[Special] The Clan Championship 9 - Grand Final

[St.Guardian 514]

 

Hello tankers of the eSports circle! The last major tournament of 2016, the Clan Championship 9 (RU based) has just finished with a captivating and compelling final. But before you hear about how it all went, you should know how the clans of our EN community performed.

 

'All Kind' made it quite far into the tournament but were a few points short of making it to the quarter finals. Slightly further behind was Chicos, who had an exceedingly difficult group, as well as Regrets. Unfortunately, Deadly Army was disqualified.

 

The link to the quarter-final rounds straight to the grand final can be found here: http://challonge.com/IX_Mezhklanovyj_Chempionat_Play_off

 

 

Now for the final, which was played in a 'best of 8 rounds' format. Synergy, a relatively new clan but with experienced members, faced off against Can't Stop, an old clan with an array of skilled players fairly new to the clan. Their motivation? Thirty million crystals, twenty thousand roubles (about $325 USD), Spectrum M-A, six months of premium and the Gladiator and Champion paints. Keep reading if you wish to find out how the battle played out!

 

The first stage: Red Alert XP/BP

 

In the first round on the Red Alert map, Synergy began on the blue team while Can't Stop began on the red team. The first flag capture was completed by Mr.Johnn. He had managed to sneak into the right side of the red base with a Speed Boost and Wasp, which is, as most of us know, very threatening to the red team. He, supported by Saint-Hov and T-H-E_S-P-Y (both had Double Damages and laid significant cover fire) had a clear route his base and captured the red flag, making the score 1:0 in Synergy's favour. 

 

Can't Stop's defense was apparently destabilised by this abrupt assault on their base. Thus shortly after, Saint-Hov of Synergy was able to achieve another unbroken flag run from the red base straight to his own, this time passing through the center.

 

It should be noted that Can't Stop's defense was apparently strengthened by these two downfalls at the start as no further captures on their turf were made for the rest of the round. They even attempted leveling the score. For example, about 3 minutes before the end of the match Gold.Tank.24 and Aguer-o were both able to speedily bring the blue flag just outside Synergy's base, but it was quickly returned by a resilient St.Railgun. This was quickly followed by SERDE4KO breaking Synergy's defensive barriers and brought the flag to his teammate Kenya at the centre platform, but Can't Stop's daring attacks were futile because Synergy's defensive squad returned the flag once again.

 

Throughout the match, both teams controlled their respective Double Armours, but it was apparent that Synergy controlled about 80% of the Double Damages and 63% of the Speed Boosts in the map (most of the time). This is what probably allowed Synergy to stay dominant for most of the round. Additionally, it was seen that Synergy's attacking band took a liking to the left side of Can't Stop's red base, so map control was slightly tipped to their advantage.

 

The first round of Synergy VS Can't Stop ended with a score of 2:0, making the overall score 1:0 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

For the second round, Synergy played on the red side while Can't Stop began on the blue team. The first flag capture of the round was completed by Can't Stop just 45 seconds into the battle! Perhaps they were empowered by their previous defeat on the blue side and used this to obtain adequate drop control. Aguer-o using a Speed Boost managed to grab Synergy's flag and, supported by a fully drugged Gold.Tank.24 (who took the red team's drops), sped off. He chose the direct centre route and this paid off with a speedy capture taking place. This meant the score would be 1:0 to Can't Stop. From here, things escalated for both teams as a typical, rushed Red Alert gameplay followed.

 

Synergy launched an immediate counter-attack merely seconds after the first flag capture. Dynamite managed to sneak into the back of the blue base and he, as Eternal.Verity distracted Can't Stop's defenders, raced off towards the centre with the blue flag. Dynamite's Double Armour and Speed Boost proved effective as he managed to make it back to the red base without being destroyed. This leveled the score to 1:1. Synergy's attacking squad struck again with the flag being passed onto faithful defender NoName near the center island (it was seen that Synergy used this as a rendezvous point for getting the flag). NoName then swerved near the Red base for a beautiful handoff to barrs_s who captured Can't Stop's flag, making the score 2:1 in Synergy's favour.

 

Synergy attempted a third capture in which Saint-Hov took a Speed Boost from the blue base and took the flag to the centre yet again, desperately trying to get the Repair Kit sitting there that his teammates had saved for him.

