100Thieves Register Victory in their Debut Match Against ENCE at IEM Beijing 2019

Cover Image Courtesy: Intel Extreme Masters | Thumbnail Image Courtesy: 100Thieves

The second match of the day for IEM Beijing 2019 resulted in 100Thieves securing a win over the Finnish side ENCE with a straight ‘2-0’ victory, setting themselves up for a winners’ bracket match against Astralis.

The two squared off on Inferno for the first game. 100Thieves were too good on their map pick as they went on to destroy ENCE by a score of ‘16-3’. With a solid start playing T-sided, the Australian line-up gathered a nine-round lead by the halftime mark, they continued on with their momentum to seal the deal in the second half without giving away any more rounds.

Facing a harsh loss against the new NA organization, ENCE gave a fitting reply on Train, as they raced off to secure a seven-round lead in the first half while playing T-sided, but unlike 100Thieves on Inferno, ENCE could not lock it down in the following half.

The Finns crumbled against the excellent T-side gameplay executed by 100Thieves, which witnessed a ten-round streak coming off them, as they took the lead and secured the map shortly thereafter to win the series in style.

With this, ENCE drops down to face ViCi Gaming in the elimination match while 100Thieves go on to face Astralis in the winner’s bracket.

While the veterans of Finnish counter-strike were able to play well, with both suNny and allu leading their side in the fragging department, the younger ones seemed to be all over the place. 100Thieves kept it tight, playing a good combination of aggressive and smart.

There was not a massive difference in their playstyle when compared to their performances with Renegades, but why change when the old tricks are working well for them. Though the real test is yet to come in the form of the Danish roster. Stay tuned to find out which is the first team to make its way into the playoffs.