UKTerrorist

CPL Tournament Review (Qualifier)

Last sunday The Playing Fields was host for the UK's CyberAthelete Professional League CS Qualifier, with the winners earning a place in the full tournament held in Holland. And crikey what a tournament it was. 7 clans, including 4 Kings, D2C, and local clans pro and cs0 competed for the tickets to Holland, and 2500 pounds in cash.

The teams were split up into 2 poules, in poule A were clan pro, cs0, ECSF and the favourites 4 Kings. In poule B oZ, D2C and -m4-. Unfortunetaly the other clan in poule B, BmE, didn't have enough players and so didn't turn up.

The first game was between 4 Kings and ECSF, and with the clans playing CO rules, i.e. only the attacking scores count - 4k went on to win comfortably. The players from the clans not playing would socialise with their fellow players, buy drinks from the bar run by the ever helpful tpf staff and watched the games action on a huge projector.

There were some brilliant moments in the tournament, the best being in my opinion when clan pro, who no-one even gave a hope too, won the first two rounds in their game against 4k. [4k^Liquid] and [4k^Venom]'s sniping skills were a pleasure to behold, in our game against them they would just strafe out from behind a wall and bang you were dead. -m4- also produced some shots in their semi-final game against my clan cs0 that just took my breath away. I don't mind losing when losing against such good players.

All the results from the tournament can be found here.

The top two clans from each poule went through to the semi-finals. Clan cs0 were drawn against the menacing -m4-, and D2C were tied against 4k. Neither clan in the cs0 / m4 game could agree on a map, and so it was left to a random draw: train was the map pulled out of the hat. As soon as m4 found out there was an roar from their players: it was the map they wanted. It was a good game, a great example of skill and tactics combined. Although cs0 were beaten by quite a considerable margin, I think we did ourselves proud.

So who would join -m4- in the final? The game between D2C and 4k was slightly closer than the cs0 / m4 game. Cbble was the map, chosen by D2C. The game started very well for D2C, with players Bom and amok helping d2c take a 4-0 lead as CTs. Soon 4k started to claw themselves back into the game, and in the end finished with 10 rounds. Needing 11 to win, D2C went for broke - they had nothing to lose. They nearly won the first round, which would have set them up well, but 4k made a good come back and closed their opponents down so much that they could only win 2 rounds.

The third place playoff game was still very important - with mucho cash to play for - and niether cs0 or d2c were going to take the game lightly. D2C were Ts first on dust, and rushed at the start in the hope of getting an early lead. cs0 battled well, holding their positions, and giving back up when it was needed. In the end d2c won 10 rounds, and cs0 really felt like they had a chance of causing another upset - the first being when they beat ecsf. cs0 charged like a clan posessed, and even though they gained a few rounds in the first 10 minutes D2C played very well in holding out for victory.

The map for the final game was chosen at random, and everybodies least favourite map out of the 8 possible, dust2, was picked. Niether clan had any prepared tactics, which made for an exciting game. You could, if you had one on your person, cut the tension at the tpf with a knife. Every time a round was won there was an almighty cheer from whichever clan had won the round. -m4- attacked as Ts first, and althought 4k defended well, finished with 8 rounds. It was going to be tight, very tight. 4k battled well, rushing in groups, but -m4- played their hearts out, and 4k only managed to win 5 rounds. The best moment of the game had to be when the whole 4k team jumped out of the tunnel into the bomb site to the right of CT spawn, as they jumped out 4 of them where gunned down by one clip from a well positioned -m4-[Docker].

-m4-[Stan] accepted his clan's prize of 2500 pounds and tickets to the tournament in Holland soon after the game. Then proceeded the ritual winners vs. staff match, in which The Playing Fields staff utterly 0wned -m4- [/me takes fiver from tpf staff].

It was a brilliant occasion, and a great day enjoyed by all. Have to give a big round of applause to The Playing Fields staff for so brilliantly running the whole event.

So good luck to -m4- in holland, can't wait for the next tourny :). Look out for the next in a series of CPL reports.