Entity had to grind hard to overcome 2ez gaming over 3 maps (Mirage 14-16, Cache 16-4, Overpass 16-13) to join Optic India as the qualified teams for the Regional Finals of the Indian Qualifiers for Zowie eXTREMESLAND ASIA 2018.
Entity chose to hit the B site on their pistol round. The players then rotated through the market area to plant at A. But, 2ez retook the site to nab the pistol. Entity managed to get the plant down in the eco as well.
The two plants meant Entity went into the third round with a good buy, albeit not a full buy. They managed to make it work with a brilliant B fake to enter an unguarded A site. 2ez were undone by the fake and lost the retake, thanks to a Team Ace from Entity.
Entity took advantage of the gained momentum and won four more rounds before a 1v2 from Amaterasu ensured 2ez were not able to make their Double AWP buy work. A split attack on the B site saw Entity move to a 7-2 lead.
A brilliant defence from 2ez on the B bombsite put an end to Entity’s streak. But, it was to be merely a pause as Entity hit back immediately with an A split through the connector. Excali then converted a 1v3 to pile on the misery of 2ez gaming.
Consecutive hits at A propelled Entity to 11-3 before 2ez managed to defend the B bombsite to end the half with 4 rounds on the board.
Entity almost got the pistol round with Amaterasu fragging 3 2ez players. But, there wasn’t enough time to defuse. 2ez then managed four more rounds without a response from Entity.
2ez entered an empty A bombsite on the 21st round. But, Entity were able to retake the site to ensure their first round of the second half.
But, like Entity’s T side, 2ez continued to dominate, racing to a 14-12 lead before a 3k from Amaterasu brought one round back for Entity. A successful defence of the A site leveled the score.
Huntr seemed to have put Entity on map point. But, tito’s molotov made sure it was 2ez who were the one to move to within 1 round of securing Mirage. 2ez then went for the B hit and closed out Entity’s map pick 16-14.
Both the teams seemed to struggle on the CT side. It might come down to either side relying more on individuality than on co-ordinated aggression. But, their abysmal CT sides would surely provide some food for thought going into the future matches.
Entity were intent on making quick work of things on Cache. HellRanger got a 3k as Entity pushed through B mains on the CT side in a call that caught 2ez by surprise. With the scoreboard reading 3-0 in favour of Entity, Huntr recorded 4k. The AWPer was not done yet as he pushed B mains on to dismantle 2ez’s buy round.
2ez looked hapless till the eighth round wherein Poki opened up with 2 quick kills at mid, which ensured the first round for 2ez. Entity chose to send two of their players to take doors control at A. 2ez though, somehow managed to win the round and added another with an A hit, which saw Entity opt for a 2-man save.
The saved weaponry worked wonders again, with Entity shutting down the A split. Entity raced to double figures before 2ez managed to foil a 2v3 retake attempt at B to get their fourth round.
HellRanger though ensured 2ez got no more than 4 rounds as he shut down the offence to end the half 11-4.
A brilliant double fake A rush from Entity got them the second pistol of the map. Entity did not let themselves become complacent and made sure there was no repeat of Mirage. The Bengaluru- based stack won in a streak to close out the map 16-4 and send the series into the decider, Overpass.
There isn’t much to digress on this map apart from Entity realising what they could have done on the Mirage CT side. Their aggression unsettled 2ez from the get-go and the Mumbai-based stack never managed to recover from it.
Entity started out with a 3-0 deficit as they lost the pistol round, thanks to a fast B short split rush through the connector by 2ez gaming. They managed to retake the A bombsite on the fourth round to put themselves on the board.
But, the following A execute saw Badman come up huge and hand 2ez the round with his individual play. After a few back and forth rounds, a nice B hold and an Olof defuse at A saw Entity reduce the deficit to two rounds.
Entity though, were quickly undone by a rush through the playground area and their decision to force buy in the ensuing round saw them reset their economy. Entity and 2ez shared the spoils in the remaining two rounds to end the half with 2ez leading 10-5.
Entity ensured they start their T side with 3 rounds, just as 2ez did. But, they left it too late to capture the A site and had no time to plant, handing the round to 2ez. Entity though, did not let the botched attempt get to them and not only leveled the scoreline but raced to a 13-11 lead.
Poki starred on the B defence as 2ez managed to retake the B site in a 2v2 scenario, with HellRanger late to pull the trigger on the defusing CT.
Entity though, reset 2ez with an A hit. But, 2ez were not to be deterred by it and won the quasi buy, pushing the score to 14-13, thanks to a 1v1 clutch from Poki.
Entity chose to pull out the A smoke wall strategy from their playbook, a strategy 2ez had no answer for. Entity defended the 3v4 afterplant scenario in the ensuing round to win the map 16-13 and qualify for the Regional Finals.
Entity will now go up against Optic India in the Grand Finals. Optic will have a map advantage, seeing as they come into the match from the Upper Bracket. Both the teams though, have qualified for the Regional Finals, something that was highly expected at the start of the DIQ.
We feel experience is what pulled Entity through here. Even in some dire situations, their players emerged on top, which bodes well for the team going forward. 2ez though, should not lose heart from the result.
Not many expected 2ez to put up such a result and finish third in the DIQ, especially their form coming into the Qualifiers. But, as mentioned in our Preview, 2ez are not a team to go through a bad phase for long. It is refreshing to see 2ez get their mojo back.
