22:11 : Outsiders lift the trophy in the Jeunesse Arena
21:55 : Outsiders WIN THE IEM RIO MAJOR!
Outsiders probe towards B and get a two-for-one trade. They execute onto the site, and Heroic can muster no resistance as they fall to a 6-16 defeat.
Outsiders are your IEM Rio Major champions!
21:53 : Outsiders on the brink of victory
Outsiders fake B and trade into a 3v3, but Dzhami “Jame” Ali crept onto A in the meantime and the round falls apart for Heroic.
Heroic have to take a full-eco and stack all five members in connector early in the round. Eventually the stack has to break, and Outsiders simply wait for the pushes to come through as the Danes search for info. Martin “stavn” Lund does find two consolation frags, but not enough to secure the round.
21:48 : Outsiders inch towards Major trophy
Outsiders take things slow on their T pistol, three players stacked near monster whilst Jame investigates towards A and connector. Eventually they explode out monster, trading into a 3v4 post-plant. Heroic recover and secure the retake.
The bomb plant allows Outsiders to go for a hero AK purchase on Jame in the following, but it gets nothing done and Heroic take another round.
The guns are up for both sides, bar a Tec-9 on Jame, but Outsiders lose a member early to Casper “cadiaN” Møller‘s AWP. Outsiders find a frag back, and execute on the A site. The trades come through in the post-plant down to a 1v1, which Jame duly wins.
Outsiders are close now.
21:38 : Petr “fame” Bolyshev and Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev shine to power their team to a comfortable half victory
Heroic find no joy towards A, with fame and FL1T holding the site with aplomb.
A Deagle-Kevlar purchase comes through for Heroic, but again they get nothing as they lose multiple 1v1 duels.
Heroic take their third timeout of the half, and go for a late B hit off the back of it. They seem like they have traded effectively to get on the site, but David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan steps up with a key multi-kill to crush the Danes.
Outsiders have hit their stride and they comfortably clean up the final two rounds, showing excellent teamplay and trading to secure a mammoth 12-3 lead heading into the second half.
21:28 : Outsiders begin to pull away on their CT side
Jame gets caught in no-mans land near bathrooms early in the next round, but Outsiders trade two frags back for a 4v3 advantage. Heroic head to B, but are ultimately repelled.
A sub-par purchase comes through for Heroic, with two players lacking rifles, and they go for an early B execute. Utility gets them onto the site, but the one-for-one trades eventually come through in Outsiders favour.
Heroic go for a half-buy with a hero AK on stavn, but an early pick towards fountain from Jame is followed up by a confident hold on A. No Heroic members survive to save the AK.
21:21 : Slender advantage maintained by Outsiders
A slow crawl towards A from Heroic is traded down into a 2v2 post-plant, but Outsiders manage the retake well to tie up the scores.
Heroic buy but it’s a weak one with only two rifles. Outsiders win 1v1 duels at long and in underpass, and the round peters out in the Russian squad’s favour.
This puts Heroic onto a save with a couple of upgraded pistols, they head towards B, but are mowed down by FL1T.
The guns are back out for the Danes and they find an opening kill in connector, and stavn follows this up with a shot on a jumping player. FL1T repels them at B, but they head towards A and get the round in the bag.
21:11 : Heroic lead after opening of Overpass
Heroic go for the B rush on the pistol, and they overwhelm the defence with relative ease.
No force comes through for Outsiders, allowing the Danes to mow down a stack on B for a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Outsiders are able to buy in the third, and they pick apart a late-round B play from Heroic to get themselves on the board.
21:05 : Overpass begins
Heroic‘s map pick of Overpass is underway, a map they have won three times in Rio, with one of those wins coming against Outsiders.
Outsiders start on the CT side.
20:57 : The analysis is in after Outsiders win Mirage
The reactions are coming in after the first map, and many are pointing to the impact of fame as a key factor in the Outsiders victory. The youngster is playing in his first ever Major.
20:46 : Outsiders repel the B rush to secure map win
Heroic rush B and chaotic trades go back and forth. A post-plant ensues, but Outsiders are good for the retake and secure the opening map victory on their own map pick.
Next up is Overpass, the map Heroic beat Outsiders on earlier in the tournament.
20:42 : Outsiders on brink of victory
Outsiders get another full-buy out, and they absolutely demolish Heroic as the Danes send multiple members through underpass.
This forces Heroic into a sub-par buy, with a Galil and Mac-10, and they execute towards A. Outsiders repel the hit, getting themselves to 15.
Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard hurtles up short with everything on the line, and finds a pick. This allows his team to go A, and Outsiders go for the save. Big play from the newest addition to Heroic.
20:38 : Heroic start to find traction on their T side
Heroic manage to find some opening kills in middle, get the bomb down on B and secure the round victory. They hunt down the saving guns but lose members themselves, hurting their own meagre economy.
Outsiders combat the mid aggression next round, finding a pick after a failed run-boost from the Danes at top middle. Heroic head B and somehow trade a 3v5 into a 2v2, which they convert.
Outsiders take a timeout after that one, and go for a full buy on three players in the next, with two on pistols. An execute on A comes out from Heroic, and they force Outsiders into saving.
Game on.
20:29 : Outsiders edge towards map one victory
Heroic go for heavy mid-control when they get guns back up, but find no joy, going into a timeout straight after.
