Cloud9 see off HellRaisers to secure 2-2 pool spot

Cloud9 live to fight another day at IEM Katowice after beating HellRaisers 2-0 in the fourth round of the New Legends Stage.

HellRaisers' Inferno gamble seemed weird to many, considering they had not yet played this map at the Major and Cloud9 had thrashed MIBR on it, and they found themselves on the back foot at the start of the game after losing the pistol round, in which they were greeted with a B stack.

Kyrylo "⁠ANGE1⁠" Karasiow's troops replied immediately on a force buy and put together a series of rounds. That would not last, though, as Cloud9 hit back in the sixth round with nothing but pistols, and set up a very tight defence, racing to a 9-5 lead before Bence "⁠DeadFox⁠" Böröcz pulled one back with a 1v2 clutch.

Things went from bad to worse for HellRaisers as they lost the pistol round to a well-timed A execute from Cloud9. Özgür "⁠woxic⁠" Eker pulled off a triple-kill the first gun round to keep his team in the game, but the North American side refused to take their foot off the gas and locked down the map with a four-round winning streak.

Cloud9 carried that momentum into their map pick, Cache, taking the pistol round in convincing fashion with a quick A push. After buying up, HellRaisers responded with two rounds in a row, but things quickly got out of hand for the former CIS Minor champions, who struggled to exert any map control.

The North American side dictated the tempo for most of the first half, keeping HellRaisers off any economic development, with clutches from Robin "⁠flusha⁠" Rönnquist and Timothy "⁠autimatic⁠" Ta rubbing further salt into the Europeans' wounds.

Down 4-11, HellRaisers found a lifeline was they won the pistol round very quickly without losing a single man. That was the start of a phenomenal run from the European side, who eventually tied the score at 11-11 following back-to-back clutches from Issa "⁠ISSAA⁠" Murad.

Cloud9 were unwilling to let the game spiral out of control, though, and tightened up their defence, securing the map at 16-12 following two great plays from William "⁠RUSH⁠" Wierzba, who ended the map with a 30-bomb.