Gambit and AVANGAR round out CIS Minor playoffs

Gambit and AVANGAR have defeated their opponents in Syman and pro100, respectively, copping the two remaining playoff spots of the CIS Minor.

The best-of-3 between the Russian-majority rosters kicked off on Mirage, where Syman got off to a brisk T-side start at 4-0. Gambit made their best attempt at retaliation on the defence, but the opposition, spearheaded by Maksim "⁠t0rick⁠" Zaikin, allowed only four rounds to slip away on the offense, concluding the initial half of the map with a strong 11-4 score.

Gambit managed the second pistol on their T side, setting up for a couple round victories that followed. However, the initial momentum proved insufficient in propelling the team to a comeback as cash issues, coupled with solid holds from Syman, amounted to a 16-6 conclusion to Mirage in favour of the underdogs.

Dust2 followed, where Gambit got off on the right foot, landing the first pistol round as CTs. Following up on early success, Mihail "⁠Dosia⁠" Stolyarov's side continued to show outstanding performances on the CT side, which produced a strong 6-0 lead. Syman nabbed a couple of rounds following their opponents' dominant stint, but the CTs kept the fire burning, all the way to a monstrous 13-2 conclusion.

Gambit proceeded to exhibit characteristics of a map favourite, securing the second pistol round of Dust2. Weighed down by financial issues on the more expensive CT side, Syman were unable to secure more than two rounds, as Gambit pushed the series into a third map with a lop-sided 16-2 scoreline.

Syman kicked off the final map of the series, Train, with success in the first pistol on the CT side. Reminiscent of previous situations, the underdogs were unable to capitalise on the early advantage, only able to land an extra round before Gambit took a mile, securing six consecutive rounds at 6-2. Wary of the T side to come, Syman did as much as they could in the remaining seven rounds, going blow for blow with Gambit, who still found themselves up 10-5 come the end of the half.

Vladyslav "⁠bondik⁠" Nechyporchuk clutched the second pistol on the CT side for his team, as a 1v2 post-plant was converted into a victory by the Ukrainian. A frustrating series of rounds ensued for Gambit, as simple mistakes on the defence had a negative impact on their finances, allowing Syman the opportunity to close the gap to just one round at 10-11. After a tactical timeout, the favourites recomposed, fending off the offense in a consistent fashion. In the end, Gambit avenged their group stage loss to Syman closing the map and series at 16-10 on Train.

Group B's decider series saw Inferno as the first map, where early mid dominance from AVANGAR's CT side yielded the team the first pistol round of the series. After establishing an early lead, the defence were unable to hold on to it for long, as pro100's Vadim "⁠Flarich⁠" Karetin converted a 1v3 situation in round 5, producing a 3-3 equaliser. Following a turbulent start, developments cooled off, as the teams went blow for blow, concluding the first half 8-7 in AVANGAR's favour.

The latter pistol round went the way of pro100's , shortly followed up with three consecutive round victories, placing the team with an 11-8 lead. Despite a reassuring start to the CT side, a bitter struggle ensued for the defenders, as AVANGAR were able to grind the CTs out in the long run, concluding Inferno with a close 16-13 scoreline.

AVANGAR translated their success over into the first pistol round of the second map, Dust2, in which Bektiyar "⁠fitch⁠" Bahytov picked up a trio of kills. While some outstanding plays were seen, the Kazakh-majority roster struggled immensely to further their position off the back of the advantage. pro100 used this to their advantage consistently, resetting the opponents and punishing the CTs all the way to a 10-5 half time score.

After switching over to the offense, AVANGAR landed a successful B hit, yielding a bomb explosion and a encourage run of rounds from the Kazakh side, who equalised the scored at 1-11. The sides then exchanged rounds before AVANGAR ran away with the lead, locking down the map at 16-12 to seal passage to the double-elimination bracket.

Below you can find the match-ups for the first round of the playoffs, kicking off Friday:

Spirit vs. AVANGAR
Winstrike vs. Gambit