FaZe Clan and Astralis are heading to the semi-finals of the BLAST Bounty Malta, as they took down MongolZ and paiN, respectively. Going all the way in both matches, we got to enjoy 6 maps on the day, with each one delivering intense moments and action that left us even more excited for the Semi-Finals.
FaZe stun MongolZ
MongolZ made a solid start on the defence of Nuke, with FaZe trailing 10-2 before switching sides. The FaZe offence was read every step of the way, but they managed to make a comeback on defence. With only 2 rounds to their name, FaZe converted the pistol only to lose out to a MongolZ force. Losing to the force buy put MongolZ on map point before FaZe pulled out a defensive masterclass. Winning 9 rounds in a row stunned the Asian side, taking the match to OT in the process, where the streak continued to close out the game with a 16-12 win.
Following a solid defence, MongolZ got off to a 6-0 start before FaZe managed to strip away 3 rounds before switching sides with a 9-3 scoreline. FaZe’s comeback attempt closed the gap by winning 4 rounds, but MongolZ built on their first-half lead before MongolZ built on their lead from the first half to close out the game with a 13-7 scoreline.
Following a crushing defeat, FaZe recovered in the deciding map with a 9-3 start, showcasing some of the best T-side play that we have seen from them in recent times. Losing only 3 rounds, the FaZe defence managed to close out the lead in the following half with a dominant performance to secure a 13-8 win.
PaiN vs Astralis
Both teams trading blows for blows saw the first half conclude with a levelled scoreline despite paiN remaining in control of the game for the better part of the half. Astralis threatened to take over at the beginning of the second half, only for paiN to recover on their defence and put a streak of 6 rounds to close out the map with a 13-10 scoreline.
With both teams starting the second map on tighter margins, paiN and Astralis were inseparable throughout the course of the game despite momentum shifting on either side before the match headed to OT. With the momentum getting carried over, it took us two OTs for Astralis to edge ahead with a 19-17 scoreline and level the series, taking us to the deciding map.
A 6-0 start for Astralis saw the Danes get off to a solid start before paiN’s late revival later in the half saw them save the first half. A 7-5 scoreline in favour of Astralis was levelled with the start of the second half of the map, with paiN taking the lead off the back of a pistol conversion. The first gun round gave Astralis control, leading to a dominant display on their defence that pushed the game to OT, where they managed to push it over the line to win the map with a 16-14 scoreline.
FaZe and Astralis will be joining Spirit and MOUZ in the Semi-Finals, giving us the best matches of the event so far, but only time can tell if we are in for a blowout or someone has a surprise stored in their playbooks.
