Dota 2
CS2
Champions again: Team Falcons conquer FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2
Team Falcons’ reign is far from over. The squad claimed the trophy at FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2 in Belgrade, Serbia, securing the first LAN victory of the new season and a $300,000 prize.
Falcons started the tournament strong, landing three victories in a row in the modified Swiss group stage format. However, the playoffs began with an upset, as MOUZ sent them to the lower bracket. “Honestly, we are pretty disappointed with our performance vs MOUZ, so we had a team talk after that, and we hope we can get things right moving forward,” said Team Falcons’ coach Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling as Falcons were starting their lower bracket redemption arc. On their way to the grand finals, Falcons took down Tundra Esports and Team Spirit before finally halting the Cinderella story of Team Yandex in the lower bracket finals.
Their victory on Sunday was a marathon test of endurance and adaptability. Having already played a series to secure their grand finals spot, Falcons dropped the first game to a prepared BetBoom Team. The latter had a clear answer for Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen's feared Skywrath Mage, a hero on which he was boasting an 8-1 record at FISSURE PLAYGROUND before the grand finals. BetBoom Team countered it with Shadow Demon and Tusk. The disruption from SD, as well as the Snowball from Tusk, allowed BB Team to survive critical engagements and put Falcons on the back foot.
With their initial strategy neutralised, Falcons put game two on the Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf’s back, who delivered a flawless 11/0/4 performance on an offlane Slark to even the series. The support duo then took center stage in game three, pushing Falcons to a commanding 2-1 lead. The series culminated in a nail-biting fourth game, a 57-minute back-and-forth war, where BetBoom Team came close to forcing a decisive fifth game. The victory was ultimately sealed by a clutch high-ground defense from Oliver "skiter" Lepko, cementing the Falcons' comeback.
“We know we play good as a team and we keep improving. That’s all that matters,” said Cr1t- after lifting the trophy at the Sava Centar.
FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2 final standings
| Place | Prize Money | Club Reward | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $300,000 | $50,000 | Team Falcons |
| 2nd | $150,000 | $30,000 | BetBoom Team |
| 3rd | $80,000 | $25,000 | Team Yandex |
| 4th | $60,000 | $20,000 | Team Liquid |
| 5th-6th | $40,000 | $15,000 | Team Spirit, MOUZ |
| 7th-8th | $25,000 | $12,000 | Tundra Esports, HEROIC |
| 9th-11th | $10,000 | $5,000 | Aurora Gaming, Vici Gaming, PARIVISION |
| 12th-14th | $7,000 | $5,000 | Nigma Galaxy, Team Cobra, Runa Team |
| 15th-16th | $5,000 | $5,000 | Yakult Brothers, Virtus.pro |
What's next for Team Falcons?
From Serbia, Team Falcons will immediately embark on their next campaign at BLAST Slam IV in Singapore. Their momentum is formidable, as they have already secured a semifinal spot at that event thanks to a 9-2 run in the round-robin group stage held prior to FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2. The BLAST Slam IV playoffs are set to begin later this week, on November 7 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.