It’s been a long time coming, but Cloud9 have lifted their first trophy in CS:GO in over four years following a 3-0 sweep over ENCE in the grand finals today to cap off a first-place finish at IEM Dallas 2022.
ENCE looked solid early on Mirage, with a successful CT side in the first half marred only by a string of C9 T-sided round wins that were facilitated by some sh1ro playmaking. ENCE still took a 10-5 lead into the second half, but C9 answered the call on their CT side, quickly tying the map at 10-10. The two sides then traded rounds back and forth before C9 took over, fueled by big plays by Hobbit and sh1ro, leading to a 16-12 win on ENCE’s choice of Mirage.
C9 kept that momentum going into Overpass, punishing ENCE’s CT side with overwhelming map and clock control. They led 10-5 at halftime, with double-digit kills coming from all five players. C9 continued to build their lead after a one-sided second-half pistol round but gave ENCE a lifeline by losing to an anti-eco immediately after. C9 countered, however, with a pivotal anti-eco of their own to give them a 13-9 lead. C9 never looked back, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead via a 16-11 win on Overpass.
Ancient started with more of the same CT-side dominance from C9, who led 12-3 at halftime after a stupendous first-half performance from sh1ro and nafany, who combined for 40 kills total before switching sides. C9 wasted no time in putting the series to rest, winning all four of the first four rounds on their T-side to punctuate the 3-0 series sweep with a dominant 16-3 win on Ancient.
For the C9 roster (who formerly played under Gambit), this is their first major trophy on LAN in years, having won a handful of major events during the online/COVID era. It’s also the players’ first trophy in only their second event with the C9 organization. For Cloud9 as an organization, it is its first CS:GO trophy since the ELEAGUE Boston Major in January 2018.
