Cover-Credits:
In one of the best individual performances in the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 so far, Karl "Karl" Matthew Baldovino nearly single-handedly tore apart OG as he led T1 to a scintillating 2-0 victory and secured the top spot in Group A. At the time of writing, T1 is the only undefeated team in Group A and are looking like prime contenders to finish atop Group A and make its way into the upper brackets in the playoffs.
OG, on the other hand, still have a good chance to secure an upper bracket finish as they’re even on points with BetBoom Team, BOOM Esports, and Tundra Esports.
OG stutters in Game 1 of ESL One Stockholm Major 2022: Group Stage
Karl got his hands on his signature Lina in Game 1, utilizing its strengths to the fullest to get off to a decent start. However, OG got off to a better start in the early game on the back of a strong laning phase and were looking set to take control of the map, with a near-7K net worth lead, just 15-minutes into the game.
However, a sneaky Roshan take, courtesy of Kenny "Xepher" Deo’s Shadow Shaman gave T1 a way back into the game. The team managed to even out the game with some strong ganks and skirmishes on OG’s cores. Karl’s itemization also proved vital as he double-dipped on Armor items with an Assault Cuirass and a Shiva’s Guard, which proved to be extremely effective against OG’s heavy physical damage giving T1 the edge in the late-game and secured the win for the team.
Karl’s master class on Puck
T1 decided to give Karl his Puck in Game 2 which proved to be a game-winning decision. The Filipino mid lane star played out of his mind in the second game, securing a godlike spree just 12 minutes into the game and completely shut down his opposing midlaner in the process.
OG simply had no answers for Karl's aggression. He was shutting down Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov in the midlane at one moment, and then moved through the jungle to gank the enemy safelane and then immediately teleported to gank Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf. All of this within 60 seconds.
Although T1 did make a few missteps playing a little too overtly aggressive for their own good, the result was never really in doubt thanks to Karl’s phenomenal performance. They closed out the game in 35 minutes with Karl finishing with 19 Kills and 9 Assists.
With that performance, T1 has certainly silenced any doubters and are looking like one of the strongest teams in the tournament. The team’s next game is against beastcoast who have blown hot and cold through the tournament. A 2-0 win here would put T1 in an extremely good position heading into the later stages of the group stage.
