G2 became the BLAST London Winners off the back of a hard-fought Open Fall Grand Final match.
Despite strong performances on Maps 2 and 3, Team Vitality had their momentum brutally halted by a determined overtime push from G2 on Map 4. Eventually, G2’s grit proved too great for Vitality to overcome, landing G2 a well-earned trophy.
How G2 became BLAST London winners: a recap of the Open Fall Grand Final
True endurance and determination from both teams resulted in the Grand Final running a full five maps. Here’s how the G2 win came to fruition:
Map 1: Dust 2
G2 started the best-of-five with a dominant performance on Dust 2. Despite Team Vitality entering Championship Sunday having not lost a Dust 2 map since before April’s BLAST Rivals Season 1, they were outplayed by G2 at every turn.
G2’s positioning of firepower and utility proved far superior across both T and CT sides, decimating Team Vitality’s economy and mental fortitude.
Even Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut’s Round 11 Ace clutch was not enough to bring Team Vitality back into the game. G2 claimed a 13-3 win in style.
Map 2: Mirage
However, Map 2 staged Team Vitality’s comeback and their first 13-6 victory. Mirage saw the crowd favourites show better reactivity and cohesion, making every kill count. Round 13 even saw ZywOo claim a second Ace, marking the first time he has achieved two Aces in the same series since 2020.
Best-of-five results aside, Mirage belonged to ZywOo. Astonishingly, he finished the map on a KD of 30-6, with 0 deaths on T-side.
Map 3: Overpass
Team Vitality continued to snowball their momentum on Map 3. Despite the first half of Overpass ending on an even 6-6, Team Vitality expertly took advantage of the map’s CT-sided nature and ensured a quick end post-switch.
G2 were unable to win a single T-side round. Therefore, Overpass marked yet another decisive Team Vitality 13-6 win.
Map 4: Inferno
Inferno finally saw G2 push back against Team Vitality’s momentum.
Boasting incredible consistency, Map 4 saw the third 6-6 at the halfway point, despite an earlier 6-1 rounds to Vitality casting doubt over G2’s tournament future. On Mirage, Overpass, and Inferno, G2 and Team Vitality kept even with one another in the first half.
However, contrary to the results of Mirage and Overpass, Team Vitality were unable to surge ahead. G2 instead maintained an intense pressure, chasing every kill and seizing every opportunity.
G2 pushed Team Vitality into overtime, their determination ensuring that their BLAST London journey did not end in vain. They then dominated the OT, ending Inferno 16-12 and forcing a Train decider.
Map 5: Train
G2 aimed to end the BLAST Open Final the exact way they opened it. They immediately made their mark on Map 5. Excellent firepower and a thirst for victory, combined with missteps from Team Vitality, gained them a strong lead.
After seemingly settling into a confident pattern, G2 were able to end their CT-side first half at a score of 8-4
In an embodiment of “start as you mean to go on,” G2 refused Vitality the confident CT-side that they themselves had enjoyed. Comebacks were denied, and G2 took the decider map in style. Train ended in a triumphant 13-6 for the once-underdogs, now champions.
Their grit and refusal to give up the fight earned G2 their status as BLAST London winners.
New BLAST London winners G2 show that their roster is here to play amongst Counter-Strike’s best
G2’s road to becoming BLAST London winners proves they are prepared to face the best in the world and win.
Their journey included defeating numerous Counter-Strike icons, including Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets’ Team Spirit in the Closed Qualifier Group Stage, Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen’s FaZe Clan in the Quarterfinal, and a strong FURIA in the Semifinal. Progressing through the tournament, their odds on Counter-Strike betting sites only increased as they took down team after team.
Matúš ‘matys’ Šimko explained to Esports News UK after their Semifinal win that the G2 roster “can play very much stronger under pressure.”
This strength under pressure was on full display in their Map 4 Grand Final comeback on Inferno, when they maintained consistent pressure on Team Vitality to turn a 6-1 Team Vitality lead into a G2 16-12 map finish.
All five of their Grand Final maps also proved that the faith Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovač expressed in his pre-Playoffs Esports News UK interview was well-founded: “I think we have really strong firepower, and I believe in each and every one in the team.”
Firepower was certainly in G2’s hands, and despite some mid-series struggles, they were able to blast their way to becoming BLAST London winners.
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