After every week of build-up, the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Closing ended up as one thing of an anti-climax. Vitality and Heroic performed out a swift affair, with the Vitality CS:GO staff rising as victors in a match that was by no means actually a contest.
There’s a lot to debate right here, with each of those groups coming into the match trying to dispel sure narratives about their type. Let’s dive deep into the Vitality 2-0 Heroic Grand Closing.
Extra disappointment in Rio for Heroic. Credit score: Heroic on Twitter
Vitality’s IEM Rio 2023 Win
There gained’t be many who noticed this end result coming, particularly not as a 2-0. Even with ZywOo, the Vitality CS:GO staff had been wanting a bit bit drained recently. They have been one thing of an underdog at IEM Rio 2023, regardless of the star energy at their disposal. And not using a match win since ESL Professional League Season 16, this end result positively cements them as a severe contender going ahead.
In truth, the staff was helped by the match format. In a best-of-five remaining, it’s doable that Heroic might have been in a position to put up extra of a combat with their total map pool. However within the best-of-three format seen at IEM Rio 2023, chaos reigns, and something can occur.
Don’t let that take away from what a terrific efficiency this was by the Vitality CS:GO staff. Everybody had their half to play, with every participant sustaining a optimistic Okay/D ratio throughout the sequence. Solely Spinx was barely quieter right here, though his contribution throughout the entire match doesn’t depart a lot to be desired. After all, there was ZywOo, however his greatness is a given. It was Magisk and dupreeh that maybe impressed probably the most. The duo has confronted questions just lately resulting from their age and declining type. These questions have been answered emphatically in Rio, as they rolled again the years to appear like their former Astralis finest.
It’s an thrilling time for Vitality. As a global roster, it’s going to all the time take extra time for the items to come back collectively and work fluidly. However this was a unique Vitality to what we’ve seen prior to now twelve months. The previous Vitality would have crumbled. As an alternative, they dominated. It’s not prefer it was a detailed sport, both. Heroic was left with no likelihood within the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Closing, not even given a map by this Vitality machine. With the Paris Main starting in just some weeks, what a time it’s for the roster to seek out such type.
Robust to Take for Heroic
This one might be robust to swallow for Heroic. IEM Rio 2023 was alleged to be an exorcising of demons lingering from the Rio Main. As an alternative, it has shattered their psychological sport even additional with one other Grand Closing loss. Whereas their IEM Katowice 2023 loss against G2 will be written off as dropping to a staff in blistering type, it’s onerous to argue that they need to have crushed Outsiders and Vitality respectively. As an alternative, this solely raises questions on their capability to get tournaments over the road. Ultimately, the Heroic CS:GO staff will start to consider they’ll’t do it, with solely a BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2022 win to indicate for his or her efforts of late.
In our IEM Rio 2023 preview, we had Heroic down as one of many early favorites. Proper now, it appears as if their ground is sufficient to get them to Grand Finals, however their ceiling isn’t fairly excessive sufficient to get the job finished. It’s a painful scenario to be in, as the answer isn’t so simple as a roster change.
All through the match, the Heroic CS:GO staff’s composition was a large assist. No huge stars, with everybody chipping in alongside the best way. It’s that very same composition that was their downfall within the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Closing. Throughout each maps, solely cadiaN confirmed up, with the grizzled veteran the one Heroic CS:GO participant to go optimistic within the sequence. Contemplating the staff’s prior consistency, it was a exceptional downfall. It was troublesome to not really feel sorry for cadiaN, with the captain combating tooth-and-nail for his legacy within the sport.
It’s not all doom and gloom for this Heroic CS:GO roster. They’ve proven they’ll persistently attain these finals, and if it does lastly click on for them, they’ve received the potential to be as adorned as any CS:GO staff.
However on the day right here, the higher staff gained. Vitality had their quantity and nullified the staff’s strengths by way of the star energy of IEM Rio 2023 MVP ZywOo. Make no mistake. This wasn’t Heroic’s loss – this was a Vitality victory.
