The second round of StarSeries & i-League Season 6 took place yesterday and the third is set to begin later today. With this in mind, let’s look back and see what happened.
Highlight Matches
Eight matches were played yesterday and most of them were absolutely worth watching. Some teams performed just like expected, while others surprised everyone.
OpTic Gaming vs BIG
OpTic Gaming faced off against German team BIG in what would be the first match of the day. Inferno was the map of choice and we witnessed one of the worst defeats that BIG have ever suffered. OpTic dominated the entire game from the first round to the last. BIG were only able to sneak in two rounds before OpTic finished the game.
OpTic Gaming has had questionable performances in the past few months but this match was something amazing. To see OpTic this dominant is somewhat uncommon, especially since the last time that the two teams met BIG wiped the floor with the Danish team. Cajunb was the star of the match, hands down. He was miles ahead of everyone else in terms of stats and his triple-kill clutch in the seventh round killed any momentum that BIG could have amassed.
.@OpTicGaming crush @BIGCLANgg to earn their first victory at #StarSeriesS6 pic.twitter.com/TdfZoldsoD
— StarLadder CS:GO (@StarLadderCSGO) October 8, 2018
North vs NRG Esports
Another excellent matchup, NRG took on Danish powerhouse North. It was an interesting game, to say the least. It was played on Inferno, yet again, with NRG on the offensive during the first half. In a way that no one could predict, the NA team ploughed through North, taking 12 rounds and only dropping two near the end of the half. Brehze certainly had a great impact on the game and contributed much to NRG’s dominance. First, he took down three of North’s players to secure a round win and in a later round, pulled off a triple clutch while defending the bomb plant.
Granted, North were not ready to throw in the towel despite the huge difference in rounds wins. The final two rounds of the previous half seemed to have inspired some confidence in the Danes and they came out guns blazing from the T side. Four rounds into the second half and North was looking strong, but with NRG saving enough for a full buy, the pendulum swung in the other direction. North dropped two rounds and while they were able to recover partially, the score difference was too large to ignore. Eventually, NRG took two more rounds and secured the game.
.@NRGgg overcome @TheNorthIsHere and cruise to a 2-0 pool!#csgo #cssltv #StarSeriesS6 pic.twitter.com/jOR2MGriAs
— StarLadder CS:GO (@StarLadderCSGO) October 8, 2018
Fragsters vs Gambit Esports
A new star seems to be rising in the CS:GO professional scene. Fragsters, a relatively unknown team on the international stage, have played against two of the top-rated teams in the world and have come out ahead. On 7 September, they defeated BIG after going into overtime and now they have triumphed against Gambit. Considering their past performance, it almost seems too good to believe.
The game was played on the iconic Dust2 and it saw Gambit taking the pistol round. However, Fragsters were able to turn it around in the second round and their advantage just snowballed from then on. Gambit were able to sneak in three more rounds in that half but it belonged to Fragsters without a doubt.
Once Fragsters moved on the CT side, however, it seemed like Gambit would turn the game in their favor. The CIS team quickly won three rounds but those were quickly traded by Fragsters. With 14 rounds won, the Danish lineup stood strong and after losing four rounds, they were finally able to bring in the final two to close the game.
Fragsters’ dragonfly and refrezh pulled off some incredible feats during the course of the game. These included multiple triple- and quad-kills in both halves and they secure the team’s standing as a serious competitor.
