Esports
Team DEUTSCHLAND took on MBAPPEEK in an exciting four-game series. Here’s how it went down in the ultimate CSGO 2v2 mode.
Red Bull Flick qualifiers are over. After a month of games on a set of amazing new maps, all of the spots are locked in for the finals weekend next week. In the past month, teams from all over Europe have competed against each other to be placed in the closed qualifier, with every countries’ winner being pitted against each other for the last two spots in the main event next week. Both DEUTSCHLAND from Germany and MBAPPEEK from France stood face-to-face in the best of five final to determine the seeds.
If you missed any of the action on the Red Bull Twitch channel, be sure to read the recap below.
Red Bull Flick is played with special 2vs2 map rules, where teams have to win by capturing a point on the map and running down the clock, while one person stands on the point. Hold the point for 45 seconds and you win the round; win three rounds and you win the map. Every map offers unique gameplay options: some of them are pistols only, while others offer boosting platforms that you can use to fly around the map.
The first round of the finals was played on Castle. The two spawns from both teams were on opposites of the map, with an elevated capture point right in the middle. DEUTSCHLAND started off very strong and captured the point, while hiding behind the concrete barriers and smoking some of the entry points, to make it harder for the French players to get on the flag.
In the first round MBAPPEEK had difficulty gaining control of the middle. Then things turned around quickly, as MBAPPEEK took control of the middle and used DEUTSCHLAND’s tactics against them. Even though DEUTSCHLAND only had a few seconds left, they couldn't get on the point and MBAPPEEK took round 1.
In the second round the teams went pound-for-pound and both sides seemed to have their nerves under control a bit better. With 4.5 seconds on both clocks, MBAPPEEK took round 2 with a swift capture and a missed Molotof from the German team. Round three was more or less the same, where the French players got the better of most trades. The Germans were able to keep it relatively close, but MBAPPEEK closed it out in a 3-0 sweep and they went 1-0 up in the best of five.
The second map was Himalaya, a very small map, where players started with pistols. A nova spawned at a special location for players to pick up and frag with. Because of the tiny size, Himalaya was pure chaos, with captures swapping out every few seconds. Here's where accuracy and flicks really came into play. Coming into the map Team DEUTSCHLAND put a heavy focus on controlling the singular Nova on the map. They sacrificed a few early seconds to MBAPPEEK, but once the Nova was on the site the Germans took over and won the first round.
The French took the second round with relative ease. In this round the Germans weren’t able to get the Nova frags of the first round, and after a great hold with some nice crossfires MBAPPEEK levelled the score. The same happened in round three; the French winners kept the Germans on 20 seconds while they ran down the clock with some great double kills and angles. When MBAPPEEK tried to close the map out, they were slow to recover and their strategy fell apart slightly. A good victory for the Germans tied the map and took us to the final round. As the final round started, the Germans were on fire. They used good angles and while MBAPPEEK tried some creative approaches, the Germans caught on quickly and took the turnaround win to tie up the series at 1-1.
The third map was Matrix, a map with the classical aim-layout, with two teleporters that lead to Sniper towers on opposite sides of the map. From the start it was clear that the Germans felt very comfortable on this map. They strategically used the teleporters and got on the point with relative ease. The first two rounds were quickly won and when the third round started, MBAPPEEK quickly changed up their site approaches and teleport usage. They won the third round and had a chance to start the reverse sweep. In the fourth round, the Germans figured out MBAPPEEK's tactics completely, as they shut down their advances to the capture point. DEUTSCHLAND won the third map, giving them the 2-1 advantage and the chance to close out the series on the next map.
Speedway was the fourth map and it offers the opportunity to surf to high ground and snipe your opponents from a vantage point. Both teams started off by surfing to their high ground, but DEUTSCHLAND took a massive advantage from the start. MBAPPEEK were able to change it up with more play through the middle of the map, but weren't able to come back from their big deficit. The second round started off with a bang, with a big double kill from DEUTSCHLAND, who opened up with a nine second lead, while the Frenchmen scrambled to come up with a tactic to invade the capture point. DEUTSCHLAND again captured the point and didn't let it go. A 2-0 lead for the German team, with the chance to close it out in round number three. Again DEUTSCHLAND opened up with a big double kill to start the clock. MBAPPEEK tried using some new angles with some great surfing techniques, but weren't able to climb back to the flag. DEUTSCHLAND took the map 3-0 and won the closed qualifiers!
With DEUTSCHLAND winning, they'll be the first seed in the qualifiers and MBAPPEEK will be second seeds. Both teams will be playing next week in the Red Bull Flick EU Pro Invitational, where they'll face off against duos from pro teams. Teams like G2 Esports and OG will be attending, so make sure not to miss it on the Red Bull Twitch channel.
