Renegades have proven themselves unstoppable once more, downing LookingForOrg 3-0 to win IEM Fall OCE – their thirteenth tournament win in a row – and claim Oceania’s sole spot at the Stockholm Major.
Their tournament streak, which now stretches back to the start of 2020, is showing no signs of ending, as Josh “INS” Potter’s squad assured the region the crown of OCE Counter-Strike remains theirs.
“We had jitters in the first map, we were a bit panicky in the comms,” said Jordan “Hatz” Bajic following their 2-1 win over LookingForOrg in the winner bracket final, which ultimately guaranteed their qualification for the Stockholm Major.
“It’s super surreal for Josh [INS], Ali [aliStair] and I – we haven’t attended a major before. We’re incredibly happy, it was a good win for us.”
Many questioned the RMR system and format for the region, which saw just two teams – Renegades and Order – eligible for OCE’s sole spot at the Stockholm Major Challenger Stage as a Contender team.
Order would need to outplace Renegades by two spots to snatch away the tickets to Sweden, while LookingForOrg and Vertex, the two closed bracket qualifiers, could not come close enough to challenge for the Major spot.
But with Order dropping their opening series 2-1 to LookingForOrg, and with RNG breezing past Vertex, the eventual champions needed just one best-of-three win to cement their spot in Sweden.
LFO jumped out of the gates in the winner bracket final, claiming Renegades’ map pick of Nuke by force 16-3, to the surprise of many.
“I think [LookingForOrg] have improved tenfold over the break,” said Hatz. “They’ve developed their own style to the game and they’ve become a lot harder to read.”
It would be as close as LFO would come to the victory, with Renegades turning up the heat on Vertigo to win 16-3, then wiping out the ex-Dire Wolves squad 16-4 on Dust 2.
It was an event to forget for Order, who, for most pundits, now see as the third-best squad in the region following LFO’s resurgence this season.
Order survived a massive scare in the lower bracket, nearly losing their eliminator to a Vertex lineup without James “Roflko” Lytras, before unceremoniously bowing out 0-2 to LFO in the lower bracket final.
IEM Fall OCE Closed Qualifier – Results
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| Friday, September 17 | LookingForOrg 2-0 8Ballers |
| Vertex 2-0 lol123 | |
| Saturday, September 18 | LookingForOrg 2-0 Vertex |
| 8Ballers W-FF lol123 | |
| Sunday, September 19 | Vertex 2-0 8Ballers |
IEM Fall OCE Main Event – Results
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 29 | Renegades 2-0 Vertex |
| Order 1-2 LookingForOrg | |
| Thursday, September 30 | Vertex 1-2 Order |
| Friday, October 1 | Renegades 2-1 LookingForOrg |
| Saturday, October 2 | LookingForOrg 2-0 Order |
| Sunday, October 3 | LookingForOrg 0-3 Renegades |
LFO came close to Renegades at DreamHack Open, where they defeated RNG in the upper bracket, but despite a map advantage, fell in straight sets in the grand final.
RNG, this time with the map advantage, came into the IEM Fall final as massive favourites, and looked to secure Overpass with a 12-3 CT half.
But LFO fought back, taking the opening six rounds, then breaking RNG’s T economy straight up. The ex-Dire Wolves line-up continued to chip away but it became too much in round 30, with RNG surviving LFO’s comeback to win 16-14.
Mirage, and up 9-6, Renegades weren’t going to let it become a close affair. Five straight to start the second half put the result beyond doubt, with the champions running away 16-7 victors.
Renegades’ win at IEM Fall OCE also secures them enough EPT points to qualify as Oceania’s representative for IEM Katowice, set for late February 2022.
The team will depart for Sweden in the coming days.
