Watching the players in the lounge laughing and joking together, djL couldn't bring himself to spoil the mood.
But as their coach, he still couldn't help reminding them, "Inferno is GL's map pick. We can't afford to let our guard down yet. We need to win two maps to take this Bo3."
At that, the Nip players reined in their excitement a little, though smiles still spread across their faces.
"Is GL really that good on Inferno?" Su Zhe asked curiously.
Es3tag nodded. "GL had a 73% win rate on Inferno last year. Even after changing their IGL and a starter, they still beat strong teams like Faze on this map. They're pretty good."
DjL nodded. "Right. Still, we should do our best to take Inferno. We're even less comfortable on Death Arena."
K0nfig stood up and stretched his joints. "What's there to worry about? If we play like we did on the first map, taking them 2-0 won't be a problem! Let's go, guys! It's time to get out there!"
After a brief halftime break, both teams returned to the stage.
The GL players had also managed to patch up their shattered confidence after getting demolished on the first map.
After all, three of them had finished as runners-up at the previous Major, and they also had an experienced player like snax. They weren't about to give up just because they'd lost one map.
They'd only fallen so far behind on Mirage because the score gap had gotten out of hand. But Inferno was their map pick. There was no reason to lose before the match had even begun.
Nip chose to start on the CT side of Inferno.
"Come on! Let's aim for seven rounds on CT! Eight would be even better!" Before the match began, es3tag rallied the team.
Inferno was one of the few CSGO maps that was fairly balanced between the two sides.
Either side could consider six rounds a passing score at halftime, but after winning the first map, Nip wasn't content with merely scraping by.
"Let's open with a Faze smoke this round, then gamble on a four-A setup and push forward on the Side Path," Es3tag said, briefly laying out their defense.
The Faze smoke was a piece of utility developed by Faze after CS2 removed the ability for grenades to collide with invisible walls.
It could block off the middle of Mid right at the start of the round, preventing the Ts from taking control of Mid immediately. It also helped the CTs gather information on the Side Path.
"Arrow, head straight down the Spiral Staircase and push forward. K0nfig, draw their attention from VIP."
"REZ, come with me through Mid and wrap around to the Side Path. We'll trade together."
Once they'd gone over the Pistol Round strategy, the countdown ended.
Everyone but headtr1ck, who headed toward B, went with Su Zhe toward A.
K0nfig jumped to check Mid first. Seeing that the Faze smoke had landed properly, the team spread out according to plan without a care.
"There's one on T Second Floor! Two by Red Door!" K0nfig had gone into VIP hoping to get the team an opening kill, but seeing so many Ts, he didn't dare peek.
Es3tag circled around to the Side Path and shoulder-peeked. The moment he showed, bullets came flying past.
"Just don't get picked off. Buy Arrow some time!"
They weren't at a disadvantage in long-range duels, but es3tag still wanted to play it safe.
"Nip has a setup here, and it's a perfect counter to GL's Attack Tactic. GL's best option now is to fall back and Speed Up into B."
"But snax at T Spawn is being bold! He's going to push straight through the smoke! Is anyone holding it? No one is!"
"Snax actually caught the timing! He's taken out both players who pushed forward through Mid from behind! Nip still aren't in sync! How could they give him an opening like that?"
Ma Xixi hadn't expected such a promising defensive start to go wrong because of a lapse in team discipline. Es3tag and REZ had both been watching the Side Path in case the Ts pushed farther forward, but they'd forgotten that a Smoke Grenade wasn't a wall.
With two players down in Mid, k0nfig was in a position where he was all but doomed—unless the enemy's guns completely failed them.
After dying, es3tag and REZ both switched their views to Su Zhe.
Whether they could turn the Pistol Round around now depended entirely on how many kills Su Zhe could get from his forward position.
Su Zhe was already creeping toward T Second Floor. AcoR, who was there holding an angle on VIP, sensed something was wrong.
"I'm giving up my angle on VIP. Check inside the Side Path... Someone's coming!"
Before acoR could finish, a CT appeared. He hurriedly adjusted his aim to line up the shot, but he was too late to fire.
"Pew! Pew!"
[Arrow killed acoR with a USP Headshot]
"He won that straight-up duel!" Ma Xixi, commentating live, couldn't help tensing up as the action unfolded. "But that position is a bit of a stretch. The Ts on the Side Path have already been warned. Let's see if he can get one more!"
After getting the kill, Su Zhe shoulder-peeked to check below the Side Path. Once he'd pinned down their positions, he didn't hesitate. He pre-aimed and swung wide.
"Pew! Pew!"
[Arrow killed isak with a USP Headshot]
Volt outside Red Door immediately lined up a trade, but then he saw the CT on T Second Floor suddenly turn toward him.
"Pew! Pew!"
[Arrow killed volt with a USP Headshot]
"Holy shit! What kind of monster is this?" Ma Xixi blurted out as he watched the director's first-person view. "Did he actually stuff something into his computer?!"
He'd just gotten a kill, and then the screen suddenly snapped over, his crosshair landing on another head.
How was that any different from having aimbot?
Even the referee behind him leaned forward.
"Arrow's taken out everyone on the Side Path by himself, and he wasn't even shooting them in the back! But snax, who pushed through the smoke earlier, has already circled around to Boiler Room and killed k0nfig!"
"After that triple kill, Arrow's still managed to leave himself a 2v2!"
As soon as he died, k0nfig shouted, "I didn't see the bomb carrier! He might still be at T Spawn!"
After hearing his teammate's call, Su Zhe held VIP for a few seconds. When snax showed no intention of trading the kill, he quickly left T Second Floor and headed for T Spawn.
Headtr1ck had also pushed out from Banana Path. He shoulder-peeked to check inside T Spawn, only for snax, who had doubled back, to catch him from the side.
Su Zhe was already close to the stairs. He swung out wide, spotted the T holding a Direct Hold on him from below, and immediately lined up the shot.
"Pew! Pew!"
[Arrow killed Keoz with a USP Headshot]
But he also took a headshot, leaving him at one health. The best part was that the bomb had dropped on the ground.
Both teams now knew exactly where the other players were. Even snax couldn't help getting nervous. He kept telling himself that he only needed one shot to the body to get the kill.
After entering T Spawn and spotting the bomb, snax shoulder-peeked toward the stairs. Once he confirmed the CT hadn't moved, he crouched and swung out, trying to duck below the headshot line.
As soon as Su Zhe saw him, he snapped his crosshair downward.
"Bang! Pew!"
[Arrow killed snax with a USP Headshot]
The instant he got the kill, the Nip players finally let loose. K0nfig shouted excitedly, "Arrow! You're fucking insane!"
The rest of Nip also began shouting Su Zhe's ID. That round had been won entirely through individual skill!
A five-kill ACE! The first ACE of the Katowice qualifier!
And he'd pulled it off after starting the round at such a huge disadvantage!
Before you continue