We hope you like aces. The first day of Cologne had a ton.
Our personal favourites were NiKo tearing the Complexity full buy apart with the one rifle, and this completely disrespectful AWP quintuple from s1mple.
It was two aces from ropz and Bymas which tilted Inferno in the favour of mousesports, who just about held on to their early lead to take the first map 16-14 - but Gambit just. Don't. Lose. Vertigo.
Gambit pounded mouz on Vertigo and from down 6-12 on Mirage showed their famous composure and resilience to break down mousesports and show that LAN isn't going to stop the young guns just yet.
Liquid gave NiP a really tough... map and a half. They looked sensational at the start, choked, regained their composure and then completely ran out of steam in map 2. Grim epitomised that, as he was on 33 kills in 22 rounds on Overpass, then finished it in overtime with... 35.
It's very, very difficult for us not to make a joke about blowing your load too early. Especially when he plays for a team called Liquid. But we are professionals.
Anyway, nice to see device go back to smashing Liquid to pieces, and on the final map he was also joined at the top spot by Plopski.
Well, the number 2 spot. Forget that professional bit a minute ago.
G2 dealt with Complexity cleanly, while VP struggled to contain BIG despite YEKINDAR showing back up as a top player.
Vitality made honda look like a coach standing in, as he killed just six people on the final map - well, seven if you include teammates. The French boys took the 2-0, with some vintage Shox flanks on Overpass making us feel a little tingly.
We're back on LAN, guys. Did we mention?
Finally, NaVi went for their traditional slow start by dropping map one against Renegades, but s1mple awoke to pull off that stupendous ace we linked above, and then obliterate them on Nuke.
Put it this way - electronic's 2.08 rating on Dust 2 wasn't even the best rating of the series. On the deciding map, God made his judgment, picking up 31 kills in 20 rounds, 140 ADR and a 2.28 rating.
Don't piss s1mple off.
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