Burbank in Southern California was the site for the latest CS:GO LAN event, with eight teams qualifying for the Global Premier Challenge final following a grueling schedule that included 17 previous events from around the world. Kinguin, Team LDLC.com, Rush, TSM, Tainted Minds and Bravado Gaming were joined by Rogue and Muffin Lightning after Big Gods and VG.CyberZen were unable to attend.
Group Stage
After a slow start to the event, it would be one of those replacement sides, Rogue, that would go on an incredible run to claim first place in ESEA Season 23.
Rogue dropped their opening best-of-one encounter in the Group Stage on Overpass 16-5 to LDLC, an opponent they would meet again much later in the event.
That defeat would be their last as Rogue then took down TSM 2-0; although to be clear this was the “older” TSM roster containing Semphis, FNS, Twistzz, SicK and Relyks. Rogue then moved on to play Bravado and had no issue rolling over their opponents 2-0, including a devastating map two on Mirage that Rogue claimed 16-3.
Playoffs
Leaving the Group Stage with a 2-1 record, Rogue next got the chance to show their skills against an opponent with solid recent results; fellow Europeans Kinguin. The Polish side came into ESEA Season 23 on a bit of a high, having placed 4th in the WESG 2016 European Finals in October and 3rd-4th in November’s DreamHack Winter 2016. At WESG, they had secured a 4-0 Group Stage record but followed this up with losses to the former members of Team Dignitas in the semifinals then Virtus.pro in the third-place match. However, these sides were amongst the best teams in the world at the time, and Kinguin had been competitive against both of them.
The semifinal clash was where Rogue staked their claim for the ESEA crown, defeating Kinguin 2-0 on Mirage and Overpass. That best-of-three victory gave Rogue the chance to avenge their only defeat of the tournament to this point as they would meet long time veteran of the scene Ex6TenZ and his LDLC side in the Grand Finals to determine who would be crowned ESEA Season 23 champions.
The Rematch
Rogue took their first step towards the trophy in the pick and ban phase by removing Overpass, the map on which they had been decimated just days before by the same LDLC team.
Beginning on Dust II, Rogue took control early and kept their foot on the gas, dismantling LDLC in a 16-2 blowout. Incredibly, this was actually LDLC’s map pick, giving Rogue the decisive advantage heading forward in the best-of-three.
The big stars on Dust II for Rogue were certainly the Bulgarian combo of v1c7oR and bubble, each amassing 20 kills in just 18 rounds. And Rogue showed no sign of slowing down as they entered Train just as hot as they had left Dust II, taking a 12-3 half-time lead. It was not all fun and games for Rogue though as LDLC fought all the way back to not only force overtime at 15-15, but then second overtime at 18-18. However, after sweeping their T side (terrorist side), Rogue went on to win their first round of CT side (counter-terrorist), clinching the championship with a 22-18 score line.
Looking Ahead
In all it was an incredible event for Rogue, who responded well to their opening defeat and went on to win every single map after that, with most of their wins coming in dominating fashion. This could be the start of a decent run for Rogue as the team members are improving their synergy with every game they play. With three members joining in August and the Bulgarians acquired in October, Rogue are set up for the long haul with a solid roster from top to bottom. Look for Rogue to be a sleeper team in upcoming events and one with enough staying power to influence the Counter Strike scene going into the later stages of 2017.
