During the regular season of the 13th season of the Arrmy Open, a few favourites for promotion emerged from among our partners. NSQ were not really tipped for this role, as they often lacked players for their line-up and had to rely on stand-ins for almost every match. However, CS can be unpredictable. We recently reported on how they fared in the first two rounds, where in the second they won against what was most likely a cheater. There were no such incidents in the remaining two rounds, but those matches were by no means easy.
A sort of semi-final – NSQ vs Rudzi Gora
Starting with the match that decided whether NSQ would even make it to the promotion play-offs. Their opponents were a team called Rudzi Gora. This wasn’t a team that had performed particularly well during the regular season. Of course, like all matches in the play-offs, this one was played in a BO3 format. The first map was Mirage, chosen by our partner’s rivals.
NSQ started on the defensive side and dominated that half, winning 10–2. However, when it came to playing on the attacking side, real trouble arose. The start wasn’t all that bad, mind you, as they even managed to reach 9 map points, but here’s the thing… None of them were capitalised on, and we ended up watching overtime. The first overtime failed to decide the winner. In the second, things turned out a little differently, and Rudzi Gora, after a legendary comeback and two overtime periods, won the map of their choice 19–17.
MIRAGE
(Rudzi Gora’s pick)
NSQ 17:19 Rudzi Gora
On the second map, it looked as though NSQ were set to rectify the mistakes from the first. After the first half, they once again held a massive 9:3 lead and should have finished off the map with ease. They also managed to win the pistol round, but when it came to playing full-on, trouble arose as usual. Their opponents were on the verge of a comeback, just like on Map 1. However, our partner woke up in time this time and sealed their pick with a 13:9 victory.
ANCIENT
(pick: NSQ)
NSQ 13:9 Rudzi Gora
The remaining map was the decider. It was, of course, Train, where NSQ don’t exactly feel at home. The start of the first half went exactly to their plan, and they even led 6:1. However, when it came to capitalising on their lead, problems arose. Their opponents managed to draw level before the end of the half, and things were no longer looking so good. In the second half, however, our partner proved the better side at the crucial moments and joined the ranks of the teams that had the honour of playing in the Army Rising match.
TRAIN
(decider)
NSQ 13–7 Rudzi Gora
Arrmy Rising match – NSQ vs The Kanekaz
The time has come for the decisive match. In it, we faced off against The Kanekaz. The first map for this clash was Ancient, chosen by our opponents – a map on which our team feels right at home and can fight fiercely.
The first half wasn’t quite up to scratch, ending in a 5–7 defeat, but there was still a chance to fight back after the sides switched. The fightback came fairly quickly, mainly thanks to winning the pistol round. We managed to draw level at 7–7. There were then several back-and-forth exchanges, round by round, but in the end, The Kanekaz held a 3-round lead. They failed to capitalise on this, and NSQ had the chance to clinch the first map in overtime. The overtime rounds went very smoothly, as our partner won four rounds very quickly, thereby closing out the first map with a score of 16–12.
ANCIENT
(picked by The Kanekaz)
NSQ 16:12 The Kanekaz
The second map, this time selected by NSQ, was Mirage. However, the start was not a good one. The attacking side’s performance was far from perfect, and our partner had to fight back from a 1–6 deficit. By the end of the first half, they had managed to reduce that lead to just a two-point advantage. In the second half, despite a difficult start, we managed to draw level at 11–11 and take the match to a single deciding round. However, we failed to capitalise on this, and just like on the first map, we found ourselves in overtime. However, just as on the first map, the extra rounds were completely dominated by our opponents, who won them 16–12, thereby securing the match 2–0. This means, of course, that we have the first team to be promoted from the Open League to the Rising League this season. Congratulations to NSQ!
MIRAGE
(NSQ’s pick)
NSQ 16–12 The Kanekaz
What lies ahead for our partner?
Our partner is now entering the pre-season period ahead of the next season. During this time, they may well take part in a couple of underground tournaments, and we’ll keep you updated on the results.
NSQ (x.com — TikTok — YouTube — team profile)
English 
Polish 