Cloud9 overcome FunPlus Phoenix at Flashpoint

Finishing off the third day of Flashpoint 1, Cloud9 bounced back from a loss on Nuke and took wins on Train and Inferno to secure the 2-1 win over FunPlus Phoenix.

Despite a 3-0 start on the CT side of Nuke, Cloud9 didn't have a great first half in the series against FunPlus Phoenix. Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller's double in the first rifle round set up his team for a strong T side on their map pick, with eight rounds in a row going their way (8-3). Ian "⁠motm⁠" Hardy and Aran "⁠Sonic⁠" Groesbeek combined in a 2v3 to get their first rifle round of the game, but the Danes powered on to a 11-4 lead before switching to CT.

A much-needed pistol win started Cloud9's comeback on the T side as they went on a five-round winning streak, mainly focusing on the ramp area (11-9). Just when they were looking to equalize the scoreline, Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer's team organized their defenses and extended their lead once again. At 13-9, Sonic pulled off an impressive 1v5 clutch, but that wasn't enough to inspire the rest of the team and they ended up conceding a 16-10 defeat.

Cloud9's fast-paced T-side approach was causing issues to FunPlus Phoenix, and combined with their 4-0 start on Train, gave the North American side the upper-hand in the economy game throughout the first half. With a 19K-6D scoreline, Ricky "⁠floppy⁠" Kemery was leading the charge for his team as Cloud9 finished the half 10-5 up.

The North American side continued their perfect pistol round record in the series by securing the one on the CT side of Train and cleaned up the force-buy attempt to reach 14-6. Then, cadiaN's heroics with the Deagle gave FunPlus Phoenix a lifeline and the AWPer carried that form to push his team to 15-15 and force overtime.

Both teams were flawless on their defenses in the first set of added rounds (18-18), forcing OT2 where Cloud9 were able to find some form on the offense again and close out the map, 22-20.

FunPlus Phoenix's first pistol win of the series was followed up by an anti-eco blunder which allowed Cloud9 to take the early on the CT side of Inferno, 6-2. An A site lockdown extended their advantage and the winning streak reached five before the Danes found a quick opening into B (8-3).

Nevertheless, Cloud9 kept their composure in tight rounds and finished the half with an impressive, 12-3 lead. Overwhelming the B bombsite proved to be the recipe for success in the T pistol for Cloud9 who were on the edge of a series victory shortly (14-3), and converted on the lead to secure their first series win at Flashpoint.