After losing the Pistol Round, GL were on CT Side, with only around 2,000 in each player's pocket. Snax decided to force-buy Desert Eagles and gamble on a five-man stack at A.
Fortunately, es3tag played cautiously and went for a default setup. Su Zhe was holding the default position on B2 Floor when he accidentally stepped a little too far forward and discovered that the entire B Zone was empty.
The score soon reached 3–0, bringing the first Full Buy Round of the match.
"A 7–0 KAD start! The rookie's aim is still on point. Is he going to have another breakout performance today?" Unlike Wan Jiqi yesterday, Ma Xixi didn't question any of Su Zhe's bold plays.
He believed that as long as a player could get impactful kills and help the team score, he was a good player!
Mo chimed in, "Those stats are pretty crazy. I wonder if snax watched yesterday's match against ENCE and has a plan for this aggressive rookie."
The Pistol Round was certainly important, but the Full Buy Rounds were what ultimately decided the match.
Snax had watched Nip's match yesterday, of course. He had picked up a few things, but not many.
Mirage and Ancient Ruins had completely different layouts. He didn't even know which position this rookie played on T Side, let alone anything about his movement habits.
All he knew was that the rookie had quick reactions and precise aim. He knew nothing else, so to be safe, snax went with a standard 3A2B defensive setup for the Full Buy Round.
"Let's play a default setup this round," Es3tag said, opting for caution as well.
GL weren't very strong as a team right now, but Nip weren't much better.
If Su Zhe hadn't gotten a Quad Kill in the Pistol Round, the score could just as easily have been 0–3 instead of 3–0.
After explaining their strategy for the round, es3tag turned to Su Zhe. "Arrow, this round you..."
Su Zhe said, "Hm? What is it?"
"...Never mind. Just play your game."
As the countdown ended, Su Zhe, equipped with Full Armor and an AK, headed straight for B2 Floor.
Both teams had secured only the map control they were supposed to. With one minute left on the round countdown, not a single shot had been fired anywhere on the map.
Su Zhe was getting restless. He keyed his mic and asked, "How about I push forward and get some info on B bomb site?"
Es3tag thought, Why is this kid so impatient as soon as he gets into a match? He seems so quiet and gentle otherwise.
Still, it really was time to look for an opportunity.
Es3tag was holding the default angle at T Spawn. After a moment's thought, he said, "Wait a bit. I'll throw a Flashbang for B bomb site. And you guys at A1, be careful. Watch out for a CT Side push."
He was worried that if anything happened around B2 Floor, GL would push A1 to free up the other side.
"I'm in position."
With a Flashbang ready in hand, es3tag watched Su Zhe, prepared to throw it into the site at any moment.
The moment Su Zhe heard es3tag, he could practically smell freedom. He pre-aimed White Car from Kitchen and made a crouching swing.
Keoz was below Balcony, holding utility as he jump-spotted B2. The moment he saw the terrorist, he shouted, "They're here!"
Snax had already readied a Molotov at Side Path. A teammate was watching Mid from Archway, so he had no reason to worry about a terrorist suddenly coming up Side Path.
Besides, there was no need to save utility at this point. As long as the terrorists couldn't get out immediately, they could throw more smokes and keep cutting into the time available for the attack.
As the Molotov flew through the B2 window, Keoz, still below Balcony, threw a grenade and started falling back toward the couch, ready to hold Balcony.
Seeing the Molotov burst on the ground, Su Zhe didn't immediately fall back. All he could think was that if he didn't push out now, he might not get another chance.
So he ignored the danger, tanked a full barrage of fire and flames, and kept pushing forward with Big Steps.
Snax had planned to throw another grenade toward the terrorists at Side Path and soften them up. But as he pulled it out of his pocket, he suddenly saw the barrel of an AK pointed right at him.
The sound of Keoz's grenade exploding had completely drowned out the sound of Su Zhe running through the fire.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow used an AK-47 to headshot snax]
After getting the kill, Su Zhe jumped straight from the B2 window onto the site.
Keoz, who was changing positions, hadn't expected his opponent to be so fast. He hadn't even thrown a smoke to extinguish the fire!
