SLAKE kicked off their season by winning their first two matches, which were fairly challenging (more on that HERE). Since then, they have played four more matches, and their 2–0 record has improved even further. Here’s how those matches played out:
First defeat – SLAKE vs Team Ascend
Next up was the match against Team Ascend, a strong international side featuring, amongst others, a Polish player. This match looked set to be a tough one for our partner, and so it proved. From the outset, the opponents asserted their dominance, leading for most of the first half. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve in the second half, and ultimately our partner had to concede defeat, losing 6–13 and thus suffering their first defeat of this ESEA Intermediate season.
| SLAKE |  |
6–13 |  |
Team Ascend | | | Ancient |  |
Intermediate S53, Matchday 3 |
A quick bounce-back after defeat – SLAKE vs Smalsiai
Despite a single defeat, SLAKE were not daunted by the calibre of their opponents and showed their full potential in the next match. Their opponents were a Lithuanian team who looked capable of challenging for victory. The map turned out to be de_anubis. However, contrary to all expectations, the match was one-sided and controlled by one side throughout. That side was, of course, our partner, who disposed of their opponents in just 16 rounds, winning 13–3. Thanks to this victory, our partner now has a 3–1 record, and there are still more matches to come.
| SLAKE | |
13:3 | |
Smalsiai | | | Anubis | |
Intermediate S53, Round 4 |
Continuing the winning streak – SLAKE vs Unkreativ LFO
It was time to face another international opponent, namely a team looking for a management organisation, consisting of Germans and one Latvian. The match took place on the de_mirage map, where SLAKE always feel at home. However, they didn’t get off to a great start, as the pistol round went to the opponents, who took the lead. SLAKE fought back, though it was only a single round, after which the opponents returned to winning ways. They even managed to go on a very good run, which took them to a 6–1 lead. Despite this, our partner didn’t give up and began a comeback, which culminated in the round ending the first half with a 6–6 draw.
The second half started well for SLAKE, as they managed to win the pistol round and the second round that followed. The opposition responded, but only once. This gave the SLAKE players an incredible boost; they didn’t concede a single round for the rest of the match, winning the whole encounter 13–7 and adding a fourth victory to their tally.
| SLAKE | |
13–7 | |
Unkreativ LFO | | | Mirage | |
Intermediate S53, Round 5 |
A battle right down to the final rounds – SLAKE vs Drillas Academy
Next up were the Swedish side Drillas Academy. Once again, these are players on a par with SLAKE, and we were in for a long battle for victory. The map turned out to be de_anubis, which, according to our partner, is the most frequently played map in this tournament. The match got off to a very good start, with SLAKE immediately taking the lead by winning the pistol round. However, the opponents quickly responded, and the score was tied at 2–2. After that, our partner regained the lead, but were quickly pushed back, and the score was tied at 3–3. From that point on, the opponents took control and built a 5–3 lead. SLAKE responded with a single round, but so did their opponents. The last two rounds, however, were easy wins for our partner, and at half-time the score was tied at 6–6.
The second half got off to a dream start for Drillas Academy; they won the first two rounds and the first full-vs-full round, taking a 9–6 lead. Despite this, the Poles responded quickly and we were back to a draw, this time at 9–9. There was then a round-for-round exchange, and the tie widened by a single point. At this point, SLAKE broke out of the deadlock, winning two rounds to secure two match points. They failed to capitalise on the first one, but in the second, a perfectly executed round paid off, and it was our partner who added another victory to their tally. As a result, after six matches in ESEA Intermediate, SLAKE now have a 5–1 record and are well on their way to securing a place in the A play-offs, which will guarantee their promotion to the higher division.
| SLAKE | |
13:11 | |
Drillas Academy | | | Anubis | |
Intermediate S53, Round 6 |
What are SLAKE’s next matches?
- vs 🇷🇺 Real esports, Thursday 1 May, 8.00 pm
- vs 🇹🇷 Team Phoenix, Monday 5 May, 9.00 pm
SLAKE (x.com — Facebook — team profile)
English 
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