They rush B with a light investment in the following, but are cleaned up comfortably. Outsiders are now in control, and they go for a timeout of their own to make sure they keep it that way.
20:25 : Outsiders take early lead in second half
Heroic get onto B for free on their T pistol, and cadiaN closes the round with a clean p250 headshot and a knife on the defuser.
Outsiders force-buy into the second round and stop Heroic cold on an A execute, wrestling back economic control.
The force-buy wars commence as Heroic go for one of their own, but stavn‘s hero AK can’t get the job done. The Danes are forced into a save, and fame sprays them down.
Advantage Outsiders.
20:16 : Outsiders narrowly win their T side
Outsiders head back to A with Heroic on a weak buy, and despite a potent-looking René “TeSeS” Madsen flank they get the round.
Heroic push A with five players on a full-eco in the following, get a single kill and manage to save an AK. Outsiders get the bomb down on B to secure the round.
Another buy comes in for both squads, Heroic go back to aggression in mid, and they dismantle Outsiders‘ default.
Outsiders still have money in the bank and they go for an A-split through connector, managing to trade into a 2v3 post-plant. Jame ends up left in a 1v3, and he can’t win it.
The Russian squad are a little short of a full-buy in the final round, but they still manage to take it and secure a slender lead for the second half.
20:03 : fame continues to shine, this time winning a 1v2
Both teams are on a buy, and a back-and-forth comes down to a 1v1 post-plant where jabbi sticks the defuse. Bravery gets the job done for the youngster.
Outsiders can still buy but they lose a man to an aggressive ramp peek on A from Heroic. They head A in the 4v5 and trade into a post-plant, and fame again shines, this time winning a 1v2 to close the round.
19:59 : fame makes a big play with a hero AK
Heroic win another round but not without a fight, and Outsiders manage to win a near-full eco with a hero AK on fame to swing the momentum back in their favour.
Heroic take a tactical timeout off the back of this.
19:54 : Heroic tie up the game
A key Rasmus “sjuush” Beck kill from an A-ramp push helps net Heroic their first round, and the Danes follow this up with a successful aggressive push into middle in the following, netting them two kills and ensuring a favourable retake.
Outsiders are thus forced into a half-buy, they take it towards B but it falls flat.
The game is tied up.
19:47 : Outsiders take an early advantage
A quick execute on A gives Outsiders a pistol victory, and then they default mid and pick apart Heroic‘s force-buy.
Advantage to the CIS squad early doors.
19:43 : IEM Rio Major Final is underway
The technical issue has been resolved and the game is underway.
Heroic kick things off on the CT side.
19:27 : Technical issue delays start of the game
An issue with the stage setup has delayed the start of the match; a screen preventing the teams from seeing each other broke.
19:06 : The veto is in
Mirage is the first map of the series, picked by Outsiders, on which the CIS squad have a 100% winrate at this Major.
Overpass is the choice of Heroic, who have a 100% winrate in Rio on the map.
Inferno is the decider. Heroic will be hoping to have better luck if the series goes that far, as they have been betrayed by the map twice so far in Brazil.
18:48 : An update on the HLTV x 1xBet MVP race
There are few individual accolades in Counter-Strike more impressive than a Major MVP medal, so here is a quick update on who is in the running.
Unsurprisingly, the AWPing IGLs who have led their teams whilst also contributing stellar numbers are currently the leading candidates.
The crowning of new champions
The final of the long-awaited IEM Rio Major is now upon us, and two teams that few would have tipped to lift the silverware before the event have battled their way through to the grand final. A best-of-three between Outsiders and Heroic awaits, the two squads having withstood the pressure of the Major better than all of the pre-tournament favourites.
None of the favourites have survived in Rio
Reigning champions FaZe ran aground in the Legends Stage, along with Pro League finalists Vitality and Liquid. The in-form Cloud9 crumbled in the quarter-finals, as did the ever-consistent Natus Vincere. Hometown heroes FURIA came unstuck in the semi-finals, despite the fervent support of the Brazilian crowd. The two squads left hit form at the right time, their star names firing on all cylinders and their AWPing in-game leaders both producing spectacular clutch moments.
Arguably Heroic come into the match with a slight edge, the Danes having dispatched a higher quality of opposition in series play throughout the tournament, most notably world No. 3 Liquid and world No. 10 FURIA. Outsiders‘ only top-10 bout in series play came in the form of MOUZ twice, and they bested the European mix each time.
Read more
n0rb3r7 on reaching Rio final: “Nothing special; we just need to prove ourselves tomorrow”
It is also worth noting Heroic have already beaten Outsiders in Brazil, winning their Legends Stage best-of-one 16-9 on Overpass. The only time the two teams have faced this year in series play was back in February, both sporting different squads than at this Major. Heroic took the victory then, a comfortable 2-0.
Outsiders have relied on the trio of Jame, fame and FL1T to get their fragging done, with the former two both residing in the top-five rated players of the Legends plus Champions stages. Heroic have seen their in-game leader cadiaN step up to the plate and be their highest rated player, with stavn not far behind.
Read more
stavn: “KSCERATO is a really sick player”
We are guaranteed a brand-new Major champion after today, and whoever wins their run will enter the pantheon of epic underdog victories, alongside the likes of the Cloud9 Boston Major victory and the Gambit triumph at PGL Major Krakow. Who will rise to the challenge and etch their name in Counter-Strike history? Tune into this post for live updates throughout the match.
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