Two years ago, when the Ukrainian e -sports league Starladder.TV I took my first steps, we could not even imagine that she would reach the eighth season so quickly. A lot of water has flowed since the launch of the league in February 2012, the organizers gradually got rid of unpopular games like Bloodline Champions And Shadow Company, increased the prize fund and added to the list of disciplines Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
► New Year's atmosphere in the computer club "Kyiv Tsorta Arena".
So CS: Go joined Dota 2 And Point Blank – Games that are registered with Starladder Starsers from the first day of its existence. In the eighth season, the organizers decided to divide the LAN finals in two: the team shooters put at the end of December, and Dota 2 moved to January-February 2014. This was done primarily for the convenience of visitors, because recently they have become noticeable more.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
In the online part Starladder Starsies Season VIII By CS: GO Fifteen European teams participated (Finns ENCE Feasted from the competition). It is a pity that NIP And Verygames They ignored the league, considering the prize fund unattractive – their absence painfully hit the status of the championship, but it did not become less interesting from this.
► Astana Dragons are stubbornly played on stage.
According to the results of the circular league, a ticket to the LAN final was won Astana Dragons , Again (ex- Universal Soldiers ), Clan-Mystik And LGB Esports. The last two did not fly to the Ukrainian capital. At first, the Swedes remembered that they, it turns out, has Christmas on their nose, and stayed at home, and later they refused the trip and ESWC – One of their players was a operation. The organizers needed to find two replacements in a short time.
The first was found quickly – place LGB Esports I took up the updated composition Natus Vincere (Zeus, Starix, Guardian, Edward, Seized), but a serious scandal flared around the fourth finalist. The fact is that representatives of the league unexpectedly chose a little -known Serbian team for everyone Gamepub (EMI, Neno, K1ng0r, Nikolinho, 1ntel). Perhaps for the first time on LAN finals Sltv Starseries The tenth team of the online part went.
► Gamepub team – team of the best shooters of the Balkan Peninsula.
In the official announcement, the organizers explained their choice by the fact https://sister-site.org/yeti-win/ that in private correspondence, the German teams located above the Serbs in the standings in the standings alternately refused Mousesports , Alternate Attax And 3DMAX , as well as Portuguese K1ck. And if the Germans, it seems, really did not want to fly into Kyiv covered by popular unrest, then the best team of Portugal learned about their refusal from the announcement. You can imagine their surprise.
According to Riccardo Pacheko (F0x) and companies, K1ck The administrators themselves crossed out of the list of finalists, and very unceremonious. At first they assured the Portuguese that for several days they could not reach them, and later tried to intimidate the team possible to remove the Star series since the ninth season. A rather unpleasant illustration of the relationship of large leagues to the average in force of European teams.
► Pole Philip Kubsky (Neo)-Live legend Counter-Strike 1.6.
If most Western European spectators really wanted to see it on LAN finals K1ck , then for domestic lovers CS: go the name of the fourth finalist was not so important. On the first day Gamepub It was necessary to play the series of Best of Three with the winners of the online part Astana Dragons. It was the semi-final of the upper grid, and if someone believed in the Balkan "Dream Team", then one could count on the fingers of one hand.
The first card was the popular de_nuke. It was difficult to predict the winner, the game of “dragons” on this map is lame on both legs, and we seem to have never seen the Serbs on it. Having played the sides in the knife round, the Balkans went over to the side of protection, and Kirill Karasev ( Ange1 ) and the company began for a more complex attack. Gamepub has a great opportunity to win at least half.
► Astana Dragons against Gamepub: First card
In the pistol round Astana Dragons tried to attack the top point, but three defense players confidently coped with it confidently. Further ex- Ination They began to quickly increase the advantage and soon completed half with a score of 13: 2 in their favor. It was very difficult to play such a lag in the second half – the team from the CIS Blood from the nose needed to pull out a “gun” and give a serious flue.
Alas, there was no miracle. The Serbian team quickly gained fourteen rounds, after which it was already a matter of technology to play two missing fights. And so Gamepub Sensationally won with a score of 16: 6! A chance to recoup and equalize the score in a series of bronze medalists ESWC 2013 introduced himself on de_mirage – a map on which Astana Dragons were required to have an advantage.
► in cs: go, some schoolchildren play? The Polish team AGain does not agree with this.
But in reality it turned out that they simply did not know how to beat less eminent rivals. "Dragons" began for the attack and again completely failed the first half (3:12). Changing the side, AD won the first round, but Gamepub Immediately selected Eco – Macedonian Anel Sekovich (Neno) Requested with the entire Kazakh team! IN " Kyiv Tsarta arena »Coffin silence reigned.
After a few more minutes, the score became completely indecent – 15: 5 in favor of obvious outsiders. Realizing that there was nowhere to retreat, the guys in a yellow-blue scratched six more rounds, but only. 16:11 – Brilliant victory Gamepub! In the second semi -final, the Poles won the top Again (Neo, TAZ, SNAX, BIALY, PASHA) who beat Natus Vincere According to the results of three cards.
► Natus vincere against Again: Third card
The second day began with a fundamental confrontation Astana Dragons And Natus Vincere. It was fundamental because of John Sukharev (Edward) , who once played in Na’vi, then left with Egor Markelof (Markeloff) in AD, and recently returned to the "born to win" again. Moreover, which is characteristic, he was kicked out of Astana Dragons by the general decision of the team. We would never have thought that such a player can be expelled.
