Chapter 41: Could He Be on Another Level? [Better Late Than Never]

With CS2 transitioning from the MR15 to the MR12 format, the outcome of the pistol round has become critical. However, gla1ve did not dwell on it too much; Ancient is inherently a CT-sided map, and reaching five rounds in the first half would be a passing grade for them.

What puzzled him, however, was when NiP’s playstyle had become so aggressive. The way the opponents pushed out of the A site to hunt for kills had indeed caught them off guard. Subsequently, ENCE’s force-buy round yielded no results; a wave of Tec-9s rushing B was thoroughly shredded by headtr1ck’s MP9. Fortunately, a chaotic plant by kalar meant that ENCE only needed one more pure eco round before they could fully equip themselves again.

Soon, the score reached 3-0, and the fourth round marked the first critical gun round for both sides. After a moment of consideration, gla1ve called out the strategy: "This round, we'll execute a fake execute on B. Use utility to take control of B-Connector and put pressure on their B site. Once we bait their rotation, we'll execute a slow push through Mid to Donuts. As long as we can trade out the A anchor, we can plant the bomb easily."

Hades hesitated, "The one anchoring A is that rookie, Arrow, right? He’s already at a 5-1 KD; his aim is on point. Are you sure we want to hit A?"

Gla1ve chuckled, "What are you afraid of? He’s just a rookie. One of his kills was from the pistol round and another was from the eco round; this kill count is normal."

With that explanation, the rest of ENCE felt at ease. Gla1ve, however, sighed inwardly—he really was better suited to leading pure Danish teams; back on Astralis, no one would ever question his tactics.

But this round, es3tag didn't need ENCE’s utility to force him back; he had started the round in a 3-1-1 defensive formation. k0nfig and Su Zhe coordinated a small play, dumping damage utility into T-Spawn before attempting to peek for an opening kill. Finding no one, k0nfig reported in the voice chat, "Mid is clear, there might be more people at B-Connector, watch yourselves." With that, he and Su Zhe returned to their respective defensive areas.

Time ticked away, and ENCE’s default setup made the NiP players feel a sense of suppression. REZ suggested, "Why don't we counter-flash and clear out House? If they decide to execute B, the three of us won't be able to hold it." es3tag hesitated and was just about to agree when a smoke grenade landed at his feet.

...

"ENCE is running a fake execute on B. Will NiP be baited into rotating? If they leave the young rookie Arrow to hold A alone, this gun round is lost!"

Wang Jiji had barely finished worrying for NiP before his heart sank. They had indeed been baited into rotating—and it was Su Zhe and k0nfig both moving from Donuts through Mid to flank. Wang Jiji suddenly understood why NiP’s recent performance had been so poor.

Is this how humans rotate? They hadn't even seen a soul at B, yet they were already moving from A? But since he was already calling the match, he had to push through. "Arrow and k0nfig are moving through Donuts to flank B-Short, but ENCE is executing a slow push through Mid! T-Spawn is coordinating with B-Short to pinch the A site. Does k0nfig realize someone is holding him from B-Short?"

"He does! He pre-aimed and swung out, taking down dycha on B-Short, but hades from T-Spawn is pushing out too!"

"Only Arrow is left. He should just retreat to Donuts and wait for his teammates to rotate back. Wait? He’s pushing out for the kill?"

Wang Jiji’s eyes went dark. He really wanted to scream—are you a CT or a T? How is swinging out like that any different from handing them a free kill?

When Su Zhe heard k0nfig call out two enemies at T-Spawn, he swung out without hesitation. Gla1ve, currently holding a flashbang to help his teammates enter Donuts, found the opponent suddenly swinging out in an unreasonable manner. Hades, in the first position, hastily adjusted his crosshair upon seeing the CT, but Su Zhe had already pre-aimed the angle, needing only a minor adjustment before firing.

*Rat-tat-tat!*
[Arrow] killed [hades] with a suppressed M4A1.

Gla1ve, holding utility behind him, scrambled to pull out his AK, but he was a step too slow.

*Rat-tat-tat!*
[Arrow] headshot and killed [gla1ve] with a suppressed M4A1.

"This..." For a moment, Wang Jiji was left speechless. Was this rookie playing on another level? Had he anticipated the timing all along? But that was just too risky!

"Arrow successfully secured the two kills in Mid. Only kalar and Goofy remain, pushing through A-Main."

"In a 4-on-2 retake, Goofy successfully planted the bomb, but the numerical disadvantage is too great. kalar traded out REZ, who was rotating from CT spawn, but was then caught in the side by es3tag, who had circled back to Ruins."

"With only Goofy left, there’s nothing he can do; he gets traded out as well. ENCE will have to half-buy next round—the score is going to be 5-0!"

[Wow! I knew Arrow had potential from the start. I didn't expect him to pull off a double kill there!]
[Indeed, his game sense is too good to catch that timing.]
[7-1 KD already! He’s definitely the core of the team!]
[Is anyone from TYLOO in the chat? Tell us, do you regret letting him go?]

Su Zhe’s pivotal double kill sparked heated discussion in the stream. Meanwhile, the moment the round was secured, cheers erupted in the NiP booth.

es3tag bumped fists with Su Zhe, saying, "Insane! Another key play! If it weren't for that double kill in Mid, we probably would have dropped that round." headtr1ck added excitedly, "It looks like making it into the winner's bracket won't be a problem!"

The large lead had truly brought out NiP’s momentum. Only their coach, djL, stood behind them, frowning in silence. He had watched Su Zhe’s perspective the entire time; although the play was crucial, he felt something was off. After rubbing his chin in thought for a long time, he realized: "We're up by five rounds, why am I overthinking this? Winning is all that matters!"

Reviewing the VODs could wait until after the match.

Following this, ENCE called their first tactical timeout as they entered the second gun round. During the break, gla1ve still couldn't wrap his head around why two critical rounds had been lost solely because of Arrow. Based on his years of professional experience, Su Zhe’s decision-making was, quite frankly, reckless. How could he play like that? How *could* it work? Yet, because of this player, they had fallen into a massive score deficit.

"Next round, let's control House and pinch B..."

After the timeout, ENCE finally secured their first round on the T-side. Just as they thought they were getting back into the game and scoring consecutive rounds, they received bad news during their next B-Connector control: Goofy, playing a default in A-Garden, was taken out.

"They pushed out from A-site! I lost the duel..."

Gla1ve: ...

Losing control of half the map made it easy for NiP to predict their intentions. In a passive position, gla1ve had no choice but to rush an execute on B, but during the trade-fragging phase, they were once again defeated by a well-prepared NiP.

The massive point gap forced ENCE to call another timeout. Gla1ve made adjustments to counter the aggression, and they began to pick up rounds again. However, they still knew too little about the habits of this rookie, Arrow. With this new player, the entire NiP team seemed to have become unpredictable. Under the pressure of the scoreline, ENCE had too few opportunities to experiment.

Ultimately, by the end of the first half, the score was set at 8-4.