with an opening pick just like he did on
Nighthaven. It's cost a lot of his HP. Taking out one defender on the retreat and only one
C4 remaining for Wildcard. This heavy investment in one particular kind of secondary utility,
not paying off.
No, especially if you're not good for at least a kill if you're bringing 5. You start to
think about where you're going to be lacking there. Barbed wire players just going to be
allowed to walk in. You've got no information. You've not got a deployable shield to really
retreat back to. You're bringing 5c4s, you need to be getting at least two kills in my opinion.
And that is not going to be possible. Instead, it's going to be a flank. Two players now pushing
up Y and the shotgun just nails the user. A two-man retake on white. You can see M80 rotate
down into the site. The moment that call goes out, realizing they need to go quick before the
defense retakes the vert, they'll move into the post as wildcard. Take the advantage away from
M80. They haven't fully retaken it just yet. The only piece remaining is Cocktail, Ashen,
recognizing his low HP, holding an off angle beneath one of the short bars. Two players
roaming around the corner, but Adrian spots it. They got the advantage, but with players retreating
outside, Wildcard had a bit of a... I was gonna say a difficult retake, never mind. Adrian
hops out the window, mows down Gunner with a shotgun, and Wildcard flattened M80 at the post.
I'm flabbergasted.
The kill that Adrian got onto Ashen, it was the office of off angles you've ever seen
in your life.
And by the time the actions reacted and moved his cross there into the just general vicinity
of the body of Adrian, he's dead.
Boom.
Gone.
He has been absolutely annihilated.
the best part too, if Adrian dies to that off angle, which he probably, you know, him
catching that is ridiculous, while Carter was still swinging two for one. So there's
a good chance they get that trade.
That was it. There was a player at the top of white stairs that was tapping away over
toward cocktail. As soon as Adrian gets the kill on the diffuser, he goes deep down white
corridor and flanks in through his cigar and shot and starts to challenge onto that mirror
window. He's probably wondering, oh goodness, we've got a mirror window there. Like someone's
surely going to be playing that. Just a little bit of fire pressure that's coming into the
top of what it says. Adrian's then just, he's sleeping tonight, he's gone to the
wind, no one's got a clue that he's actually there and going for that flank
because it's such an extension, but the fact that Wildcard was flanking
preemptively, kind of knowing we've lost the site, there's not anything to deny it with,
we need to go for the retake and we need to go for it now. The retake before the
plant's even down, it's incredible game sense.
It's probably been a vibe throughout that round and of course all of Nighthaven is that Wildcars reads of the game, not only the strategies they're bringing into round, so bringing 5 C4s again.
Regularly committing to the C4 maxing bit.
I like this better though.
Is this intentional?
No, I like this a lot better because they doubled the information.
So whereas previously we saw all the C4s and the only bit of information that you could even argue that they would have had would have been Mozzie.
If Mozzie catches a drone, they could have played for a C4 off the back of the drone.
This time they've got Valkyrie cameras and they've got the pulse.
So it's going to be far more targeted this time.
Whereas previously it was like Hail Mary, big Hollywood moments being attempted throwing them out of the window, hoping that you catch some one.
This time it isn't going to be that. It should be much more pinpoint.
Especially with the black eye cameras in the heartbeat cannon, you hope that the pace,
the mirror windows will also stall out.
Time on the top floor, still running this mirror cage setup that we saw in the first
round.
Makes sense why I wouldn't change too much on a second floor defense.
Oh, quick one for one baby shark!
All of a sudden that one get away from him and he will lose his life in the process.
Double jump out only gets one kill and both players die for wild card.
Not the greatest investment, especially since one of the players you lost is Adrian on that
probably could have been the most
worrisome intel operator for this wildcard defense.
I think baby shark downed Gavenny with the last bullet in the mag.
It got quite scrappy, didn't it, right, toward the end.
You could see him frantically, but you know, we're just to confirm the kills to get anything out of that.
Because it has left wildcard a little bit weak here.
The C4 is a real Marmite strategy, and if it works,
they're like geniuses. If it doesn't work, you really start to question it.
And we questioned it in round one. They were able to pull it off.
here again, I do start to worry because of the mancala advantage that MAT have got because
of the lack of barbwire. Barbwire is so crucial right now to stop players from just walking
in. Players can crouch walk or silent walk in and it can be very difficult to know exactly
what's going on there.
They get one pick at least though it's a nice trade, Savage. Helping the two for one for
MAD quickly swings into reading to get the advantage back. Other player on white stairs
could quickly fall while Carter just hitting their shots today.
Spiker, the nice one falling back down stairs, still has a C4.
Can play vertical with the post and gunner with the IQ scanners.
He may be spotted through the floor.
Instead, wall bangs, cans in, inside a mining.
Now, Spiker might be able to deny the plan,
but with 35 seconds left, they can waste time.
They force him off, and the C4 goes wide.
The fuser now with plenty of time to put this diffuser down.
and now with N80 in the post it's another 1vx for wild card. No utility but hopefully maybe a bit
more information. It's unclear what black eye cameras are remaining gunner might well have
spotted and shot every single one of them. Packs retreated deeper into dining trying to hold long
angles create some kind of crossfire but also just avoid any possible fight. Spiker spotted on the
the drone. The fuser gets the initial bite at the apple, puts Spiker down to one.
There's a little time remaining and neither angle dealt with. The fuser will finish what
he started and tie the game by two.
So that's the little bit of response a little bit earlier in this series and in a much more
convincing way from M80. Not sure how long we can see this heavy investment into the
C4 meta that Wildcard are trying to make work and make happen here on Cafe before they have
to change things up and just go okay the C4s not quite working out for us.
Granted they lost a lot of gunfights and they lost they opened in two picks there
but again it was down to aggression it was because they were really looking to
bring the fight to the scene.
AvaShark probably hoping that he gets that kill a lot quicker and that AvaShark
actually stays alive for a little bit longer but it was the round for double
enough it was the round for two people going at the same time and that was
really the winning formula. After the bodies, the M8s were able to pick up early on into
the round. They were then able to continually stand two people after every problem.
Now with that excellence, I'll get back at the side, hoping this one to at least be a
closer affair, even if it's going to get a loss. And, all cards have shown we have, they're
showing close games inside of the NA Elgin. Stopped teams, heavy, 0-0 for the rest of
and best of threes, and we take care of the enemy at some point.
I was going to say the primary site, but the cafe is a bit of a beard run.
You don't only see a default first one to start, like we see on Night Haven.
Everybody goes to the second floor.
I think a kitchen is one of the strongest defensive sites,
but usually I feel like it's the second floor one to defend the first,
and then we go to the kitchen.
Yeah, you can kind of watch a whole game of cafe and just never feel like you get out of the midfloor sometimes
because those two sides on the midfloor are just kind of both viable and
We do often get sent downstairs towards kitchen. Amazing. A lot of the map to clear and they're going to be making good progress in doing it.
Already getting himself established here at the top of red.
They are going to be a bit worried about the way that Wildtide has been playing so far.
Wildtide has been very loose on this cafe so far.
So that's probably going to be a good thing for them in this round because the expectation of the line-up is that they're going to be a little bit more static here
and they are going to try and dig into that top floor just a little bit more.
M.A.T. aren't really concerning themselves that at the moment.
The progress that they're making is quite good right now.
Now, ooh, gov'nny, those need to be cautious.
Can't just open all those angles up for free.
You are going to give yourself a little bit of vulnerability.
Adrian's playing in that hot position in VIP on Christmas.
On the smoke, looking to deny and...
Sorry, on the mute instead.
Looking to deny still the C4 ready to send out in that direction.
Shot one for those closer range engagements.
People swinging down past those white stairs.
And the charge to be led by Savage as he's framing up
bit of a push in on the bliss. He is accompanied now. He's got defuser on his shoulder.
Got a gun to support off in the good safe place. OC4 lands at his feet.
Savage even pulling back in real life just trying to dodge the oncoming shrapnel.
It's with 1HP and that's so nice for this swing.
Adrian and Spiker can hold on well from Brown and VIP respectively. Defuser blinded as well.
It's unfortunate timing. Really disrupted by that wild card defense.
defense. Bungie's position so well. We are in a four man swing on a diffuser right now.
The tip of Baby Shark's left ear spotted going for another free fire. Diffuser lands it.
A nice double swing though as Kansan piece is up too. Trying to get a little shaky there
briefly on bottom white. Kansan puts a lid on it and is now looking to put Gavini into
the grave. Instead, Spiker who swings out from brown bar and takes the lead back for
Wildcard. Wildcard have got such a clear strategy for how they want to try and deal with the
shield. They know that Savage is going to play the shield. We poked a little bit of
fun at Savage on Night Avenlabs because the shield play really didn't work out and it didn't have
the same level of threat that it often does. Both primary shields I guess banned to some degree
here in the Monty and the Blackbeard, but even then knowing that Savage is very likely to play the
Blitz, Wildcard have contingency set up to be able to deal with that. Grim and Valkyrie taken away
here as our start of round 4 bands. But I doubt that it's the bands that are really
going to define this game. The information game that Wildcard wanted to play with the
Valkyrie, it was good. It was Vestron, Lads in a lot of ways. He's just barrel stuffed
in there but it was Spike and it still got the kill. That double swing, that's the poor.
Using the smoke to cook up any offer on the bottom of those ground stairs as well so he
can't be the other side of the pinch as to when Savage is moving down white with Diffuser.
Givetting's ideally going to be moving down the round and that's when they're going to start to try and catch people out.
Utilizing the smoke there. Again, it's just one step ahead every single time for Wildcard tonight.
In which I feel like both teams have been doing pretty good at mounting those double swings.
But to your point about Wildcard filling one step ahead, it's always felt like when it comes to the actual kills that decide the round,
they're always the ones initiating. Even when Ash and Hesse started the round off with an opening pick,
M80 started off with a 5v4, either A is immediately traded, or B, when you get those flurry of mid to late round engagements that might really decide who wins, you know, a four-plot body stall, doesn't it?
Wildcard were the ones initiating those engagements, whether it's Adrian pushing in top floor last map to get that double kill or clearing the top floor of hands, or in that round,
Now, taking a double swing, like we saw, it seems Wildcard always taking the initiative on attack and defense,
and they'd be really struggling to match that, and they'd be caught off guard by how confident Wildcard are moving on Night Haven and now on Cafe as well.
Bomb drop from cocktail, arc perfectly out the window, and lands at savages feed for the most unwelcome of gifts.
Good luck shitting that one.
I mean, throw enough C4s and
some of them are going to get
three right and none the five
round C4 line up here for
wildcards. They are just all
in. On this explosive matter
right now. I'm sure there's a
matter. I think he's just
trying to hide here and test
out, isn't it? They're going to
bring in. They are going to bring
in spiker and they have done it
a couple of times. I need to
correct myself. I've been a little
bit of a player. I've been a
I need to correct myself. I've been a little bit remiss. I've sort of criticized the lack of barbed wire
They are actually bringing the the century so they will have a new piece of secondary utility complete
The point is more that they don't have multiple things. It might not matter in this round though
It's committee. He's gonna push through and take a spike it down anyway
Ashing with the diffuser but the site currently being occupied here by M.A.C.
I got able to take out agent through the wall still going for the odd spot
Ashen not going into dining with the rest of the push instead creeping in nice little find by Bay
While trying to retain control of the verts they can force at least the striker off the plant for a brief period of time
But M80 seemed to have the cutoff positions held
Quickly repelling up to the top floor gunner finds a couple on the white repellent
Well now at that point M80 able to quickly gather themselves and counter that oncoming retake from wildcard
They look like they were chopping at the bit to counter that diffuser
that's what we're doing. We're
going to go back to that. We're
going to go back to that. Yeah.
Yeah, M 80 happy to start to
move through there. I think
they're starting to get the
reading the starting to
understand, and I'm going to
go back to it. It doesn't part
come down to the lack of the
secondary utility. If you are
bringing the C four's short, you
can bring the century. You can
bring a couple of pieces of
barbed wire. You can bring able
to bring a global shield, but
it isn't enough that. That isn't
sufficient utility on a map like
put the pressure on here because there's really nothing standing in their way from taking map control.
It's not like they've got loads to try and chew through. Again, this lineup, we've gone back to
a bit more of the information approach with the full Valkyrie fan style. Again, we're going to be
bringing the Spike over, we're bringing those couple of pieces of barbed wire. But again, I don't
know if it's going to be enough to stop M80 from moving through because as they build confidence,
as they get more used to playing against this, they surely just continue to take ground a little
bit quicker. Now there are some tools in this lineup that are going to make it a bit more difficult.
Obviously, Wamai with the introduction of a C4 and a Wamai now, that's a whole new conversation,
but that's going to do a little bit to try and soak up some of the throwables at least,
and the mirror windows likely going to be played on that top floor in the tent just to hold on upstairs
a little bit longer. Cade in the mix as well, so if you've any not going to have the best of times
with that Selma, with those Selma charges, unless somebody can assist and maybe bank in me around
to get rid of one of those Cade closer. Expect the mirror windows to last for a good portion of time
here on this top floor.
And it's been a very limited operator pool for a while coming as a defense. They have been
so dedicated to this Intel strategy, which the desk has mentioned, but also dedicated to this
quintuple C4 lineup that barely even had much variation from the mirrors, the Cades, the Intel
even Sentry being brought is kind of load bearing.
I mean, not to have you pointed out, not that any barbed wire is too great a risk,
and Ten Shot's ripping open the mining window,
but one of them finding purchase in a body of the attacker.
Adrian will put it away and put the heartbeat scanner back out
to check where some of these players are on repel.
Here's you with this 5c4 lineup is,
I don't think we've ever seen all of them get used by Wildcard
and not having, you know, secondary utility that lasts after your death
or your death, like some more barbed wire, like you mentioned.
It does end up feeling like such a heavy investment.
I don't know if it's really possible to even use all of these.
I think what you've got to remember is that,
in either this round or the next,
they're going to get four or five C4 kills,
and we're going to call them geniuses.
That's true.
So we're going to check carefully.
Yeah, we do need to check carefully.
We don't want to set ourselves up for a big fall,
but you are right.
We haven't seen a lot of C4 kills balanced
with the facts of how many C4s we've seen brought.
There has been a little bit of a decent there, but it is doing a job. It's keeping them a little bit
I do feel like I make you could be a little bit more aggressive
I do feel like they could try and take a little bit more of the fight
My fees frozen, but I'm imagining someone's died. I heard the explosion action taken out
And no mad deleted on that cocktail side. It's okay. So that's one so we've still got two C4s left
We could still get three here
Well, and they've made the perfect argument for the five C4 because after C4 tossed on cocktail window action dodges it
Second C4 top top of the same window, Gavidi!
Just whipping his way down red stairs, Adrian almost surprised by that presence.
Just to quickly flick the mall sim of the M10.
Gunner thinking he might be better for it.
Kansan gets the kill of the TCSG though.
Big round for Shotguns. Big round for C4s as well.
Gunner not really happy with this development.
I should throw it on his last footage or I'm a little frustrated.
He's like, alright, well, I'm getting the perk done.
Only have the manpower to convert it though.
I don't know if I'm just biased with how map one went. It feels like it should be more one sided or the other. I think the rounds that wild card of one have looked really convincing. The rounds that M 80 of one have equally looked really good.
I'm not sure if it's because
it's because it's a little
different. I'm not sure if
it's because it's because
it's a little bit different.
What's separating these two
right now is the but it feels
like and I don't know if I'm
just biased with how map one
went. It feels like it should
be more one sided or the other
from the rounds that wild card
of one of looked really
convincing the rounds that. M.
80 of one of equally looked
really convincing and we've
sort of praised where
necessary and kind of poked
holes in either team
respectively with their
different approaches. C4's
working out a little bit
kills like aging on red stairs with the shotgun work were a bit more of a problem and again
Wildcard just making this such a close quarter affair and really leveraging some of the more
powerful tools in the game right now obviously C4's have always been fantastic forcing attackers
into continuing to take these close shotgun battles as a defender you're going to come out on top
more often than not there seems to be the game plan at the moment as we enter round number six
And again, another 5 C4s brought.
We really need to go through and do the maths.
This could be one of those games, right?
It's like 30 or something C4s have been brought in the first half.
And I think there might be...
There's...
There's slim exception with round three, the kitchen defense,
but I think that aside from round three,
they have round five C4s in at least five rounds.
So we're at, what, 25?
Then we had Mai and Miu in round three,
So they have C4, so at least 27 people at this time.
That's insane.
And I think they have two girls.
Yeah, two girls.
But it's something about it is working, though.
Something about it is working.
And whether it's the threat and the repel,
whether it's the uncertainty, the amazing
and how I can move through the constant worry about it,
that there is something else at play there that is making it,
you know, that's sort of tipping it over the edge.
I don't want to stay making it viable, because I'm not sure if it is, but it's kind of making it work.
Track down!
It's working for me at least on an entertainment guy, normal. I'm at least enjoying myself.
And I think that's important, especially if we're going to keep using the word C4 Maxing,
which I find funny, then we might as well just C4 Max and live our truth.
Wildcard, obviously on the defense.
Not defending kitchen, not with the normal set rotation after they drop three and earn four have gone back to it this round.
C4 unfortunately misses, his baby threats put through quite low HP.
Another C4 misses sent out on cocktail, but at least you're seeing them used and that was three in the lay around and everybody falling back.
Might see the lair if we talked about how about C4 number three without one land and unfortunately not today.
We've only got two out of five remaining to try and either get a kill or some nice damage.
Maybe a radio attack as the C4 is not quite working in the sixth.
space below. Ooh, gonna send the C4 and go for it.
Eddie, Eddie takes Gunner down.
Matt, another on the reverse, 30.
As Savage is upstairs, swinging the caber.
Advantage here for Wildcard.
4 C4 sends one kill, netted.
The conversion rate isn't fantastic,
but it has done something to slow down this approach.
Still with an ability to make vert,
Savage can continue to open up some of these pockets
He gave a little bit of line of sight, but it's going to be so telegraphed, you know the plot is going to be going down in that reading door, and that's where action is going to be.
T2 players retaking up red as Wildcard, again vacating the site, betting on what they can accomplish in the 44 second post plant.
Kansas with a nice frag, savage down as well. Wildcard's starting to act as half of the retake and seems like they might want to end it with a lead.
Long angle Gavini waiting for somebody to swing that new balcony, finds them, takes him down with the user and the H.
They're trying to hold on this top floor as tight as they can.
End of the brief tick.
Down by the AK-12.
Gavini doing his best to try and fend off every defender they throw at him.
Another 1v1 that he just wins on the prefire!
And maybe just stops this retake from Wildcard Spiker.
Now beyond the pale falls off.
And on the back of Gavini and the fuser alone.
Adam 80.
Tie the half.