 

Unfortunately Saint-Hov was destroyed before he could reach the Repair Kit, so his colleague St.Railgun took the flag and the Repair Kit and took it to the ledge near the red flag for a handoff. However, Synergy's defending Saint-Hov was busy blocking SERDE4KO from taking the red flag so their attacking squad could not complete the handoff. This resulted in the eager Can't Stop defenders shooting them down and Juness returned the flag. In all this mayhem, SERDE4KO had nipped the red flag off its podium and had entered the middle of the map, but Saint-Hov was anxious to return the flag and did so right after destroying him.

 

The last capture of the round was achieved when Can't Stop's Gold.Tank.24 lagged out of the battle and Dynamite took the blue flag. Dynamite had a clear route to his base and captured the flag, making the score 3:1. Map and drop control was fairly balanced throughout the second round. What probably allowed Synergy to take control was their 'chain link' attacks where they handed the flag off to one another in good team play.

 

The second round of Synergy VS Can't Stop ended with a score of 3:1, making the overall score 2:0 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

The second stage: Kungur Light Format

 

The second stage of the Grand Final was played on Kungur in the good old 'Light Format'. Can't Stop began on the red team while Synergy took to the blue side. The first flag for the round was obtained by Synergy when four of their players swarmed the red base and took the majority of the drops. Mr.Johnn was able to break Can't Stop's now preoccupied defense and headed straight for the center of the map where the red flag was then passed onto Dynamite who, aside from having a Smoky / Hornet and protection from Railgun, was fully drugged. With Can't Stop's Gold.Tank.24 and Papuy on his tail, Dynamite did not hesitate while speeding through the blue base and was destroyed by a long range shot from Juness. Luckily, his trusty teammate Saint-Hov also had full drops equipped and captured the flag, making the score 1:0 in Synergy's favour.

 

A few minutes later, Dynamite of Synergy managed to acquire a Double Damage. This would prove volatile for Can't Stop as Dynamite heavily damaged their defense and created a mass distraction. This allowed Mr.Johnn to once again slide into the red base, take their flag and race off. He completed a solo run straight from his base while dodging the shells of Can't Stop's midfielders, and captured the flag, increasing the score to 2:0. Saint-Hov was already in the red base just after that capture and so he took the flag and speed off again with full drops. This time however, Can't Stop's defenders were tense and ready, and they quickly surrounded him from 3 different angles in the centre of the map and almost led Saint-hov to drive into a ditch; the red flag was returned.

 

Pertaining to drop control, it was quite evident that Synergy controlled 2/3 of the Double Damages on the map most of the time. Additionally, they made better use of the Repair Kits on the map and they managed to take the majority of drops in their base. Synergy even managed to take about half of Can't Stop's attacking drops during the first half of the round. As for map control, Synergy slightly outweighed Can't Stop due to their constant attacks on the right side of the red base. Perhaps if Can't Stop had pushed or even camped on the blue team's 'factory area', they may have been able to counteract these effects. It was only until the last few minutes of the battle that Can't Stop started balancing their drop control, but by then, it was too late.

 

The third round of Synergy VS Can't stop ended with a score of 2:0, making the overall score 3:0 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

For the fourth round, Synergy played on the red side and Can't Stop on the blue side. Just one minute into the battle, and both clans' defenses fell. Can't Stop's purified drop control allowed DoubIe.Shot to obtain full drops, storm the red base and thunder off with Synergy's flag. Synergy on the other hand, used their 'chain link' attacks which allowed Saint-Hov to slip by into his base with the blue flag. A standoff was at play, however, it would not last long. While Can't Stop's flag was held snug by Saint-Hov, T-H-E_S-P-Y was stealing through the Blue base with a Speed Boost and a Double Damage and, single handedly, destroyed DoubIe.Shot and returned the flag. Saint-Hov quickly corresponded by capturing the blue flag, making the score 1:0 to Synergy.

 

Aguer-o had desperately tried to stop the capture but arrived too late. Nonetheless, after the capture, his Smoky allowed him to damage Synergy's defenders and escape with their flag supported by SERDE4KO. While all of this was occurring, barrs_s escaped with Can't Stop's flag. With Aguer-o and SERDE4KO both on low health, it didn't take long for St.Railgun to return the red flag and barrs_s captured the flag, extending the score to 2:0.

 

For the last two minutes of the round, Can't Stop launched all out attacks on Synergy's base in a valiant attempt to level the score. First, Fer_legend assaulted the red base with a Double Armour and Speed Boost and took out two of Synergy's players. He then proceeded to slide through the map, cutting through the centre and in a true flaunt of skill, captured the red flag in a complete solo run. The score was now 2:1 and with less than two minutes to capture 1 or more flags, Can't Stop had to do something.

