Winning an eco round had a huge impact on the match.
That was because the weaker side usually saved money during an eco round. After winning, they not only got the round-win bonus but also kept the money they'd saved—and might even pick up a few rifles.
A lot of the time, the teams' economies could turn around completely.
That was why this round mattered so much.
After getting ecoed, VG's economy was suddenly in an awkward spot. Some players could afford rifles, while others had to make do with MP9s—or even just pistols and half armor.
After thinking it over, they had no choice but to force-buy.
But MO had a clear plan this time. Knowing VG was low on money, they focused their attack on Outer Site.
Once the distance between the two sides increased, the difference between their weapons would become obvious.
Even 259 couldn't make bricks without straw. He wanted to use tactics to put pressure on the other side, but the difference in firepower was right there.
Besides, those old-timers on the other team were in pretty good form now.
VG managed to take out three of Iron Helmet's rifles, but Iron Helmet still won the round.
VG was forced into an eco round next.
Jiang Yang got another three kills that round.
This time he didn't go looking for kills on his own. Instead, VG grouped up and tried to push out, only to get mowed down by him.
Viewers realized they were growing fonder and fonder of Ma Xixi's cousin.
Truthfully, Chinese CS players weren't bad at aiming.
They could hold their own in aim duels against top-tier teams.
The problem was that Chinese teams often got ecoed when they were force-buying or on an eco.
Jiang Yang had a quality that these teams lacked.
He liked playing as a lone wolf, but when it wasn't the right time to do that, he absolutely wouldn't go off on his own.
Just like this round: he spent the whole time advancing with his team and holding angles.
He didn't go hunting for kills and padding his KD just because the other side was on an ECO.
His top priority was still winning—and building up the team's economy.
It was a joy to watch.
The score had reached 12:8, and the momentum from that eco-round win was carrying them forward.
DD reminded them, "They've got rifles this round, so watch out."
MO thought for a moment. "Don't rush. Let's play default early and put some pressure on Outer Site to spread out their setup. Then, at the second timing, we turn around and hit them. DD and Cousin can go straight in through Yellow Room."
As a professional commentator and former pro, MO had the best tactical sense on the team.
He had plenty of unconventional ideas he wanted to try, but worried the Iron Helmet guys wouldn't be able to pull them off. So he stuck to simpler plays.
Following MO's plan, the players on both sides traded utility without much happening early on. When the clock hit one minute, Jiang Yang and DD each got a pop flash ready in Yellow Room. At MO's command, they threw their flashbangs and charged forward.
"Iron Helmet's two strongest hitters are ready at Front Point, but VG have gone for a two-man setup on Inner Site. Are they planning to peek one at a time and have the other one hide?"
"Now let's see if the two of them can get any kills this time!"
"AumaN peeks out from Bomb Site to look for an opening, but Cousin catches him holding the angle and kills him right away!"
"Will Kaze go out here? No! MO comes in on the second timing to trade, but he can't beat Kaze!"
"But Cousin's trade is lightning-fast. Inner Site melts in an instant!"
Ma Xixi laughed. "Nothing more to say. See you next round!"
VG might still have had a chance to make a play, but Iron Helmet had locked down every angle on Inner Site. Ma Xixi couldn't see how VG could retake.
"But VG are still going to give it a shot. 259, in Pipe, throws a flash for Third Floor, but Xiao Ju on Third Floor sprays a little wide and gets killed by DD!"
Well, VG had finally had enough. They saved their guns.
Iron Helmet took another round, and VG immediately called a tactical timeout.
259 could tell things were getting worse. At this rate, they were going to lose this match today!
When the timeout ended, Jiang Yang followed MO's plan and blew open the door before dropping down Pipe to try a play.
Then came an even more absurd moment that left viewers speechless.
VG had saved two rifles in the previous round. The other three players were broke, so they all had Desert Eagles.
But after Jiang Yang dropped into Pipe, he fought through several engagements and took out all three Desert Eagles.
The livestream chat started joking: [Cousin heard the sound of an ECO again.]
Jiang Yang had taken out three players below, putting Iron Helmet in a 5v2. The team advanced calmly, then traded one for one with Jamyoung in K1.
259 got a kill on Outer Site, but didn't even consider trying to win the 1v3 clutch.
After all, there was no point in watching him try to clutch.
Even the timeout hadn't stopped VG's downward slide. The pressure was mounting, and 259 racked his brain for a way to hold things together.
But Iron Helmet were getting hotter by the round. With their economy in such bad shape, VG couldn't trade kills in straight-up fights.
Iron Helmet pushed the score to 15:8 in one go and reached match point.
The score got the crowd hyped. Iron Helmet needed just one more round, and this streamer team would have beaten Tyloo, kicked VG aside, and made it to the Stockholm Major.
Making the Major as a streamer team would put Jiang Yang and the old-timers on Iron Helmet in the history of CNCS.
But after match point, VG seemed to calm down.
Kaze got a four-kill round with the Big Sniper, saving the team from elimination.
Then VG put on a show in the "we only start playing when they're on match point" category and clawed the score back to 15:13.
The viewers hadn't expected the match to get this wild.
Xiaosage hurriedly said over voice chat, "Captain, call a timeout. I need to take a leak, and we can all cool down for a bit. VG have found their form, and they're getting scary!"
Going to the bathroom was secondary. VG had too much momentum, and they needed to cool the other side off.
It would also give the Iron Helmet old-timers a chance to rest.
Everyone took a moment to calm down and reset. MO rallied them. "Don't feel pressured. We're the ones with the advantage, and even if we lose this map, we've still got room to recover."
"Besides, we were just rushing too much before. If we calm down, we've got a chance to take this."
