Envy take down New Identity to qualify for IEM Chicago
Envy have earned a spot at IEM Chicago 2019 after defeating New Identity in dominant fashion, netting a 2-0 victory in the grand finals to secure the only qualification slot awarded to North America.
Envy weren't the only team to secure a 2-0 victory today, with every single matchup in the bracket seeing the winning side sweep the series. As a result of Ghost and Luminosity being unable to play, Riot Squad and a mix-team headed up by Joshua "steel" Nissan were invited to fill the slots.
Despite the addition of the last-minute replacement teams, Complexity were still awarded a forfeit victory in the quarterfinals as Ownagio, who had been invited to replace eUnited, opted not to play.
Envy were the first to claim victory out of the three quarterfinals that played out, defeating a Josh "jdm64" Marzano-fielding ATK. The series was decidedly one-sided, with ATK mustering only six rounds in the first half of Dust2 before they were swept away 16-6.
The South Africans fared little better on Envy's pick of Vertigo, with Noah "Nifty" Francis powering his side to an 11-4 lead at the half. ATK managed to narrow the deficit as five rounds went their way in the second half, but Envy were unrelenting as they continued to add rounds to their tally for a 16-9 win.
ATKEnvy| ATK |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Roberto 'blackpoisoN' Dall'Occo |
26 - 37 | -11 | 67.4 | 53.2% | 0.78 |
| Rhys 'Fadey' Armstrong |
28 - 43 | -15 | 67.6 | 59.6% | 0.77 |
 Josh 'jdm64' Marzano |
30 - 36 | -6 | 58.9 | 51.1% | 0.73 |
| Dominic 'Domsterr' Sampaio |
19 - 34 | -15 | 63.6 | 59.6% | 0.70 |
| Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou |
23 - 38 | -15 | 51.4 | 53.2% | 0.68 |
| Envy |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah 'Nifty' Francis |
48 - 22 | +26 | 101.5 | 83.0% | 1.74 |
| Aran 'Sonic' Groesbeek |
46 - 28 | +18 | 99.9 | 78.7% | 1.57 |
| Jacob 'FugLy' Medina |
42 - 25 | +17 | 91.0 | 80.9% | 1.44 |
| Sam 's0m' Oh |
37 - 27 | +10 | 85.0 | 74.5% | 1.27 |
 Bradley 'ANDROID' Fodor |
15 - 24 | -9 | 39.4 | 68.1% | 0.77 |
The battle between the two last-minute replacements was the next to end, with a six-man Riot Squad roster comfortably sending steel's mix-team packing. A 10-5 T-side half, helmed by stand-ins Dave "seziwana" Schrage and Yannick "K0LER" Blanchette, allowed for Riot Squad to take a solid lead on Overpass, with the team closing out the map in quick fashion for a 16-10 victory.
Inferno saw a closer scoreline at the half as Michael "dapr" Gulino returned in place of K0LER, but Riot Squad were able to regain control following the side swap to close out the series with a 16-12 second map victory.
Masters of PanicRiot Squad| Masters of Panic |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marian 'tyfoon' Lesnic |
43 - 45 | -2 | 91.2 | 64.8% | 1.03 |
| Joshua 'steel' Nissan |
31 - 38 | -7 | 68.2 | 68.5% | 1.00 |
| Spencer 'Hiko' Martin |
36 - 40 | -4 | 72.9 | 61.1% | 0.92 |
| Neil 'montE' Montgomery |
27 - 40 | -13 | 54.7 | 68.5% | 0.77 |
| Anthony 'gMd' Guimond |
28 - 44 | -16 | 66.4 | 59.3% | 0.75 |
| Riot Squad |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael 'dapr' Gulino |
31 - 15 | +16 | 137.4 | 85.7% | 1.94 |
| Yannick 'KOLER' Blanchette |
23 - 19 | +4 | 96.1 | 92.3% | 1.39 |
| Austin 'crashies' Roberts |
41 - 29 | +12 | 82.2 | 79.6% | 1.32 |
| Peter 'ptr' Gurney |
48 - 32 | +16 | 74.4 | 81.5% | 1.29 |
| Dave 'seziwana' Schrage |
32 - 32 | +0 | 69.9 | 75.9% | 1.06 |
| Mitch 'mitch' Semago |
31 - 39 | -8 | 69.5 | 68.5% | 0.93 |
The most surprising result from the first round of play came from the final matchup, with New Identity stunning Lazarus with a 2-0 win. Lazarus initially seemed like they were in control as they opened up the first map, Dust2, with a 6-2 lead, but a resurgence from New Identity allowed for them to narrowly edge out the lead 8-7 at the half.
