The year’s most reliable rivalry in Counter-Strike was stoked yet again at DreamHack Tours, with the world’s best team again coming out on top.
Fnatic defeated EnvyUs in the grand final in Tours, France by a margin of two games to one.
The French crowd was heavily in favor of the home team Envy. Fnatic were at times showered with boos, with Robin “Flusha” Ronnquist receiving the most attention. Envy did manage to get off to a strong start by taking the first game, but the crowd’s support ultimately wasn’t enough to propel them to victory.
The third and final game was particularly decisive. After trading some early rounds, Fnatic took over the match and shut down their rivals, cruising to a 16-5 championship win. Freddy “Krimz” Johansson topped the charts for Fnatic during the final, though it may have been the flashy play of sniper Jesper “JW” Wecksell that stole the show.
The win marks a return to form for Fnatic, who had gone winless in the prior three tournament appearances after having previously secured seven titles in 10 past events. It’s no coincidence that Team SoloMid, who eliminated Fnatic in each of the past two events they attended, were not competing in Tours.
While Envy certainly hoped for more, it was still a relative success for the team some big in-game changes. Richard “Shox” Papillon served as the team’s leader in Tours, replacing Vincent “Happy” Cervoni. The move came as a surprise to most fans as Cervoni has been lauded for his ability to capably lead his team while also making big plays individually.
Both Envy and Fnatic had scares prior to the final. Envy was forced into overtime by domestic opponent LDLC White, who between that result and a 16-14 loss to Hell Raisers acquitted themselves well in spite of a last-place finish. Fnatic then dropped the first game of a semifinal series against Hell Raisers before recovering to win the second and third games comfortably.
The biggest disappointment at the event may have been a team that failed to even make the main tournament, much less the playoff round. Team Immunity, visiting all the way from Australia, attempted to qualify through the open qualifier against a number of local French teams.
The squad’s chances seemed high after a solid performance at the Faceit League final, but it wasn’t to be. Immunity weren’t even able to play for a spot in the main event, being eliminated by the relatively unknown Begenius in the lower bracket semifinal of the qualifier.
