Round Robin
IlluZion vs Raw Talent:
The first game of the group stage didn't start well for our heroes; Raw Talent showed there talents by quickly taking the first four rounds.
However, benji and Dynasty ended the momentum of the enemy by taking out two players each, putting IlluZion on the board bringing the score 1-4.
This round win would kickstart a massive ten round win streak that ultimately brought the score to 11-4 before Raw Talent secured the fifteenth round.
Raw Talent seemed to have gotten a second wind at this point because they began to repliacte their earlier success by going on a seven round win streak which saw the score to be 12-11.
IlluZion would have to dig their feet in in order to staunch the momentum of Raw Talent.
And that is exactly what they did.
Round twenty three was a real clencher to say the least. Both sides engaged in a fierce firefight on point A which all came down to a 1v1 between benji and Raw Talent's pistol ace, Manny. Manny managed to take out benji, but benji had a secret strategy; he played incredibly elusive to draw Manny's attention. While Manny was preoccupied with benji, the spike that had been planted was primed and nearing completion. By the time Manny had disposed of benji it was too late. The spike triggered and IlluZion sealed the fate Raw Talent ending the game 12-11 and went up 1-0 in the group stages!
(benji clutches the game)
IlluZion vs TBD:
IlluZion's second game of the group stages started off eerily similar to their first. They lost the first five rounds to TBD. Their luck came around, however, when benji got two melee kills back to back on LZR Town and Tairany bringing the score to 1-5.
The sixth game brought back some familiar memories because benji and Dynasty used their teamwork to win the round. The score is 2-5 at this point.
Both teams started to trade rounds before TBD dominantly swept the next seven rounds to hand IlluZion their first loss of the day. The final score was 3-13, and the group stage score was 1-1.
IlluZion vs All Brain:
There wasn't a stream for this game, but IlluZion defeated team All Brain with a perfect 13-0 to advance to the playoff bracket with a round robin record of 2-1!
Play Offs
IlluZion vs Sakura White:
The game started out with a tense round one. It came down to benji, AntoL and Rano facing off against the last three members of Sakura White. benji and AntoL were both taken down, but not before they eliminated Sakura White's, phoon. Rano was all alone against the last two Sakura White players. The chances of vitory looked slim, but Rano, utilizing a wall to pick and place his shots, stole the round with a pair of impressive headshots to put IlluZion on the map.
If that first round wasn't already amazing for IlluZion, they won the second round with a flawless, not giving Sakura White an inch.
IlluZion took the next four rounds handedly before Sakura White won their first round of the game, bringing the score to 6-1.
The next part of the game would be a little chaotic; both teams would take more than one round from each other before the other side would do the same. By the time the the sixteenth round was over, IlluZion held a small lead at 9-8.
This closeness wouldn't last forever, however, because IlluZion kicked their focus into overdrive and won the last four rounds, denying Sakura White any chance of picking up steam again. IlluZion won there first round and advanced to round 2.
( Rano is a head hunter)
IlluZion vs SH Esports:
IlluZion now found themselves facing off against the number one seed of the bracket, SH Esports.
The game started out competitive at first. SH took the first round with IlluZion quickly taking the second. IlluZion wouldn't be content with a close race to the win for long because they took the next five rounds. Though, SH managed to staunch their bleeding by taking round seven, bringing the score to 6-2.
This was a short victory, however, for SH because IlluZion made up for that loss with five straight round wins brining the score to 11-2.
SH took round fourteen, but being so far down in the hole, could they hope to claw there way back to take home the win?
Unfortunately for IlluZion, like a cornered animal, SH found their fury and won their own five straight. The score at that point was 11-6.
IlluZion took the next round and brought the game to match point, but could they stave off a enemy with a renewed drive to defeat them at all costs?
It didn't look like it at first because SH took the nineteenth round which brought the score to 12-7.
This would be the last round they won, though, because IlluZion, with the help of a triple kill from benji and a headshot from AntoL, secured their thirteenth round win ending the game with a score of 13-7. They defeated SH Esports and made their way up to round three of the bracket.
IlluZion vs Down Two Earth:
Just like the last game they played, IlluZion found themselves once again losing the opening round. This bad luck continued with the second with Down Two Earth winning with a flawless.
IlluZion finally got themselves back on the map by winnning round three with the teamwork of Shane and Dynasty.
Both teams, from this point on, traded rounds and by the seventeenth round IlluZion led the game 9-8.
This deadlock wouldn't last forever as IlluZion dialed in their teamwork and took the next three rounds, putting themselves on match point. The score was 12-8.
Down Two Earth wouldn't go down easy; they rebounded with four straight round wins bringing the game to overtime.
The game culminated into a clencher of a round twenty five, with benji, Dynasty, and Shane showcasing their resolve and coming out on top in a in tense 3v3 to win the game 13-12 and pushing IlluZion all the way to round 4!
IlluZion vs Time Out:
Unlike the previous games of the day, IlluZion took the first five rounds including Shane netting four kills during the first round.
(watch Shane's marksmanship in action here)
Time Out took round six, but IlluZion responded with a round of their own, brining the score to 6-1.
However, like a phoenix that rises from its ashes, Time Out rose up from being down five rounds to going on a staggering eleven round win streak. This win streak saw themselves go up 12-6 and on match point.
IlluZion's lead dissolved, effectively putting themselves at defeats door. They would need to win six straight in order to bring the game to overtime and to stay alive.
IlluZion showed that they weren't done yet, and started to surmount a comeback. By the time the twenty third round rolled around, they managed to bring the score to 11-12. IlluZion was coming back from the dead with a magical vengeance, could they snatch away victory from Time Out after coming so far?
Round twenty three saw IlluZion make a final stand on point A. They planted the spike, fortified their defenses, and waited. They fought valiantly, but the storm Time Out brought was simply too much and IlluZion lost the round and their place in bracket. They went out tied for 3rd place.
They may not have won, but the comeback that IlluZion brought on showed that they are a team with iron-clad resolve that will fight until the bitter end.
Considering how close they came to making it to the final round, IlluZion will be looking to capitalize on their success and make these deep bracket runs a consistent thing.
Written by Hank Strandberg
Comments