- Cloud9 defeated ENCE at the finals of the IEM Dallas 2022
- They dominated ENCE during the whole match, ending with a decisive 3-0 victory
- This marks the team’s first CS:GO trophy in years
After almost four years of mediocre performance, Cloud9 finally won a big CS:GO trophy at the IEM Dallas 2022.
C9 Dominates ENCE
Cloud9 have been out of their luck for four years when it comes to competitive CS:GO, however, this all changed recently when the organization won the grand finals at the IEM Dallas 2022. The team dominated ENCE, sweeping the competition with a 3-0, and finally lifted a CS:GO trophy over their heads for the first time in years.
Interestingly, if one tuned to the early stages of the game, chances are they would have placed their bets on ENCE. The team had a solid start on Mirage, with a successful CT side in the first half marred only by a string of C9 T-sided round wins that were facilitated by some sh1ro playmaking.
Entering the second half, ENCE still had a solid 10-5 lead, however, it was time for C9 to turn things 180 around. The team, now playing the CT side, quickly tied the map at 10-10. What followed was a series of traded rounds before C9 finally gained the initiative. Eventually, C9 won mirage with the help of big plays by Hobbit and sh1ro, ending Mirage with a score of 16-12.
C9 Continues the Momentum
C9 continued their onslaught on Overpass, playing as T. By the double-time, the team already had a 10-5 lead with double-digit kills coming from all five players. ENCE had a breath of fresh air during the second-half pistol round when their opponents lost to an anti-eco. However, C9 countered with a pivotal anti-eco of their own to give them a 13-9 lead. Eventually, C9 took a commanding 2-0 lead by winning Overpass with a score of 16-11.
Ancient was the final map played. C9 started a lead with 12-3 at halftime after a crazy first-half performance from sh1ro and nafany, who garnered a total of 40 kills before the side switch. By his time, ENCE’s morale had all gone, facilitating C9 to quickly wrap things up. The team won all four of the first four rounds on their T-side and ended the series with a 16-3 score on Ancient and an overall result of 3-0.
“Honestly, I probably don't understand it yet,” commented ion the win Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov. “I have a lot of different emotions, but we just really needed this win and I'm happy that we did it.”
