9INE's Disappointing Exit: Lynn Vision Triumphs in ESL Pro League S18 Showdown
Bogdan LashchenkoIn a bitter disappointment for 9INE, the Polish team faced an early exit from the ESL Pro League S18 tournament in Malta after a lackluster performance against Lynn Vision. Lynn Vision secured their victory by winning two out of three maps, claiming Anubis (16-10) and Overpass (22-20), with a minor setback on Vertigo (10-16), which was 9INE's choice.
Lynn Vision now faces the challenge of winning two consecutive matches on Sunday to qualify for the playoffs, with their first match against the loser of Virtus.pro vs. Liquid.
Dai "Gum" Yifei, Lynn Vision's coach, expressed his elation after the victory, emphasizing their unwavering determination and confidence in their game plan. He credited their exceptional mental fortitude, which he believed set them apart from other Chinese teams, especially evident when they made a comeback from an 11-15 deficit to clinch the decider in the second overtime.
For 9INE, this marks a disappointing end to their EPL campaign, as they managed to secure victories only on Vertigo, defeating Complexity and Lynn Vision. Olek "hades" Miskiewicz, in particular, might want to forget his costly miss during the decider, which ultimately sealed 9INE's fate in the tournament.
The series kicked off on Anubis, with Lynn Vision dominating the Egypt-themed map in the first half, ending it 11-4 in their favor. Lizhi "Starry" Ye played a crucial role with 17 kills in the first half, repeatedly finding success in Middle. Although 9INE managed to reach double digits, Lynn Vision maintained their composure and secured a 16-10 victory on the map.
Vertigo was expected to favor 9INE, who had previously excelled on this map. Despite Lynn Vision's efforts to rally from a 3-7 deficit and tie the scores at ten, they couldn't sustain the momentum, ultimately losing the map 10-16, breaking their six-round streak.
The decider took place on Overpass, where Lynn Vision's T-side demonstrated excellent preparation. Starry and Sike "z4kr" Zhang played pivotal roles, securing multiple openings and multi-kills to help their team secure seven rounds on the offense. The second half was equally intense, with Lynn Vision mounting a comeback from an 11-15 deficit to force overtime. A crucial 1vs2 Scout clutch by Dongkai "Jee" Ji and a missed opportunity by hades in the penultimate round proved decisive, as Lynn Vision secured victory in the fourth overtime match point.
Bogdan Lashchenko – content manager at EgamersWorld.Bogdan has been working at EGamersWorld since 2023. Joining the company, he began fillin the site with information, news and events.