Vitality qualify for playoffs; BIG extend StarSeries S7 run at expense of TYLOO

Vitality have successfully made the playoffs cut after a 2-1 victory against Spirit, meanwhile BIG extended their tournament run at the expense of TYLOO.

The second round of matches kicked off with BIG squaring off against local representatives, TYLOO. The two adversaries initiated affairs on Inferno, with the match-up favourites starting off on the CT side. After conceding the pistol round the German roster proceeded to absolutely dominate the initial half. A total of three rounds were accrued by the Chinese come conclusion of the half, the latest of which came down to a 1v2 clutch from star player Hansel "⁠BnTeT⁠" Ferdinand in round 30.

Having swapped sides, BIG managed to propel themselves to a fourteen round lead after a successful pistol round and follower. TYLOO retaliated as soon as rifles were available and, despite a mounting deficit, gradually ground out rounds at their opponents' expense. BIG were simply unable to come up with a response against TYLOO's CT holds, as site hit after site hit fell through, leading to a catastrophic 14-16 loss, made evermore bitter by a preceding 14-3 lead.

Dust2 was next on the agenda, seeing to an ambitious T-sided start from TYLOO. The first pistol was succeeded by three additional rounds, allowing early momentum to be established. Fatih "⁠gob b⁠" Dayik and his men were able to chip off rounds in sporadic manner, subsequently resetting the T economy. Following this success the tumultuous dynamic persisted, concluding the first half 9-6 in TYLOO's favour.

A consecutive pistol round for the local representatives was significantly less fruitful on the second half, as only a single additional round was produced off the back of it. BIG had finally found their footing, consistently picking up rounds on the offense, snatching the lead at 14-11. TYLOO grabbed an additional two prior to falling 13-16 on map two.

Train was the final map of the first series, seeing to a strong opener from TYLOO's T side. The Chinese squad secured a quadruple round lead, only to drop the ball in the following ten rounds, able to produce but a single one in their own favour. This made for a strong CT side finish on BIG's part at 10-5.

The German squad transferred momentum over to the second pistol, overwhelming the Chinese defence in two consecutive rounds. TYLOO managed to claw five rounds of their own, but this development was met with retaliation from BIG in the form of three rounds, placing the squad on map and series point. After dodging potential financial ruin and the possibility of a second TYLOO comeback, BIG persevered on Train off the back of a successful B hit, concluding the map and series with a 16-10 scoreline.

Parallel to the German/Chinese battle was one between France and the CIS region in Vitality vs. Spirit. Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt and his men started on the defence, conceding the pistol and the follow-up round. After securing equipment the team restabilised, and took the reins, running away with seven consecutive rounds. Spirit responded in kind, resetting their financially-established opponents after victories of their own, producing a close 7-8 half in favour of the Frenchmen.

A consecutive pistol round victory placed Spirit in the lead, and the team was able to extend early momentum on the CT side to an 11-8 lead. Following this early success the roster struggled to fend off Vitality's onslaught. This translated to a lucrative T half for the Frenchmen, who went eight for one, concluding the first map 16-12.

Dust2 followed, witnessing an absolutely lop-sided affair. Vitality seemingly got off on the right foot, securing the first pistol round plus one on their CT half. What ensued could only be described as domination from Spirit, as the CIS representatives pummelled the defence in consistent fashion, amassing a 9-2 lead before their opponents were able to secure an additional round. The final three went in way of the leaders, concluding the initial half 12-3 in Spirit's favour.

The latter half witnessed more of the prior, as the second pistol saw Pavlo "⁠COLDYY1⁠" Veklenko dispatch three members, securing his team a done deal on the map. A further two victories meant closure of Dust2, heavily favoured towards Spirit at 16-3.

The concluding map of the second series was Inferno, where Spirit kept the ball rolling, kicking off to a five-round lead following a successful T side pistol round. Vitality equalised immediately after, but were unable to keep up the pace, facing a financial reset shortly after their fruitful string of rounds. Only a single additional victory was seen for the Frenchmen over the remainder, yielding the CIS representatives a 9-6 half.

Worrying developments were seen in the second half for Vitality, as Spirit once more copped a pistol round. This time, however, the momentum was broken up swiftly. Spearheaded by Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut, the French roster were relentless on their T side, stringing a total of seven rounds in consecutive fashion, assuming the lead at 13-11. A back-and-forth ensued, ultimately falling in favour of Vitality, who bested the CTs after a weak economic situation was forced upon their adversaries. This meant that Vitality had successfully made playoffs after securing a 2-1 series record and a 16-13 victory on Inferno.