Space Soldiers finally broke through on LAN, claiming the title and the $50,000 first place prize at this year’s DreamHack Austin, which was held at the Austin Convention Center.
Space Soldiers face tough group
Entering as one of the top teams at the event, Space Soldiers were looking to translate their online play into success on LAN, something they have routinely failed to do. Dominating in online leagues has yielded minimal results, with the team as a whole continually disappointing once attending an event.
Space Soldiers started off in Group B, considered the more difficult of the two groups as it contained the likes of Rogue, who recently added Rickeh, while OpTic Gaming and compLexity Gaming were both looking to build momentum after recent well-received roster transitions.
Space Soldiers had a mediocre start, with a 16-10 victory over compLexity in their opening match being immediately followed by a loss to Rogue 8-16 on Dust II. This placed Space Soldiers in the Decider Match where they met OpTic, who had performed decently thus far. After dropping the opening map of Mirage 7-16, Space Soldiers bounced back with victories on both Inferno (16-9) and Train (16-10) to push themselves through to the Playoffs.
Heroic stand in the way
Given their second-place finish in Group B, Space Soldiers were placed against Heroic, who had finished top of Group A and had been one of the most intriguing teams entering this event. However, Space Soldiers had a great showing in this semifinal, pulling off back-to-back wins on Cache 19-16 and Mirage 16-11. This was primarily off the back of Calyx, who had two astonishing performances with 31 and 32 kills to lead the way.
Rematch with Rogue
Awaiting Space Soldiers was Rogue for a repeat encounter of the Group B Winners’ Match.
In an odd run, Rogue had gone undefeated in Group B play before just squeaking past little-known Fragsters in the semifinals 2-1 to set up their rematch with Space Soldiers.
The Turkish side enjoyed the opening game of the Finals on Mirage, with Calyx once again leading the way, securing 25 kills in a 16-8 victory. Concern grew that the Finals were going to be too much for Rogue, but they bounced back with an impressive showing on Overpass, where they acquired 11 rounds on the terrorist side; the typically non-favoured side. From here, Rogue quickly cleaned out the match with a dominant 16-5 win off the back of both cadiaN and vice, who both secured 20 kills.
The final map of Inferno turned out to be incredibly anti-climactic, with Rogue looking absolutely lost on the defensive counter-terrorist side. Space Soldiers had essentially free rein during the entire opening half on their way to a staggering 13-2 lead. Switching sides did little to stem the tide, with Space Soldiers securing the final three rounds needed for victory and the title.
The MVP of the tournament was Calyx, with his consistency throughout the competition complimented by his star performances against the likes of Heroic.
Conclusion
The question from here is whether this can be the start of a new era for Space Soldiers, one that allows them to be a similar team offline to their undoubted high quality online. The main doubt is that the overall level of competition at this event was lacking, with Space Soldiers being both one of the most experienced teams and one of the most talented squads here.
Space Soldiers do not necessarily have to win a large event in order to justify themselves as a top team, but continued domination of lower tiered teams on LAN or a deep run at a top tier event could catapult them up the world rankings. It will be interesting to see whether their Austin success will prove to be the catalyst.