All square after six rounds three to three at the sideswap M80s pick wildcard have looked good though, but it is neck and neck right now
Kyle yeah, I mean they're gonna be happy to win that last round right there
Oh, sure me it's really seeming like M80s kind of asleep at the wheel a little bit
And we've already heard fovean in an earlier time out during the haven laughs kind of trying to wake him up
But we're also starting to hear savage kind of come alive in the comms a little bit more
And we're gonna I mean we could look at stats and we can cherry pick all day long
But we do have some clips I want to show you that establishes actually kind of getting sold a little bit here
I mean here's one of their first push again desync normally when you're a shield player
You need to have this player push behind you right behind you to trade just going one by one by one
And he was very animated very upset about that one as well
I'll give a little grace
You can give a little grace with that with that follow-up because there was a thorn immediately right behind that
So someone was following closely. They died of that. Sure. And here's one of those rounds where they're gonna be running five C4s
There's that new one my C4 and again savage. He's the window
So even like a ramlock can do better
I mean obviously they're having fun with it
But he is a little he is kind of being a little bit sold right now on his side
Which is frustrating again the guns need to wake up needs to be more than just action and luckily for this map
It is more than just action
I mean it was almost a retake on the exact same side that they had the first round
So I think it is very important for just their own mental state that they did close that series great clutch
We didn't need to be able to close that out, but the C4 five rounds they ran a total of five C4
I thought I was lying you yeah
I mean you aren't joking about C4 max and thankfully they get the three three half
I'm sure they would have liked it for two however for the side of m80
I am still worried, especially once we get to that defense.
That's where we're seeing Wildcard and Hayden Lap, pick them apart.
And that's where Wildcard actually ran away with it in their DZ match.
They were able to move the defense around, put them where they want to,
and then they were able to strike.
They were able to get those kills. They were able to find those gaps.
So if I'm amading the situation, use the information effectively here, move around the map,
don't allow Wildcard to take the control for free,
and let alone give them the space to be able to open up the site,
open up a gap for them to be able to expose off.
I need to see a little more from them
because right now, again, I do agree.
It's almost similar to Night Haven Lab.
They do look a little asleep at the wheel.
And what I'm expecting, I mean,
defense is a little bit easier just in the sense of like,
you can be on autopilot a little bit in your spots,
but I am expecting them to kind of heavy
use the information game, just like Wildcard did.
Remember, they have that 6-0 perfect half against Dark Zero.
So they're going to have a similar game plan.
And again, we're taking off the mirror,
we're taking off the cage, what's gonna be up?
It's that information.
And what I am curious, I mean,
Obviously throughout group stage, they were all in the same facility.
They were all playing together.
If you notice coming to playoffs, it's only savage in that facility.
Everyone else is at home.
And I am curious if that is the reason why we're seeing a slow starting M80 in
comparison to what we're seeing during the group stage where they started out
very strong.
So I think that dynamic definitely is playing a little bit of contribution in
terms of their overall performance in what we were seeing back in the group stage.
All right.
Now officially halfway through this best of three, if M80 can send us to that
third map, a good performance here on the defense would help them do exactly that.
And M80 already exciting us a little bit, completely different site,
completely different methodology to what we saw from Wildcard on their defense
is it was C4 maxing all six, well five rounds and like a little bit in round
three, but M80 out the game.
We got cocktail for the first time.
We've got castles and architect operators.
It's a really different game plan.
Well, it's different in the context of this game,
But it looks very reminiscent of something that we used to see quite often in days gone by.
Utility Mesa could be back!
The recent changes to Wami in particular, not only the C4 change, which in itself is a big one,
they also have a deployable shield now, but their magnet system has been changed.
Whole maximum charge is now 7, whilst 6 reduced activation time by a whole second,
and the charge frequency, so how often you get them has been in a decrease, should I say, as well.
You're going to get them at 20 second intervals now, so you have a lot more ability to hold on,
insert some positions, and one of those certain positions is going to be inside of Yano,
the very popular spot that we expect to see a little bit of a resurgence of one eye in.
I mean, I'll tell you how powerful it is now. We're top floor figure, top floor cafe,
and his army is not banned and not being played.
Yeah, that's actually pretty impressive.
I didn't think of that.
Normally, the zombie castle combo is one that will draw fans alone on Cafe.
You'll see both of them taking down at the first two, and not only not so this time,
only one of them brought.
But by the same token, you see the power of the Thatcher right there.
A lot of the Magnus, that would be totally on his calculator.
Taking down pretty early, don't even need to burn all that much though.
Still need to.
Flashbang, Cognate will blind the defender playing inside a cigar.
inside a cigar. That's just it. That's the beautiful clear from wildcard first half around utility goes in spiker on the cutoff
Just perfect to start the round
Yeah, I'm gonna see a lot more factor as well. Like you say it's just there's an electrification focus now
It isn't just about getting walls open. It isn't just about getting to see falls
It is going to be about getting rid of some of that catching utility
First place to fall here
You see they start to move through now and just eliminate some of those little hiding spots underneath of skylight
There's Topspot, Spiker, still with a couple of pieces of kit in the launcher.
Not aware of the C4, Savage, he was forced out of there, because of the Rosero drone,
and he's made it into a positive.
He's now got the chance to flank up White as well, and maybe have an impact.
And maybe have an impact.
Oh, Gavidi with the double swing, whips around the corner, huge 1v1, huge 3k to finish things
off.
As Wildcard begin to whittle down that advantage, and maybe needed an overperformance, and it
it seems like Gavini's the man on cafe. It really is. Savage getting a couple of
kills there as well. It was kind of, it's one of those situations, isn't it?
Where if you don't send the Rosario drone in, you don't force him to drop off the
balcony, you don't allow him the chance to get a C4 kill, and then he doesn't
rotate up. I think it was white stairs and grab a second pick as well. A little bit
unfortunate there for Wildcard. They kind of caused that chain reaction in some
ways, but other things also not really going their way. They got a little bit
static as soon as they got into piano and into
so as to go our shop we needed a little bit more of a push
either on that cocktail side or something over towards you know walking down wide corridor
because it was allowing M8 to just dig in play deep positions like inside of the freezer
and play behind those reinforcements over towards cocktail side.
Now after that nice hold and nice through piece for Davini
maybe winning the first play of her Florent Cafe series and now we go down to second one.
Now we play the shuffle between the fireplace, wind, and dining. I was fireplace dining and reading.
Going to fighting around the M80's second defense. It seems like we're going to be seeing a lot of
this facility play all of you saw. The mine, the castle last time, and now all we've got,
we've got the dangerous hero. We've got the yager, the mine, and also the Aruni tagging on for
as much projectile denial as you can get your hands on.
Magnets ready.
Yeah, projectile denial.
We've really given it the order of the day.
Yeager as well.
Scene changes.
Back to being a three speed.
By the way, so it's going to feel very reminiscent of Yeager of Old.
I think that the 416 has also received a little bit of change.
I haven't shot it yet.
And I'm not the greatest at recoil.
Yeah, I'm not the greatest, but no, just not naked.
I'm not the greatest at recoil control.
But apparently the recoil has been adjusted so, I mean, any sort of advantage at this level is going to be massive at that point as well.
Any sort of small change, the pros are going to be immediately onto it and feeling it, so sure, that's a lot of the parts to play as well.
I'm kind of more surprised that the top floor has been won from a defensive point of view because it's not really usually typically a good side,
but it might be a side of good things.
This round however, a little bit different.
Bay, takes Gevenny down.
We start to see players dropping off those hatches and immediately rotating back.
Not wanting to hold position on that top floor for too long as Wildcard have flushed them out.
Wildcard have flushed them out.
They even tried to drop down below, but M80 clearly ready for it.
Fourth go, so I think one maybe, two in that late round.
Wildcard struggling
to try to speed up the pace
and catch M80 players rotating into their positions.
a clue of the defense with a bit of a clue into what the attackers are looking for without the
diffuser walking into every razor bloom. At least racking up some points destroying all that utility.
The M80, weathering the storm with his wild card, rotating down pillar into reading.
Kansas without much to do at this point. Clear one you want, you could win.
Just peeks the angle and wisely. Gunner falls off now in the roar chasing this fight upstairs.
Gunners still, not really with a lot of great options beyond retreating, just trying to
waste even more time and you can find him out, oh, and misses.
Not only can't find the head, but loses most of his HP to that fall off-sea floor from
Savage, excuse me.
Now drops the smoke inside, inside.
Probably in a good position to use these doors and an even worse position to find this
later on information, Ashen with the final kill, as M80 flawless on the defense so far.
and the same could be said
maybe for the first couple
of rounds here as well. But
slowly by surely an inch by
inch. They're getting
themselves into it and they
are waking up. This is
exactly what we need to see.
Put wild card under a bit
more pressure. They've had a
fairly straightforward
series so far. It would be a
shame for M. 82 about out.
At this point in the series
We're ashamed for M82 to bow out at this point in this sort of a fashion, forced into
the tactical timeout, then Wildcard are going to start to look for some answers here.
They got kind of baited a little bit into that quick play.
They'd moved through the top floor, they'd burnt around half of the round, but after
that the drop off from M80, it wasn't as deep as I think Wildcard were anticipating it to
be because Wildcard then looked to continue and take that ground on the staircases and
Third of that push down, trying to catch MAT almost on the run.
And MAT already turned tail and they go, no, we're not running too far, we're going to front up and fight you here.
Well, and to your point about MAT getting settled into the series, that's the kind of play we saw manifest differently,
but quite similar in a lot of important ways on Nine Haven Labs.
Once they got the right control, Adrian immediately pushed, and the team would immediately move in for an execute.
Just to try to never let MAT get settled and understand of it.
It took a long time for the D-Terns for M80 to adjust to that.
Now that they've got a feel for it, they were very clearly ready for it,
and I think at this point have been conditioned by that style of play,
and it's got the tactical time on that point.
Of course going down 5-3, but especially at that tactical turning point in the game,
quite conspicuous for Wildheart.
Maybe we'll see something a bit different.
Pretty clear rotation to start, obviously it's going to be kitchen,
so it's going to be a slower sight anyway.
I'm curious if you might see just your rotation a bit more of a slower
force that executes style play but still focused on really getting that plan down
and not necessarily trying to keep that media at the brink with their pace.
The force line is going mental in this one, aren't they?
I didn't want to over-speak, I was like, I don't know, we should listen to this.
We should embrace the law. Some people like the law, you know?
Some people do.
Shout out to those people.
Thank you.
Thank you. Good for you guys. You keep the engine of this game moving.
Looks quite direct again, doesn't it?
Yeah, I've made a bad call.
Well, you never really know who Wildcard is.
They are quite flexible and they can do multiple different takes and they can do them all quite well.
We saw a direct take on labs.
This is going to be quite a similar in that you've got the Rora, Rora on this side isn't
amusing by any stretch, it is very tried and tested at this stage, he's really a counter
Rora of their own on the side of M80, action, it's a far more temporary, but he's looking
to try and plug up the holes a little bit and there's so much pressure on the Bakery
side, either Ann Savage folds looking to try and front up on this door, takes a little
bit of on contact swing, Savage of course can place some of those toxic babe canisters
As well, Captain Tsai-Zou has been trapped in this place to use her.
Lance perfectly forced out of position, Baby Shark ready with the cutoff.
And made him winning some of these important mid-round fights.
But his Wild Cards are stracking up all their resources over by Bakery.
Savage runs directly into the back, Blackbeard, who whips his head around,
just saves himself briefly.
The ration finds a nice little line.
It's in the 2v4, quickly 50% of Wild Cards lead erased.
Baby Shark, now freaking in.
Fel's gunner, as he rotates on the freezer side, Ashen with one Hebrew remaining will get himself safely out of poachette.
Create a nice avenue of rotation, hands in only on one HP.
It's going to be a long game on a difficult fight, especially if Ashen isn't looking, coming out of attack.
Baby Shark, big performance in that DMR as Wildcard execute on, well, one round closer at a time this half.
Wildcard, again, not over-complicating things. They don't need to take loads of map control.
they are so good at going for
these isolated takes. They
proved it on night. Even
labs that proven it here again
on cafe. Just pushing in
through bakery just getting
control of wedding. It's not
it's not rocket science. It's
just a very good knowledge of
the kit that they're bringing
and where each of those pieces
of utility is getting used. We
saw diffuser, by the way. I was
quite surprised. I was expecting
to be breaking down the end of
this round, speaking about how
the recent changes to one mind
We're going to try and use to displace him at the back of that bakery desk.
It didn't happen.
He was burnt.
We had the facturing.
So we had, you know, we built magnets left because that should be already being thrown
taking them out.
Then the Capsar Fireballs can go through.
Then the defuser has to move and has to die.
Savage isn't able to protect him on the screen because he's got so much to watch and there's
like three people stacked up on the door.
Every contingency was sort of planned for there from Wildcard.
They did a really good job to narrow this lead that M8C have gotten for themselves.
themselves. Still training by the one, still with a lot of work to do here.
M.A.T. as I've said, they've woken up in this series. It's not like they are down
and out like they were on maps. We've got performance out of everyone on the roster
here, so it's still going to be a good game.
Especially how they were able to slowly bring that main count. Not even slowly, but bring
that main count back a little bit to the blue run. I mean, if you shouldn't want to trade
it on this map, it's the one right here to your point.
While Friday the 20th is courting round on Kitchen Dough, dumping so much utility, placing so much focus on clearing out Crest and Bakery.
At least you can turn your attention towards that top floor.
Back on the second floor, always have this extension, but it's a new site, actually, because that's all for a size play, one after another.
And as we're now on reading, they may be looking to switch things up for us as much as possible.
I'm trying to gather some information, lack of the mirror window will make this a bit of a different style.
It takes me otherwise to be down early.
I was looking at this quick movement from Wildcard, Adrian down onto Cocktail Balcony Bay,
in through Freezer, the shield joining in from Cocktail as well.
Gunner just falling off, I think tags up one from, you know, somewhere.
I think this is where wildcard are really good at the moment, isn't it? It's in these very direct takes, whether it's further into like more of a side take as a whole, or whether it's sort of just about clearing this top floor.
more of a site taker as a whole or whether it is sort of just about clearing this soft
floor. We've done such a fantastic job getting caught off on the retreat there as well.
Savage and Ashen now to try and hold on and this is where the Dokeby calls will start
to come. Bay, it's got both available on the track. Ashen lets the phone blow so we can't
be phoned again but you just know that Savage is going to be next on that dial list. Takes
out the default cautious Dokeby will have access to those cameras. Lion scan now to
Reveal defenders into position and Savage likely playing with the shot
with his challenge on despair with the pistol!
Take same shot down!
That's a very important one versus one.
And that's the definition of working a pick right there.
Savage is just trying to find the slightest angle onto the head
through the vertical.
So much patience.
He's got the time to do it.
Got that kill the minute 22 seconds remaining.
This is a long time for Savage and Ashen to coordinate.
He's been taking the risk.
I mean, with such a low HP, he's got to.
And hopefully he called me the end of it.
Now Wildcard creeping in.
Nice little pre-fire on the post-plant position.
Ashen ready for it as Wildcard.
Don't vary things up and end up paying the price.
2B4 becomes 2B2 as everybody except Bay below 50%.
Savage, even if he decides to whip out this heartbeat scanner,
another call goes out and now as Ashen calls,
he needs to take the time to give Wildcard a few key seconds
to either rotate in to get that information,
just to isolate his positions and try to keep him covered.
Asher was able to land a free fire,
save off the defuser one time.
Savage doesn't have the time to do it here.
He needs to find the kill on the fall off,
switches to the shotgun.
That's right as Wild Carbons treats,
sprinting outside, they're ready for it.
Adrian, Batman, Rappel, two rounds in a row,
tie the game five to five.
Wildcard have played that so well.
We spoke about how good they are, these isolated takes,
and then transitioning that into a round,
we're not concentrating or not worrying about doing too much
and just focusing on that top floor to start things off.
The speed at which they were able to get that done,
it felt like we were in that four versus two forever.
And yes, I do think that wildcards
stalled out a little bit at that point
and they were really starved of information,
which is kind of ironic,
given that they had the lion and the doke,
and right and some drones kicking around as well.
And I think M8s did a really good job to hold on,
bring it back to the two versus two.
But when I look to the time and I'm seeing Savage on his own in 90 and there's still 20 odd seconds on the clock
There's no need to panic is there? There's no need to worry. What is gonna go down?
It's gonna get held by the over player from Wildcard that isn't planning that diffuser
You know where Savage is gonna be coming from with this drone watching main lobby
Everything is accounted for once again, and they've entirely nullified the lead that M80 had worked so hard for
And it's not only nullified it, but still putting a lot of these rounds in clutch positions,
both round 9 and round 10 were needed to be 2v4ish from an 80 in which they got a couple
nice picks and then again Wildcarts have such a solid advantage they closed it out 2v1 both
times.
And that cascade hits this n80 defense after the tactical timeout, there's just been nothing
standing in Wildcarts way it seems to get all the control they want.
Hunter, does the white window prep for a hop out?
And the raider shot.
And Ten's going to be an oddball on this engage
for sure, he's ready for the pistol to do so.
Really?
Waiting for Adrian to propel up, then hops out the shot.
And that'd be nasty.
I'd rather lose my mind for that happen.
Adrian, we still get up, but...
I just don't love it.
I think he's made the right call and not going for it.
Pulse is way too valuable to be sending out there
on that sort of a run out.
You need someone with like, set and forget you, so it's good.
Maybe throw that last raise the balloon
and like, give any do it or something like that.
The pulls really could be the difference maker with the way that some of these rounds have been coming down
Especially given the M8s here very often finding themselves in bit of a deficit and the information on that scattering that C4 could be a difference maker
If needed so could you guys get some self-safe?
Wildcard instead just gonna be looking to try and make a little bit of progress on here. Savage instead tempted for this jump out
If you catch someone out there on the drone or if he calls for Gunner to come over and just confirm that somebody is out on that black top
Savage is going to go for this here and immediately goams Kanzin.
Pretty bit of team play there and you could see it all sort of working through as a team.
And that breaks the streak for Wildcard. They had eight opening picks in a row on KFA.
And now with that one, MAD finally bringing it back, of course.
It's not resulted in round wins.
The vast majority of MADs around have been recoveries from 5v4s established by Wildcard.
4 out of 5, in fact, now that M80 have that advantage, their first since round two, Wildcard don't have that quick blitz, that immediate two-body bleed over the opposition that they've had in a couple rounds than one so far.
They're positioning themselves well to move on to map point and look and push us to map three
Maybe shark just sees one moving down below but more work has to be done. I think no never mind
Again try and move in spiker taking advantage of the pace told us not to the right position not down below not up above
Spikers gotten the diffuser down but savage double kill inside around 11
But it needs to be in the retake and maybe might have the lead
But while card have put the pressure on them this character fuse must come through even in a 3d5
Wildcard were taking that in series point to move to the grand final and maybe trying to get their wits without death
As Ash in the first attempt aging with a big double kill over halfway, but Wildcard landed
3d5 now into another 2v1 as Gavini who has brought so many rounds back trying to lock it down
It is instead shut out of round 11 in the post Wildcard with series point
the next round. I'm going to
say it again. I absolutely love
how even in the post plan, even
in the one versus two, Geveni's
phone is still ringing. You know
where he is. You know where the
views of his planet is just
further adding on to that pain.
Such a great hold. The post
plan flawless in its execution.
Adrian. How many times are we
going to talk about Adrian
M8 is very reminiscent of last fight, by the way.
Another round where M8 can get the opening pick
and it still just doesn't matter.
Four kills came in almost in the same second there.
Adrian gets too unwhipped,
get baby shots,
see a little bit of success.
The gridlock, of course, crucial to try and hold on to that flank.
M8's no other option,
had to play retake.
