It was an ideal scene! The upper bracket and lower finals and grand finals slated for the day, the audience was all apprehensive to see who would represent Pune at the national finals in Mumbai in October. The venue filled up fast and soon people were trying to pick out who would be the winners! The CS amateur and professional teams and DotA teams arrived and it was time for them to lock horns.
DotA:
This tournament has seen a lot of upsets, but tonight best were pitted against each other. So it was time for clan MYE to face off against clan hmp and it turned out to be quite a hard match for both the teams. The team winning this match would get a place in the finals and the loser would have to go and fight it out in the loser’s set. And what a game it was!!! Eventually it was MYE that came out on top. With all their player playing like the true champs that they really are the game was sealed in a time span of 80 min. The match had astounding moments of turnarounds for both the teams.
The loser’s bracket games were underway in the background. The match was between DT and Xplod, who were playing with the similar combination as yesterday found the going tough and ultimately their strategy to deny the opposition inventory was useless as DT was just too sturdy to hold back. But it wasn’t all that simple for DT. They started on the back-foot with Xplod taking an early aggressive initiative in the game. But once DT overcame the first hiccup they were quite relentless and made it one more step closer to making it to the finals.
Three 3 teams and only one team could face MYE. The most vital match of the tournament for hmp and DT was about to commence. The match was a pull with practically all audience turning their attention towards this match. Both these teams have played constantly well and have faced some tough teams and had long matches. The MYE players sat together in one corner just observing their potential competitors in the finals.
The battle to face MYE began and it was a very hard-fought match. The captains of both teams were shouting and motivating their players on to play their best. However, at last it was clan DT who won the match. It was team effort that took DT to the finals. They went in for a typical combo technique which constrained the opposition players. Even though ShaQ played really well, it just wasn’t enough to pull off the win. After the match the shouts from the winners showed everyone that they were ready for the finals.
Time for the Grand Finals! Even though the final victors were MYE, all due credit to DT for putting up such a dazzling show for the finals, almost like France in the World Cup. The heroes for MYE were the ever-consistent Nachiket and Pumba with Akshay and Cyther giving the ideal support. The winners took a winning booty of Rs. 5000/- and the runners up taking Rs. 3000/- and both getting an opportunity to play at the national finals in Mumbai next month.
Counter-Strike:
The CS amateur saw clan FOD kicked out of the finals ‘cause clan LODa didn’t reach the venue in time despite frequent intimations by the organizers. So LODa was pushed to the Loser’s bracket. The initial match of the day was between team Noobie and team Xtinction. The game was sealed with ease by Noobie with Ronnie a.k.a ZeUs getting the maximum frags and the match ended with a score line of 16-2 on de_nuke. The next match was between LODa and Noobie to be played on de_train. But the match was in the end won by LODa. The match saw LODa winning both their eco rounds after losing the first pistol rounds. The final score-line read as 16-12. The loser’s bracket final saw IA face LODa. This game was likely to be a enthusiastic tussle. However, LODa had other plans and just tore through the opposition and went on to win the match 16-9 and qualify for the grand finals.
So, the finals saw FOD take on LODa. LODa required to win two maps in order to win the tournament, while FOD needed to win just one map. But fighting all odds LODa won the first map in a close game with Alok really playing out of his skin to force a second map. The second map saw FOD a little edgy while LODa was exuberating extreme confidence. This self-confidence and impetus helped LODa to win the second map as well and become winners!!!! Again the star for LODa was Alok. LODa surely did deserve this victory and hopefully will be able to replicate this amazing performance in Mumbai as well. Seeing this high standard of amateur CS in India is a positive sign for our e-sports community. The winners took home a cheque of Rs. 2000/- while the runners up received Rs. 1000/-.
Now, it was time for the CS professional league to start. The first thing on the platter was Xplod against Psycho Ducks which turned out to be a keen tussle between assaulters and snipers. At half time it was Xplod leading 8-7. Conversely, after the switch Psycho Ducks didn’t give Xplod any room to even breathe and won the half 9-1 and the game 16-9. Sharom a.k.a Rampage was the insane fragger and using his experience to lead his team to victory and the loser’s bracket finals.
Team What was scheduled to face Noobs who didn’t show up at the venue and were disqualified. This had Team What facing Psycho Ducks in the loser’s bracket final. But with the experienced Ranjeet a.k.a sh33p playing for What it was almost too easy for What to reach the finals. Ranjeet rated as India’s top assaulter lived up to his name and made short work of Psycho Ducks. The final score was 16-10 on de_dust2. So, now the two finalists decided it was time for the real fireworks to begin. The finals started at 11:30 p.m. and went on till 2 a.m. in the morning. But not even a single spectator left the venue because it was a match of blockbuster proportions. With What requiring to win two maps, the finals begun on de_inferno.
Boy, it was close. The game went into a stunning overtime. But in the end it was Ranjeet’s experience and brilliant calling that pulled What through to victory in the first map. There was a lot of shouting and cheering going on throughout the map on both sides. The spectators were mesmerized. It was CS at its best. The ambiance was really charged up!!! What were on a roll and had the thrust on their side. X-es had to put their head down and play to their “favorites” label. The second map was de_nuke. X-es are traditionally considered to be really strong on this map.
They displayed that in a rebellious manner. But it was Ranjeet’s experience versus Lalit’s. And Lalit’s experience and game sense was just too much too handle. X-es won the map and the tournament 16-11. But what a tournament we have had!! It ended at 2 a.m. with all the spectators and competitors leaving the venue pleased. The winners took a booty of Rs. 7000/- while the runners-up got Rs. 3000/-.
So with that we wrap up this leg of the tournament and look forward to the same participation and interest in Chennai, which is the next stop for WGT. Watch www.gameguru.in for more news on this tourney!