QCUP Grand Final - Dignitas vs TLR

More than a month and a half of fluctuating competition culminates in tonight's grand final match between Team Dignitas and The Last Resort. On paper it is a match-up befit a grand final, a clash chock full of history that will form another chapter in the story of the rivalry between two of the game's most accomplished sides.

One is a team that seemed unbeatable for always and ever, by anybody; a team whose dominance at times bordered the ludicrous; true long-standing champions whose reign bore resemblance to that of Mike Tyson before he went to Tokyo and got utterly crushed by Buster Douglas. The other is a team that, after months of determined efforts, managed to reverse a public humiliation to a ground-breaking victory that would set the pace of competitive Enemy Territory for months to come; a team that turned an April afternoon in a hot gaming centre in the Netherlands into a turning point in the history of the game as they dethroned the hegemony of the first-mentioned.

The Last Resort was the first clan to ever defeat a Team Dignitas ET squad in an official context. In long retrospect, an air of invincibility and hopes of continuing a spotless record went up in smoke for Dignitas when they suffered their first loss that April afternoon, and they have not since managed to recover. However, success is accompanied by burden, and perhaps the team's time out of the spotlight has been profitable. No matter the case, Dignitas go into tonight's match with an edge; they come from the winners bracket and therefore need only to score a victory once to seize the tournament gold, while TLR will need to duplicate the feat.

A victory against the EuroCup XV champions in the losers bracket semi-final bodes well for TLR, yet their performance in the final was hardly convincing when taking into account that their opponent was short of practice. The fact that the match went to a decider was probably to be expected when the Finns chose battery as their map, but scraping the victory on radar with only 12 seconds to spare is hardly what you would expect when a member of the team has stated that they go "really confident" into the match. Yet not to be overlooked is the absence of Belgian star player mAus in that match-up. One can only speculate how things would have shaped up had he not been sidelined with hardware difficulties, but the reshuffle it prompted undoubtedly played a part in the side's unconvincing performance. And that does not bode well for TLR, as they will field a line-up tonight that is bereft of Belgian gunslingers.

Clown of TLR explained the side's reshuffle in the following terms: "Well, since maus still has problems with his gfx card, and david went for an early vacation, it looks like we will play with marv instead of maus and jauhis mercing instead of david."

Although the undersigned has already counted the team out at this point, Clown remains cheerfully hopeful: "We have performed quite well lately despite the fact we havent practiced much, but i think the same goes for dignitas. I think we can do well today even if we play without 2 main players of the team. I think this match will be like paraoplympics, both teams have been kinda crippled with inactivity, so you might not see the best action tonight."

The fact that Dignitas come from the winners bracket, and the fact that they have defeated all their opponents except aero 4-0, Fear Factory X-Fi and Insignia Cadre included, speaks volumes of their current run of form. After severely under performing in the EuroCup and finishing outside of the the top three, the etQcup has been a welcome opportunity for Dignitas to start afresh.

They have recovered some of their lost momentum and now they look to set the record straight against their dethroners. For a brief period of time, the team saw a much-needed burst of activity as Holz re-emerged from the Estonian army to lend the team a hand, and senji rejoined the ranks after some weeks of absence prompted by educational commitments and illness, making available a wide choice of players. However, with RELOAd and JaKaZc since venturing into the world of ET:QW, one cannot help but question the team's level of activity.

Newly-recruited kot confirms the notion but seems not to be intimidated: "My expectations are high and I hope that we'll be able to win this match. However, we haven't practised a lot recently and TLR are definitely one of the best teams around, so I guess that it won't be an easy bash for anyone."

With TLR missing two of their star players, kot has good reason not to be intimidated by the fact that his team is short of practice.

Originally posted on cadred.org