Astana Dragons were the first to choose the card, and it became it de_nuke. It would seem, why choose a card on which only yesterday he devastatedly lost to the Balkans, but Ange1 He knew what he was doing. If the new composition of Natus Vincere managed to train a couple of days before the championship, then definitely not de_nuke. There are very important communication and synchronism of actions, and this updated composition Na’vi could not boast.
► ASTANA Dragons upset players can not find their game in any way.
The players knew about their minuses Natus Vincere , Therefore, they decided to focus on individual actions. The main rounds of the winner were not revealed, but in overtime they turned out to be a little stronger Astana Dragons (19:16). "Born to win" almost immediately recouped on their " de_DUST2 (16:13), and thus, everything was supposed to decide on de_inferno.
The third card was equal, as evidenced, for example, the score of the first half (8: 7 in favor of AD). The turning point of the meeting was the second pistol round that went into the piggy bank Natus Vincere. Moreover, Daniil Teslenko (Zeus) And the company won Astana Dragons all six pistol rounds. In total, the Dragons managed to take only eleven rounds on one of their best cards.
► Ivan Sukharev shares his thoughts relatively recent fight.
On December 21, the final of the upper grid was played – an experimental Polish trio Neo , TAZ And Pasha not without problems, but still defeated the upstarts Gamepub (21:18 on de_inferno, 16:12 on de_train). By the way, the persistence of the Balkan team helped us win a bottle of cognac at the ex-player Natus Vincere Arsenia Trinozhenko (CEH9) , did not believe that the Serbs would be able to take ten rounds on one of the cards. It seems that now he will carefully monitor the performances of this team ..
The Shlyakhtichi Grand Final began with advantages in one card because they walked on the upper grid. For the championship Victor Voitas (TAZ) And the team needed to win two more cards, while Natus Vincere one card was required more. We will not describe the events in detail, but the matches turned out to be worthy. You will find the final results under the cut below.
► Natus vincere against AGain: First final card
The final location of the commands on SLTV Starsies Season VIII FINALS
- Again (Poland) – $ 7500) Natus Vincere (Ukraine) – $ 4,000) Gamepub (Serbia) – $ 2000) Astana Dragons (Kazakhstan) – $ 1,500
Point Blank
According to the results of the circular online league, they made their way into the final part BSE , Unique , Astana Dragons And AOEXE. The last two teams were the favorite, although young people from Unique could also impose a serious struggle to the leaders. The first day was dedicated to two rather interesting fights: AOEXE met with BSE (ex- Mad ), and the "dragons" had to measure the forces with Unique. It is a pity that there was little spectators that day.
► Semi -final of the upper grid – Unique against Astana Dragons
The first semifinals ended with a convincing victory AOEXE – Perhaps the best team of the world in the game in Point Blank. On VVG English and the company gave BSE as many as six rounds, and on Metro Only one. Much hotter in the second pair, where the teams played three cards. Despite the recent replacements in a protracted game crisis Astana Dragons Fighted with Unique on equal terms almost to the very end. But luck that day smiled at the young.
The main fight of the second day was the confrontation of Unique and AOEX in the final of the upper grid. These commands are often found within the framework Starladder Starsers , And almost always the titled AOEX win. This meeting was no exception – 10: 7 on BBG , 13:11 on Metro , and the main favorite goes to the Grand Final. Unique fell into the lower grid, where they were already waiting for full determination and sports anger Astana Dragons.
► Russian AOEX team is preparing for an important match.
The final day passed under the sign of the dragon. At first Astana Dragons took a convincing revenge from Unique in the final of the lower grid, winning DC And Metro with the same score 10: 8, and then the dried -up beat "invincible" AOEX In the Grand Final (10: 8 on DC, 10: 8 at the Foreign Ministry, 10: 7 on VVG). On all cards, the team showed a huge will to win – take a look at the final accounts. There are no devastating results anywhere.
For the first time in history Point Blank on Starladder Starsers The champion went to the Grand Final from the lower grid and did not give the opponent a single card. Congratulations Gray and his comrades and we hope that in the ninth season, the battle for gold will be more fierce. The final results and recording of one of the final cards look below.
► Astana Dragons against AoEXE: Grand Final
The final location of the commands on SLTV Starsies Season VIII FINALS
- Astana Dragons (Kazakhstan) – $ 8,000) AOEXE (Russia) – $ 4000) Unique (Russia) – $ 2500) BSE (Russia) – $ 2000
The day before the New Year, news appeared that the leadership Astana Dragons stopped cooperation with its CS: Go-part. The reason is banal – unsatisfactory results. "Dragons" were able to win only Moscow TechLabs Cup , and take bronze to ESWC 2013. Not the most outstanding achievements for the team, which intended to become the strongest in the world.
► True, it does not reach SOM, but still impressive.
Alas, the unnecessary composition fell under the blow Astana Dragons By Point Blank. Unlike their less successful colleagues in CS: Go-Tersh, these players rarely upset the management of the organization. Well, we hope, both five will soon find new teams, because the breakdown of strong groups never pleases. By the way, the players of the CS: Go-building reported that they intend to stay together. Let's see how much they are enough.
The article uses photos of Starladder.TV