Vandals Clan kicked off their ESEA Entry Season 55 on 6 October. Since then, they have played five matches and, despite a rather poor start, are now getting back on track. It is unclear, however, what is behind this turnaround. Perhaps it was pre-season nerves, or simply that they have faced easier opponents following their poor start.
An all-Polish opening match
The first match was against the Polish team Ariston e-Sport. Ancient was chosen as the map for this clash, and our partner started on the CT side. However, it wasn’t the best of starts. The first half was lost by a score of 1:11. This showed that the opponents were playing at a really high level, but the Wandals could still make a comeback. They got off to a fairly good start in their comeback, managing to win 7 rounds, but the opponents’ crushing lead from the first half took its toll, and the match ended in a 13–8 victory for them.
Vandals Clan
The losing streak continues, this time against the Greeks
When we think of the nationalities most commonly associated with Counter-Strike, the first that spring to mind are probably the Russians or even the Poles. However, it is rare for very good players to come from Greece. It was precisely a team from that country that our heroes in this article had to face. It was the Goal eSports squad. The map this time was the desert-themed Mirage. Despite the change of map, however, the first half still wasn’t very good. Vandals lost it 3–9 and had to stage another incredible comeback in the second half. This time, however, they failed to win even 7 rounds, managing only 4, after which their opponents sealed the match with a 13–5 victory. Unfortunately, following this defeat, it turned out that Vandals Clan had started the season with a 0–2 record.
The first glimmer of hope
After the storm, the sun always comes out, but in the ESEA leagues, it’s best if that sun comes out as soon as possible. For the Vandals, it appeared in Round 3. They faced the Russian team Bombard1rs. The first half, despite being played on Ancient, turned out to be very good. Our partner won it 7–5 and went into the second half with greater confidence. This certainly made it easier to secure their first victory with a score of 13–8. godssyK certainly deserved a big round of applause in this match; he posted stats of 26/11 and played a major part in securing the win.
Goal eSportsKeeping up the winning streak
We’ve already seen matches on maps such as Ancient and Mirage, but every team in the BO1 format must have at least three maps prepared. This time, our beloved Vandals played Train. Unlike on other maps, they dominated the first half here, winning it by a score of 10–2. However, that was only half the battle, and they had to finish the job after the sides swapped. That’s when quite a few problems cropped up, and the Poles came within a hair’s breadth of letting such a lead slip from their grasp. Ultimately, though, they managed to win the whole match 13–9 and level the series at 2–2.
Another win to kick off the week
The most recent match played by Vandals Clan so far was against the Ukrainian side GiantJuicyPeach, which took place yesterday. Another map was featured here, namely Nuke. Our partner got off to another good start, winning the first half of the match 8–4. The second half wasn’t any easier, but they managed to close it out with a 13–8 victory. Thanks to this, Vandals Clan managed to bounce back from a 0–2 start and now, after five matches, have a 3–2 record and are still in the running for the play-offs and promotion.
When and against whom will Vandals be playing next?
- vs :ua: NZ Team, Wednesday 22 October, 8.30 pm
Vandals Clan (Facebook — x.com — team profile)
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