When the plan went down anyway in the three versus...
The five versus four is a bit of a problem to begin with.
with. You know, I think FMA too, but they want to send the back to that so that they can avoid
happens to play the post-bond of what those situations to begin with. Wildcard so far,
match and series point right now. And looking like M80 will need to regroup on that one,
they might find themselves in the lower bracket final in just a few minutes. I mean, this has
been a close game. They've had a very good performance on cafe and that's looking pretty good.
Again, I mentioned that you'd always feel like M80 were playing it passive, letting Wildcard get what they wanted.
That wasn't the case last round. We had Savage hopping out that were really well coordinated and well calculated as well.
Wildcard are just constantly fighting ways to win in every single one of these rounds, and even when M80 seeming to learn from their mistakes.
Wildcard are still keeping ahead of them, and while the game has been closed, only two rounds might separate the victors from the losers. Wildcard...
They might be on the end of that. Looking for their seventh round right here, EMP outfire
Boltzland, baby shark on the rappel, ready for the swing.
M80 again are layering, they're creating these protocols and Wildcard are just thinking so
far ahead. What else can the defense do?
Well, we're gonna try and hold on, haven't they? Three versus five, this is where it
all matters. The same take that Wildcard attempted last time. Roaring off inside of that wedding,
This time it's Ashen, as a dressed up, trying to play inside of this smoke.
Warden Glass is outstubated, he's playing for a pick here, Link's.
If he doesn't find one, it's gonna be wraps.
It only seems fitting for a call on Ashen.
Thankfully said for defeating Gunner, and you're in a 3D5, you gotta make plays like that.
Oh, what a drone by day.
You know that this is meant to be the thing that swipes it into M80's column.
He fires him!
Hit by a Gershwain! He's not even paying attention!
He barely even blinks to react.
He just one-shots him in the head, and it's a flawless
to send Wildcard into the grand final.
Wildcard with his chance now to fight it out
for who is the best team in North America.
M18, they needed that win more than they realize right now.
As I on the line a wild card come through the clean to zero
How about a true mapper for wild card over m80 the upper bracket final done and dusted
Just like that. It felt like round 11 on cafe 2v5
Restate the nail in
M80s coffin and wild card have the control and they never look back
Yeah, why is it every single time? We think it's gonna be a close series
We just did the two of us shut up. Yeah, we got a bit up. We're done talking Jota
No, I'll continue the app from being paid for it. Well, yeah, I mean I thought Wildcard
We're gonna keep it themselves not getting that very last round. Yeah, I can give any clutch dump
I was sitting here thinking oh, it's gonna go to overtime and man
They're gonna wish they had that one if this was to go to the math 3 but well again
I was thinking something in the opposite half and they proved me wrong
I mean they worked out the tactics beautifully even the information game from that drone
We saw that on the very last round using that quick show
seeing where there's last players and they were just diced and that's what I like to see.
I mean, that round 11, that post plan was so well orchestrated.
You see Spike here, you hear him go through the call, what the plan was and then the three just sit up top and make it seamless to be able to close out.
And then again, yeah, in that last round, big heads up from that switch, gaining that information inside Ashen and then they just clean up around the site, leave match in the 1v5.
And there was really nothing for them to be able to do.
But I mean, great game from Wildcard.
We talk about a time and time again in their matchups,
the prep and everything leading into a match.
You just even hear them in the comms.
You'll hear spikers time and time.
This is what they're going for.
This is what we need to do.
This is how we need to get those to point B.
I mean, just through and through wild card, phenomenal.
Just those regional beasts we know that has, right?
Absolutely.
That's exactly where I was going next.
This is a team that we've constantly scrutinized
and said, hey, you guys have got found domestic success.
Internationally, you're amazing.
We are looking at a new wild card right now.
Yeah, we heard it from Spiker last week.
He said it doesn't even matter that they qualify for EWC, right?
He's like, we want to be the NAL champs.
He's sick of losing a JJ and having JJ be the NAL champs
for a couple months.
Like, it's his turn.
Well, we've heard from Spiker a handful of times
over the course of the stage.
We get a chance to hear from Baby Shark now after Wildcard
get their win against M80.
Baby's are good to see you.
Congratulations, man.
What a win against M80.
I mean, Lax was just talking about the prep.
Can you tell me, like, going into this game,
did you change something against MAD in this matchup?
What did you do differently that allows you guys to just,
oh, I mean, steamroll them here?
We didn't change anything, to be honest, like in the prep.
We worried in you, like, what to expect, to be honest.
Like, we knew they were like a very good team,
regionally, internationally.
Every time we play against them, it's like very close.
But we just knew that we had to end all their aggression.
And that's what we did today.
We've been able to get some picks,
and it was working for us.
So I'm extremely happy about this win.
This win was important for us.
Shark, love to see you here.
Congratulations on the win.
And speaking about Happy, how happy are you
with the change to Waman?
Because I heard you guys talking about it a little bit.
There's a quick way to ban it out there, the second half of those attacks.
What is it out this will mine out that we're seeing so much of it?
Wamai is insane right now, it's probably one of the best defenders in the game at the moment.
I think like having a C4, the Wamai, like the magnets, you got like some magnets like super, like super quickly.
It's just insane, like this operator is insane.
My teammates are just literally spamming it, all the teams are literally spamming it because it's like one of the main operators in difference for now,
since the new update, it was yesterday or two days before, but yeah, we've had like only one stream with the new AMI,
and we directly like, so that it was like a big operator to play for the next playdays.
Well baby shark, congratulations, I mean the stage was phenomenal, playoffs looked to be even better so far,
You got one game to determine if you were going to be the champion we've talked to your other teammates talk to spike a lot
I want to ask you, you know what have been the big changes for you guys coming into this stage and even more so for yourself
That has really created all of this success for everybody
To be honest it was we had like on kind of like a the total changed after the
SR games I think spiker already like previously talked about it
We didn't play good against SR during the stage and it was, we were a little bit scared to play.
We didn't play the game we were used to playing in international events.
So we had a big discussion with the whole team, what we were expecting, what we wanted to change,
what we were just looking forward to perform and help each other be good teammates.
And I think that's what we changed,
like being competitive during streams
and try to give our bests.
And scrims are extremely important for us.
And it worked for us today.
Like all the work we're bringing in scrims,
it worked out today, so very, very happy, extremely happy.
And I got one more question.
Spiker made it very clear,
JJ Blast was the gatekeeper of you guys
getting first last stage in kickoff.
I mean, how does it feel that you don't have to go
against JJ now in the grand final?
It feels good, it feels really good.
Okay, so you feel the same way towards us?
Yeah, it feels extremely good.
I mean, we know that like, five years is a good team.
Unfortunately for them, they are not
being able to compete in during playoffs.
But I'm not gonna lie, during the kickoff grand final,
we just didn't play our game, we didn't play.
We're extremely tired because of the game against DC,
but that's not an excuse.
We just didn't play good, that's it.
But now we know what we want to achieve.
We want to win the NL.
We want to be the first NL winner for White Cards.
And that's it.
Just we're working extremely hard,
and we're looking forward to win this NL Stage 1.
And Baby Shark, thank you so much for your time.
Congrats on the win.
And yeah, good luck in the grand final.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Thank you so much.
I'll go on it.
Well, what a win for Wildcard.
They close it out against N80 in just two maps,
taking N80's map pick of Cafe in regulation 7-5.
Adrien, look at that, the series MVP
to stand out as the newest addition to this team,
as the IGL of this team,
to put up the numbers that he did.
I mean, Kyle, that's impressive stuff.
It is impressive stuff,
but I'm gonna look on the other side and just see,
because we highlighted Ashton as the reason
they kind of like, N80 was even in that first series.
Ashton had a decent, I mean,
The bat map too was not really good for him.
But again, the rest of the Fraggers,
of course, I highlighted Savage.
He kind of got sold a little bit,
so I had to have those flips to back him up.
Diffuser didn't really show up today.
A couple of the other Fraggers for M80,
just kind of not there.
I mentioned the nail in the coffin earlier,
that round 11 on Cafe.
Let's revisit it momentarily,
because it was that 2v5 Wild Carter
able to get the diffuser down.
And from that moment, things took a turn.
They have everyone to deal with on M80,
and they hold it down.
Yeah, they absolutely did.
And as I was saying when we showed it briefly, I mean it was just such a good plan and strategy
of understanding where the players were on the side of MAD and how they can get into
the site and set up for the post plan.
You hear Spikers even 3-2-1, he rushes in, they go for the plan, and then inevitably
the round just falls right into their hands.
MAD trying to go for that retake, always trying to go for a vertical retake is extremely hard,
especially the positioning, especially against DMRs.
And again, Wildcard played it so well to collect every single
frag and just leave MAD in a position where they really
were never going to be able to quit that round.
Yeah, and I also love that question you had toward
famous Sharkle, talking about what was kind of the biggest
reason why they're having this regional success.
And it's those team talks that I feel like we talked about,
like those behind the scenes that a lot of the fans don't
get to see.
Like they obviously know what their struggles are.
It's not just us kind of gaffin' about them.
And it's really cool to see them kind of have that talk
before this season and really kind of figure out the problems
and not putting more effort into streams.
They always say you should be practicing harder in practice.
That way the game feels a little bit easier.
And I think we're seeing it with this new Wildcard.
I am impressed.
I'm impressed.
Well, as Wildcard team, as we said, moves into the grand final
to determine who is going to be the NA L Stage 1 champion.
That will happen tomorrow.
And we have to figure out who is going to play them
in that matchup.
And that involves quite a bit of lower bracket
shenanigans, dark zero and Shopify rebellion.
They play to see who faces M80 in that lower bracket
Final tomorrow, but that's where we're headed to next. It's a Salt Lake City
Grand Final rematch a back-and-forth between two of the heaviest hitters in the NAL
It's Shopify rebellion looking for redemption against Dark Zero next
I mean, how about this during the final week of NAL stage one?
We revisit a matchup from the Salt Lake City Major.
The grand final where Dark Zero and Shopify Rebellion went toe to toe.
A matchup that it's not quite El Clasico like we see in SAO, but it's the kind of thing
that we know Shopify Rebellion want to get there.
They've had a historical problem against Dark Zero and Kyle.
the timing here really suggests that maybe it's time to address it.
EWC seating here is on the line.
It's not just get in and you're good.
We got some phases to consider.
Yeah, we do have some phases.
And again, there is some stakes on this line.
The loser of this is going to end up obviously in fourth place
for the playoffs, winner third.
And obviously they can go on to possibly win it.
But what's important to note is whoever loses this game
is going to have to play in phase one of EWC.
That's going to be top 22.
So that is going to be basically eight teams
and a little bit of a mini play in bracket.
And only two teams are actually going to make it out of there.
That can be brutal.
Where whoever wins this game gets to skip past that phase
and they will end up already top 16 for EWC,
which is huge, not only for their chances to win the event
and going through all those teams,
but also the prize money.
I mean, it was almost a $15,000 difference
just between phase one and phase two.
And then also this game,
I think it's worth like an extra 3,000 as well.
So hey, money on the line.
If there's ever a time for SR, like now is the time.
Right, for those concrete examples,
there's no abstract, oh, maybe this will impact you later.
You lose this game.
You will have a much harder road at the Esports World Cup.
But for Shopify Rebellion, as we've talked about,
this road has always been tough against DarkZero.
We can hype this game up all we want,
but when we saw this matchup happen in the group stage,
the last, even when we saw this in Salt Lake City,
it's generally been a pretty one-sided affair.
What actually has been it's not even a road. It's getting over the bridge getting past them
I mean when you look at the matchup again dark zero leads 15 to 3 and when you look at that 3 record that was back then
That is not even what's been currently DZ has been running a muck on these guys
But back to the matter is if there is any day to show up like you're saying with stakes on the line money on the line
Having some sense of pride to be able to get over dark zero is today
You have to beat DarkZero at their own game.
And what I mean by that is the Braggers have to be getting those opening picks,
opening up these rounds, which then will allow the supportive staff,
the players like Rex and the players like Sir, to be able to come in, set up.
Then it goes into that execute, where then we'll see Troy come into the picture
to be able to facilitate the rounds,
but everyone in the position that they need to be to get the rounds going into their favor.
The mental aspect as well is going to be a heavy factor in this year,
which we highlight time and time again,
When you're losing to a team, I felt it against going against you when you're on dark tier.
You get into these rounds, you lose these rounds, and it starts to come on you
in a sense of you just succumb to the pressure.
You start realizing that there's many issues that do fall through with it,
and it's about keeping that mental in check.
Yeah, the mental's a big one because Troy, I mean, he already had the quote out there that says,
During SLC, what are you laughing at?
I don't know laughing at anything.
Well, we got to be laughing the fact that SR, I mean,
yeah, obviously the mental is, it's a total mental game
for them because during SLC, I mean,
Troy put out that quote that said,
they can't quite get over DZ.
And they do think about it during those games,
during those finals.
Well, for DZ here, this is also a moment
where we have to look and say, can this team continue
the success that they've had, right? This is a roster that won Salt Lake City that continues
to prove that they have the upper hand over Shopify rebellion.
Like I need you to keep it together here. Otherwise, I also wanted to say that they're
going to need God on this one because you said not only do they need their frackers,
not only do they need their support staff, their coaches, everybody, but they're also
going to need God on this one because they have to be 15 to three. That's nothing. It
Really, nothing to laugh at.
It's a big hurdle.
It's a massive hurdle.
Yeah, what did the DZ need to do?
Now, if anyone as old as me, this is going toward the BGs,
staying alive, and something I want to highlight here
for DarkZero is obviously the fact
that they have the top three rated players in the league
in the survival ratings.
That's going to be NJR, Newers, and J9O.
And now, guys, I know I said survival rating.
I am not talking about that they're baiters at all, right?
I'm not saying that.
But in fact, if you watch and play the new DZ style,
NJR is actually quick inside the building,
newer's on the back step.
Jay and I know a little bit more aggressive than normal.
This DZ is actually playing extremely fast.
So the fact that they're able to stay alive
and also they have the best conversion rating
in the league at 80% is super impressive.
And Foltz actually said this in the past
that I'm dealing with this team.
It's made his job a lot easier
because everyone is able to stay alive.
He's able to come up with the plans
and his players are allowing him
to create normal ideas, not have to create extra ideas.
Because once you're trying to make a call,
someone ends up dying, you have to come up with a new idea
to the IGL.
It's never a fun time.
And I love that we're seeing here highlights of the time
that these two teams faced just earlier on this year, right?
It just was that one side.
I mean, just looking at the score line alone here like,
you're looking at 6-2, DarkZero would go on to win this.
Like, they just have that much of an edge over SR right now.
they have to find a way SR do to break that rhythm.
Yeah, and the reality is, I mean, losing 7-2,
that's not just on one single player,
that's an entire team issue that, again,
when you're losing a series like that,
the loser's gonna walk away from that
and learn more from that matchup.
So whether we're revisiting that map,
whether we're just revisiting this matchup,
there's a lot more that SR can bring into this match
that DZ is just gonna have to be able to stay
on top of what they continue to do best,
which is just having the upper hand,
literally almost in every single category over SR,
Which is why I was saying they need to beat them in every single game in every single aspect in this series
Well, let's talk maps as we said best of three changes the dynamic a little bit from a best of one and Shopify rebellion
They're gonna have to hope to rely on that to be fair when they played in the best of five things didn't go too
Well either but we start with labs and then see clubhouse the map that we just saw DZ take over
SR not too long ago. What do you make of these picks?
Yeah, I mean obviously easy is gonna get rid of Fortress, which is great
That's SR's best map, but the next best map for them is my haven labs extremely comfortable attacking on this map
That is going to be their bread and butter right here
I'd be winning surprise over to be probably starting on the attacking side
I'm guessing and then clubhouse another step-by-step map
We like to call labs clubhouse in there. So these these maps are kind of right up
SR's alley
I was gonna say if there's any maps that could possibly go in SR's favor here
I do see these maps heavily playing in SR's hand
Especially when you go back to the clubhouse again, they've lost seven to there's gonna be a lot more
you're going to take from that game and a game like clubhouse.
It's literally just fundamental errors that cripple you, cripple your side,
cripple your attacks, defenses, whatever that is.
And as long as you're not making those mistakes and you're not letting
dark CEO capitalize on them, you can walk away from that series.
So this really is a good map pool for the side of SR.
Not saying it's bad for DZ, but just for that mental aspect to be able to start
out strong, these are maps they can certainly do.
So are you choosing SR here?
Are you out for them?
It's hard, but honestly, given what we've seen so far in Bessa three's and what
we can expect from SR.
I know this is a hurdle for them.
I think you're going to be able to get by.
Also your point, DZ have never lost twice
that we pulled out, right?
They just got off a loss,
so I'm expecting Prime DZ here.
True.
Well, Prime DZ may indeed make a showing here on Labs.
That's where this thing begins
for our Salt Lake City Grand Final Rematch,
Shopify Rebellion, looking for redemption.
Jesse, Intero, are we going to see something happen here?
I I love the dark zero staying alive clip because I've said staying alive a bunch of times and I know that people
That watch this are approximately one eighth of the age of the Bee Gees
So they have no idea who they are but somebody on production got this right and I appreciate the old soul
Jonah you said something that I thought was excellent before we got into this Jesse
He said this is like Al classico for North America
It's always Troy's teams versus his old teams whether it be DZ whether BS SG
It doesn't matter what the look is it always has that heavy weight out to it. And my god
Doesn't the community ever feel the same 51% for SR 49% for Dirkshire. Jesse, I think it's gonna be quite that close
No, I don't know what split names are in the chat parker, but easy always dominate this matchup
I'm sorry. That's kind of a crazy stat. It is the greatest rivalry in NA
But it's also the most lopsided rivalry in North America
The Darks Zero have consistently beaten Shopify Rebellion over the last couple of months.
You go back to the last four maps that these two played against each other.
Three of those four maps were 7-2 blowout victories for Darks Zero.
That's the tail end of that grand final series and Salt Lake and the group stage game.
So the Rebellion really needs to prove themselves for me to believe in them, Parker.
They're an amazing team.
They're a really good squad internationally and domestically.
But these guys just seem to be their button and they cannot find a way to top Darks Zero.
Zero the desk brought up the overall record. It's bleak out there for the rebellion
But if there was ever a time to tilt the stats, there was ever a time to make that upset happen
Why not here in the lower bracket of the stage finals?
Absolutely, this is gonna be a good test for both of these teams the match that proceeded this if you didn't watch it was definitely worth your
Time and it's worth going back and seeing again
Particularly if you happen to be a wild card fan
And M80 looked like the top dogs for so, so long,
sitting atop the regulation standings
through the regular season.
And yet Wildcard somehow had their number today
and looked like a very formidable foe.
Jesse, I'm not an NA enjoyer.
I'm not an NA enthusiast.
Some would use the word chill.
That's not me, okay?
I'm not biased.
I actually cheer against NA more often than not
because I think it's quite funny.
But I will say, you're a lunatic if you don't think
that NA is the favorite heading into EWBC,
and these are two teams that definitely
could claim the crown as well,
particularly the team on the left side of your screen.
As this is a rematch from the SLC,
major finals where Dark Zero toppled the rebellion.
Will the rebellion have their revenge?
We'll find out now.