The two teams continued to trade blows in the second half, with Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker leading his team in every facet to force overtime. Both teams remained deadlocked as a second overtime was forced, and it was here that New Identity gained control to push they way to a 22-19 map win and move the series on to Lazarus' pick of Nuke.
In stark contrast to the close scorelines and double overtime of the first map, Nuke saw New Identity take firm control of the proceedings on the defense. A string of three rounds was the only time Lazarus managed back-to-back rounds, with the team only securing one additional round in the opening half for an 11-4 lead in New Identity's favor.
Lazarus' fate looked grim as New Identity swiftly attained match point with a quartet of rounds following the side swap, with Braxton "swag" Pierce's side forstalling his team's execution in a comeback effort that saw Lazarus manage seven rounds before New Identity sealed the deal with a 16-11 victory.
LazarusNew Identity| Lazarus |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaccob 'yay' Whiteaker |
58 - 50 | +8 | 90.6 | 66.2% | 1.26 |
| Braxton 'swag' Pierce |
50 - 43 | +7 | 81.4 | 75.0% | 1.20 |
| Jordan 'Zellsis' Montemurro |
41 - 48 | -7 | 76.6 | 61.8% | 0.95 |
| Gage 'Infinite' Green |
44 - 52 | -8 | 69.5 | 66.2% | 0.92 |
| Yassine 'Subroza' Taoufik |
43 - 50 | -7 | 60.1 | 70.6% | 0.89 |
| New Identity |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collin 'wrath' McSweegan |
60 - 50 | +10 | 95.4 | 72.1% | 1.30 |
| Skyler 'Relyks' Weaver |
55 - 44 | +11 | 86.2 | 67.6% | 1.20 |
| Jonathan 'Jonji' Carey |
45 - 51 | -6 | 77.0 | 69.1% | 0.99 |
| Sebastian 'seb' Bucki |
41 - 43 | -2 | 56.0 | 70.6% | 0.94 |
| Will 'dazzLe' Loafman |
42 - 48 | -6 | 70.2 | 64.7% | 0.93 |
A stellar performance from Collin "wrath" McSweegan allowed for New Identity to maintain momentum in their semifinal matchup against Riot Squad, resulting in a comfortable 10-5 T-side half and a 16-9 map win on Train. A 5-0 lead on the second map, Mirage, gave way to a close 8-7 scoreline at the half, with the two teams trading blows in the second half before New Identity managed to narrowly edge out a 16-14 victory to take home the series.
Riot SquadNew Identity| Riot Squad |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter 'ptr' Gurney |
42 - 33 | +9 | 79.1 | 65.5% | 1.11 |
| Mitch 'mitch' Semago |
36 - 42 | -6 | 74.1 | 69.1% | 0.93 |
| Austin 'crashies' Roberts |
36 - 43 | -7 | 79.6 | 54.5% | 0.88 |
| Michael 'dapr' Gulino |
33 - 42 | -9 | 63.1 | 58.2% | 0.80 |
| Dave 'seziwana' Schrage |
25 - 38 | -13 | 52.9 | 61.8% | 0.77 |
| New Identity |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collin 'wrath' McSweegan |
52 - 35 | +17 | 95.0 | 72.7% | 1.35 |
| Skyler 'Relyks' Weaver |
43 - 30 | +13 | 78.1 | 78.2% | 1.20 |
| Jonathan 'Jonji' Carey |
40 - 37 | +3 | 81.4 | 78.2% | 1.20 |
| Sebastian 'seb' Bucki |
32 - 35 | -3 | 62.3 | 72.7% | 1.00 |
| Will 'dazzLe' Loafman |
31 - 35 | -4 | 70.1 | 65.5% | 0.92 |
The two EPL sides of Complexity and Envy met on the opposite side of the bracket, with Envy managing to mirror New Identity's performance as they secured a 10-5 T-side lead of their own on Inferno. Complexity attempted to battle back as six of the opening eight rounds of the second half went their way, but their fate was quickly sealed as Envy closed out the map 16-11.
