forZe defeat Envy in Flashpoint 2 Group B opening match

Envy's European roster debut did not go to plan as FORZE came back from a map one trouncing to secure victory.

Envy's ring rust showed in Group B's opener as the North American organisation's new roster, featuring the transition of Nikola "⁠LEGIJA⁠" Ninić to a playing role and the addition of Thomas "⁠Thomas⁠" Utting, failed to build on a promising series lead after picking up their map selection with a dominant 16-2 scoreline.

The matchup, which was Envy's first official match since June, soon flipped in FORZE's favour as Bogdan "⁠xsepower⁠" Chernikov came alive for his team on Mirage with a colossal 2.17-rated performance, with the Russian side carrying the momentum into Nuke to turn the series around and claim the win.

Envy came flying out of the gates in red-hot fashion on their map pick of Dust2, proving early on that this new team meant business. Spearheaded by Buğra "⁠Calyx⁠" Arkın and Michał "⁠MICHU⁠" Müller, Envy ran riot on the offence with a commanding 13-2 lead, overwhelmingly winning duels across the map. A 16-2 victory swiftly followed as the aforementioned duo posted 2.00 and 1.90 ratings, respectively, to give their team a confident start in the series.

The opening of Mirage was a more contested affair with both teams locking horns in an early back and forth before FORZE managed to pull ahead on the T side with a string of rounds. A xsepower 1v2 clutch kept the ball rolling for the Russian squad, who went on to secure a 9-6 halftime advantage. Envy struggled to piece together more than two rounds at a time and began to run out of steam as xsepower continued to display his outrageous AWPing skills on the way to a 16-10 scoreline and 34-10 KDD.

A chaotic first half on Nuke saw the two sides engage in a messy exchange resulting in unusual rounds being traded through eco rounds and clutches, with FORZE narrowly edging in front 8-7 at the midway point. An outrageous Scout ace from LEGIJA looked set to put Envy in a favourable position on the offensive side, but FORZE hit straight back to extend their lead. The Russian team did not let up moving forward and closed out the map 16-11 to progress to Group B's upper final, where they will face the winner of BIG vs. MIBR.