Vitality dispatch ENCE; book first cs_summit 4 grand final spot

Vitality have secured a 2-1 series victory against ENCE, copping the first grand final spot of cs_summit 4.

The first semi-final series kicked off on Mirage. ENCE secured the first pistol round, which saw what could only be described as a kerfuffle on the A site. The Finns went on to develop their economy, subsequently snowballing to a 6-1 lead despite a rifle round upset from the CTs, where Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt landed a quad kill. Vitality started waking up towards the latter portion of the half, and really got into the groove of the match by consistently knocking the Finnish economy. From a significant deficit, the Frenchmen were able to accrue a slight 8-7 lead come half time.

Having switched over to the defensive, ENCE once more showed early dominance, punching in four consecutive round victories to once more assume the lead. Vitality retaliated immediately, equalising the scoreline at eleven rounds apiece, consolidated by an anti-eco AK-47 triple kill from Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire. The Terrorists made a dash for the finish line, but were tripped up by their Finnish adversaries after they came just two rounds from closing out. A cocktail of solid holds and risky decision-making from Vitality in the final two rounds of the map yielded ENCE a close 16-14 conclusion to their map pick.

Overpass followed, opened up by a fruitful B hit from Vitality's aggression. Alex "⁠ALEX⁠" McMeekin and company consistently ensured that a lead was maintained, as ENCE struggled in fending off the offense, in no small part thanks to Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut, who had an outstanding showing on the T side. Vitality walked away with a confident 10-5 surplus come time to swap sides.

A consecutive pistol round created room for the Frenchmen to further their round lead even more, and the squad did just that, extending their position to 14-5 after four initial rounds fell in their favour. ENCE answered back with a string of three victories, stabilising their finances somewhat, but another strike from the CTs meant a brief conclusion to Overpass, closed out with a quad kill from ZywOo at 16-8.

The final map, Inferno, witnessed a development seen in both previous maps. ENCE once more kicked off to a successful CT-side pistol round start. The early momentum provided the Finns a platform for snowballing, and the defense was able to confidently secure eight rounds in consecutive fashion. Against the odds, a pistol buy on Vitality's part coupled with an A hit marked the squad's first round. An additional three were accrued off the back of this opening, but that was all she wrote for the Frenchmen, who closed the initial half with a 4-11 deficit.

With yet another pistol round going their way, ENCE edged closer to map point having comfortably secured two initial rounds. Vitality commenced comeback efforts with rifles in hands, and in large thanks to outstanding performances from NBK- and ALEX in five back-to-back rounds, the team managed to close their deficit to 9-13. At this point ENCE cut the round string, but it had no long-term effect, as the CTs persisted in their effective holds, subsequently equalising the scoreline at fourteen rounds apiece. Vitality found themselves on map point, but a tactical 3v5 save from ENCE meant overtime was in order.

In line with their extraordinary CT side performance, Vitality closed the initial half of overtime with a flawless record on the defence. After swapping to the T side, French star ZywOo opened up the B bombsite with an AWP quad kill, ensuring his team's 19-15 victory and advancement to the grand final of cs_summit 4.