Round number one underway here on Lapsop.
You're just touching the upbands really quickly here, Parker.
Dark Zero banned the ace and the thermite,
and the mirror doesn't get banned out.
So that's gonna mean that those mirror windows
are going to be the only form of wall denial.
You can see Bulk here, pairing it with the new Channers.
Always on night, even IT is the most important thing.
You have to keep this wall closed for the defenders.
You must get it open for the attackers.
And Surf at the last moment, swapped off of the Hibana.
So they're not going to have ranged hard breach
to work around this mirror window.
I'm very excited to see how the rebellion
seems to deal with this.
Got us a couple sets of hand openers for sure.
Surf's gone over to the Ying.
Might just mean that they're going for a little bit more
of an aggressive strat.
Maybe the wall isn't as important to them, but I'm excited to see them kind of switch things up here.
Dark Zero played a very standard setup just for the very first round.
Both of these teams have so much history on Night View than had Steve here playing a lot of what you'd expect,
but already shopped by Rebellion.
You get a bit of an interesting call here with this arbor, Jim. Excited to see how it goes.
SR changed some things up when they had to do battle against Dark Zero in those SLC finals.
One thing you and I noted, you in particular, was the un-reliance, or the lack of reliance,
on shields, which pushed Canadian into other roles.
This time around, he's going to be rocking those shields a little bit more commonly.
One note that we have talked about the last few times we've casted SR, and it was touched
upon by the desk laxing in particular, was how Rexkin has now taken a more supportive
role on this team.
Again, it really depends on the bond state, depends on the player.
I was a quick blow by Surf to NJR, almost netting the very first kill.
I don't know frankly how surf didn't get that one Jesse and all that gambled
will be lost as we get the halfway point of the round and a re-aggress from NJR
but surf still has his number he thought that SR had gotten out of the vicinity
and boy was he wrong. It's a crazy push in the rebellion they don't need the IT
wall I guess they have control of it just because of the Monty walking up
rafters there goes Ambi to jumped into the bombsite chaos here the dark zero
coming out on top. Ambi missed that's an odd thing for us to say.
He folds it out, dueled him, and now folds will stand the test of time against the remaining
rebellion players.
Circling around electrical through connector, and he gets punished by Rexon.
That cut roll is a support roll.
Don't get it twisted.
SR looked mighty confident there in round one.
Little triple kill for Rexon to start off this game.
That's what you want to see on his standard Nomad roll.
He always plays this up on this bomb site, and it's good to see him finding some success.
Again, very odd.
You don't see this bobsite go the way the attackers without any IT breach happening very often,
but hey, the rebellion knew their wincon, they got electrical control really early,
they used the Monty to get free control of Rafters, and it just feels like on this map
the rebellion has so many different ideas, so many different ways that they can take
space and win the round against you.
It's really impressive to watch them work on this map of Nighthater Lab.
The death touch started a little bit, but of course we are starting this series the
exact same way when we started the Salt Lake City major finals with Shopify
Rebellion, the first map pick, and then choosing the exact same map of Nighthaven Labs.
This team has an 8-in-1 record here on Nighthaven since the 6th Invitational,
and their only loss was 8-7 versus 1,000. So despite the fact that DZ, I think, are
favorites in the series, you'd expect Shopify Rebellion to be confident here on
their own pick, and it's a good attack to start things off.
Five seconds left for insertion.
Also came down to gunfights, right?
NJR losing his duel.
There was a one kill as well that happened in a hurry where Rexing took advantage of some chaos by DZ where they had their back turned.
They weren't fully prepared for that push because again, I mean even we were a bit confused there as to how the next he would go off.
We thought they were going to try to get the wall open and push in that way, but then they found a golden opportunity.
Once NJR was removed from that position, it was a clear passage for Rebellion and they're very quick to pivot.
And honestly, credit to them for that.
Again, I know that he takes quite a bit of a beating on social media, and even just talking about this right now.
I was going to get a couple tongues wagging and push chat, I'm certain of it.
But Canadian's ability to be quicker with these calls is something that he's focused on over the last little while.
And you can tell that the team is a lot faster to land punches, particularly counter punches.
So, DZ are very fast team themselves when they need to adapt.
They're not really known as fast for their executes, but their comms are usually quite clear.
Split will start off by taking care of bolts that immediately, the rebellion are in the building,
already encroaching upon these defenses.
Ambi doesn't miss this time.
He takes down Kino, J-9-0, trades it out.
Next in line, Jack, situated over by Raptors, plugging holes as Nizami does, walking his way away from these attackers.
But they are in full pursuit, Jastia. He is leaving on borrowed time.
Canadian's Nade goes off. They've got another isolated over towards Fish Stairs. I believe that's Neuers.
And he is on the run! Half of the round to go and DZ already reduced to two.
Just a perfect top floor clear coming out for the Rebellion. Now you put it all on NJR and Neuers to make this 2v4 happen.
Now I gotta say, these are two incredible players. This is far from over, but with how much time there is on the clock,
You have to imagine SR will take their time here, drone things out, spot these last couple players and try to work in a plant.
With full top floor control, they could go either bombsite. Sometimes if you don't see teams take this top control, they're forced to go storage,
but they have options on the side of SR. Still looks like storage might be the play, but NJR has a whiff of it.
His first of three toxic babes will go to slow this round down and hopefully buy more time off this clock.
And that's really the wincon right now, right?
As delay as long as possible, hopefully pick up a kill or two based on some sloppiness from SR.
You are outnumbered, they still have utility, they have better guns, and they're finding their marks.
Canadian, with his back to surf, spoilt a huge round from the Swede.
We'll get the job done before the defuse kit could be planted, and oh yeah, you're gonna be seeing that a lot.
It is swelteringly hot in Toronto today as wildfires choke the sky.
these guys are not a lot of deep breaths, hopefully on the side of SR.
So they're hoping for a quick day and immediately a tactile time out coming
through from dark zero Parker call out the head coach of this team not liking
the start. It's been back to back opening picks coming through from the
rebellion surfed. It's in round number one.
It's boy to get it in round number two and back to back three K's as well as
boy got his own triple there in that second round.
It really feels like the early game has been dominated by SR.
And I think maybe one thing that Kala is trying to focus on in this Taktime out is the Ying play.
This is not unheard of from the rebellion on this map, again, they play so many different styles of Nighthaven,
but it is pretty rare to see them rely on the Ying this heavily when attacking on the map.
So it might not have been expected by Dark Zero to see that being brought out in the first couple of rounds.
It's also kind of awkward because you might want to ban the Ying after round three,
but you also have started focusing on hard breach, you probably want to keep that up.
So they're in a bit of a difficult spot when it comes to that final off-dan.
I just feel like SR are playing so much more together on these clears.
You see the Nade getting the pick here from Canadian, and all of these fights, I mean, obviously the 4v2, but like...
We're matched up on the side of their rebellion. They're playing together.
So even if they lose a fight, like Andy went down at some point in that top clear,
immediately trade comes out easier, spreading themselves up a little bit more, so getting those trades back a little bit tougher.
Not exactly the most confidence-inspiring start for Dark Zero, but again this is not
their map pick.
After the head-scratching implosion of SR, which I think is a fair thing to say in that
Salt Lake City Grand Finals, one thing Troy talked about at length, was how the mental
on the team got shocked after they lost that Chalet game now again.
You know you're likely to lose your opponent's map pick.
This is SR's map pick.
Dark Zero being down 0-2.
All things considered, Jesse,
should not be sounding the alarm bells, and yet it has.
So there's obviously more going on
that we don't get to hear or see
that this team doesn't like as they will attempt to fix this.
Candela's going off.
That's NJR being targeted.
He'll be blinded and might think that the push is coming.
This could be a faint.
If that's the case, DZ have taken the bait, at least NJR has.
Yeah, fine with that Candela coming through.
This is going to be back to the exact same bomb site we just saw.
The rebellion have won their last seven attacks on storage here on Night Haven Labs.
They are 7-1 this season on this, including the round that we just saw.
So they're very much comfortable attacking on this site.
And again, this Ying is likely to continue to be played throughout this map
unless he gets banned in the next round.
Surf is really just able to play with his food here.
Force players to move based on these candelas. Make them think maybe you're gonna go for a rush, but actually no, it will eventually be its off-floor clear.
Makes it so difficult to deal with, and he's gonna use this next one hopefully to get a little bit more breaching happening on the IT wall.
Again, hasn't been a huge focus for SR in this game, despite how the money usually does.
Now go the candelas, this one might not be quite the fake. Down goes Canadian, surrendering that first pick.
And he might show a bit of reluctance now as he's got the black mirror cutting off his line over on laughter's down goes
Newers to spoits
They might have yet another of a keynote wins the engagement with just a single point of HP remaining a frustrating one first point
I'm sure and easy walks away from that initial bout with the advantage
We're from Canadian jumps in the hallway and drops at a fuse kit bottom floor
So that's gonna be a little bit awkward for the rebellion right now rex's on a mission to retrieve it
But at the same time, these top floor players are just worried about the bird control, and he goes down to NJR.
That puts a lot of pressure now on to Surf.
He's going to back off and try to, I think, group up with Rexon in this 2v4, but it's very similar result to the last round.
The only thing is the colors are swapped.
Still yet to die on the side of Rexon as he holds that defuse kit.
He and Surf have been getting tougher deployment as of late.
down goes surf rex and now what can he muster nothing at all dz
blanking them so a nice bounce back from dark zero as they read into that
and take a bunch of isolated gunfights a very spread out execute from sr does
not ultimately end up with them linking up yeah I think the idea there is they're
trying to show a lot of force in the top floor they throw three candelas into the
it breach while at the same time they've got a couple of players pushing
elsewhere canadian jumped in the window at the bottom of aqua stairs rex and
started to walk in the bottom of garage and spoilt jumped in cargo so they had a
lot of mid-floor pressure right as we were watching those Candela's hitting
top floor. Unfortunately as you just said Parker they were quite spread apart all
of those players in the rebellion weren't in good positions to trade out.
Newers gets the opening pick onto Canadian it's the only kill that Newers
has gotten in this game but I think it's such a high value pick because it
downs to the fuse kit it gives that entry frag over to dark zero and it really
snowballs from that point forward.
Yeah, once you end up with one or two people losing
that map control, it's very tough, very, very tough
to get it back.
We saw the inverse happen in round number two, right,
where dark zero was just spread apart.
And the last two players were trying to keep themselves alive
and use utility as best as they could.
And at that point, it's like, if you
don't win your next engagement to narrow those numbers
significantly, if you're the two and a 2v4,
and you don't get it back to a 2v3 or even a 2v2 situation,
The round is more often than not lost. Obviously they're gaffiates to that, but I know people will bup bup bup bup bup.
But the inverse is also true, which is what we just saw, and on detach it's a lot harder because the objective is quite literally in your hands, Rex, and had the defuse kit, but there was no universe in which four easy defenders were allowing that to go down,
especially when he just had surf as his coverage. So all falls apart for the rebellion. Darkseer have done the opposite of what you're supposed to do, which is they've won their third defender's sight, and that's it.
That's it. Usually it's the other way around, right?
Usually the defenders win the first two and lose the third.
No, DZ finally won one.
And we'll hope to close the gap out here around number four.
We were down to the basement for the first time this game, Parker.
And now DZ is showing a bit of a different look.
This pulse is not something that they've brought very frequently down on the bottom floor.
Usually NJR would be on his signature tachanka playing this site,
or maybe the Kaid or the Mira, but of course, so is banned out here.
So we'll move over to the pulse and we'll go to feed some information to his roamers' top floor.
He is the only person in the basement, the only guy on site for Dark Zero, so everybody else playing on these top floors are going to be the main focal point for the rebellion.
Sometimes you'll see a rush just down the vending stairs when you do have such a heavy roam game from the defense, but I don't think that's what we're seeing SR go for.
We've got a very heavy commitment to the roam here, the snake, the demos, the doga bee, and just like that, the demos and the snake will go all in the doga bee! Not far off!
Newers narrowly misses those shots. Two men leave the BZ.
Both have been down, so it is a little bit more winnable, and there goes J9o to surf from the window,
immediately using Dokobie's calls to try and locate Newers as he'll be isolated.
Expect to see a lot more Zofia over the next couple of days. She just got a whack of buffs,
and I believe somebody referred to her as the Terminator in the pro scene. I'm sure you saw that.
A really terrific operator once before and now has been bouncing back to fine form.
Neuer takes down, Canadian Fultz finally bleeds out his key nose on the board and it's all up to Rex and yet again a very familiar position for SR.
And I fear for SR fans they're about to meet the same fate this round.
Yeah, it feels like things have fallen apart a little bit in that 3v3. They had a good position, but once they tried to get into that mid-floor,
maybe hoping that DZ players had fallen back a bit, that wasn't the case.
Now everybody in the basement, they're gonna have information from NJR
They're gonna have a really good guns on the side of Newer's and Kino too
So you've got to be so careful if you're rexing no more youths able to play with either is used all six of those charges
Six charges good lord
I get it look she was very just very powerful during the
I'm pausing because it looked like they were about to attack each other and I didn't want to stop from this but rexing is just
There's a word I'm thinking of right now that Rexon is doing.
Toying, he's toying with us, of course, that's what I meant.
Still case in hand, just delaying the inevitable at this point.
We'll get one on the keynote, but the moment that he crosses this door, Jesse, I hear that
it's over.
Yeah, there we go.
Newers, there were two players on DZ staring in the same direction, and just like that,
DZ has tied the game.
Nice to tie that one back up, and as he said, you know, that really fell apart in the early
game.
Parker, as they committed to that, Rome clear.
I'm not sure if maybe they rush that a little bit on the side of the rebellion. They lost a lot of their information tools early, right?
Spoigt goes down very early on the demos, Andy goes down very early after that,
and that's going to be a theme that we keep coming back to in this game.
If you lose those entry duels, if your Starfraggers at the start of the push aren't finding success,
it's going to be really hard for either team to come back and clutch things up here in this matchup,
because these are the two teams that are best at converting advantages.
In the league, Mint mentioned that Dark Zero and 80% conversion rates so far through stage 1
the highest in the North American League, but Shopify Rebellion have them tied on that stat.
80% conversion as well from them, so it really does feel like these are the two best teams in the league
at converting those man advantages. We're seeing that continue to spiral here,
is if Andy's not having a good game, if Newers isn't having a good game,
you're gonna see these teams struggling in particular, so keep an eye out on that going forward.
Dark Hero tie this game up and keep us competitive. The 7-2 scoreline that these two teams so often end up in is still on the table, but that makes this next round very important.
Yes, every round is important because it means we have to spend more time together.
Wow. I suppose.
You're right. I guess I do know if the series could be as possible, so I have to stop casting for you.
I love this clash play from FALSE, it's the top of lobby stairs, it makes it really tough
to get the top floor control, he is all alone, but even still you don't know that if you're
a rebellion, you might be able to get that information from Ambi, but it's so scary to
try to get in this doorway and he likely has a little bit of angle into
meeting or maybe he's closed off to protect himself but in any case of course
gonna be really awkward even more so now that you've lost your captain the
entries continue to be important in order to find his first turn in this round.
This is Rockin' that twitch which again is another familiar operator for him.
Monty was not the one that was stand out it was the game so shields are still very
much available. DZ is not punishing the shield play whatsoever on the side of
They say bring me your blackbeards bring me your Monty. We can deal with this as far as
Accepting that challenge instead will hop out the only shield on the board right now is actually clash a defender operator
Which is not uncommon, but it's still kind of a funny thing to say when blitz views osa blackbeard and Monty are all
It's still available halfway point of the round dark zero looking for their first lead if they get it
It would be three rounds in a row for them
Newer is an Ambi potentially about to go head-to-head here Parker.
Ambi is lurking up from the basement. He's watching a flank, but there's nobody coming.
Instead he's got to worry about the terrible path ahead of him.
Here we see a great third-person POV. This is going to be a really important fight.
Again, the star entries of both teams going head-to-head at the same time.
The rescuer is out here doing good work on the birth plate. The ram is starting to open things up.
So if they're not careful on D.D., this will be clear to fire a lot of people despite the mana damage they have.
And there goes exploit he's got five kills to his name, but the last couple rounds has not been able to have the same impact
He did to start things off Andy sees the head of my down goes newer's the reflexes on both of those
You'll lose your sight if you try to cover it too much now rex and walks in and he finds yet another
The clash will walk backwards as Kino is the only player still upright, but false pulls out the SMG
It surprises Rex it surprises us
Fighting for mind and DZ wins a head scratcher and takes the lead.
Absolutely baffling on that round Parker. It felt like sure the early game was
going their way but then Ambi comes up from the basement finds two huge
frags and all of a sudden tilts the entire landscape of that round. It ends up
being so close as Fulton Ambi trade each other at the final moment but Kino is
He's still alive on the map, he's the only person that remains after killing Cerf.
So we got two separate 1v1s in that final 2v2.
One of them was a direct trade, the other one was 1-0 by Kino, so that'll be a defense
round win for Dark Zero, a very close round that could've gone either way.
You heard it in the Teamcom, it's just after the last round Parker, how good the F2 is,
I expect to see both teams on the attack relying on this weapon, an incredible amount, and
he got great value out of it, but it just wasn't enough that this lobby push fell apart
and face the flash.
Is that Louis? Look at that guy!
There he is.
Cough first there. Cough first there.
Oh, look at that guy.
Get him, Kino.
Get him.
Our great first half so far, irrespective of who wins,
we know that when these two do battle, we are treated
to a pretty nice contest.
For the sake of fairness, to be fair and balanced here
and to be as unbiased as possible,
It would be nice if the rebellion do not completely implored.
That would be quite nice.
For DZ fans, they have had a very long road.
And I know that you and I have talked about this an awful lot
about how the heart palpitations that come with this organization
are something that you actually sign up for.
When they send you a jersey in the mail,
it comes with a disclaimer saying that it might cause
cardiovascular issues because of the way that they play.
Same could be said about Shopify Rebellion.
As of late, DZ has looked so dominant
that you know what, there's no jokes even to be said here.
I'm happy that the DZ fans are finally seeing their team
reward them for their patience and their hard work.
And I mean, if you're a DZ fan in chat right now,
you're probably very elated that the Dark Zero
have now won three rounds back to back
and get the lead off pick in a crucial round
and they're primed and geared up
with another on the hands of J9O.
This is an unthinkable massacre happening right now in IT.
Parker as I said the entries are so important for five rounds that has determined who will win the round
We've got a hundred percent conversion rate so far and it looks like it's gonna be six for six
Jane I know what a start takes down two of the flex player on the rebellion now
It leaves a huge job to be done by ambie spoit and Canadian this top floor is still firmly under control of the defenders
Jane I know did not leave this position
So he's still just roaming around fish as he goes down now
Fault still remains in this top floor as well though, and if they're not aware of this in the side of SR
This is gonna be really tight. They don't have a ton of time to play with it probably won't be able to drown out the entire top floor
So a late flank from faults could be really devastating unless they spot him up here
Even if they find him it's still gonna be a 3v4 as they put it to site
Really looking awkward for them trying to convert this round
Canadians off to the Tanaka with the f2 by the way, the 417 is a
It's definitely an interesting choice.
The Zambian's point both get on the board
and DZ's numbers advantage is all but evaporated.
