CS:GO: Evil Geniuses Defeat Fnatic to Win StarSeries i-League Season 8
| Tags: CS2
| Author Caroline Rutledge
StarSeries i-League Season 8 housed sixteen teams in Belek, Turkey, as they battled for the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool. North American squad Evil Geniuses took down Fnatic in the Grand Final, cruising past the Swedish side for a 2-0 victory. This is the second premier event win for Evil Geniuses in the last month.
The day started with the Consolidation Final, where Fnatic came out victorious over Brazilian side FURIA after a three-map brawl. They immediately moved into the Grand Final, where upper bracket winners Evil Geniuses waited in the wings. Fnatic kicked off the series with a nine-round streak on Dust2, the map pick of EG. Two crisp Desert Eagle kills from Vincent “Brehze” Cayonte put Evil Geniuses on the scoreboard with a forcebuy win. Three rounds were strung together by the NA side, though Fnatic was able to reach double digits on the offense. Two kills from Ethan “Ethan” Arnold secured a 2v2 in round 14, shifting the game’s momentum back in EG’s favor as the first half came to an end. A tense 1v1 win from Tsvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov allowed EG five rounds to Fnatic’s ten.
Evil Geniuses appeared reinvigorated as they took the second pistol round. The NA squad put up four straight rounds before Fnatic answered back. The Swedes were immediately silenced as EG stole the next round with a 3v4 bomb defense. The scoreline then evened up at eleven, though Fnatic maintaining the lead with a following twelfth round. Evil Geniuses found an unstoppable form, putting up five consecutive rounds to close out the map 16-12.
The series then moved on to Mirage, Fnatic’s map choice. Evil Geniuses took the opening pistol round thanks to three quick headshots from Cayonte. The NA side followed up with a second-round win, the guns coming out for both sides on round three. Fnatic claimed the first gun round after a tense 1v1 win from in-game leader Maikil “Golden” Selim. EG managed to take only a few rounds back as Fnatic ran off with the lead. The Swedish side ended their offensive half up 9-6.
The story changed as the second half began, Evil Geniuses once again taking the pistol round.
A lack of defuse kit in round eighteen prevented Fnatic from putting up their first win of the half. The momentum shifted even further in EG’s favor as Arnold secured four kills to clean up the following anti-eco round. The North Americans seemed to out-class their opponents on their offensive side, quickly putting themselves in a strong lead. EG eased past Fnatic in the final rounds, not allowing the Swedish squad to put a single defensive round on the board. Evil Geniuses closed out map two at a 16-9 scoreline, claiming the series victory 2-0.
With that, Evil Geniuses had secured their second premier tournament victory since joining the organization. Along with the StarSeries i-League Season 8 trophy, they take home the $250,000 grand prize. Evil Geniuses will next play at IEM Beijing on November 7th.
Images via StarLadder.