Renegades through to New Champions stage; Vitality on last chance

Renegades have successfully secured one of eight New Champions slots following a 2-1 victory over Vitality in Swiss round 4.

The series kicked off on Dust2, where a brisk Long hit from the Aussies meant a successful T side start. Unrelenting, Renegades proceeded to methodically dispatch the defence through immaculate utility usage and superior aim, running away with strings of four and six rounds before Vitality had landed their second. Faced with a potentially disastrous half, Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy took things into his own hands, securing a spectacular 3k in round 12, in addition to creating space for two round victories. Despite the late success, Renegades had the last laugh at a commanding 11-4 T performance.

jks led the effort against Vitality on Dust2, landing a 1.76 rating

Placing the initial half behind them, Vitality got stuck in on the T side, securing the pistol follow a successful post-plant conversion. A force-buy from Renegades in the follower saw Justin "⁠jks⁠" Savage masterfully utilise the SSG 08, downing two Frenchmen and open the round for his team's taking. Having swayed the momentum back in their favour, the Aussies proceeded to constrict their adversaries, extending their lead all the way to map point. Renegades assertion was unanswered, allowing the squad a smooth 16-5 victory on Dust2.

Contrary to their own map pick, Vitality found early success on the CT side of Cache, securing the pistol. Thanks to outstanding performances across the board, as well as that of RpK, who had colossal impact in the early stages of the half, the Frenchmen were able to extend their lead to a whopping 7-0 scoreline. Opting for a more fast-paced approach to their game, Renegades were finally able to find the key to success on Cache against Vitality. Through this switch-up not only were the Aussies able to close the round disparity, but they also went on to secure an 8-7 lead after all remaining rounds of the first half went in their favour.

RpK's impact on the CT side of Cache was monumental

After a disappointing losing streak, Vitality retaliated, securing a consecutive pistol round, this time on the T side of affairs. As Renegades were first able to purchase rifles two back-to-back rounds were accrued, shortly followed by further dominance from Vitality. Having upset their opponents once more, the Frenchmen proceeded to dominate on the T side of Cache, conceding but one additional round before closing off Renegades' map pick 16-11.

Concluding the series was Inferno, where Renegades kicked off on the CT side with an upper hand in the form of a successful pistol round. The Australians managed to extend their lead to a 4-1 surplus prior to retaliation from Vitality. Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt and company accrued six of the following seven rounds, unfortunately dropping the ball in the concluding three to produce an 8-7 half in favour of Renegades' CT side.

Gratisfaction's 1v1 clutch proved to be the undoing of Vitality

The gents from down under kept the ball rolling on the T side, besting the defence in a consecutive pistol round. A further two wins meant a second financial reset on Vitality's part, exacerbating the Frenchmen's predicament to a 7-12 deficit. Renegades' dominance was unchallenged until the team was just two points off series point - only at this point was the French squad able to land their first round of the second half, thanks to a 1v1 clutch from NBK-. Having got back on their feet financially, Vitality recomposed and started picking up the slack, tucking away five back-to-back rounds. Unfortunately for the French squad the comeback was not to be, as a 1v1 clutch by Sean "⁠Gratisfaction⁠" Kaiwai was succeeded by a failed Mid aggresion from the CTs, closing out Inferno 16-12 in favour of Renegades.

IEM Katowice 2019Best of 3 RenegadesMatchpage 2 1 22nd February 2019 Vitality 16Dust2 5 11Cache 16 16Inferno 12

Renegades	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Justin 'jks' Savagejks	69 - 42	+27	90.6	1.36
Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostadjkaem	51 - 42	+9	78.3	1.25
Sean 'Gratisfaction' KaiwaiGratisfaction	57 - 46	+11	80.3	1.24
Jay 'Liazz' TregillgasLiazz	41 - 42	-1	65.3	1.05
Aaron 'AZR' WardAZR	46 - 46	0	65.2	1.02

Vitality	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Nathan 'NBK-' SchmittNBK-	47 - 53	-6	77.5	1.01
Dan 'apEX' MadesclaireapEX	48 - 53	-5	73.7	0.98
Mathieu 'ZywOo' HerbautZywOo	47 - 51	-4	69.2	0.94
Cédric 'RpK' GuipouyRpK	42 - 51	-9	60.6	0.86
Alex 'ALEX' McMeekinALEX	34 - 56	-22	49.1	0.68

The New Legends stage 3W - 0L Astralis Liquid 3W - 1L Renegades 2W - 1L Ninjas in Pyjamas Natus Vincere AVANGAR MIBR 2W - 2L Vitality 1W - 2L FaZe Cloud9 ENCE G2 Complexity HellRaisers 0W - 3L BIG NRG Nathan 'NBK-' Schmitt Age: 24 Team: Vitality Rating 1.0: 1.04 Maps played: 1479 KPR: 0.71 DPR: 0.66 Cédric 'RpK' Guipouy Age: 29 Team: Vitality Rating 1.0: 0.98 Maps played: 1024 KPR: 0.68 DPR: 0.69 Sean 'Gratisfaction' Kaiwai Age: 22 Team: Renegades Rating 1.0: 1.10 Maps played: 566 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.60 Justin 'jks' Savage Age: 23 Team: Renegades Rating 1.0: 1.09 Maps played: 735 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.63 Vitality #12 Nathan 'NBK-' SchmittCédric 'RpK' GuipouyDan 'apEX' MadesclaireAlex 'ALEX' McMeekinMathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut Renegades #8 Justin 'jks' SavageAaron 'AZR' WardJoakim 'jkaem' MyrbostadSean 'Gratisfaction' KaiwaiJay 'Liazz' Tregillgas