Diffuse keep going down.
Spoint's coverage not good enough.
J90 on the flank of his life.
Four kills to his name.
And all he needs is Zambie to complete them all.
You can see it in the camera.
He's still fighting for that last kill,
but he's chuckling, laughing in total glee
as he seeks out all five members of the rebellion,
Squared away and he'll get the ace to take the round.
Smile away, Jack.
What a huge moment.
Four-two as DZ take the first half.
What a way to send us to the half.
Jane I know with an ace for dark zero,
four to two right now.
Kyle, what are you seeing?
Well, I'm seeing him staying alive.
Cause that's what I'm doing.
He's staying alive and he got the ace.
But I mean, what I'm seeing
is I thought we were rooting for SR for a second here.
First two rounds.
I was for a little bit.
First two rounds were perfect, right?
They got the opening pick, which has been a problem for them, this entire, basically, gear, to be honest.
They got the opening pick the first two rounds, and they were getting everything handed to them on a silver platter.
But at that point, DZ, for me, they just kind of woke up.
They figured out they needed to get aggressive on them.
They started being a problem, getting into SR's face early into the rounds, and that's kind of why we're here where we are.
And that's what we've been seeing from DZ, is typically the team that they're going up against gets the first two initial rounds.
but then you'll start to see DZ understand what the game plan is,
what the strategy is going to be going forward,
and then they start to control that aggression from the side of SR,
not allowing them to get the opening kill.
We heard Jesse and Parker talk about how big these opening kills,
every single one was converted into a round win
with four going into Dark Two's favor,
but again, it just shows how good Dark Two is at reading their opponents,
understanding what needs to be done to put the rounds back into their favor,
and it really was just slowing down the aggression side of SR,
get the opening kill into their favor,
and then just play back into those layers.
And then even in that last round in particular,
just a dominant half from J90, 10 in four,
big ace at the end of the round, beautiful.
And again, I was gonna say, play the game again,
what should happen after that second round?
What happened?
Call out, call out the timeout,
as he normally does after two round losses
and that completely switched up this game again.
Like him just getting right into the face of SR,
that's exactly what you said
with all the problems in the other series.
But I'm just thinking back to even like the last time
they played clubhouse, they opened the wall,
what's happening?
newer is going to stick his face in it.
J9O is going to go for more aggressive fights.
So yeah, it's just a trend again and again.
SR now though, I mean, they got to play onto the defensive side,
which I actually think they're stronger
on their attacking side on this map.
So maybe a little bit worried for them.
I'm wondering if we're going to see possibly some shield bands.
How are we going to target playing against DZ?
Are we going to try to do the blueprint that other teams have
been doing against them, bringing in those C4s?
We look at wild card.
What were they able to do against Kino, right?
the information there. Yeah, use the C4s, but I don't know if we can go in that same
direction. It's really only one player that utilizes that information efficiently, which
is Troy. But when you look down the side of all true, everybody is using that information
using that utility. And it is a great strategy. It's a great way to deal with Darkseer. I
just don't know if SR is going to be that the team to do the same thing. I think it
is a good strike, especially nowadays again, with how much the attack has the shields. Yeah,
I mean, they should have got a utility and oh, this is actually okay. They're gonna get rid of the nomad
So for me getting rid of that nomad means they can get aggressive around the IT position
The wall is gonna get open we see a lecture band so IT is gonna be open very easily
But normally you're gonna want to air jab off that IT door once you get the wall open so we should be seeing
Hopefully as far get a little grass back at decent. All right. That's what's gonna need to happen
They're down two rounds right now, but second half on defense a lot can happen
Well, there's a kid from Okonomawak, Wisconsin, who just got the first ace of the North American
League Stage 1.
It's shocking to me that it took that long, Parker, but we do finally have an ace here
in the league.
And of course, Jane, I know, doesn't secure that 4-2-1 half on Knighthaven Labs.
I'll remind you, when you saw these two teams play Knighthaven in the first map of the Salt
Lake City Grand Finals, it was a 7-2 victory for the Rebellion.
DZ now have a chance to answer with the exact same scoreline back against SR on their own map pick
I'm starting to get worried for them because myth even just out of the desk he thinks dark zero are better on the attack on this map
This is SR's pick if they lose this
I have to imagine clubhouse goes the way of DZ and we might be staring down the barrel of another
Domination from dark zero against SR
Just set us up on the collision course with wild card and dark zero in the finals
if that happens. A reminder that these teams have already locked their spots at EWC.
This is just the playoffs coming to a conclusion.
If you are fans of M80 or Wildcard, the two teams that played in the matchup before this,
or if you are a fan of Dark Zero or Shopify Rebellion, you'll see them in Paris in just a couple weeks time
as they compete at the Esports World Cup.
Now it's four about seeding and making it deeper into the NALE playoffs.
A little bit extra money and some bragging rights. Let's not kid ourselves.
but also experience.
EWC is going to be played on a completely different patch.
And as we talked about, the desk has talked about,
Lynx and X talked about in the match before this,
there were quite a whack of changes
that happened with the patch yesterday
that we are already starting to see.
And a big one of that is Zofia,
who was just being piloted by Jane.
I know the man who got an ace in the previous round.
Yeah, the Zofia has been really strong.
We've seen, well, my have a lot of presence
coming through as well.
So the buffs have been very impactful.
as we saw just a couple days ago.
We saw an EML and an APAC as well, so all regions getting on board.
Here comes a Nitro from Braxon that almost found a success, but I think it was shot out of the air, perhaps.
Doesn't manage to find any value for his teammates.
And this clash from Canadian is his signature operator.
I don't think anybody plays Splash as well as Canadian does.
It was a huge reason why they qualified for the World Cup,
and now he's running it once more here up against the Caledron NJR.
firing away I don't really find anything I just I love the sound of the
collie snaggery full by the way just as a smallest I had some of the sound design
this game is really quite wonderful Kino with the shotgun takes care of sir
how many times do you see a grim shot young by the way well watch him for
you're seeing it today and JR got down by rex then does he knows taking no
prisoners he's pretty right in but he has to be close quarter if I damn be
taken care of by Rexon is holding this round together for his team. He's the only one able to
muster a kill and he and Canadian Mountain need to do even more work. As it's just the two of them
shield goes down planted in the ground like a night dropping his sword and he will die on it.
Canadian unable to do much. Rexon finished off as Neuers finds two with the F2 as the
diffuse kick goes down and DZ stays rolling. That's five consecutive round wins now.
It's a beautiful push from DZ Parker. They are in full control of this game,
continuing the momentum through to the half-swapping. You could just tell how
ready they were for SR's defense. They even typed in chat, let's see the clash.
And there it came out from Canadian. Of course it's really the only operator that
he plays on that site, so it's not like it was a hard prediction, but a lot of the
operators really being run. Spoight on his signature, Azami, Surf on his
signature, Smoke, right? Everybody was playing the ops that were known to see
them play here on the top floor of Nighthaven, and it came with every answer they needed.
They got really good youths to clear up from Nero windows, newers on the Twitch, the Cali
was specifically being brought to counter Canadian, and while they actually get the kill on the
Canadian, it forces him back, right?
It means he can't play close on pillar, he used to Troy Rune to have to back up, he's
playing really passive, he cannot commit to those fights as all of his teammates died around
him, so it feels like the Rebellion have been read again, they have a crazy winning streak
here on this map with dark zero now five two up I'm worried about how well
they're playing and I'm worried about the mental the major issue right yeah
they admitted as much and getting blown out on a map that they knew they were
gonna lose still chalk their mental if you are losing your mental in a we know
for sure we're losing this situation we should just be all smiles like you know
Well guys, we've got two rounds. Hell yeah, that's great. Let's move on.
If that's what's blowing your mind up, how does your mind function when you are now losing your own map?
And it started out so promising. The first two rounds for the Rebellion were quite good. It took a bit...
Oh, okay. We love to see that.
A full-core press through the ejected black mirror on the IT wall.
But if you're losing five consecutive rounds on your own map after you hit such a promising start
There's some serious mental resiliency that needs to be shown here by the rebellion now
They might actually have the balance back. They took out folks. They took down NJR
They got J9 out on the run J9. I know a bit of a heat sink at the moment with his 10 kills
He'll be felled as well. It's Kino and Newers against all five of SR. I'm not a single point of damage has been done to the rebellion
Yeah, it's gonna be pretty difficult to lose this round for the SR, so I can't
imagine we see another 7-2 score line. Newers and Kino will do their best, but
5v2 really tough. Again, IT wall stayed closed thanks to that one kill from
Canadian, and just off the back of that you expect this to go to play with SR.
All the kills afterwards are really just gravy, but they're close to the site,
never mind. 1v5 for Newers Parker. Well, we see an ace. Did we see a flawless round?
I think it really hinges on newer's being able to find this final kill on the Ella of surf surf wins it
All right, so there you go bounce back from SR at some point
you had to stem the bleeding right it looks like SR has done that and
Again, one has to wonder how much of that is SR versus how much of that is DZ just kind of playing loose saying hey guys
Look, we're up five to we can take some chances
We can be kind of funny and when we need to lock in we can lock in that remains to be seen
But still some frustration on the faces of SR despite a successful round
I'm quite surprised that false did go down to Canadian in that spot
You don't see the captain of dark zero making the stakes like that very often
But this is around that I think will be easy for dark zero to shake off
You lost two players through the mirror window on the IT breach and that's kind of just
insta GGs, obviously needing killing faults, but NJR also died in that position to Andy, so
the fact that you lose two players so early in that round I think is uh
gonna be one to forget and you can forget quite quickly for dark zero.
You won't have to go back to that bombsite until round 11, should we get there until then we'll
have to rotate back through the basement and potentially the top floor as well if that's
where I want to go there. I guess kitchen and option two and of anybody the rebellion actually
do play a little bit of kitchen to sell that. We'll see how it goes, but plenty more work
to do from SR if they lose this map. They will be in tough shape and they'll go to the basement
with a heavy roam strategy coming out from the rebellion. Dark Zero did a very similar strat
with a pulse down in the basements. I'm not seeing anybody currently on bottom floor. I guess
Canadian kind of on this smoke would be the one anchor is everybody else is roaming around this
mid-floor hoping to find some of these players as they enter the map lines up
actually quite well with what we see in the basement defense clubhouse our next
map right you stick one person in the basement you have four people roam you
keep avenues back to the basement by opening up some of those hatches maybe
put two people in the top four two people on the mid-floor not even labs is a
very big map it's something that we honestly don't talk about that much
because there is so much complexity to labs but it is a genuinely large map so
you can roam effectively if you don't get caught by a drone or any of the
utility work of the attackers, be there a Deimos or a Snake or a Lion or any of those things on the board,
you can get back to the bombsite pretty clearly.
And DZ's advance is already falling on a space.
Kino ties Canadian for the second round in a row.
We'll get kill number one.
We could have another analysis.
Red one over on these cargo stairs.
Feeding kills to his teammates.
We'll get it. Oh, no! Canadian gets caught in the reload as J. Nidow bolts on over.
Foltz now hoping for a kill of his own as J. Maddo takes a beating.
SR locking out DZ. All of this action occurring with a minute 35 still to go in the round.
Very quick pace set by DZ here but the rebellion we're ready and waiting.
It's not bad space from Dark Zero. They really actually didn't commit to the roam game that hard from SR.
They fell back pretty early and as their captain gets them a man advantage this is not a bad spot to be in at all.
You took down Kino, the primary shield player on DarkZero.
He's just fault now as the only shield left on the board.
Fault does not really play shields.
DarkZero are not a big double shield team, so this is a rare offer to be brought out by him.
Not completely unheard of, because there's so much to go through.
NJR has to clear up those shipy bottom.
This push will be focused on cargo, Parker.
You're gonna see them try to get down those cargo stairs, get a plant back behind the tank pillar.
At the same time, NJR will provide that auxiliary support, so it has a second dimension.
but this is going to be tough to actually get into the site.
Now drop on in.
Zalco the smokes.
A killer two here could really crack open the site,
but no, it's SR who's going to do that.
Answering back, Canadians so far the only casualty is this has been a great round and a half,
almost two rounds for the rebellion as they bounce back to the form we saw to start off this map.
off this map. Spoyt is bleeding out, but Ambi with a huge round will seal the deal,
and there you go, a bit more confidence starting to show in the body language and faces of SR
as they have shrunk this gap to just a single round. It's a big round from Spoyt who has quietly
amassed the most amount of kills here in the lobby. Parker, he's been playing his signature
as zombie for all three defense rounds so far, could see it banned, but could be a mira or a clash
as well. Talking a little bit in chat too. We'll see what comes through of it. It will
be the Mira instead so we can keep playing as favorite operator. Again, I think just
positioning himself super well in these late rounds. They understand the win con on the
defense. The Rebellion are doing a good job setting themselves up inside the site, waiting
for those players to come through, not getting over aggressive, not extending too much. And
back to back opening kills from Canadian as well. Cannot be ignored. He's consistently
starting them out on the right foot. Every single round so far for this game, nine straight.
The team with the opening pick has gotten the round during the end of it, so it's really
important that they can team up to win those duels. Dark Zero, they shouldn't be getting
surprised by any of the setups they're seeing from S.R. It's not like we're seeing a brand
new setup coming through for Rebellion, but they just played this map so well and again
with those advantages, they're really good at closing it down.
I think there was a belief forming when Dark Zero took the first half and then that fit
around to start the second half that, yeah, this one's curtain, we're marching our way
towards a quick 2-0.
51% of the community said that SR had the upper hand, 49% Dark Zero.
Now, I might quarrel a little bit with those numbers.
I think DZ is the presumptive favorite of these two squads.
I think for a myriad reasons, frankly, myriad reasons, but I do think it would be close.
I think Clubhouse has the potential to be a blowout for GZ, no doubt.
But this should be a close one.
If SR completely modeled this map, then yeah, it's...
It's curtains, it's over, and I don't...
I do not see Cafe being played, but crazier things have happened,
especially with Troy Canadian-led teams that just somehow find a way to level up
when things are at their hardest.
Hey, the call was coming in for a rehearsal.
Doesn't look like we're gonna get a Kino keeping us on our toes here.
You know, just trying to get more screen time on the brand new Dark Zero Thermite Bundle, which is just put each inch of the shop.
You can go pick it up now if you're a big fan of the Z.
He's using both the skin and I believe the uniform as well.
They've gone pink with it.
Parfor, they are really leaning into the whole gamer aesthetic.
Which I like to see.
A lot of pink, a lot of purple.
Across all the skins.
I'm not even gonna talk about the Blitz Bundle, because I haven't had to see it yet.
Thank God, today.
I haven't seen any...
Haven't had to deal with the Blitz skin.
Haven't uh, we haven't had it. We've had one blitz. It was played by Kino in the previous round
It did not work out and frankly I was not paying attention to what skin he had but
Yeah, it's just a reminder that anime boo
Look at that
All three that's the Zofia butt buff coming in blood bar third deals with 80% damage to Canadian
Unbelievable he's pushed off of his position as Newell grabs Ambi
and he's steadily improving after the rougher start that he had. He's drawn even at eight kills, eight deaths.
It means that these defenders will now consolidate also more inside the site, not as many opportunities to roam.
Unless, of course, you hear Spoy playing with those Kiba barriers in the pocket of his army.
Depending on the way that the next couple kills go, Spoy might have the freedom to do a lurk of his own.
60 seconds on the clock, man, disadvantage for the Rebellion. The entry has consistently determined who wins these rounds.
So dark zero in a favorable spot good control of connector good control of electrical and won a little bit more than that of course
They might have a player rotating over towards Raptors, but most of the meeting is just gonna be called but have this an IT
They could definitely go for it
Canadian still is a problem to play as low HP
He's playing on this shield
Three kills to his name. He's been fragging decently well on his role
That must be a sigh of relief for these guys is now Kino's been dropped finally
SR is able to bring the aggression towards Dark Zero, but there's so much more job to be done.
They've got the recoil, but J9O is still having some problems right now.
As SR is locking out Dark Zero, they march their way towards the bomb site, but they might be sleeping locks.
They're walking themselves into a trap. J9O finally gets rexed, and he's at a terrific game.
A missed opportunity as NJR gets surfed, and now it's all up to Canadian with five seconds to go, and he gets traded!
and DZ still had MetaLive and because of that they take the round and moved to that point.
J9O is playing the game of his life Parker. He's absolutely doing everything for Dark Zero.
He's finding so many good ways to get into the site. There were a couple of whiff shots there,
or rafters, okay? We're not gonna ignore it, but all in all it will be forgiven because all people will remember after that round
was the Multi-Kill, a huge 3K coming in from Jack after they really weren't in a great spot.
But most of that push was focused on connector, it was focused on electrical, and that kind
of fell to pieces.
Despite the early utility work coming out from J9O, Canadian was never really dealt with,
so J9O had to go huge once again, flanking up to his rafter side.
He was the only player pushing the center of the map, he was all by himself, he loses
just one gunfight, they lose that round, he wins three straight, and then starts zero
at a match point.
What a game Jack is having.
He was the highest rated player on this team quite some time ago.
He's sitting in sixth place, entering today with 119 kills and he is continuing to add
to that tally.
Everybody is chasing Newellers at 136 kills, which is an eye-watering number.
And don't count out Newellers, by the way, we've been talking and singing the praises
of Jane I know quite a bit, but Newellers has had some very high impact kills, particularly
in that first half, and he himself is sitting at eight frags, which might be a little bit
below what we expect of him, but the depth has been pretty good on this DZ team so far.
They've got the Rebellion on the ropes, Jesse. Potentially two minutes and 30 seconds. Her
SR will lose their own map.
Yeah, I don't think anybody's having a bad game when these contests start to steer on
the whole, definitely playing a little bit better. And there are some low kill totals
like NJR, but I haven't seen any big mistakes or anything coming out from him. He's in
It's been a high level game of siege so far, it's been a really bad and fourth matchup.
Dark Zero now though, two opportunities to close things out.
They likely won't get to attack the top floor again, this has probably been successful twice,
so they'll go to the mid floor here for round 11.
Canadian remains on his signature clash, and this top floor clear is always going to be so important for this bomb site.
Canadians on the clash, Ambience spoiter up here as well.
It's like, do you know when the Blackheers try to make some space?
Jane, I know, with this game, like, they've got a lot of good tools inside of Dark Zero.
How do they actually get past the U-Till, though?
This is not as unconventional as you think.
Use the impact, break your key to barrier.
Somebody's out on that little highway position. There you go.
Jane, I know, punished before he can get through the awkward door.
But Spoyce been found out.
Newers has him in his sights.
Kino down means that Newers cannot stand here and wait.
So what is he gonna do?
He's just gonna take matters into his own hands.
It's a down, not a secure, which might be a bit frustrating.
Ford Dark Zero, finally finished off,
is now NJR and Newers will need to work together.
Another very quick round, Ford Dark Zero,
circling in, Rexon takes down one NJR, another,
and now the mayor will have to deal
with three players on SR.
Doing their best, DZ's impressions staying alive?
Oh boy, SR singing it to each other
as they do just that, stay alive for one more round.
Big round from Willyspoit again,
binding lots of success here on the Azami,
up in rafters for that opening pick.
The fact that it was an opening pick,
straight on to Kino as well, was so valuable.
