Nothing can stop Vitality. This Sunday, the French team won the Intel Extreme Masters in Melbourne after a particularly thrilling final. By beating Team Falcons in this duel of titans, they extend a winning streak that is starting to become historic, and at the same time consolidate their unchallenged domination of this iconic e-sports discipline.
For some time now, Counter-Strike fans have been accustomed to seeing the black and yellow dominate their field. Since the emergence of prodigy Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, who continues to write a little more of his legend headshot after headshot, the team has only progressed at a dizzying pace. This dynamic has intensified further since the arrival of another top-class gun, Estonian ropz. It's quite simple: in recent months, Vitality has transformed itself into a veritable war machine that demolishes everything in its path, and was on a streak of twenty consecutive victories before this weekend - a colossal figure in such a competitive environment.
Our French champions arrived in Australia as the big favorites. Unsurprisingly, they emerged first in the group stages before pulverizing The MongolZ in the semi-finals to reach the final.
They faced Team Falcons, whom they had already disposed of in the group stages with a rather expeditious victory (2-0). But their opponents returned with other intentions. In the wake of their latest star recruit, the young Russian prodigy m0NESY, the Falcons pulled out all the stops to offer more resistance to the French giants.
A breathless final that will go down in history
We were therefore treated to an absolutely spectacular final on every level. In the wake of a fiery ZywOo, who once again distinguished himself through several high-class actions (including a memorable 1-on-3 clutch to save a crucial round), Vitality put themselves in a position to close the debate fairly quickly, with a score of 2-1 and a good dynamic at the end of the third map.
But Team Falcons didn't see it that way. They were able to take advantage of the French team's only real lull to win Mirage, and give themselves one last chance in a decisive fifth game on Nuke. This is where Vitality was pushed to the brink, with a score of 12-6 in favor of their opponents which did not bode well.
A good portion of the crowd was already expecting Vitality to bend the knee and see this 20-game winning streak come to an end under the Australian sun... but that was without taking into account the steely mentality of our national gunslingers. Galvanized by their long-time leader, the charismatic veteran Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, the black and yellow quintet came back from the dead with a splendid series of 6 consecutive rounds, punctuated by some collective and individual highlights... and above all, synonymous with overtime.
The atmosphere was electric, stifling, and the exchanges were still as tight as ever. After 30 rounds, the two camps still hadn't managed to separate, despite remarkable collective and individual performances from both sides. We were therefore treated to a second, then a third overtime where all the players fought like hell to snatch victory. It was ultimately the French team that found the resources necessary to win three consecutive rounds and impose themselves 22 to 20 on Nuke in this breathless match, after having saved no less than 7 decisive rounds in total.
A remarkable domination and one that is set to last
Unsurprisingly, ZywOo, who performed remarkably well throughout the tournament, was logically voted MVP. But the entire team was also rewarded. In addition to its winner's trophy, Vitality was also awarded a Grand Slam, a trophy awarded to teams that manage to win at least four of the last ten top-level tournaments. But above all, the French team continues its incredible winning streak by securing a 21st consecutive scalp — a feat that only two other teams have accomplished so far.
At the very top of this ranking, we find the Ninjas in Pyjamas of 2012-2013, who outrageously dominated the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene while the rest of the teams were still transitioning to the new iteration of the title. With 87 consecutive victories (!), GeT_RiGhT's team's record is unlikely to fall anytime soon. But the same cannot be said for the second step of the podium, occupied by Team Liquid in 2019 with 23 victories. The French team is now just two wins away from matching them—and it's safe to say they're perfectly positioned to do so, given their recent performances.
So, we'll see you at the next big event, the next Major, which will be held in Austin next June, to find out if Vitality will continue its winning ways. But whatever happens, this is a particularly good time for fans of French esports. This fabulous team is having an absolutely historic season, and ZywOo and his colleagues are sure to continue thrilling their fans.
0 Comments