MOUZ win statement trophy in debut with PR

Are this new MOUZ team... good?

Maybe. Just maybe.

This obviously wasn't the most stacked event in the world and we're not fully convinced until we see them win an IEM or a Major or something big, but to see them topple Spirit on LAN in a big game is a huge, huge step.

PR and xelex weren't the flashiest signings any team made this rostermania, but they could end up being some of the most impactful, especially as the big four didn't really make any changes. Spirit, for whatever reason, decided to stand still and may be lapped quite quickly.

Some fools even thought jL would be better than PR. Imagine!

Erm, ignore that. DELETE!

It's still too early to say whether this move will be earth-shattering or merely needle-moving, but the early signs suggest at the very least that MOUZ will be a better team. While we have serious concerns over Spirit after today's grand final, we're excited by MOUZ.

MOUZ were relatively untroubled throughout, and it was only a superstar second half from the best player in the world that managed to halt their dominance.

Spinx and PR teamed up to sink Spirit on Dust 2, with the former being simply unkillable at times, though it's fair to say there were some big moments from xelex. The youngster is an interesting player who massively passes the eye test while he's being observed - you'll watch him spray down three with clever timing and precision aim - and then you'll check and his K/D is pretty middling.

His triple on Long came at a key time in the first half though, as Spirit thought they had found a weakness in the defence and xelex found three as he danced around the smokes.

Mirage was a whitewash, with Spinx once more dominating. After two maps he was 43-13. The guy was simply just not dying unnecessarily and reaping the rewards. He was simply too smart for Spirit's one-dimensional CT sides throughout the series, with Spirit only winning one CT half.

donk came alive on map three, and a crucial clutch from magixx down the stretch helped Spirit to their only map win and their solid CT side of the game.

donk was essentially the only reason Spirit got any rounds at all on the CT side and keep them in the game before the rest of his team woke up. magixx had a terrific CT side, with some important moments from tN1R mixed in.

But that joy was short-lived, as MOUZ took Nuke with - you guessed it - Spinx at the top of the scoreboard.

The Israeli had an absolutely unbelievable series. As much as we'd like to give credit to the new, young lads, this was Spinx's ascension in a MOUZ shirt, and possibly his magnum opus.

He helped repel the Spirit offence with over a kill per round on the CT side, and was key with his trademark expert timing on the T side to push MOUZ to yet another won half on the T side. Spinx ended the series with a 2 K/D on T side and a slightly better K/D on the CT side. That's insane.

Who needs a real IGL?

MOUZ. You have our attention. We're interested. Don't let us down this time.

For Spirit, the worry is that they essentially looked horrible except for the one map where donk took over. sh1ro was invisible for three maps, and tN1R has reverted back to his underwhelming form at the start of the year. With no changes and made and seemingly none on the horizon, what exactly are we supposed to be excited about?