Entity beat Brutality in straight maps (Dust2 16-12, Mirage 16-6) to secure an Upper Bracket Finals date with Optic India.
Entity started Brutality’s map pick Dust2 on the T side. They decided to execute a basic mid-to-b strategy. Brutality failed to handle the brute force and conceded the pistol round. A fast-paced A long hit in the ant-eco saw Entity clean up the round.
Huntr held outside A long doors brilliantly and finished the round with a 3k to add another round besides Entity on the scoreboard. As Entity saw their quick A take being contested well by Brutality, they rotated back to hit the B site through T spawn and captured the round as well, with Venom unable to stop them in the Upper Tunnel despite good positioning.
A quick entry into Mid saw Entity dismantle Brutality’s defence yet again. The fast-paced rounds soon caught up with Entity though, with a 2k from Venom ensuring Brutality defended the B site well and open their account on Dust2.
A 4k from Excali with the AWP was not enough as spy clutched a 1v1 to ensure a second round before Brutality succeeded in a 2v3 retake to come within 2 rounds of Entity.
Entity though, hit back through A long on the Quasi buy to break Brutality’s streak. Sniffing a potential weakness in the A long defence, Entity rinsed and repeat, with similar effect as Rix was resigned to saving the AWP.
HellRanger wreaked havoc at CT spawn in the ensuing round to extend Entity’s lead. A quick mid-to-b attempt was foiled by Brutality to get their fourth round on the board. Brutality then shut down Entity’s attempt to take over the A site before Astarr held off Entity at B with a brilliant 4k to close out the half with a scoreline of 9-6 in favour of Entity.
Brutality chose to attack the A site through the short area. The attempt yielded fruit, which saw them lodge consecutive round wins to draw level. Amaterasu then stepped up with a 3k at A to restore Entity’s lead.
Entity won the ensuing round comfortably before a series of back-and-forth rounds were played out by the two teams. Brutality broke Entity with a fast A short take before Entity managed to retaliate and reset Brutality’s economy by succeeding in a 4v3 retake of the B bombsite.
Brutality responded with an A short take again to force Entity to save their weaponry. Entity though, took advantage of the guns that were carried over to retake the A site and win the round.
Brutality took to A short again and the attempt yielded fruit once more. In what was the last of such scenarios on Dust2, Entity broke back immediately by defending a B hit. Hellranger then secured a 3k at B to put Entity on map point.
A 3v3 retake scenario at the A bombsite saw Entity defuse the bomb successfully to close out the map 16-12.
What was particularly impressive was Entity’s penchant for fast-paced hits on the T side. Boasting perhaps, the most stacked roster in terms of individual skill, Entity used that to their advantage by taking raw aim-duels majority of the time.
Entity started Mirage how they left things off at Dust2. After an A site shutdown in the pistol, a 2v3 retake ensured Brutality did not break back. Brutality then used the mid area to hit the B site but were foiled by the Entity defence.
A fast attempt through A Palace was completely obliterated by the defence. Huntr then came up with two magical noscopes at connector to extend Entity’s lead. Brutality then attempted consecutive A executes with proper smokes. But, Entity were up to the task.
However, Entity seemed to have been caught off-guard as Brutality finally managed a successful take of the A site to put their first round on the board. The Entity onslaught though, continued. A 3k each from HellRanger and Excali on respective rounds on the B bombsite extended the lead to 9-1.
As the score read 11-1, Brutality saw their old guard spring in to action. Astarr, Juventa and Rix all stepped up massively with individual plays to clutch the three remaining rounds and end the half with a rather respectable 11-4 scoreline.
Entity executed a fast mid connector to A rush and caught the Brutal defence stumped. Amaterasu’s 3k ensured Entity bag both the pistols on Mirage. A B split and a quick A hit later, Entity were two rounds away from a place in the Upper Bracket Finals.
Brutality though, still had some resistance in them. Venom clutched a 1v2 before a 3k from Juventa and a teamkill from Huntr on DMKing saw Rix clutch as well to push the score to 6-14.
Entity though, quickly corrected themselves and did not let themselves become complacent. DMKing and Huntr redeemed themselves with a brilliant post-plant at B. A 3k and 2k each ensured Entity had 9 map and series points.
As has been the case so far in the Direct Invite Qualifiers, Entity converted the first of their 9 map and series points with a fast-paced A hit. DMKing came up huge with another 3k as Entity secured their place alongside Optic India in the Upper Bracket Finals.
Mirage showed the difference between Entity and Brutality, both in terms of scoreline and game styles. Entity were methodical and their play was brimming with chemistry. Brutality though, seemed to rely more on individual plays.
Overall, during the entire series, we witnessed Entity with some brilliant retakes, which shows how much work they put in to rehearse such scenarios. Another thing that shined through was versatility, with almost everyone wielding the AWP across the Entity lineup.
As far as Brutality are concerned, they seemed intent on making their force-buys work. Granted, they had relative success in the force-buys. But, their unrelenting obsession to force-buy, even in make-or-break scenarios pushed them towards the defeat.
That the Brutals looked more dangerous on the force-buys than on their regular buy rounds is something they would look to correct, especially if they are to conjure up a lower-bracket run and become one of the two teams to qualify for the Regional Finals.
