Day one of Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2017 has concluded with SK Gaming and Astralis taking the high road, as per expectations.
| Win/loss 2-0 | Win/Loss 1-1 | Win/loss 0-2 |
|---|---|---|
 SK Gaming |  OpTic Gaming |  ViCi Gaming |
 Astralis | North |  Renegades |
| Chiefs eSports Club | ||
 FaZe Clan |
North vs. OpTic Gaming
de_Inferno - 25:23 (10:5, 5:10, 10:8)
North kick off on the CT side of the map, able to get off to a commanding start. The initial pistol was secured, with a two round follow up. OpTic take their first full buy, however further developments weren't seen off the back of this success, further conceding rounds to the Danes. Mid-half North kept the performance going, able to rack up a whopping seven rounds to one, producing a 10:2 lead. OpTic re-focused in the last three rounds of the half, falling to a five round deficit at 5:10. Another pistol is found by North, placing the Americans in dangerous territory. Resurgence from OpTic was seen on their first buy round, as the team was able to secure a victory in a post-plant situation. The following round saw more of the same, in addition to the dismantlement of the T's economy. This gave OpTic the break they needed to snatch some rounds to their name. The confidence boost was massive, extending all the way through to the end of the half, where the team found themselves at map pouint with 15:14. North extended the map by grabbing the 30th round, pushing the best-of-one into overtime. Triple overtime was seen, as neither team was keen on conceding the upper bracket placement. Ultimately, however, the victor is sole, as North were able to edge out the mix at a nail-biting 25:23.
SK Gaming vs. ViCi Gaming
de_Cobblestone - 16:6 (10:5, 6:1)
SK Gaming lived up to expectations, overcoming the Chinese underdogs. Having started on the CT side, the Brazilians conceded the pistol and following two rounds to ViCi. Come the gun round, SK were back on track and prepared to perform, as the team brought the fight to the Chinese, consistently outperforming them. This was the story for the remainder of the half, as ViCi found it difficult to produce a positive result against the favourites, able to secure but an additional two to their initial success at 5:10. After switching over to the T side, SK Gaming were able to reproduce the result of their opponents from the first pistol, in addition to further extending their lead at 14:5. In a last-ditch effort ViCi managed to pull the 20th round in their pocket, however the following round saw SK close out at 16:6.
Astralis vs. Chiefs eSports Club
de_Inferno - 16:5 (10:5, 6:0)
A comprehensive victory from the Danes against the local representatives. Chiefs managed to pick up the initial pistol, however nothing was built on the back of it, as Astralis swayed the momentum in their favour in round two, following up in rounds two through four. In large thanks to securing bomb plants, Chiefs' economy was rather solid despite conceding rounds, allowing a victory in round five, closing the deficit to one at 2:3. The solid state of their economy was fairly short-lived, as Astralis start accruing rounds in consecutive fashion, totalling at seven. Unwilling to give up, Chiefs managed to claw the final three in their favour to prevent the worsening of their deficit at 5:10. Unfortunately for the Australians, a flawless T side was seen from Astralis, leading a 6:0 second half and as a consequence a 16:5 final score line.
FaZe Clan vs. Renegades
de_Mirage - 16:4 (12:3, 4:1)
FaZe kicked off on the defence, where the team was able to get off to a strong start, securing three of the initial rounds. Renegades manage a victory on their first gun round, immediately followed by continuation of the prior from the European mix. Five consecutive rounds further fell in favour of FaZe, extending their lead to a strong 8:1. The final six rounds of the initial half saw the local representatives claw two, with the majority once again favouring FaZe at 12:3. Renegades were able to upset their opponents in the latter half despite losing the pistol, however didn't go on to produce anything resembling a comeback, as FaZe closed out by winning three rounds, culminating the map at 16:4.
OpTic Gaming vs. ViCi Gaming
de_Train - 16:8 (10:5, 6:3)
OpTic commenced on the defence, able to overcome the Chinese aggressors in round one. Following a pistol victory the mix went on to secure all rounds barring ViCi's first gun, where they defence fell short. In spite of the setback OpTic persevered and continued their dominant performance, able to string together six rounds before retaliation from ViCi. Faced with a 1:9 deficit the Chinese buckled up and managed to produce four of the final five rounds, closing the initial half at a 5:10 deficit. The latter half saw ViCi grab the firs two rounds, however a follow up from OpTic meant a ruined economy, as well as loss of momentum, subsequently evolving into a loss at 8:16 for ViCi.
de_Cobblestone - 16:14 (6:9, 10:5)
SK Gaming manage to secure a victory over the Danes by the skin of their teeth. Having kicked off on the T side of Cobble, SK missed out on the pistol round, however resurged in round two, following up with a strong economy reset onto North in round three, and consequently round four, where the Danes were working with inferior equipment. A post-plant victory was secured by North, followed by a strong series of rounds to extend their lead at 5:3. The final seven rounds were distributed with a slight bias towards North at 4 to 3 culminated the Danish CT side at a 9:6 lead. Pistol round number two fell in favour of the Brazilian defence, in addition to the three following rounds. A single was conceded afterwards, with another four rounds in a row accured by SK. Faced with a 10:14 score, North were able to find it within them to retaliate, equalising the score line at 14:14. Despite the terrific attempt at a comeback, SK were able to calmly close out the final two rounds of the map, closing out at a nail-biting 16:14.
Chiefs eSports Club vs. Renegades
de_Train - 16:5 (15:0, 1:5)
An absolutely stunning performance from Renegades as the local representatives nearly fall to their compatriots without a single digit to their name. Chiefs kicked off on the defence of Train, where the team was able to consistently dispatch Renegades, any advance the team would make. What seemed to be a team spiralling into terrible moral and tilt, Renegades were unable to produce a single round in the first half, conceding a 0:15 deficit to their countrymen. Something that served as comfort for Renegades was the fact that the team didn't fall without a single round to their name, able to accrue not only the second pistol, but the four following rounds to gain five. The twenty first round saw the conclusion of the match at 16:5 in favour of Chiefs.
de_Cobblestone - 16:7 (9:6, 7:1)
The final best-of-one saw Astralis secure their placement in the winners bracket, as they defeated FaZe on Cobblestone. The Danes kicked off on the T side, able to develop early momentum post a pistol win, concluding in a five round winning streak. FaZe managed to grab a post-plant round, followed by a few of their own, equalising the match at 5:5. After the teams went blow for blow in the subsequent two rounds, Astralis dashed ahead with three, ending the initial half at 9:6. Unfortunately for FaZe Clan, they team was able to secure but a single round on the offense, consistently failing to breach the defence and planting the bomb on but a single occasion. Astralis snatch seven rounds in the latter half, closing the series at a strong 16:7.
Image courtesy of ESL Twitter
