Fissure Playground results in China taking their first high-tier Counter-Strike tournament. TYLOO triumphed over Astralis in a 3-1 brutal fight for points to boost their VRS rank.
The Serbian offline tournament offers a particularly valuable opportunity for teams currently lower in the VRS (Valve Regional Standings) to accumulate points.
The celebrated return of Lynn Vision and disappointing performance from Furia: who competed, and who reached the final?
After their surge in popularity during the Austin Major, Lynn Vision returned to compete in Fissure Playground. Despite finishing the Group Stage at the top of Group B, they were unfortunately eliminated from the competition in the Quarterfinals by Astralis.
Nevertheless, the team have carried forward both confidence and the love of their fans from Austin.
Their success in the Group Stage was widely celebrated with reposted clips from their star player Tang ‘EmiliaQAQ’ Junjie, who captured the hearts of Counter-Strike fans in Austin for their emotional pro journey.
Despite their loss to Astralis, the team continues to show promise and hopes to prove itself at another LAN tournament soon.
Furia, on the other hand, had a less enjoyable experience at Fissure Playground. Heading into the tournament, they were the only team in the top ten for VRS July, thanks to reaching the Austin Playoffs.
However, the team did not even make it out of the Group Stage. Furia fell to SAW twice, losing their decider match, and eventually finishing in third place in Group A.
The eight Playoffs teams were comprised of GamerLegion, BetBoom Team, Astralis, Lynn Vision Gaming, TYLOO, 3DMAX, SAW, and Complexity.
In the Semifinals, Astralis defeated BetBoom Team decisively with a 2-0 score to progress to the Grand Final. TYLOO mirrored their dominance, defeating SAW 2-0 to join them.
Astralis v TYLOO: Fissure Playground results at the Grand Final
Given their dominant semifinal performances, Astralis and TYLOO’s Grand Final showdown guaranteed entertainment and a flurry of predictions on Counter-Strike betting sites.
While Astralis fought for a close 13-10 win on Map One, Inferno, TYLOO defeated Astralis in a dominant 4-13 on Nuke for Map Two. Then, Mirage proved a much greater challenge for both teams. Map Three was pushed into overtime, eventually won by TYLOO 14-16.
However, by the time the two teams progressed to Map Four, TYLOO had gained a momentum that was impossible for Astralis to counter.
Despite Astralis’ best efforts, TYLOO prevented a comeback story and won Ancient 10-13.
Their win against Astralis marks the first time a Chinese team has won a Counter-Strike tournament of this level of significance.
The scramble for VRS points explained
Small to mid-scale tournaments have received a significant boost in importance since Valve pushed changes to tournament qualification.
Opportunities for Last Chance Qualifier tournaments to introduce wildcard teams to Counter-Strike Majors are fast disappearing. Instead, reliance on the VRS (Valve Regional Standings) has increased.
Some resistance has accompanied this change. Insight from Complexity CS General Manager, Graham ‘messioso’ Pitt, frequently both explains and identifies pitfalls in the system, as explored in Esports News UK’s exclusive interview.
Overall, these changes have led teams to increase tournament participation to gain more points to increase their Regional Standing.
For example, multiple teams utilised the UK’s BYOC Counter-Strike competition EPIC.LAN 45 for this reason. The Fissure Playground Results will bring the same benefit.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.