Cover Image Courtesy: DreamHack Counter-Strike | Thumbnail Image Courtesy: DreamHack Counter-Strike
The DreamHack Masters Malmo 2019 came to an end with Fnatic taking down Vitality in an epic three-game series. What started off as a doom for the Swedes, turned around as the match went down to the wire, with the home favourites fighting against all obstacles and registering their first tier-one event victory this year.
What a Fnatic performance!
Dust 2 | |
Vitality - 16 | Fnatic -14 |
Inferno | |
Vitality - 16 | Fnatic -19 |
Mirage | |
Vitality - 13 | Fnatic -16 |
The grand finale started off with the first match taking place on Dust 2. Vitality was able to claim victory on their own map pick, but had to face heavy competition from Fnatic, as both JW and flusha matched up to ZywOo and shox, in the number of frags.
Player | Kills | Deaths | Overall Rating (HLTV) |
JW | 24 | 20 | 1.21 |
Flusha | 20 | 20 | 0.97 |
ZywOo | 24 | 19 | 1.40 |
shox | 20 | 14 | 1.21 |
Down by a map, the Swedes proceeded to play on their map pick, Inferno. Fnatic took a really narrow lead as they closed the half with just one extra round to their name, though they went on to race away to the map point, they couldn’t cross it as Vitality won six rounds in succession to take the match into overtime.
Fnatic did not lose momentum as they finished the game in the first overtime itself, taking the series down to a decider. Once again it was JW who stepped up to the cause and delivered when needed.
The final game on Mirage was also pretty tight, with Fnatic making a huge comeback into the game after being down ‘11-6’. The Swedes scored nine continuous rounds to directly reach the map point and though Vitality did delay their victory by two more rounds, the Swedes crossed the barrier, winning the game and with it, the series as well.
The Swedes surpassed all other teams and were crowned as the champions of Malmo, lifting the trophy and winning their first tier-one tournament of the year. The new roster seems to work really well for the side, but only time will tell for how long this form of theirs will remain.
Despite the loss, the French team walked away with something, as ZywOo came through as the MVP of the tournament with an overall rating of 1.36, the second-highest for him at a LAN event.
