The Falcons have powered through MOUZ to reach the Grand Finals of IEM Melbourne, winning the semi-finals with a 2-0 domination. This marks a back-to-back Grand Finals for the rejuvenated Falcons side after a poor start to the season.
VETO
- 1. Falcons removed Ancient
- 2. MOUZ removed Anubis
- 3. Falcons picked Dust2
- 4. MOUZ picked Nuke
- 5. Falcons removed Train
- 6. MOUZ removed Inferno
- 7. Mirage was left over
Map 1: Dust 2; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Falcons
Losing the pistol round, the Falcons powered through with a force buy to get on the board. While NiKo and m0NESY were hitting shots, the Danish duo in TeSeS and kyxan, who were getting most of the opening, rendered the MOUZ defence vulnerable. Despite MOUZ collecting 3 rounds, Falcons picked MOUZ apart to get rounds to begin the series. Switching to the defence, Falcons went flawless, with MOUZ only getting in a single bomb plant in 4 rounds. Having lost all the rounds, MOUZ had to give up Dust 2 to Falcons with an embarrassing 13-3 scoreline.
Map 2: Nuke; Pick: MOUZ; Winner: Falcons
MOUZ went 5 rounds without a round before the Falcons dropped the ball. The first round win saw them pull in 3 in a row, but Falcons soon got back on the board to put up a streak as MOUZ managed one more before closing the half, switching with an 8-4 scoreline. Winning the pistol and following round, MOUZ cut the lead to half, but Falcons got back on the board with the first gun round. Winning all of the remaining rounds, the Falcons won the series 13-6, once again boasting their domination over the world number 2.
Despite having won a tournament earlier this year, MOUZ’s stage woes continue. While on paper they challenge the likes of Vitality and Spirit, a lack of recent results has sent the roster back to the drawing board as the Austin Major creeps closer.