Straight on to J9O, I should say.
Kino died moments after to Ambi,
who got that frag, also roaming up on the top floor.
Really good defense coming out from the rebellion,
and now we see a tactical timeout, Parker.
I like this call from Super.
You've got one final round in regulation.
You have to be able to win this bomb site.
You've got options.
Every site will be unlocked here except for storage,
so it's not obvious to DZ what site you're going to play.
Super can call for a strategy.
This is must win for the rebellion.
Again, this is their map.
After losing round 10, these last two rounds
have had so much pressure on them,
because if you lose this map, I'm sorry,
Clubhouse looks really, really rough for SR.
So this has to be where they mount their comeback.
This has to be their big stand.
I'm very interested to see what comes out of this tactical from them, still very close game,
6-5 at the scoreline, but dark zero in a more commanding spot.
Such brilliant shots to come through from these two players, again both ambi and sport have a massive impact in this game so far.
Combined for 20 kills, nothing to two sneeze at.
Spoiced the highest rated player on SR ambi not far behind.
It really is a battle of the heavyweights.
Newer has entered today in second place in terms of EPS. Everybody chasing
chasing Ashen who's sitting at a 127. Newer is in second with 119. J90 in
sixth. NJR in tenth. Borshap of Fire Rebellion. It's Spoyt in third.
Ambien in seventh. Then you got to go down to 17th to find and serve. Spoyt and Ambien have
flourished in their roles. Spoyt in particular going through a mid to later
career renaissance as he had some relatively rough statistical years if
you recall on that old road. Koi roster before then moving over to what was it?
I don't know if it was technically Xnet that he played on or M80 in that original
situation he was in. I mean the M80 Xnet brand split was a bit of a blur
timeline-wise but Spoyt's been doing really really well and he's been getting
very high impact kills and again he's playing on a very critical role. It is
not easy to play Azami on this map. Even though she is a strong operator, you have so much that
you need to take account of and Spoyt's been doing a very good job of it today. My focus is going
to be on the kid himself, Andy, who comes up here, playing alongside Spoyt in this double-entry
role, but he's going to be all the way down in the basement. They chose to go back to the top
floor, Parker. This is the site that SR have lost twice now in this half against Dark Zero,
so it's bold to come back, but it is traditionally thought of as the best bomb site on this map,
So there is logic to a rebellion coming back here. Their setup hasn't changed much. Canadians still on the clash.
We're just still on the Azon. Surface still on an SIS operator. Like this is a very similar setup.
The main difference for me is just Andy who's working down below. I believe he just heard him blow his nitro cells.
So they might have an idea that there's somebody playing on that bottom floor.
He's got himself a camera here in the mid floor.
So he's definitely hunting for one of these players to come down below, but there's no game-os.
There's no buck. It doesn't look like DarkZero really paired to enter this mid floor.
It's just Jane I know who's probably a whole focus is hunting down ambient making sure they can secure that opening pin
But a collision course it would be right Jane. I know and ambi both terrific players
We highlighted ambi versus newer is a little bit earlier today and well again
You've got great fraggers on both sides of the coin ambi singin a 992
You're singing a 993 that's what as close as they can get oh my Canadian just about a second behind
You need to be faster than that
That's an easy walk in for Kino and they have completely dislodged the defenders from this connector position.
That's a huge boon for Dark Zero.
Canadian might even flash in that moment, Parker, so he just doesn't have good vision.
Ends up going down. The opening kick continues to be so incredibly important.
Kino, another one now, is playing on that thermite with an easy bundle inside a connector.
And he wrecks things to avoid everything to do in this critical round.
Oh, he got a field for SR unless they can turn this one around that'll be curtains
Neurs gets spoilt there was very little of him emerging and yet he's punished all the
same rex and keeping up with his very good day trying to catch spoilt's dozen kills
rex and will be a huge feature now as DZ looks to plant the defuse kit Neurs and NJR for the
coverage the mayor's been awfully quiet just three kills to his name all hell breaks loose
now the two remaining players from rebellion ambien rex and will need to deal with this
GZ lockout, and there goes the map. Good patience so far from DarkZero.
SR choosing next steps. Trapped, the cross being held by Neur's high likelihood he gets both of them.
They'll start with one, false credited with the other. Curtains for SR on their map, and GZ, nice labs.
Well, the major final rematch may have started in the same place, Parker, but it's not going to start with the same result.
Dark zero take the rebellion off one of their best maps in the pool steal their opponents pick and go up 1-0 in this series
They're looking incredible here in this matchup the rebellion have a lot of work to do it not to
I
I
and
Open things up with a win in this grudge match Shopify rebellion losing their own map pick
Not the way they wanted to start a best of three with their lives on the line and as we discussed
Important seating for the eSports World Cup on the line as well
It's very clear Kyle that Dark zero came prepared here
I mean they were prepared for just about anything that SR could throw their way
Yeah, and first off I gotta apologize. I want to talk about the band real quick obviously rebellion
What's off the board? It's Cap of Town Nomad, which means they're gonna run along a clash.
Guess what? DZ knows that as well.
Pause them to bring the clash. We got that new Sophia update.
We got J9 underneath trying to use those three impacts from under to pressure the clash.
But that's not all they had.
NJR also gonna be on the Kali, and I mean, just look at this angle.
Like, this is unloosable if you're NJR.
He's getting a lot of free chip damage right into the shield.
And then what else do they have? They got Kino on the Grinch shotgun,
who is just a total spearhead.
Just going to shoot those brimbees in the sight
and push through and well, what are you gonna do
when he's got one of the best shotguns on attack?
And they did try it in a previous round as,
or not a previous round rather,
but another round as well where,
again, the rebellion had no answers for this.
So Jay and I are not gonna do this again.
Three impact, well, we see him actually looking
on a camera of somebody else,
but what's the unfortunate part of running as Ophia?
It's the gun right now, the gun.
It can kind of just go in a little bit.
Yeah, you say it just pulled down, but J9O was struggling a little bit, but he did end up getting the kills and ultimately went in the round and this was just a problem for DZ using this kind of like new Zofia deck, which I think we're going to see a ton at EWC.
Definitely. I love that you mentioned Jack specifically because he was the MVP without a doubt in this series. I mean, even in that ace, we saw him laugh and smile and having a good time, but you got to look at the head to head between both teams.
You know I talked about going into the snatch up to the side of SR
We needed to see Star Fraggers step up and perform and arguably sport definitely showed up and be maybe not at the same level
But even then I believe it was one kill away from double digits
Arguably both sides are performing where they need to it's again
It's just that mental hurdle that I think SR loses time and time
Well, I say time and time again that time and time and time and time again continues to rear it's ugly
Right that that's the thing like when you have someone performing as well as jano has been performing even when you throw in
Spoil you throw in rex and you throw an ambi like it is very difficult to go against this dark zero team
I mean going back to your point Kyle just the confidence
To know that Canadian is gonna play clash to refuse to ban it and just being better in the round
I mean that just shows you the dark zero mentality that they're bringing here like they are not afraid of Shopify rebellion
They've never been and they're not going to start being afraid of them now. Yeah, and that's exactly why I love rooting for this DZ team
They might have the best support staff right now in the NAL with call out and if there's going to be new updates to the game midseason patch notes
Sometimes pro players worried like how are we going to be innovative but call out everybody on that team all the players as well
I mean, they're going to be like first in line into using some of that new stuff and we've seen it today again
and SR look like they had problems with this.
Right, but even systematically allowing Troy to play something
that he's clearly comfortable in,
clearly has been finding success for SR,
give him that comfort, and then immediately take it away
by bringing things that are going to counter
will not only impact his play,
but that also possibly impact his eye-jelling.
Again, they do a very good job at attacking that mental.
Even in that last round, it was such a great strategy.
They understood, Ami was gonna go for the flank,
they had Wrexon inside IT, what do they do inside?
They immediately push through site, get in CC,
hold IT and they cut the site off, they go for the plant and again there's nothing left for SR.
It's just DZ is always one step ahead in terms of being able to respond quicker.
We'll talk about clubhouse then. Right as you're saying, DZ is always one step ahead.
It was 7-2 just a couple of weeks ago when these two teams played clubhouse.
SR need a win on their opponent's map to stay alive.
What do they need to rely on here? What can they rely on?
Again, it's key fundamentals here.
It's not making those minor mistakes
because that's really where Clubhouse does tend to nip you
in the butters.
Once you start making those small mistakes,
other teams do capitalize on top of it.
But if there is one category you really
want to highlight specifically, even in this most recent series,
is the opening kills.
When you look at their last series, they lost 7-2 to DZ.
And they also lost, I believe, seven out
of those nine opening engagements going in the favor of DZ.
So if there's anything that SR really can try to do,
especially on a defensive half,
is to get those opening kills,
swung into their favor,
and then be able to play the man advantage,
especially when you go into those late run executes.
Yeah, they gotta know it's coming, right?
Going onto that clubhouse, again,
they were just opening up walls,
BZ were sticking their faces in,
getting the free man advantage,
and then backing up.
And SR were too slow to realize
that that was going to happen.
So going into this clubhouse,
I expect them to realize
that they're going to get in their face,
they're going to try to play fast,
they're going to try to play aggressive.
Maybe they should start bringing shield operators,
those info ops that they love to use,
and try to go faster against easy,
try to get those kills in their advantage,
and just snowball into sight.
Well, the Rebellion are looking for redemption
here on Clubhouse and in a big way.
Now they're backs against the wall.
If they wanna avoid that fourth place spot
and send us to a third map,
we're gonna have to see some magic right now.
Excellently said, could this be the end of the road for SR Timberlake, might I add?
Well, we'll find out.
It is a razor-thin margin that originally swung for the Rebellion, but now has shifted ever
so slightly to Dark Zero.
It's their map.
It's their soil.
Can they pull off a 2-0 on Clubhouse?
Rebellion fans are nothing if not loyal Parker, despite what history suggests they still have
full faith in their team and I need the players to have that faith as well come into this
game.
You're facing a really difficult challenge going up against Clubhouse here versus Dark
Zero.
It's one of their best maps.
They beat the rebellion 7-2 on this map, battering the group stage and then if you win this, you've
got to face Paffe down as well which will not be in any easier than this one.
So it's a long road ahead of S.R. but if there's any team that can make that comeback happen
maybe it is just the guys that have all the support in the world from the community.
Bans coming out and it's a heavy shield focus coming out from SR. You don't see this too often
on Clubhouse. Usually on this map, the Bans will revolve around either hard breaches like Ace and
Hibana, or they'll revolve around clearing with that Raptor position. Operators like Capitao and
Grimm getting a lot of Bans on this map. Instead, focusing the Shield makes me think that we're
We're going to see the rebellion trying to take that power away from Kino in particular.
He is the main shield player on this game and they want Force Kino into Obsidian Place.
Otherwise, maybe the glass, maybe the dogabee.
Dogabees are so strong and ever present, almost necessity to ban from a lot of these teams.
But again, I do wonder how a lot of these buffs are going to play and we've immediately
seen Zofia rise from the ashes like the Phoenix in her operator icon becoming a staple play.
If you go back to map number one she was playing with the tail end of the first half both by
Rexon and by surf and then it was played almost every single round of the second half by Dark
Zero primarily by Jay and I know but once by NJR a very strong operator again the gun is the
bigger issue utility isn't but I honestly think that with enough time these pros can easily adapt
even some of the hardest controlled guns to control. Remember the Buc C8 back in 2017-2018?
It's like your hand had tremors when you were trying to fire the gun. It was impossible to
control and yet some of the best fraggers in the region and in the world at the time were using him
effectively enough. It's a good read to start things off. They might have an early kill on the
the side of dark zero as they look for a kill inside a bar.
This is an enemy that they see, they'll deal 50 damage but
are not quite enough so he will stay alive.
If you leave the damage fit back still, he's playing inside the smart position.
There's lots of roamers on the top floor too.
Don't forget, Canadian and Spoit remaining up there but it's Rexon,
the first one to go down trying to push up through the lounge to support his teammate.
An opening dual floor, dark zero, the deaths he's touched on are instead of the lost heart
still 100% conversion rate for both teams and it's a fast light hit from D.D.
And they've ran into this! Just as we said about Night Haven Labs, they're all off-site!
Alright, call in the cavalry! And Kino will finally assess that they are returning to the bomb site,
Rexon taking care of Ambite, taking some damage as well.
Kino found a way in, and he will try to box these out!
Canadian, a nice kill, the only one so far for his team!
He and the rest of the supporting cast will need to do some serious work.
Ambius City dies to J9O, but so many have died to him so far today, and unfortunate team kill,
Jack just wants to kill the man. Choked out by the gas, as Canadian hopes to prolong this round,
a minute and twenty are still remaining on the clock. They figured out the other bomb site's
free for the taking, so J9O will link up with NJR. The defuse kit will get planted, S.R. held
outside of the bomb site, one moto, one bottom main stairs, and Jared giving his position away.
A single shot on the spoid, an unwinnable position for the suite, and it's all up to the team captain.
SR fans hoping for a better start to map two than the end of map one will have to wait a little
bit longer unless Canadian can pull off a miracle and roll back the clocks to his EG days.
He's running out of time as he's desperate for a kill.
They will not come easily.
Easy giving him absolutely nothing.
And NJR's former teammate will be the one
to deliver the knockout blow.
A good read as Dark Zero takes round one.
It's a great gap hit from the major champions, Parker.
They find that opening pick on Direkson.
He was playing upstairs in gym.
He dropped down to billiards to try to support ambi.
And then he's the first one to go down
whilst we're watching the chaos unfold.
While we're watching newer and most of Dark Zero clear out this mid-floor, it's really
false who's pressuring around Blue and who realizes there's nobody holding Blue Stairs,
not at the top floor at the bottom, which usually on this roam game, you'll see one
player blue, one player bar, and your two players top floor.
SR really extended upwards.
They had three players staring at that top floor instead of somebody down there on the
Blue Stairs, so they saw that gap.
They run into the basement as quickly as possible.
The surf was playing dirt funnel but it goes down early in that execute and it's just a really nice way to come up to the DC.
It might put a little fear into the hearts of the Rebellion but it'll have to be reworked that strat a little bit when they go back to that bomb site.
But even still, this is a really good way to start off this map for Dark Zero.
We knew that the road would be very difficult for SR.
On this map, the desk mentioned it many, many times.
This is very familiar and comfortable territory for DZ, and when that team is walked in, particularly
over the last couple months, they have been near indomitable.
Now, DarkZero has bled to their credit.
They have not been an unbeaten team.
In fact, I would argue that domestically through stage one, M80 and wild car both looked like
better teams against other North American squads, but you're not only going to be playing
NA teams when you make it to international events, whether your focus is on Osaka later
in the year, whether it's immediately on EWC in Paris, you have to prepare yourself for
international competition.
That was one place that DZ did not falter back in Salt Lake City.
Right now, though, they are well-primed to be able to put the rebellion in the bin and
move to the Grand Finals where they will be on a collision course with the White Hot Wild Card.
It's a great point you bring out, Parker. Darkseer are domestically really hard struggled.
This is a crazy stat I looked up before this game. It's been more than five years since DZ
won a domestic stage of the NA League. You have to go back to the US Division
since they won a domestic competition. They've won two majors in that time, so...
That was... Hold on, Jessica. Let me interrupt you for a second.
That is the one thing that Kyle loves to remind people about. You know I'm a major winner. I won the MA mini major on Dark Zero online.
Okay. I was more talking about Charlotte, but yes, I guess they also won some mini majors.
No, I just wanted to make fun of Mint. He's been doing too well. We've got to knock him down a peg. He hasn't talked about golf anywhere near as much as I thought he would.
Well, DZ is doing really well as well. They're hoping to get mashed down by SR, but I mean, so far it's just been all purple.
Bottom floor control from the buck of J9O. He's got this base down below. They haven't really had to clear anybody out of the cache side.
We still have a couple players on the rebellion over on that side of the map, but instead, DZ are going for a bit more of a direct lightning.
One of them is just pressure jacuzzi, pressure logi, pressure from down below, and they can really claustrophobic in and around the bomb site.
That's a missed opportunity for DZ. He'll slip through the fingers of Kino. J9O gone.
Spoigt gets that head for the trophy wall.
And a pretty good trophy to have as well. Surf's still firing away. He's been a bit quiet today,
but you know, Surf can hang when need be.
Slow start for Ambi as he's 0-2, but that's the only player that the Rebellion have lost,
and this round has gone by in a hurry.
seconds still remaining. DZ fishing for kills outside, they will get Canadian.
Potentially more to be found, but these Keeva Barriers giving them pause for the
time being. Hino knows all too well that somebody was inside a weight room. He saw
that Keeva Barrier give them comfort and concealment before. Nade goes out.
Rexon with a kill. Onto Kino, Neverson folds down the damning task of walking
through singular doorways. A leg appears, folds on the vault, and he has to take matters
into his own hands. He's all on his lonesome and he is completely out of time with the
fuse kit surrendered over on jacuzzi. A good bounce back as SR locks DZ out. Didn't have
the fuse kit there. It was going to be really tough to clutch things up. Nice job for the
rebellion downing that jacuzzi side when NJR tried to get into the building. The desk touched
on how dark zero were really the first team in NA that we're seeing lean heavily into
the Sophia. We saw it back in map number one and now in map two we're seeing that again
with DZ focusing really on that below take both false and Neuer's and J9L all
pressuring down below at some point in that round but it was a good response
coming up from the rebellion too. You saw that great angle of split dropping down
through the haste, we'll just pressure those vert players down below and a really
good job of reading around what's coming from. Neuer's got a couple of big kills
in the midst of that, he actually did find some success from downstairs and then
eventually wrote hitting up red but ultimately get a try to respond all the way up to the rebellion.
I think they read that push really nicely on DZ.
There's some hope back in map number one.
Jesse that SR would show up and bring the same heat to DZ that we know DZ is well and capable of.
The one black mark that the rebellion have on their scorecard is consistency.
Do keep in mind that SR looked like a team possessed hot off of their second place finish at the major just a couple months ago
They want to care to be in stage one all before using three consecutive matches some of which on paper
They probably should have won it was a frustrating thing that many of these players on SR talked about on Twitter
They talked about on podcast they talked about on their stream
They were able to bail themselves out towards the end of the stage and then go on a transit run to claim one of the four spots
the EWC leading people that and others to call Canadian inevitable when a major or a live event
spot is on the line stakes are a little bit lower now you've already qualified so I can
understand why maybe some of that plot armor isn't as strong but SR need to find that qualification
level that they were able to hit last week or else GZ while they're in the favorite spot from
here on out might be another rush coming out Parker digress the main bridge open fault
to clear out, and he does just that, and Newers gets the kill, but it's traded well back by Serp.
That's going to be 4v4 now, but we're still going on. The Rafters play will go the way of Dark
Zero, Janna, I know, finds Spoit leaving just Rex in there to play the top of Garage. Serp
for Canadian still inside of site as well. They want to do fast with that, and they stall that out.
Despite losing the numbers advantage, that is kind of a mission accomplished from SR. I feel like
they want it to just run straight up those red stairs, or maybe run straight into Garage,
but they will stall things out as Faults the main shield player goes down.
Very weird to see Faults on a shield once again, but healing the Calliope makes sense.
