Entropiq defeat ENCE 2-1 in Malta Vibes grand final

ENCE found themselves unable to replicate their form from ESL Pro League as they fell to Entropiq in the grand final of the $50,000 Malta Vibes event.

The European squad will feel they had the series in their hands after bagging themselves a favourable veto, and they lead 15-7 on the Entropiq pick of Dust2 before they lost 12 of the next 13 rounds to throw the map in overtime. ENCE's pick of Ancient was closer than expected, with Entropiq managing to keep the map tight despite their recent troubles on it before finally falling 16-13.

That took us to the decider, Vertigo, and ENCE really didn't put up much of a fight on this one. Entropiq's CT side was simply too hot to handle and they took the game 16-8, securing the grand prize of $25,000.

The Russian squad enjoyed a comfortable run in their first two rounds of play at this event, dispatching K23 and Lyngby Vikings without much fuss. Their only test came in the semi-finals vs Copenhagen Flames, a series that went all three maps and saw Entropiq just squeak over the line in overtime.

It was a similar story for ENCE on the other side of the bracket, who defeated Spirit Academy and Apeks comfortably before overcoming Izako Boars in a three map series in their semi-final.

Entropiq have been enjoying a steady rise this year and this victory will continue that trend, from hovering around #50 in the world to now sitting comfortably inside the top 20. The highlight period came in May – June, which saw a smattering of top-four finishes as well as victories at Funspark ULTI Europe Regionals and the EU Development Championship.

The flip side for the Russian squad has been their struggles at qualifying events for the Major, leaving them unlikely to make it to Stockholm.

ENCE will be disappointed not to have capitalised on their form at ESL Pro League, and this loss to Entropiq will remind them that there is work to do in order to truly elevate themselves above tier-two opposition.

We will get to see whether Entropiq can build on their success when they get started at ESL Pro League. Their campaign in Group D kicks off on Wednesday 01 September at 16:45 against FURIA.