Hearing the terrorist land, he didn't know how many more were behind him, so he threw a defensive smoke by the couch and waited for his teammates to rotate.
Su Zhe had a good idea where Keoz was. Once the smoke bloomed, he knew for sure.
He aimed straight at the Dead Spot by the couch and started spraying through the smoke.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow used an AK-47 to kill Keoz through smoke]
"B bomb site's clear. You can come in!" Su Zhe called to his teammates after quickly clearing the site.
The Nip players: ?
They fell silent as they watched the kill feed in the upper-right corner.
We were all still playing default, and you'd already cleared out B bomb site? Are we even on the same team?
Su Zhe had planned to keep pushing toward Supermarket, but a grenade flew right out of it. Caught off guard and already low on health, he was blown away.
But that didn't matter anymore. After seeing the kills in the feed, es3tag immediately dropped into the sewer. "They've probably all rotated. Quietly make contact and get into A bomb site. I'll go through Mid to Archway."
Su Zhe's double-kill entry had really shaken GL. The two players at A immediately rushed to Supermarket to rotate, leaving only isak in Jungle to prevent anyone from flanking.
Outnumbered three to one, and with the terrorists entering the site quietly, isak managed to trade only k0nfig before headtr1ck swung out from A2 Floor and finished him off.
With fewer players and the terrorists holding the site, snax had no choice but to tell the two players who had rotated to B point to save their guns.
"Sorry, I didn't expect them to rotate from Supermarket so fast," Su Zhe said apologetically after the C4 exploded.
The Nip players: ?
Seriously, what are you talking about? You went into B bomb site alone and took out two, and you're saying "sorry"?
Forget a two-for-one trade—even a one-for-one trade would have been a great deal.
"Nice! That was really well played! We wouldn't have taken that round so easily without you." The coach, djL, came over to bump fists and cheer him on.
K0nfig looked a little lost. Wait, which of us is the entry fragger? Me or him?
Ma Xixi hadn't commentated on Nip's match yesterday. He'd only watched the recording afterward.
He'd known Su Zhe played aggressively and had prepared himself before the broadcast.
But seeing it live was still a shock. "I thought he was a lurker. Is this how lurkers play in CS2 now?"
Those two questions stumped Mo. "I guess so... Maybe it's one of Nip's strategies?"
The viewers in the Live Room were amused by their exchange.
[ Lurker? Entry fragger? I can't tell! I really can't tell! ]
[ What do you mean, lurker? He's clearly an entry fragger! ]
[ Nonsense, he's clearly a free-roaming entry fragger! ]
[ The crazy part is, he actually cleared out everyone at B bomb site! If the CTs hadn't rotated so quickly, he could've kept looking for kills! ]
[ This is what pure CS is all about! Fight! And it feels so good! ]
After winning the Full Buy Round, GL saved two rifles, but that didn't help them much. The score climbed to 5–0.
The लगातार dropped rounds didn't break snax's spirit. The Polish bear, standing over two meters tall, had no intention of giving up so early.
After calling a timeout, he continued to lift his teammates' spirits and tried to find a way to score.
But some things couldn't be achieved through effort alone. Arrow at B2 Floor remained a point they simply couldn't deal with.
They tried pushing B2 Floor, only for Su Zhe to spray down two of them.
When they played a disciplined defense, he simply pushed straight into the site without a care. Snax's resolve as the in-game leader held firm, but Keoz, who was defending A Area, was the first to crack.
He'd probably start worrying that a terrorist with an AK would crawl out from under his blankets while he slept.
By the end of the First Half, the score stood at 9–3.
"It's hard to believe Arrow could put up a performance like this today if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. In only his second professional match, he's turned GL's defense upside down."
Ma Xixi looked at the First Half stats. Su Zhe's KAD was 18–3–8. Even after GL adjusted their defense around B2 Floor, his incredible aim kept paying off and throwing their Defensive Rhythm into disarray.
Mo added, "That's true. But this playstyle depends on having incredible individual skill. Otherwise, it's easy to Give Away your life."
There was even a hint of pride in their voices. Back when 2K, the American player, hadn't been exposed yet, some casters would praise him to the skies whenever his KD went even slightly positive.
And Su Zhe was an undeniable Chinese player, tearing through the European Division no less!
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