Another operator we haven't really discussed that just saw some changes during the mid-season
patch is Jager. Almost back to his old foul. Oh, reliable for a lot of these players and for
Fraggers, they would be delighted. Doesn't really help serve there, though. He was able to amass a
kill earlier to add to the two that he had prior. Doing pretty well. He and Spoight leading the way
on the team through three rounds with three kills apiece, averaging one per round. That's not too
bad for them especially for Serf who again doesn't play that same forefrontal
role. DZ in prime position as they've now downed Rexon and it's the old dog
going up against DZ, Canadian in a 1v4. You have any hope here Jesse? Not
particularly. I knew exactly what you were gonna do. He trades himself out, you
were waiting for Canadian to die so then you go nope and look like you're the
No.
I bet no before he died.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
DZ regains lead.
Slander on the cast, and slander in the server
is that rush push.
A little bit disrespectful to come out from Dark Zero.
It's the second time in three rounds
where they've gone quite fast at the start of it,
but it's not coming blind, right?
They're doing it because they have the information,
and they're always so good at trading those kills back
when they go for those fast moves.
I really like how closely they played together,
kind of down below the site, inside of lounge.
This push is not bad for S.R. The back of Sturk is just trying to fault the spine, but then Sturk is left in kind of a poor position.
He's trying to hold this diffuse kit, but if he goes back up the red stairs, he might have just been in a safer spot altogether.
They close them out really easily there on the side of PZ. They just wait for him to come into their crosshair and they find that frag.
It's not really nowhere else to go, so a nice pressure move from the open dark zero, they regain the lead here on the roadmap pick.
I do quite like when these teams do battle with one another.
A lot of history here, and a lot of storylines for people who are just some of the more casual
observers.
It's fascinating to watch DWC Jesse and see how these operator changes will impact these
teams.
You know, one player that I, the one thing I was thinking about during the, between the maps partner that I haven't been able to really talk about, but I think it's good to mention now is scary ones about things, Justin.
I was thinking about Ambi, as I often do.
You're thinking about Ambi.
And, uh, how he wasn't really so involved in the entries, back in map number one.
Of all the players in the league, he is the highest entry participation rate, 37% of any
player in the North America League.
But despite that, he was just involved in one opening gunfight back on the first map,
and he lost it.
Now for the first three rounds here on Clubhouse, he's been involved twice, but he lost both
of them in the previous two rounds.
I think Andy is the key success for the top player in the side park, but they have to
get ambi more active i can use them with these opening tools and he has to find some
stuff that has to be supported by his teammates it's a great bomb site for scopos a great map
for scopos as well this boy played the operator a number of times ambi taking over now so you've
got bottom floor bomb site you usually hide one upstairs inside a bathroom and sure they know this
right about to see him
and no problem
deal about that yeah I think that was I think that was literally the first
scopo strap I ever saw when this operator got pulled into the game yeah I
think it was this map church you have one upstairs in bathroom
And while scope was as a shield when the second robot is immobilized, you are still just a
bot and a gun, kind of like a U-Rank.
Canadian will be the only shield at this current point in time.
He loves this operator, he loved it on Night Haven Labs, he loves it here on Clubhouse.
It allows him to call while still being somewhat protected.
It doesn't make him unkillable.
We saw that in full effect to some comedic effect as well, back on that first map.
Final minute now, as Dirt Seer got in their eyes, crossing their T's on the main floor.
Warming up for an execute, and they get SPOINT!
Oh my goodness, NJR punishing him a very good dance by both of these teams, and unlucky for SPOINT.
What made those holes try to impact?
But instead it's his own demise.
That's a good way to go over, really.
Now forty seconds of the plant will come into the hatch.
And he was one kill you said you wanted more about Andy you were thinking
longingly about him and he finds the second Jesse the opposite of a castor
curse he's in a very powerful spot now watching across towards the main stairs
but distracted from above newers dropping bombs on this SR team from
kitchen and yet still at a full man count that L85 doesn't get the love that it
used to get but it's still quite formidable gun in the right hands
Newer is showing that one off.
Sperth and Canadian on the run for S.R.
Time running out.
They need to get the diffuse kitten down,
but nobody on DZS control.
S.R. might just win this off of time,
and they will do just that.
Sloppiness from DZS.
They are unable to pivot quickly enough,
and S.R. takes full advantage.
I've got good timing today, Parker.
It really was Andy for me that came alive
and made that round possible for the Rebellion.
He's able to jump in and get two big kills,
including Kino who's planting the defuse kit.
It's really massive for him to be able to step up and get those kills.
It's maybe not an entry pick like I was hoping to see from him,
but instead, down in the basement, he still has huge value there on the scope.
It was playing the operator for the first time this stage.
Once that defuse planter goes down, like once you lose that plant, it gets really awkward.
Sure, Nourus can grab a couple of kills from the hatch.
It's definitely valuable, but you lose that main focal point of the push.
You lose your ability to plant and take control of the clock for yourself.
You saw it, the timer ticking down was the whole reason why SR got the win in the end of it, so...
If they are able to plant, that clock starts working for the attackers, everything changes,
but Ambi puts a stop to it, so a huge round coming out from the youngster on Shot the Fire Rebellion.
And again, it's that entry pick that does eventually result in a round.
It just started out so well for GZ, newer's desperately needing help.
I think technically he only got two kills, but he was a main contributor in a couple other points of damage that have been done
And it's a round that really slipped through the fingers of dark zero one that DZ lost more than I'd argue
SR outright one, but I mean at the end of the day
It's not like you get to the winning screen and they go well actually you won seven five
But two of those rounds you really shouldn't have so we're gonna give it to the other guys
Rebellion are gonna be happy that they took that round DZ just needs to tighten things up a little bit
The eventual wisdom here is that because it's their map pick, Jesse, they start on the harder side,
and even though DZ are a pretty decent attacking team, the fact that they've been able to muster two rounds already,
that's about where most attacking teams will get, playing on maps where they don't choose that starting side.
So, sides are still quite positive for DZ.
Yeah, I would agree. I think if this half ends 3-3, it's fine for both sides.
Like, it's not the end of the world for the rebellion, but they're certainly going to be hoping for a 4-2 split.
It's definitely makes you a little bit worried Dark Zero. There's pretty much no bad outcome
It just doesn't even if you lose the next two
They'll be in a decent spot to close things out in the second half
But plenty of games still to play sometimes things don't always align with our expectations
Go back to the gym bombsite parkering this time
I think we're gonna see a little bit more of a cash clear coming in from dark zero
They've got more bodies on that set the map
That's that they also still have some players
They've brought the buck once again you can play down below and they haven't really started opening the wall
So it might be a similar push where they just really focus on this vert and they try to condense themselves here on the
bombsite and make it really awkward to play these positions.
One of the slower rounds
so far. It used to breakneck pace being set on Clubhouse. Again, it's a very big map.
We said similar things about Night Haven Labs, our first map that was played and now we can say we stay here on Clubhouse.
This is a death drop from Kino as he's hoping for an opportunity on the side of
Lodgy, but he's gassed out immediately. This is a really good call-in response by
Surf. Kino yet to find a kill, the only person in the lobby that doesn't have one
just yet. A bit of a fall for Grace given how good he was back in map number one.
A little worried about DZ stalling out here, Jesse.
Yeah, he needs to use their utility to get something. Oh, it will go down. That's NJR for the first ride. There it is.
They have a faith opening pick now and J9O another one right after.
They know these players are in Lodgy.
It's going to be a bit of a problem as they drop the abuse kit right in the hands of the rebellion.
And this all of a sudden gets so difficult.
New risk is a pick back on the surf that's immediately traded.
Everybody's going down with 30 seconds to go.
It's 2v2.
Because of the sluggishness of this execute, there's no opportunity to find greater information.
Your only real intel op was the snake of folks who I don't feel is able to do his job well enough for this team.
You can't go onto drones.
You don't have any left.
So now you just waltz into the waiting arms of SR and they putish you for that.
Rexon and Canadian with the closeout kills and SR takes the lead.
Rebellion playing into their own game Parker.
That's exactly what you have to see if you're a fan of this team.
They're stalling things out.
They're playing this slow.
They're using their utility to just make sure the Dark Zero can't do much.
But the second time now we've seen DZ kind of ignore the eastern side of that top floor,
mostly focusing on Jacuzzi on Lodgy by playing down below.
and it kind of has been hurting them as they try to go for this play.
It was really an all-in drop from Kino with the diffuse kit on the ying to get that logic control.
And while, you know, it's a good position for a ying to be pushing,
the faculty was completely by himself and then just gets smoked by surf at the SNG11.
It was a bit of a brutal outcome for him.
It was the entry fraggers of Ambie and Spoight that were the main stars on Nightgaven Lab,
but now it's just the fourth duo of Canadian and surf.
who have been pulling a little bit more of the weight.
They leave their team for Talkfragg's five a piece marker
and I think the value they brought
is really impactful too.
Unequivocally so, those that are wondering
just a really quick touch on the mid-season patch notes,
which is shown on the broadcast earlier today,
but if you didn't watch the pre-em,
you might be a little confused as to what happened.
What happened?
Don't give me, her logic bombs now renamed the JGIP payload,
not the same name, different gadget.
The cooldown is now per target
and cooldown has been increased, it's been doubled.
Jaeger, back to a three speed.
Everybody is happy about that.
Sophia getting one concussion and one impact
added to her arsenal, and Wamai,
getting some serious buffs across the board
to make him more viable.
So if the issue is too much,
throwables too many gadgets on the attack,
well, with Jaeger and Wamai getting buffs,
that's pretty good, but the Sophia buffs
kinda negate them, so I mean,
He takes some good with the bad, I suppose, here, but it's immediately what pushes Zofia into an almost must-pick roll,
and Yeager has also seen quite a bit of prominence as well as these bots clearly working as intended.
As Kino has jumped on this operator and obviously owned five a rough start for him on this map,
but they also banned out three of his primary operators, so he is being heavily focused here on the bands.
Still would have a shield as an option, but instead, gonna run this newly buffed up that you were just talking about, Parker.
And it looks like dark zero are gonna apply some pressure here on the master side last time they went for a
Bit of a weird rush down in towards lounge. It went their way this time
It's a bit of a trap and it's still the same as all the newers and opening pick find syrup to start this bush
Rough one for serve who's been integral in those opening moments for the rebellion. It will get worse now
After SR took that third round they fall by the wayside
Half of the round still to go and it's only spoiled on the side of SR
Boxed out of the bomb site, defuse kit going down,
NJR successful in that endeavor in the first line of defense
for DZ will be Foltz.
Team captain and former world champion,
holding that single door panel,
there's a rotate inside a construction.
This boy might be able to just walk right past him.
Foltz's attention elsewhere, damage done to Foltz,
so he's in a rough shape, still drones to go out
to assess his position,
giant gap that is between these two teams ever wide,
even bigger.
And the wall that's been opened up
with the confused kit in front of it.
No hope whatsoever for SR
as they were outside the building on the side of DZ,
NJR the final kill and we have a 3-3 first half.
Well, no better way to start this game
with a 3-3 first half clubhouse.
We often see this kind of score line though,
but Dark Zero on the attacks, what do you like so far?
What don't you like?
Yeah, I mean, well, for me, these attacks
are kind of looking a lot like my golf game,
like some really good ideas,
but honestly, poor in the execution phase.
I mean, 3-3 is a great attacking half,
and I know we're going to talk about that,
but there's definitely some rounds
that could have went into their favor.
Specifically, I want to talk about the bands
real quick, kind of the rebellion.
I mean, they got rid of the Montane,
they got rid of the BB, and they got rid of the glass.
So basically, they left everything on the board
for Dark Zero.
They were able to use the Blitz,
They were able to use the Grim, Capitao if they wanted it,
Ying was up, right?
There was a lot that they could have used,
and they had some really good ideas with it,
kind of pulling the rebellion in different directions.
However, the rebellion just kind of had some players
kind of step up big time.
Ambie on that lower, on that basic round,
gets underneath the armory hatch
and makes some plays happen
and shuts down the round there.
And then Troy actually stepping up big
for the rebellion on that cash round
when they were pulling toward the Logi side
with the Candelas and the Grimbees.
They started walking Ambie up the red stairs,
or J9O up the red stairs,
But again, came down truly make it some great place.
Yeah, absolutely.
And then we were looking at those opening engagements
and something that I highlighted in the previous series.
Darkseed ran away with it.
If I said for SR, they need to get opening engagements going
in their favor.
However, they did get three opening engagements
to not go into their favor.
On the other side, they weren't able to give Darkseed able
to convert those into wins.
But again, they're going on their attacking app.
And going 3-3 on your defensive half
is not painting a good picture.
Where I'd argue any other map, that's great.
On a map like Clubhouse, not great.
You win off your attacks.
and the fact that DZ40 is up 3 is setting them up for great success.
And again, back to those opening kills, where we saw DarkZero thrive was on their defensive
app. They were getting those opening kills. They were converting them into roundswind.
It's going to be even more important for the side of SR to not swing those opening kills
into DarkZero's favor because we know exactly how DarkZero likes to play. They get those opening
gauges, then they turtle, they play back into those layers, and then they're going to shut
rebellion outside of the site. Yeah, and I feel like defense, you can play 4v5s,
They were winning any of the opening kills, but you can absolutely play 4v5s, and I think a lot of people, even in our ranked games,
they start throwing their lives away when you lose someone or other, but you could still win 4v5s on defense,
but attack is where it's going to be important, that they need to start winning some of those opening duels, right?
They need to start getting that more so into their favor, because they cannot play a 4v5 on attack.
It's going to be a lot harder when DZ inevitably runs back to site.
These bands change at all how you're thinking about this second half or do you feel like this is going to be an uphill climb?
It's pretty default. I think if you're going to go for dark zero, you're eventually going to get rid of the grain
You're going to get rid of the capitao possibly for you know any of the site holds. What do you got to that?
Well, I do love numerous on the castle one time or he really liked to use this against easy
And you like to have a lot of pocket castles
There was one round specifically on gym where they're layering back on that side
You see they're using a lot of Goya as well.
They're gonna put those Castle Bear Cates late round against SR,
and it seemed to give them a lot of a big problem,
so I'm wondering if that thing continued.
All right, Dark Zero, move to the defense, SR.
They want to send it to a map three.
We have to see it here on the attacking half.
The last time Dark Zero and the Rebellion met in the server
was back during the stage one group stage for June 26th,
and that game was also played on Clubhouse,
And that match started with DarkZero winning 5 straight defense rounds in a row.
Rebellion has to be better at attacking on this map versus DZ.
If they give up a 5-1 half again, or even a 4-2 half, this is gonna be wraps,
and they'll be headed to Phase 1 at EWC instead of Phase 2.
So this needs to be where we see improvement out of SR.
100%. I believe the idiom that we would say is that the rubber makes the road.
And that's exactly where we are at this current point in time
the rubber
Meeting the road in the very car friendly Hamburg, Germany believes the setting of this
No, all the maps are by the way, I know
Hamburg that sounds right
Little biker games so like that that makes sense rubber hitting the road. They got tires on bikes
That makes sense to me as well, you know, okay, good. Look at that one two punch we got there. Good for us
Took us a minute, but we are capable of being cordial
Being kind to each other is tough but being cordial is doable even after earlier today
I said I like spending time with you and you said you did not so
So it goes
One thing Jesse that defines some of these easy attacks is most of them were quite quick rebellion for their very first attack
They're maiden voyage here on the second half like a little bit more sluggish playing a little bit more practiced and that is a
Okay, you just saw a big fallback from DZ to respond to this
Yeah, it's very similar to round one right where the rebellion went for a very Rome heavy defense on the bottom floor of Clubhouse here
But instead of getting rushed like we saw from the rebellion DZ are choosing to fall back towards the site
You lose a little bit of that utility had to lose some of those castle barricades and tibas
We've got an exploded phone in the pocket of Jane. I know so they definitely burn some utile burn some time
And now they're happy to play this 5v5 right there's a lot of bandit batteries
I think down below probably on the church wall by I could get the gucchino with those soil canisters still down below there might be a
Castle downstairs, but there's good chance to go up anyway
So there's a lot of stall being played out by dark zero in the basement
Which is gonna mean that her belly and have a lot of work to do where they can go for the sense plates
That just don't go down and it works beauty surf taken down yet again and early death
for surf and some trash talk from the mayor in chat. Oh my goodness.
It's gonna make it all the more difficult 30 seconds. We haven't even smelt the base
on the side of their alley. They're gonna go blue Parker, but this is really late.
It is time obviously not on the side of rebellion right now and the worries that they will trickle into their impending doom
Faults newer to kill a piece a drop from rex and an ambi ambi has managed to find one to its credit
Rexon lets one slip through fingers ambi doing his game is to keep this one close, but will now need to ace
As he's caught out
Nowhere near the bomb site flames still lingering in front of them soldiering through taking damage in the process
and his chances much like those flames have gone up in smoke look at the
enthusiasm on the face of Foltz GZ takes the first round of the second half
you know just to get a little bit of a positive I really like that sends play
from Rexon down towards blue SR are one of the only teams that do this it's not
the first time they've shown it but just using those sends walls to try to
isolate some picks in blue it was the only position where they really caught
some good value it's the only spot where they started to find a little bit of
map control but going down 5-2 obviously a tough spot to play yourselves out of
at the time really being wasted well by Dark Zero.
Usually on the bottom floor of Clubhouse, right,
you have to choose.
Are we gonna commit to the Rome game
and try to delay time above?
Or are we gonna commit to the site
and try to waste time with things like smoke and glow
and stuff like that, stalling things out?
Easy kind of off-po-back in that round.
And if you let a team get more from the defense,
it's gonna be really tough to come up against
when the clock is just so difficult to go against.
When you're in that position,
Dark Zero got time-waste on the Rome game
and inside the site,
meant the rebellion could bear a little time pushing me for that. Even without, I think,
the start of dying to that nitrous cell, it would have been a tough push to come through from them.
So, first attack, I don't even necessarily expect to win that one, but it's a good lead from Dark Zero.
That's our first, uh, I guess like the first bit where we think to ourselves, oh, okay, maybe they, uh,
maybe another thing or two about this second half. Dark Zero showed a lot of confidence
On that first half too, the numbers, their underlying numbers, very, very good.
They have every single first blood so far in this series.
Neuerson, NJR responsible for every single opening pick.
The only, everybody has died early on rebelling.
The only person who has not been an opening death.
His Canadian right now, who's sitting at five and five.
He's been showing up from a fragging perspective, but yet again,
He is not the guy you want to get kills. If Canadian is getting kills, that is a bad sign for SR.
And right now, he's in a three-way tie for most kills on his team.
Well, there it is, Parker. Just as you say, Dark Zero had every entry coming into this round,
but there's going to be one back for the Rebellion. Spoight finds it on the Snake,
one of his signature operators. Takes out Kino on the Rome game, who's himself having a bit of a
of a rock game playing their over-trods' master.
Also, Neur is a bit of an aggressive move
towards bottom garage.
Shutdown by Rexon, I think feeling the pressure
a little bit as they finally lose an entry duel,
thinking I gotta get a kill back,
but it's not to be Neur's.
I'm def-
I'm def-
Holding.
Rebuffed by the great aim of rebellion,
that's the one thing you cannot take away from them
is that even if they struggle to find kills
and strategically might have issues,
They've almost always got some level of offensive threat in here.
