FaZe Clan defeated HellRaisers in a 2-0 map sweep to earn their spot in the grand final of the StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3 LAN finals.
de_Mirage - 16:13 (6:9, 10:4)
FaZe secure the pistol round after executing a fast B rush, catching the European mix off guard. A force buy came out of HellRaisers, one that proved to accomplish very little, as the terrorists managed to dispatch every single team member with anti-eco rifles, extending the economic lead. With their economy in tatters, HellRaisers further concede a round to produce a 0:3 deficit. The first full buy from the European mix didn't go so well, as Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey was able to land a crucial backstab, killing two members of HellRaisers and eliminating the possibility of a retake. HellRaisers land their first round of the series during the 6th, with a shutdown in middle. An attempt at a fast push from A apps from FaZe was met by Vladyslav "bondik" Nechyporchuk and Martin "STYKO" Styk, allowing for another round to fall in favour of the European mix. Round eight saw a timeout from FaZe, trying to break the steadily developing momentum that HellRaisers were demonstrating. To no avail, as the eighth and ninth rounds both went in favour of their opponents. The teams share a round each, equalising at 6:6. A further three round fell in favour of the defending side, producing a 9:6 lead for HellRaisers going into the second half.
Four kills by Finn "karrigan" Andersen open up the latter half, ensuring the security of the pistol round for FaZe Clan. HellRaisers decided to force buy in the following round, to a degree of success, where three members of FaZe fell to pistols, however in the end the European mix pulled through to further develop a consecutive round in their favour, closing the gap to 8:9. On the third round of the second half the score finally equalised at 9:9. Finn "karrigan" Andersen once again comes through for his team, eliminating three members of HellRaisers with the UMP whilst holding the B bombsite in round 18, further developing FaZe's lead at 10:9. A backstab through connector from Nikola "NiKo" Kova? developed from two kills into four on round 22, further cementing the lead for the European mix at 12:10. As time went by, rounds kept falling in favour of FaZe, up until a 15:10 score, when HellRaisers thought it appropriate to call a timeout. After discussion the team went on to secure three consecutive rounds, placing faze in quite the predicament. In large thanks to a double kill from Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey, the European mix of FaZe was finally able to close out the map with a 16:13 score line.
de_Train - 16:14 (12:3, 4:11)
A double kill from FaZe's star player Nikola "NiKo" Kova? shuts down a B push from HellRaisers, ensuring the pistol round in favour of the European mix. The following round saw a force buy from the T-sided HellRaisers, however they were unable to produce much more than two kills onto the enemy, conceding a further round at 0:2. As their economy was in a dire state, HellRaisers are unable to match the full buy of FaZe, giving up another round. The gun round and the following round were also taken by FaZe, as the defence seemed to be steps ahead of the offense at 5:0. Round six saw a monumental play from Vladyslav "bondik" Nechyporchuk, where not only did the Ukrainian player score an ace, he did so working with a pistol buy round, after securing a rifle from one of the FaZe Clan players. The following rounds saw an equal exchange, keeping the round gap at four in favour of FaZe at 6:2. In round nine the European mix had a terrible economy, with the entire team working with pistols. As a result, FaZe were unable to extend their lead, instead HellRaisers lessened it at 3:6. Resurgence from FaZe in round ten, as the team is able to develop a man advantage through Nikola "NiKo" Kova? securing a kill in dropbox, followed by an unsuccessful attempt to move out onto B site meant that FaZe would return to a four round lead at 7:3. Things were looking up for HellRaisers as the team managed to finally secure a bomb plant on B, however the team was unable to prevent the retake, as FaZe slowly but systematically remove HR members one by one. It was all down to a last-ditch attempt from Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow at throwing a molotov to prevent a defuse, however due to a well-placed smoke grenade from FaZe it was cancelled and the Ukrainian player was subsequently dispatched, dropping another round in favour of FaZe's CT side. Following this unfortunate event the state of economy for HellRaisers was dire, greatly crippling the team's chances of securing further rounds in the initial half. As a matter of fact it turned out that three was all she wrote, with a whopping nine round lead from FaZe Clan at 12:3.
Through bringing the fight to FaZe, HellRaisers were finally able to secure a pistol round. Dissatisfied with the outcome of the previous round, FaZe opt to force buy, equipping the team with a few Deagles and a dream. Said dream did not come to fruition, as only Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey was able to land two kills, after which the round fell in favour of HellRaisers. A B rush was planned by FaZe Clan in round 18, however a hungry Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow was waiting for the team with an MP9, successfully dispatching four members of the opposing roster prior to kicking the bucket. A follow-up kill by Patrik "zeR0" Žúdel meant another round in favour of HellRaisers. The first full buy from FaZe was seen in round 19, however an AWPing Bence "DeadFox" Böröcz prevented any developments from happening, as the Hungarian sniper absolutely destroys four members of FaZe, one of which was on the receiving end of a no-scope. Round 20 saw the first digit of the half secured by FaZe, as the team equipped with Tec-9s was able to sneak into bombsite A and wreak havoc on the defence after securing their rifles. At this point the scoreboard was 13:7. Round 21 saw a strong start from FaZe on the A bombsite, one that was demolished single-handedly by Patrik "zeR0" Žúdel, who managed to land a double kill on the team, taking a 3v2 advantage in FaZe's favour and placing it at a 2v1 advantage in HellRaisers'. A hard eco from FaZe once again meant that the team's surplus was slowly dwindling to a well-performing HellRaisers at 10:13. Round 24 finally saw a sing of life from FaZe Clan on the B bombsite that got the team one step closer to taking the title. A strong performance from Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey meant a 14:10 score line. Finn "karrigan" Andersen opens up the next round for his team on the A bomb site, catching Bence "DeadFox" Böröcz off guard and causing panic amidst the defence. Meanwhile this was happening his teammates secured the B bombsite and planted the bomb. In a 2v4 situation, HellRaisers were unable to retaliate, conceding a round and placing themselves in a hard corner at 10:15. Through colossal effort and determination, HellRaisers manage to pull through the following four rounds, accruing them one after the other, bringing the score line to a nail-biting 14:15. In the final, 30th round, FaZe Clan were ultimately able to produce a W after Aleksi "allu" Jalli and Håvard "rain" Nygaard were able to get an AWP pick and double kill in drop box respectively. The last two members of HellRaisers attempted their best, however it was insufficient to win the round as FaZe Clan take away the series at 16:14.
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