SLAKE made some major changes at the start of the season, replacing the team’s core, and these changes are now slowly paying off. They’ve had a really promising start to the 53rd season of ESEA Intermediate, kicking off with a 2–0 record.
A challenging opening match – SLAKE vs Redacted
Their first opponents were Redacted, a team perfectly matched in ability to our partners. The match was played on the de_ancient map. SLAKE got off to an excellent start, winning the pistol round and the first full-vs-full clash, which gave them a 4–0 lead. However, they didn’t stop there and, after just two more rounds, were leading 6–0. From that point on, the opposition began an impressive comeback, which came to an end at the half-time break, with the score standing at 7–5 in favour of our partner.
The winners of the first half got off to a flying start in the second half, winning the pistol round and the subsequent anti-eco round. This time, however, they were unable to build on the run they’d had in the first half, as their opponents quickly broke their momentum, levelling the score at 9–9. After that, we saw a round-for-round exchange and two superb rounds from SLAKE, which gave them two chances to win the match within regulation time. The first opportunity went unused, and in the second our partner came very close, but it didn’t end there and we went into overtime.
In overtime, after the first three rounds, the opponents took a 14–13 lead on the attacking side. After the sides switched, Redacted maintained a high standard, winning their third round in a row. Despite the pressure weighing on our favourites, they managed to push the match into further overtime.
The first half of the second set of extra rounds got off to a good start for our partner, who managed to win it 2–1. After the sides switched ends, they gave themselves two more chances to win the match. The first didn’t go their way, but they managed to win the second, which they fully controlled, and the match ended with a score of 19–17.
| SLAKE |  |
19–17 |  |
Redacted | | |  |
Intermediate S53 | 8 April 2025, 8.00 pm |
The battle for an even better record – SLAKE vs TurTles Clan
Their second opponent was the international team TurTles Clan. The match seemed evenly matched, but we’ll find out how it actually turned out. It began with SLAKE winning the pistol round, and a start like that can really get them going. And so it proved this time, with our partner going on such a strong run that it only ended at 7–0. The opponents replied with a single round, and then another towards the end of the half, bringing the half to a close at 9–3.
Things didn’t go any better for the opponents in the second half. SLAKE’s victory in the pistol round made it much easier for them to close out the match. TurTles did, however, manage to win the force round, which gave them hope of a comeback. However, those hopes were quickly dashed by the dominant side, who did not concede a single round to their opponents for the remainder of the match, winning the entire fixture 13–4. SLAKE thus secured their second victory of this ESEA season.
| SLAKE | |
13–4 | |
TurTles Clan | | | |
Intermediate S53 | 10 April 2025, 20:00 |
Who will SLAKE be up against next?
- vs 🇪🇺 Team Ascend, Tuesday 15 April, 8.00 pm
- vs 🇱🇹 Smalsiai, Thursday 17 April, 8.30 pm
SLAKE (x.com — Facebook — team profile)
English 
Polish 