When Xiaosage came back, MO laid out a simple, straightforward play.
He knew they couldn't make things too complicated at a time like this. The Iron Helmet old-timers were already starting to get overloaded.
After thinking it over, he deliberately put Jiang Yang in the middle of the formation, where he could trade kills.
Right now, he was the only one with plenty of firepower.
When the tactical timeout ended, Ma Xixi watched the match with bated breath. "Iron Helmet are still choosing to force-buy and fight to the end. No regrets."
"Let's see how Iron Helmet are going to play this."
"They've thrown a Line Smoke at Outer Site, but no one's going out. They've blown open Iron Door and sprayed a bit. Are they planning to make two pushes, then rotate to Iron Plate?" Ma Xixi was genuinely worried Iron Helmet wouldn't be able to execute the play.
"Good, they're going for a Dry Peek on Iron Plate. They know VG's economy is bad too, and Jamyoung on Iron Plate has died several times in a row. He's got no utility!"
The team crept forward through B Tunnel. Then a Smoke Grenade suddenly flew in, and Xiaosage, at the front, immediately picked up the pace.
"They're taking the timing and going for a Dry Peek! But Xiao Ju gets one—two! DD finally trades him, but that's not a good trade!" Ma Xixi said miserably.
MO hadn't managed to trade, and it looked rough.
They were down in numbers again, which made things difficult.
The one upside to MO's death was that he'd become the Fountain Commander and could call the plays without any pressure.
"Don't rush. Hold here and see if they try to push out and give us an opening," MO reminded them.
Jiang Yang heard him and quickly spoke with DD. DD held the angle while Jiang Yang watched for a back flash.
They held for a while, but the other team showed no sign of pushing out. They did, however, clear Under Third Floor.
VG played cautiously and gave up Under Third Floor.
But they also threw a Smoke Grenade, basically telling them:
We're watching Under Third Floor, so don't get any ideas.
That left Iron Helmet in a tough spot. All three of them were crowded onto Iron Plate with no formation at all.
They had no idea what was happening behind them either, so after talking it over, they could only try pushing into B Area.
"They've made their move into B Area on the second timing, but A Zhong has rotated to Trapdoor. The good news is that the rest of VG haven't rushed to reinforce the site below. If they can take out A Zhong, they'll have a chance to get a foothold."
"They throw the smoke below, and Cousin plants the bomb!"
"Su Di breaks the glass and moves into Control Room. This is a crucial kill. If he wins the duel, they'll have a foothold. Can Su Di do it?"
"But he loses the fight!" Ma Xixi said miserably.
"With Su Di down, the two cousins at Bomb Site are in a tough spot!"
DD was outside Dead Point, while Jiang Yang was on the upper level of Bomb Site, behind a Pillar. Jiang Yang at least had some solid cover.
But DD was in a really bad spot.
"I'm going to look for a fight. If I don't, we'll just lose this round!" DD said over voice chat.
A 2v4, with fewer players and nowhere to go but Bomb Site—that was a dead end.
There were players holding Trapdoor and Control Room. He thought he might catch one alone, which would free up Trapdoor and give them more room to work with.
After setting his aim, he swung out wildly.
DD quickly killed Kaze at Trapdoor, but he hadn't expected A Zhong in Control Room to react so fast. A moment ago, he'd still been shooting the glass.
He tried to transfer his spray, but only managed to tag A Zhong.
"One left at Trapdoor, half health!" DD called out helplessly.
At that, Jiang Yang immediately raised his gun to hold Trapdoor. But after two seconds with no one appearing, he was about to peek toward Iron Plate when the player at Trapdoor caught the timing and opened fire.
Jiang Yang snapped his aim around and immediately killed the half-health A Zhong.
"Cousin gets one! It's a 1v2 now, but he's only on half health, and they've already got his position!"
"He fires toward Iron Plate, so he knows there's one there, but he's still watching below. He doesn't know the second player is at Iron Plate too."
Jiang Yang kept body-swinging in small peeks, pre-aiming and firing ahead of time at the entrance from Iron Plate into B Area.
But after several swings from side to side, he still didn't see the other player. He grew more and more nervous.
He still hadn't spotted the second player, and the one at Iron Plate seemed to be playing like a lurker.
Then, as he pre-aimed once more, he suddenly saw the last two CTs standing together outside Control Room.
His crosshair was already on the first player. He fired without hesitation.
"Tat-tat-tat!"
Jiang Yang had planned to fire a quick burst and immediately fall back, getting out of the enemy's line of fire since he was on half health too.
At a time like this, stalling was the best option.
But even he hadn't expected the screen to freeze after his three shots, with two kills appearing in the top right.
[young killed advent with a headshot using AK47]
[young killed aumaN with a headshot using AK47]
"Cousin still hasn't spotted the second player. VG have a Defuse Kit, so they're not in a hurry. They're grouped up and pushing in to trade. They saw him swing—this is bad!" Ma Xixi's voice suddenly rose. "Huh!?"
The sight before him made Ma Xixi's eyes go wide. He erupted, "Cousin swung out with his crosshair right on Control Room. The last two CTs were standing in the doorway, lined up, and he pierced them both with headshots!"
"Match point, 1v3! 16:13—Iron Helmet refuse overtime!"
"Cousin, you're a beast! That AK just saved the day!"
Ma Xixi shouted excitedly, "Without him, this family really would fall apart!"
Then the viewers heard Jiang Yang shout excitedly over the livestream:
"Cousin, I'm going to the Major!"
I've got something to take care of tonight, so I'm late. Sorry, sorry.
I usually update before 5 p.m. and before 9 p.m. This one's on me.
Before you continue