Speaking of, there's Spoyt wandering into the lion's den.
NJR takes care of him.
NJR looking for so many, securing Surf.
And suddenly, Rexon is all on his lonesome,
but he finds the final two kills!
Out of nowhere, a massive win for SR.
They tie things up.
Richie Coronado making that Zofia sing, what a beautiful round coming out there, and beyond
the Zofia I should say, but still finding huge value in the doka-bee, Rexon really good
round coming out with that SMG, finds a couple of kills, shuts down NJR who himself was starting
to put together a massive multi-kill, was 9 and 3 I believe after that round finished
up, so really good game so far from Nick, but Rexon just a little bit better there to
be able to get that one back. Tyus once again here, 4 to 4, was a weird scrappy round where
DarkZero was playing a lot more aggressive than what we're used to seeing from them on
this cash side. I almost wonder if they're using this as an opportunity to just try out
some new styles of play. Seeing NJR not on the tachanka here is really, really weird,
but playing the bandit lets him get a little bit more aggressive. Find some success with
a gun skill but ultimately it's Rexon who's better and it's actually attack time which
come through from call out four to four.
Again things are not terrible for DZ but the fact that they're calling this time out at
this current point in time suggests that call out's heard something or seen something that
he doesn't like and can't blame him.
You know, if Call Out, who's now won a major, who is, uh huh, inarguably one of the most
talented coaches and one of the most highly regarded coaches across all of our esports,
sees something, and he decides to slide that timeout button, who the heck am I to say otherwise?
So it worked if you recall back on Nighthaven Labs, he called his timeout when it was OT
and DZ went on a five round rampage.
Now they're on the side of Clubhouse
that they much prefer going up against a team
that might not be the most familiar.
Your hope is that that magic comes back
for at least a couple rounds,
and if it does, that's gonna put DarkZero in winning position.
Yeah, it definitely feels like a weird tax time
I want to call, because again,
I think even around 7, it was quite good from DZ.
Like it was nearly a flawless victory for them,
and I think they played it really, really well.
So that free this round definitely a little bit sloppy, but after only one back
I'll choose to call it. Oh really good to come through impact
I believe that was just stops that hard bridge charge coming out from Andy
They use the maverick to make that whole Parker, but it comes up against them and now it also will get taken out
Oh, no. Oh, this is a huge problem coming out from Tharx Zero
We're coming up here at Belliger, I should say
There is latest work! Claims serve! It comes from back to worst Jesse!
That's blue.
I would be, you know, if you asked me to draw up the worst way possible to try to get that open,
I would think that what we just saw would be too outlandish.
Uh-huh.
And yet, that's ultimately where we're at, so a really good start for Dark Zero here is that's just,
yeah, it's over a minute burned on the clock and SR will need to go back to the drawing board.
So for anybody keeping track, it was newer with an impact, they got the first denial, it was fault through the bandage trick, they got the second denial, and then it was fault through the nitro that killed Seraph.
That is just brutal work happening there on the CC wall. They won't get the garage wall open, so this is nice, but 90 seconds have already been burned, and it's kind of one dimensional.
Like, they're falling off of it, and it's being caught by Canadian or Trone, so it might not be that bad, but even still, the U2 play has been really rough in SR, they're still wasting more time as they're triggering barbed wire and thorn traps.
thorn traps they won't get this space but it's only because dark zero let them have it
sr has been very quick to pivot over the last 45 seconds you have to give them some credit for that
as they still have drones out and surf will be the one to watch those little cams
the rest of the team it does the work they need to do circling around now towards the gym
bedroom portion of this map and Rexon will find newers on our map.
How much of an easy kill outside those windows Giveth and boy do they take it away.
Spree will now also gain information on the four remaining players. Look at that.
How well is this suite able to relay that information to the rest of his team because
knowledge is power and right now SR is looking to overpower GZ but they come out empty handed
until Spoi gets one. He had Ambier the last few lines. He knows exactly where they are but
but they know his position too,
and folks is on a heater with the sidearm out,
cuttings down, spoits.
Ambien a 1v3, finds one of the remaining players,
two more to go, defuse, get out of reach.
It'll all come down to bloodshed,
and Ambien's looking to spill as much of it
as humanly possible.
Dancing around the razor bloom,
a pre-fire from Kino steals the deal,
and DZ takes the lead.
Knowledge is power, but utility wins games, Parker.
two nitrocell kills in the midst of that push.
Obviously, Fault starts one off on the wall
that we talked oh so much about,
but Kino getting one late in that round as well
was really crucial to stop that push from coming in.
It was scary after Spoigt got all that info.
Four players all spotted on the scanner,
but ultimately it just wasn't quite enough
as they were dropping bodies left and right.
Beautiful shot with the pistol to come out from the DZ.
Captain to get his ninth frag out of the board.
Again, Kino stepping up big time.
Been a bit of a rough game from him so far,
but I think that was a really nice round
come up from him just playing inside of the bathroom and hallway position deep
inside the site. We continue to stay close here but DarkZero continue to be a
team leader more often than not. Again the util play on the wall was just
phenomenal from DarkZero and while it's a good gunplay that gets this close it's the
aggressive play over towards Jim that I think tilts that man count back in their
favor. Undeniably so and a good time out from callout as he gets the team back on
a winning trajectory now just six minutes away from conquering Shopify rebellion and moving
into a birth of the grand finals. The match that came before this, M80 versus Wildcard on paper was
billed as a battle for the life of the MAL and Wildcard. Just destroyed M80. It was...
map 2 was a little close but the comeback from wildcard was just such a thing of beauty
and now wildcard finds themselves in the grand final the loser of this matchup will go home
the winner goes on to face m80 as wildcard will wait in those grand finals reminder we
are in the lower bracket here so wildcard will have to wait tomorrow we will have m80
versus the winner and then the winner of that up against wildcard almost forgot for a second
here with all the theatrics and heroics that we were in the lower bracket but
that's where we find ourselves. Loser is done and goes out. Remind me again
Jesse, what happens if you lose this match? If you lose this match properly, you're able to force a threat and
fading the one of the Esports World Cup which makes your journey to that
championship spot all the more difficult. You'll have to play against some of the
international teams. There's only one NA spot in phase one. The other three spots
I'll go directly to phase two, so it's never gonna be an easy road when you're playing through an extended phase of the major
That said you go back to Stalings City when the rebellion actually started in the phase one at that event and made it all the way to the Grand
Deaths and complaining means, but you never want to make things harder for yourself if you can help it
I for one think that the hard road is the best road Jesse
You know this defense looked like it was gonna be a bit more Rome focused but even earlier than the previous rounds they all fall back towards the site.
It's a little interesting because they don't have a crazy amount of excitement, so I guess they do have more Keybus to play with and the Goyo canisters,
but Neur's on the vigil, Folt's on this Jager as well.
Like these are ops that could have stuck around
on the roam game, but it's gonna be a pretty slow one
to come through here from both teams.
It's a very dramatic zoom in on Neur's, by the way.
Like when our observers get to have some fun here with it.
10-8, he's leading the lobby.
He is.
NJR, just relinquished control of Topfrag
around or two prior.
Folt's also having a very good statistical game.
Canadians numbers still in the three-way tie, but now for the bottom of the team, which again is a promise and sign for SR
Dog on them all you want if Canadian is even competing for top frag on the team
That means terrible things for Shopify rebellion. He's the one feeding kills to his teammates. He's not the one amassing them
Final 45 seconds to go right now and SR still scouting for something upstairs in kitchen
It's a very strong position if surf can stay here. They've been unable to get that hatch open
You're gonna have to hurry. I don't love this timing so far from SR.
Word of the nitro being held by Kino too, like there's still tools to be able to shut this down.
You're right, the clock is a huge issue for them. 25 seconds.
They're looking like they're going to death drop kitchen.
Nitro Cell is at hand ready, trying.
Andy squeezes Pi, but NJR gets him in the process.
The Nitro Cell doesn't work with the guns too. Surfer on the ground now as well.
And my goodness, they're all dead.
DZ wipes the floor with SR and Jesse it's their match to lose DZ since the time
out unstoppable. Old habits die hard this basement bomb site has been so
difficult for the rebellion and it's been the clock over and over again that
has caused them issues we'll get attack time up from super knowing that
everything is on the line they've got to be flawless for these next two rounds
they've got to win the overtime and now they've got to win map 3 cafe and
as well. So there is plenty still to do. The Rebellion are hoping for a long, I'd say
long night tonight, but it's barely past the afternoon, so long day we'll say here on the
North America League. So much again still to be accomplished by this SR team. You go back to that
previous round Parker and it really just feels like they're not able to put the execute together.
This time it's a 5B5 rather than a 5B4. It doesn't make a lick of difference. It's always just this
clock where it comes down to it. You're panicking trying to get into the site. The kitchen drop
is being read, you've got pressure main stairs, but you're just getting bodied. It's another
opening death from Ambi. He's 0-3 now on this map, if you're going 0-1 back on the first map.
To me, that's the biggest difference maker. For S.R., the point seems like he's showing up today.
I don't think Canadians played too badly, like Rex and Sirp are having their moments.
And Ambi's not having a bad stat line either by typical performance, but by his standard,
by the role he plays on this team, we need to see him having so much more of an impact,
and it just hasn't been his day today.
There's no doubt he is one of the most talented players in the world.
We saw that back at Salt Lake City.
We've seen it at dozens of events over the last couple of years,
but it just feels like today against this Dark Zero team,
it's something he's not really been able to overcome.
Very limited opportunity for Billy to get back in this one, Jesse.
XTCDB Cash upstairs, the top floor is where this reign of terror for DZ ultimately began.
One thing for SR is that they were triumphant here before, and Super Musk know this as he
calls his timeout.
And if SR can replicate the success they had back in round number 8, then we will prolong
this matchup.
If not, that's it for the rebellion there.
of the lower bracket, DZ will square off against MAD tomorrow and then we'll have the Grand Finals
which follows shortly thereafter with Wildcard up against the winner of that. Wildcard likely
watching this match up quite intently and then we'll be doing so in the lower bracket Grand Finals
tomorrow or before we move to the total Grand Finals. And again, the loser here has to play through
phase one of EWC. Shopify Rebellion know that all that well. They did the exact same in Salt Lake
city didn't they Jesse and they still made it to the grand finals so adversity is only a nine-letter
word for some teams for a rebellion it's probably their favorite word in the whole language it's
absolutely something they'll be used to trying to bail themselves out on this series itself will be
long much like the tournament resultant part of the Mariners newer finds the entry on to ambi is
that not encapsulate the entire game we've seen so far it's good trades both sides for that means
the numbers remain on the side of dark zero four v three now the main bridge is open but rafters
still firmly in the control of dark zero and sr will have to go for a bit of a
reset 3v4 it's all on split surf and canadian to pull this one back rex is
the closest player on the team to positive he's sitting at nine and nine
the rest of sr underwater kills have been much harder to come by and canadian
will wander in all haphazard like j9o got an eight on night haven labs is
broken double digits with it back-to-back kills. And Willy is the last one standing, holding the
fuse kit on the breach the Chimico launcher used to slow the Swede's advance. He will approach
that position himself now running up red stairs giving his position away and faults the nice M&E
Ving DC move on SR out of the NAL playoffs. Tomorrow dark zero and M80 to kick off our show what a
match that will be. One of the best rivalries in North America continues to be lock-sided as Dark
Zero will take down the rebellion in this major grand final rematch. It looks dominant on their
own map. Thanks Parker. Ace, who's heard game to come up from DZ. We've got an interview with our
winners and a beautiful nest to break down all the action. Thanks guys. It was yet another win
for Dark Zero in this very one-sided rivalry.
It's such a great matchup to see, but every time Dark Zero come out on top,
this time they do it in two maps going back to their own stopping grounds of Clubhouse.
They have no issue. They take down SR once again.
I was going to say, you said it's a great matchup to see, but definitely one side of Dark Zero,
maybe if you're a Dark Zero fan, you're a Dark Zero fan.
That's rivalry, right?
It's definitely not a rivalry by no means. I mean, what now it's 17 to 3 overall record
It definitely is not great for the side of SR and it's it's it's rough because I know what it's like to be in their position
And once you overcome them once you get that victory in your favor
You start to just look like a completely different team and that hurdle no longer is the hurdle for you
And it's just tough to see this match up time and time again, because I can sympathize and empathize with them entirely.
Probably when everything is planned out, because that's what you're inferring.
You, too, Sam, whoever. I mean, it was rough every single time.
Yeah, I mean, look, I'm just gonna keep it frank.
I mean, you are not gonna win a game when you get one opening kill and ten opening deaths,
and that's just the story of the rebellion.
Like, you could just always tell when they're gonna do good versus when they're gonna do bad,
and when they're gonna just get absolutely, uh, dumpstered against Dark Zero here.
I mean, yeah, like that is exactly what they got to go back to the drawing board and figure it out because it's just
frustrating to watch 4v5, every single round.
What do you do though? Because I mean you've experienced this, I've experienced this. You know what the issues are.
You know how you can try to fix them, but then once you actually put it into practice,
everything just falls apart. You find yourself in the exact same scenario.
You're losing the game, you're losing the series, boom, onto the next, and you just don't really know what to do at that point.
Well luckily for them they got a good coach over there to help me figure that out and that's why I'm right here on the
We've got someone ready standing by for the interview. I think we got keynote today keynote
It's always good talking to you man. Congratulations on the win. Thanks guys
I mean you guys do it again you take down Shopify rebellion
We always hype up this matchup as being oh, it's the two best teams in NA and yet you smoke them every time
Like do you like and and maybe this is an odd question to ask but like do you ever like?
Care about building up the story, you know, we want more content, you know
You'd ever cross your mind of like man these guys can we just maybe throw on the bone?
I think they did with the math
Well, I know I know you guys want you know the
Store line there or whatever. I don't draw. I don't want said no
No, no, it doesn't really change anything for us.
Like the stakes of the match we're playing,
I mean, it doesn't really matter, like, which is there.
Well, Kino, congratulations,
and I know you're not gonna get any narrative here.
So I want to ask you about your favorite gun here,
Grim Shotgun.
I want to know, was it completely by plan
to go into that game leaving Clash Up
because broke down your strategies a little bit.
The Zofia impacts looked insane.
Then you got NJR on a Cali sniper angle,
and then Grim Shaka, tell me through that.
Yeah, it was a little prep we had.
You know, we could try to ban the clash,
but then, well, Kade, Bandit, Mira,
everything's gonna be up, it's very hard to get walls.
So, you know, I mean, we're just gonna fight
the clash head on, bring the Cali, bring the Zofia,
and the Grim, like, there's a little prep we had.
I had to make something happen with that shot.
It's really good, by the way.
With the horizontal grip too,
Move it. Move it.
Move it, Speed.
OK, now I want to say congratulations.
You were talking about, you know,
it's hard to get open the walls.
I mean, that's what you guys essentially did
on your defense on clubhouse.
You got rid of all of the walls open up a bit.
Oh my god, that's the tongue-twister.
You got rid of all the ops that can open up the walls.
I do kind of want to quickly talk to you about just,
you know, this is a situation more for SR,
but who was a team for you that you just couldn't get over?
You struggled with time and time again
And what was a team for you throughout your career that you just could never have the
advantage against?
You kind of lost me here, like, I don't know.
There isn't one team that comes to mind that you just absolutely just whenever going up
against them, they just always have that advantage against you.
Listen, you know, if you want to, like, I'm not saying you yourself like, but like in
general for all the teams here, I'm giving advice for all the teams like, you want to
Build some narrative, build some, you know, whatever else in your head, when you're playing against a team.
You're just setting yourself for failure.
You're setting yourself for failure, it's...
You know, it's not a good start, in general.
For sure.
Is that what SR is doing against you guys?
Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.
I mean, I couldn't tell you.
What coaching would you give them?
I mean, if they're playing against... What are they supposed to do, obviously?
I don't think he wants to give them the advice on how to possibly...
I wanted to know if there was a team about that, but I could think of a couple situations for Kino where maybe the team got to his head, but I'll leave that to Kino's own advice.
Just be happy, play the game. Think about how fortunate we are of being here in this position right now, sitting on this chair, playing video games for a living with fans supporting us, family, whatever it is.
like we're so privileged to be here so like just enjoy it like why you know put
all this stuff in your head build all this narrative do all this time I'm
gonna say to you there is no reason for that I'm loving this I'm loving the
perspective keynote thank you so much for your time as always always good to
get your insight and your advice for all these other teams out there you you
excited to play and maybe for a former team tomorrow yeah
We'll see you later.
What answer is there, Kino?
That depends. It's good insight, right?
And a good perspective into, like, what is going through their minds?
What makes this team so successful?
We talk about it. We talk about the call-out mindset
and what he does to these guys.
But you see it, you hear it from Kino, and it really is different.
Listen, as someone who picked up Kino from the beginning
and seeing his development as not only as a player,
but as just an individual, I mean, he's really a lot more mature.
a lot more mature. I thought he was going to say something crazy, but just the way he says things,
the way he articulates things now, I think it really just speaks in to how much of an influence
call out really is not just as a coach, but just as a person for him and the team.
And for me, I do think that is the biggest difference and has been the biggest difference
between the top four teams and the bottom tier teams is really the top teams actually train
their mental. They are reading those books. They're trying to get 1% better every day. It's
It's those small advantages that add up over time.
And I feel like the bottom tier teams are always just scrimming,
double scrimming every single day,
but they're not looking to the outside slices that might help them.
So I love to hear that from Keen.
I love to hear that from any pro player willing to kind of speak on that
because it's huge in these sports.
Well, DarkZero gifted us a fairly short day today.
We started three hours early and we wrapped up a lot earlier than expected
because both Wildcard and DarkZero deliver quick 2-0 finishes over their respective
to opponents just like you guys
just like we predicted.
However, because they decided to go with you,
I said Wildcard was gonna have to sludge through the lowers,
but they got it done in the uppers
and are sitting pretty in that grand final.
And that dark zero M80 game
will be the only thing standing between ourselves
and that grand final.
Wildcard will await the winner as Kino
will take on his former team in M80
in that lower bracket final.
That one's happening tomorrow.
Another match to hopefully look forward to there.
Maybe even closer than this SR game has been.
Listen, I'm not going to hype up the match.
I'm not going to say it's going to be the most anticipated
match going into that, because then it's
going to be a completely one-sided affair,
and then boom, we're jumping into a grand final.
I'm going to say what I'm going to say.
All right.
And that's absolutely nothing.
And that's absolutely nothing.
Amazing.
Well, no hype up at all.
We do, of course, have that grand final tomorrow,
which is what it's all about.
We crown a champion here in stage one of the NAL,
As we said, we now get rid of Shopify Rebellion for now.
It means they go into phase one of the Esports World Cup,
but a pretty similar position for them
that they found themselves in in Salt Lake City.
And then they eventually went to the grand final.
So I don't think they're gonna be too upset about that,
but something to consider in terms of the overall hope
for them going into EWC and all you SR fans out there.
But to all of you who joined us
on our slightly earlier day today,
thank you so much for tuning in.
I'm gonna ask our entire studio crew
for a minute for lighting.
I'm Jonas Willinger.
Thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you tomorrow as the action continues in the N.A.L.