Renegades have been crowned winners of the ESL Pro League Finals S12 Oceanic Division in a 3-0 victory (1-0 default, 16-14 Vertigo, 16-6 Inferno) over Order.
Renegades began the series with a one-map advantage after running through the upper bracket. Order was forced to run the lower bracket, making it to the final after sending Avant packing.
This is Renegades eighth straight domestic title since the turn of the new year. The win nets the boys a $12,500 cut of the prize pool as well as 220 ESL Pro Tour points, which are required to earn spots at events such as IEM Katowice and ESL One Cologne.
7 in a row.@ESLCS PRO LEAGUE SEASON 12 CHAMPIONS!!!#RNGFAM #RNGWIN pic.twitter.com/n75135gyHh
— Renegades (@Renegades) October 6, 2020
Renegades were the main characters in this story as they continue to dominate the domestic scene, while teams like Order, Chiefs and Avant are all looking to prove themselves as the next in line.
Chiefs came into the event looking to establish themselves after some turbulence amongst their roster earlier in the year. The Chiefs found themselves in the lower bracket almost immediately after being matched against domestic gods Renegades in the first round.
Then, in a do-or-die match against Avant, the Chiefs failed to really get off the line. The lower bracket kings sent Chiefs packing in fourth with a swift 2-0.
Chiefs will now begin to rebuild after the loss, unable to make a dent in the upper echelons of Oceanic Counter-Strike consistently. The changes have already started, with Jay “Soju” Jeong departing the roster after EPL.
Thanks for everything Jay 👑 We will miss you & good luck for whatever comes next. https://t.co/G8VPMIRRX5
— The Chiefs (@ChiefsESC) October 5, 2020
Avant have been searching for consistency to match their pedigree as a roster that boasts much firepower. While Renegades have shown to be a league above the Avant squad, they have forged a fierce rivalry with Order over the last 12 months, with a 21-25 map record against them.
Avant have not appeared in recent events due to tournament clashes, which has given them extra time to prepare.
“Things have really been coming together in the team as we’ve been a squad for a while now.”
Hugh “HUGHMUNGUS” Anderson
While they got through the Chiefs with ease, Avant’s lower bracket run was stopped by Order. Avant had a solid veto in their favour, including getting their powerful Dust 2 pick, but they were unable to convert from a 14-8 lead. They managed to trade Order’s map pick of Train, but ran out of gas on Inferno as the veteran line-up booked yet another rematch with Renegades in the final.
Order had worked their way back to play Renegades to try and buck the recent trend. Rickeh and USTILO had been the difference makers for Order in EPL Season 12, but they needed to step up to yet another level if Order had any hopes of victory.
“We’ve played Renegades so many times it’s a lot of mind games. We know their coach [Mithr] has definitely been watching, especially our Inferno.”
Ricardo “Rickeh” Mulholland
Renegades chose to start the series on Vertigo, which Order had not yet played in the event. Renegades were kept at bay throughout the first half on their T-Side with USTILO locking them out of the A-site multiple times.
Despite their best efforts of the defence, USTILO’s squad was only able to secure eight rounds in the half. It took a mammoth effort for Order to stay in the game as Renegades constantly won critical rounds that left the T-side economy in tatters.
Order were unable to string together enough rounds however, finishing on a 14-16 loss.
Order had another chance on their “home map” of Inferno, but things turned grim quickly. They started strong, getting off to a good T side lead, but it all fell apart after 6-2. Unable to stabilise, Order went on to lose 14 rounds in a row as Renegades yet again secured their place at the top of Oceanic Counter-Strike.
Renegades managed to take home the ESL Pro League Season 12 title without dropping a single map, and it remains to be seen if any squad could even come close to contending with them for the mantle of Oceania’s best team.
