QeeYou wins String Esports Showdown

String Esports Showdown CS2 concluded yesterday with QeeYou winning the tournament after a grand-final clash against Firedup Gaming. Lets take a quick look at how these teams reached the final while glancing at other playoffs matches in the process.

4EVERCOOL vs VICTORES SUMUS (Quarter-final)

The first quarter-final matchup saw VICTORES SUMUS take on 4EVERCOOL and the first map took us to Dust2. After conceding the pistol and anti-eco on the T-side, VICTORES SUMUS struggled to get going as 4EVERCOOL built up a solid 7-2 lead on the CT-side. 4EVERCOOL extended their 8-4 lead to 11-5 but failed to close in regulation as BENZENE and Recoilmastr pushed the map into overtime.

4EVERCOOL dropped just a single round in overtime, closing out Dust2 16-13 to go 1-0 up in the series. Cx and 5moke finished Dust2 with 22 frags a piece right below Owned who sat on 24 frags. Ancient was a one-sided affair in favor of VICTORES SUMUS as BENZENE and RaYzeR starred in a 13-3 win with 19 and 17 frags respectively.

VICTORES SUMUS started inferno with a 3-0 on the CT-side but an impressive T-side showing from Owned, propelled 4EVERCOOL to an 8-4 half. VICTORES SUMUS fought back levelling the score at 9-9 but fell apart towards the end as 4EVERCOOL picked up a 13-10 win, Sending VICTORES SUMUS home, 4EVERCOOL booked their semi-final spot.

QeeYou vs 4EVERCOOL (Semi-final)

After their win against VICTORES SUMUS, 4EVERCOOL replicated their Dust2 showing against QeeYou. Getting off to a strong start on the T-side, they kept QeeYou at bay for the rest of the half, fetching a 9-3 lead for themselves. QeeYou recovered eventually but it was too late as 4EVERCOOL closed Dust2 13-6.

Heading into Ancient, QeeYou made a statement, stomping 4EVERCOOL with a dominant start and never took their foot off the gas, showing why this core held the top spot in HLTV's Indian rankings for months on end. A flawless 13-0 win pushed the series into the decider, Anubis. f1redup went berserk with the T-side AWP, netting QeeYou a 10-2 half with the Indian AWPer sitting on 17 frags in the first half.

QeeYou's pistol and anti-eco conversions in the second half locked 4EVERCOOL out of the game, as QeeYou closed out Anubis 13-2 and wrapped the series 2-1, locking in a grand-final spot.

Firedup Gaming vs Griffins (Quarter-final)

On the other side of the bracket, Firedup Gaming and Griffins kicked off proceedings on Dust2. A ChAmp-PwN show toppled Griffins' CT-side, giving Firedup Gaming a big 9-3 lead in the first half. Griffins clawed back a few rounds in the second half but Firedup Gaming comfortably closed Dust2 13-7.

Multi-frag rounds early in the half from n1kace saw Firedup Gaming run off to a 3-0 start on the T-side of Inferno. lynX nearly clutched up a MAG7 1v4 Firedup Gaming survived, pushing their lead further. iFRAGEZ's CT-side frag-fest went in vain as Firedup Gaming picked themselves an 8-4 half, closing Inferno 13-6 and the series 2-0.

Firedup Gaming vs Rush B (Semi-final)

After comfortably clearing the quarter-final, Firedup Gaming took on Rush B in the second final. Firedup Gaming fumbled a 5-2 start on the CT-side of Mirage, splitting the first half 6-6. Pistol and anti-eco conversions in the second half, set Firedup Gaming on a fast-track to close Mirage but Rush B fought tooth and nail pushing the map into overtime. Rush B ran with the momentum closing Mirage 16-13.

The second map took us to Ancient where Firedup Gaming recovered from a weak start on the T-side and ended up stealing the lead early in the first half. With 13 frags a piece, n1kace and Reaper propelled Firedup Gaming to a 9-3 half on the T-side. Rush B closed in Firedup Gaming's lead at 9-11 but the latter kept their calm and closed Ancient 13-10.

The decider was played out on Dust2 and Rush B started on the CT-side with a 5-0 lead. clyde was on fire, having dropped 11 frags in the space of six rounds. Rush B took an 8-4 half and sprinted to match point at 12-7. With a five-rounds streak, Firedup Gaming pushed the game into overtime where they edged out Rush B 16-14, booking their grand-final clash against QeeYou.

QeeYou vs Firedup Gaming (Grand-final)

In the grand-final, QeeYou took on Firedup Gaming with the latter starting on the CT-side in the first map of the bo5, Dust2. Firedup Gaming got off to a 4-0 start but ended up splitting the first half 6-6. After initial back and forth trades in the second half, QeeYou outplayed their opponent towards the end, taking Dust2 13-9 with clouda sitting on 20 frags.

The second map took us to Ancient, one of QeeYou's stronger maps but the former ended up conceding a 4-8 disadvantage in the first half. Switching over to the T-side, Firedup Gaming even lost the pistol round, making their comeback more uncertain. A flawless second CT-side saw QeeYou close out Ancient 13-4, now just a single map win away from winning the tournament.

The decider took us to Inferno where each and every individual stepped up for QeeYou, pushing Firedup Gaming down to a 0-8 disadvantage. Ten rounds in, Firedup Gaming put their first round of the decider at 1-9. A stellar 20-frags performance from f1redup saw QeeYou take the first half 9-3. Dropping a couple of rounds in the early stages of the second half, QeeYou brushed it off and closed Inferno 13-6, wrapping the series 3-0 and winning out the String Esports Showdown.