 

SERDE4KO broke Synergy's defense once again and after taking their Double Armour and Speed Boost, damaged three of their players in a triple shot and sped off. In a show of team play, he handed the flag off to Fer_legend who moved swiftly to try to capture. Unfortunately for Can't Stop their opponents Synergy's coordination meant the entire blue base was surrounded and the red flag was returned. However, SERDE4KO had just re-entered the red base with double drops! With 20 seconds remaining, he ripped through the map in an attempt to capture and level the score. Unluckily, a heroic eSports_Player had taken the blue flag and was hidden behind the cover of the blue ramp. This provided enough time for St.Railgun to destroy SERDE4KO and the flag was not captured.

 

Both map and drop control were well managed by both clans this time, only Can't Stop's defense was weakened due to their aiming to heighten their Drop Control.

 

The fourth round of Synergy VS Can't Stop ended with a score of 2:1, making the overall score 4:0 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

The third stage: Bridges Medium Format

 

The third and last stage of the Grand Final was a very diverse match on the Bridges map with the 'Medium Format'. Synergy began on the blue team and Can't Stop played on the red side. For the first 9 minutes of the round, no flags were captured. Both teams' defense held strong and it was often seen that the players were attacking in groups of no more than 2, which probably contributed to the lack of flag withdrawals from bases. There were some differences in playing styles from both clans though. Synergy had decided to go with three Wasps and three Vikings, and Can't Stop played with two Vikings, two Wasps, a Hornet and a Hunter. However, there was one unique similarity between both teams' strategies: they both used a Shaft. Indeed, quite often Can't Stop's Shaft/Hornet, MyLife-MyRules was making long range shots into Synergy's defense while Dynamite used Shaft/Wasp to punch damage into exposed members of Can't Stop.

 

Just one minute until the end of the round, Can't Stop realised something: they had to win this round otherwise their chance of obtaining the first place would be gone (the score was 4-0). Thus, they launched a mass attack on Synergy's unsuspecting defense and Marsel carried the flag all the way to the vicinity of his base. There, the flag was handed off to Fer_legend who used his Wasp to rush, hope-filled to his base. A capture followed, securing Can't Stop's lead to this round with 1:0. Synergy only had 20 seconds to level the score and could not make it in time.

 

Both clans performed well in this battle. It was just the last minute, all out attack of excellent team-play that allowed Can't Stop to deliver a flag and at least give them a last chance to play. The next round would decide who the Grand Champion would be.

 

The fifth round of Synergy VS Can't Stop ended with a score of 0:1, making the overall score 4:1 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

For the sixth round, Can't Stop played on the blue side whereas Synergy began on the Red side. Just one minute into the battle, Dynamite gained control of a Double Damage and was wreaking havoc from the island part of the map. This caused a massive diversion and his teammate, SleD111 slipped through the blue base unnoticed and grabbed their flag. With cover from Lankbouv and T-H-E_S-P-Y who also both had Double Damages, SleD111 had a clear route to his base and captured Can't Stop's flag, making the score 1:0 to Synergy.

A few minutes after, Aguer-o managed to break Synergy's defense with the help of Fer_legend. Aguer-o's Double Armour and Double Damage proved effective as he was able to lay down cover fire for himself while sustaining damage. Well timed drop control on Can't Stop's part allowed Aguer-o to obtain a Repair Kit and a Speed Boost through the middle of the map and this pushed him further to successfully capture. This balanced the score to 1:1.

 

When the timer ticked to 2 minutes remaining, St.Railgun and his trusty teammate Dynamite, using Shaft / Wasp, destroyed Can't Stop's defense while defending their own base by use of a laser scope. Dynamite then proceeded to take Can't Stop's flag and, traveling the long way by driving on top of two bridges, captured the last flag of the Final in a solo run. It should be noted that while all of this was happening, Lankbouv (using Railgun) and T-H-E_S-P-Y (using Vulcan) were controlling the centre of the map with Double Damages once again.

 

The map control during this round was clearly to Synergy's advantage as their players made good use of the 'Island' territory in the centre of the map. Can't Stop focused on defending their own drops excellently which made for stable game play in their base. However, they did not control the centre area of the map which very often led Synergy's players to take the two Double Damages and deal heavy damage to them.

