MAD Lions have won the inaugural season of Flashpoint. The Danish team achieved that by taking down Made in Brazil in the grand final in three maps. This is the franchise’s first CS:GO title.
MAD Lions hit Made in Brazil on the break
Made in Brazil had gathered some steam in Flashpoint Season 1 and deservedly held the status of favorites for the final game of the tournament versus MAD Lions. That was underlined by mibr’s victory over the same opponent in the upper bracket final a couple of days earlier. Counter-Strike proved once more that being the favorite so often means nothing and mibr, despite nine wins in a row leading to the final, were on the losing side when it truly mattered.
It did not look like that would be the case when the South Americans took the lead in the match on enemy territory. Mirage, a map Brazilians remember fondly, proved the lucky omen for Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and co. – 16-13 mibr and a map away from a debut trophy with this lineup.
Inferno was not that kind to the leaders. A solid Terrorist half seemed like it could be enough to spark one final run but it wasn’t to be. Made in Brazil’s defense could not hold up and their European opponents grabbed the eight rounds they needed in the second half to repeat Mirage’s result, only this time it was in their favor.
If the Inferno halftime looked like the perfect moment for a mibr winning run, the break on Train felt like an unnecessary delay of their coronation. The CT-side more than just held up this time, the Brazilians securing a 12-3 advantage that would give even the most anxious of people a certain sense of security. It was all a ruse. FalleN’s offense left the building as he watched his team win a single consolidation round as if no scoreline other than 16-13 was acceptable in this match.
Getting another ninja defuse on map 3 #Flashpoint #goMAD pic.twitter.com/WANysUC5Md
— MAD Lions CS:GO English (@MADLions_CSEN) April 20, 2020
MAD Lions finished mibr off with nine straight rounds to deny Brazil’s pride their first trophy post-Marcelo “coldzera” David and secure their own debut tournament win. The Danes will share $500,000 among themselves for their efforts during the past month.
Despite Flashpoint Season 1 being forced into online play by the coronavirus and some issues with assembling the necessary number of teams, the playoffs and the grand final itself partly compensated. At least from a viewer’s perspective, the inaugural season of the league could be dubbed a success. Let’s hope that the second season, if and when it comes, will be played under better circumstances.
