IEM Sydney 2017: SK Gaming Claims the Title

Intel Extreme Masters 2017 came to its conclusion. In the end, it was left to SK Gaming and FaZe Clan to determine which team would be crowned the champion. The final match of the tournament was everything fans had hoped for and more.

In the end, it was SK Gaming that took the crucial final victory. Without any doubt, the final match between SK Gaming and FaZe Clan was played between two currently best Counter Strike: Global Offensive teams in the world. The match was played as the best-of-five series. In the end, SK Gaming managed to prevail. They were claiming the coveted champion’s title at the IEM Sydney 2017.

The Finals Breakdown

The first game of the final match featured a very dominant performance from SK Gaming. We saw them claiming the initial advantage in the game. They successful held onto this advantage until the end of the first game. FaZe Clan was not able to do anything until the first pistol round of the match. However at that point, it was already 3-0 for SK Gaming. FaZe Clan won the first pistol round. However the excitement did not last long as SK Gaming managed to win the following three rounds. They built up their advantage to 6-1.

By the end of the first half, SK Gaming was already having a clear advantage as they won 12 rounds in comparison to only three rounds for FaZe Clan. However, the second halftime was a lot different as FaZe Clan put on an amazing defensive performance. The second part saw FaZe Clan coming back into the game, and they almost came close to the overtime. However, at the result 14-12, SK Gaming stepped up their game and won the next two rounds to claim the first game for themselves

The Second Game of SK Gaming

In the second game, SK Gaming started slow, but very soon they once again imposed their dominance. Unlike in the first game, SK Gaming did not allow FaZe Clan to come back, and in a very one-sided game, SK Gaming managed to win with the score 16:7. SK Gaming won the pistol round as well, and at that moment it became clear that FaZe Clan has lost all chances for a comeback in that game.

However, in the third game of the final match, FaZe Clan showed why they are one of the best CS:GO teams in the world. They won the first pistol round with Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac claiming three kills in that round. FaZe Clan had everything going for them in the third round. At the halftime, FaZe Clan had the advantage of 5:10. In the second half time, SK Gaming started to come back after winning several rounds in a row. In the end, SK Gaming won the second half with the score 8:6. However that was not enough to win in that game and FaZe Clan clinched their first round of the final match.

The Decisive Blow

The fourth and, as it turned out, the final game of the match featured a very bad initial performance from the Brazilian side. After the first pistol round, FaZe Clan had the advantage of 1-3. However, this advantage turned out not to be enough.

At the half time, SK Gaming was trailing by three rounds. However they managed to pull an impressive performance in the second half, winning with the score 10:2. In the end, the fourth game of the final match finished with the score 16:11 for SK Gaming. With that win, SK Gaming became the champions of the Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2017.