 

The sixth round of Synergy VS Can't Stop ended with a score of 2:1, making the overall score 5:1 to Synergy.

 

Pictures from the round:

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Synergy was evidently well prepared for the Grand Final and each of their members proved their hard work and 

brandished their skill well throughout it. They displayed excellent team-plays and communication talent. Can't Stop on 

the other hand, did not reach their goals but nonetheless performed great on numerous levels. They showed their capabilities of coordination and progression through it all, especially in the two rounds prior to the last round in

which they stepped up their game play. Synergy will go into 2017 with the Champion paint in full glory and their honorable opponents Can't Stop receive the Silver paint.

Edited January 1, 2017 by Yisroel.Rabin

[St.Guardian 514]

Interview

(credits to )

 

 

Why did you participate in the tournament?

 

Saint-Hov (Synergy): I participated in this tournament to prove to everyone that every time I go back to eSports I show a high level of play.

 

TH-E_S-PY (Synergy): I participated in the tournament because it is the world's largest tournament in Tanki Online right now, and I like to compete with the best of the best!

 

Kenya (Can't Stop): I took part in the tournament because I started the solo tournaments; I'm back in the game.

 

Lankbouv (Synergy): After failing two pools matches with AK, I needed to find a clan where I could give something new to a team for the last stage and I was hoping to win champion. I offered my services to Synergy and they accepted them.

 

 

Was the final difficult?

 

Saint-Hov (Synergy): The final was very tight for players, we were moving fast in every moment, but we we were able to perform a good game and win the final.

 

TH-E_S-PY (Synergy): The final certainly was not easy for several reasons, however, we managed to get out first!

 

Kenya (Can't Stop): Of course it was difficult, because it is always difficult to play against someone who uses DDoS.

 

Lankbouv (Synergy): I played 3 rounds in the final and I can not be found on other rounds. After having already beaten Can't Stop easily in Kungur before we didn't feel too nervous at all, and for the last 2 rounds of the Medium Format, we had a 4-0 lead that contributed to the confidence. The first 2 rounds were the most difficult, with the players lagging frequently (including me) and so the stress was high. Overall, it was difficult, like all finals, but compared to the final of the Master Of the Sword, it was quite easy.

 

 

Thank you to the players of both clans for taking time to answer our questions!

Edited January 1, 2017 by Yisroel.Rabin

[Yisroel.Rabin 16,224]

Read about how it all went down in the Clan Championship 9 tournament, and some of the participants' word on it!

[Guest Maserati]

@Kenya with the accusations... waw

Edited January 2, 2017 by Lord.Shadow

[Lewis.Hamilton 1,110]

Congrats to Synergy! It's nice to see pro users of the DDoS

Edited January 2, 2017 by n_Automate3

[Mr.Latvian 3,597]

Congrats to Synergy! It's nice to see pro users of the DDoS

Are you accusing Synergy on use of DDoS?

[Lewis.Hamilton 1,110]

Are you accusing Synergy on use of DDoS?

Next time I will make it clear for you...

[Mr.Latvian 3,597]

Next time I will make it clear for you...

You know that for accusing any1 for so serious thing you need proofs? Because DDoS is not a thing about what can be joked about. I would suggest not to throw everywhere statements like that, when you know almost nothing about them or how they play. 

[St.Guardian 514]

Yup what Mr.Latvian stated is true, please be careful. I should point out that both clans lagged a little bit during the tournament, with Synergy actually being more prone to lag than Can't Stop over the course of the match. (lags subsided eventually though)

[Mr.Latvian 3,597]

Yup what Mr.Latvian stated is true, please be careful. I should point out that both clans lagged a little bit during the tournament, with Synergy actually being more prone to lag than Can't Stop over the course of the match. (lags subsided eventually though)

As for the games I watched from CC9(almost all games from TOP clans) I can say that Finals were smoothest and with less lags than every1 predicted. Yet in games where Synergy is part, there are the lowest lag amount of all TOP play-off teams, which means something. 

[D1E 257]

Indeed, Eternity and INV were the biggest victims of DDos, Vavilon being the likely culprits.

 

In the final, in the red alert rounds CS and Synergy both had 4-5 players lag out, apart from that the final was fine.

 

Apart from the fact that I know that Synergy didn't DDos, as i was in the teamu can see that Synergy also received DDos, indicating the perpetrator was an all-round piece of crap looking to ruin the final rather than being either Vs or synergy

[MSI 1,926]

Pretty interesting.