Despite managing to redeem themselves in the opening half of Vertigo by battling back from a 2-7 deficit, Complexity were unable to maintain good form on the offensive side of the map. A 1vs4 defuse clutch by Sam "s0m" Oh added insult to injury as Envy cruised their way to a win, pulling off a 16-9 scoreline to secure themselves a spot in the grand finals.
ComplexityEnvy| Complexity |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen 'oBo' Schlatter |
40 - 35 | +5 | 84.9 | 76.9% | 1.14 |
| Shahzeb 'ShahZaM' Khan |
34 - 36 | -2 | 65.3 | 65.4% | 0.97 |
| Hunter 'SicK' Mims |
35 - 37 | -2 | 66.7 | 67.3% | 0.95 |
 Ricardo 'Rickeh' Mulholland |
25 - 33 | -8 | 69.2 | 71.2% | 0.89 |
 Rory 'dephh' Jackson |
26 - 35 | -9 | 64.0 | 65.4% | 0.81 |
| Envy |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aran 'Sonic' Groesbeek |
44 - 31 | +13 | 86.2 | 73.1% | 1.23 |
| Noah 'Nifty' Francis |
40 - 38 | +2 | 93.4 | 69.2% | 1.22 |
| Bradley 'ANDROID' Fodor |
34 - 30 | +4 | 69.3 | 84.6% | 1.15 |
| Sam 's0m' Oh |
34 - 32 | +2 | 75.2 | 73.1% | 1.11 |
| Jacob 'FugLy' Medina |
23 - 29 | -6 | 49.1 | 65.4% | 0.79 |
The grand final proved to be the least eventful of the lot, with New Identity unable to replicate their form from earlier in the day. An 11-4 halftime score for Envy gave little leeway for New Identity to pull off a comeback, with Nifty and s0m leading the way to a 16-7 victory on the opening map of Mirage.
The exact same scenario unfolded on Envy's pick of Inferno, although this time it was New Identity's defense that was tested. Again, an 11-4 half in Envy's favor gave s0m and co. a solid foothold, with New Identity mustering just three rounds before the series was closed out by Envy 16-7.
New IdentityEnvy| New Identity |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collin 'wrath' McSweegan |
32 - 36 | -4 | 72.0 | 67.4% | 0.93 |
| Sebastian 'seb' Bucki |
22 - 34 | -12 | 66.3 | 71.7% | 0.89 |
| Will 'dazzLe' Loafman |
28 - 38 | -10 | 75.4 | 65.2% | 0.88 |
| Jonathan 'Jonji' Carey |
30 - 39 | -9 | 72.1 | 58.7% | 0.83 |
| Skyler 'Relyks' Weaver |
22 - 37 | -15 | 52.0 | 58.7% | 0.75 |
| Envy |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam 's0m' Oh |
45 - 28 | +17 | 103.7 | 82.6% | 1.55 |
| Bradley 'ANDROID' Fodor |
39 - 23 | +16 | 82.6 | 80.4% | 1.36 |
| Noah 'Nifty' Francis |
37 - 31 | +6 | 94.0 | 73.9% | 1.30 |
| Aran 'Sonic' Groesbeek |
36 - 26 | +10 | 71.3 | 76.1% | 1.17 |
| Jacob 'FugLy' Medina |
27 - 27 | +0 | 67.4 | 82.6% | 1.08 |
With their win, Envy have secured a spot at IEM Chicago 2019. The team list for the event now looks as follows:
 ENCE |
Liquid |
 Vitality |
 MIBR |
| G2 |
Renegades |
| Envy |
 GG.BET Chicago Invitational |
The final slot at the event will be decided by the GG.BET Chicago Invitational, which is currently underway. The current standings for the tournament can be found here.
