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At the Elisa Masters Espoo 2024, ENCE delivered a fairytale ending by clinching the championship with a 3-1 (10-13, 13-7, 22-19, 13-8) victory over HEROIC in front of a jubilant home crowd.
The victory marked ENCE’s first Counter-Strike LAN win since 2019, signalling a remarkable turnaround for a team that had struggled throughout the year.
Led by the veteran Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, the youthful lineup, featuring 19-year-old Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and 17-year-old Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara, overcame steep odds to lift the trophy despite entering the tournament as the second-lowest seed with just five days of practice.
The championship run saw ENCE take down established top 30 teams such as 9z Team, The MongolZ, and finally HEROIC.
Their triumph was even sweeter given that they had to overcome HEROIC, led by former ENCE players Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Eetu “sAw” Saha, who left the team at the start of 2024.
The grand final began on a rough note for ENCE, as HEROIC, coming in as heavy favourites after a top-four finish at IEM Rio 2024, convincingly took the first map.
However, ENCE rallied with back-to-back dominant first halves on Nuke and Vertigo to flip the series.
The third map proved particularly dramatic, as ENCE squandered an 11-2 lead on Vertigo, allowing HEROIC to force triple overtime.
Gla1ve rolled back the years with a 39-kill performance, carrying ENCE to victory and setting the stage for a 3-1 series win, which they sealed with a 9-3 first-half lead on Dust2 that HEROIC could not overcome.
Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 Champions: @ENCE! 🏆
What a tournament all over again we had this year. 🙏
📸: @PepperiPhoto #ElisaMasters pic.twitter.com/M9fZ0YlMPr
— Elisa Esports (@ElisaEsports) October 20, 2024
Gla1ve’s leadership and clutch plays were crucial throughout the series, as he topped the kill charts with 82 kills and earned the MVP title with a 1.29 rating, his best tournament performance since 2019.
His impact was supported by stellar performances from Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, who delivered a game-changing ace on Vertigo, and the young stars xKacpersky and Neityu, who stepped up in key moments.
HEROIC’s struggles on the big stage continued as they failed to capitalise on ENCE’s inexperience.
Despite their setbacks, HEROIC’s journey to the final and their strong showing at IEM Rio 2024 suggest they are on the right track heading into the upcoming Thunderpick World Championship 2024.
The victory was a monumental moment for ENCE, who have faced numerous challenges since losing their 2023 lineup led by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer.
The decision to bring in new talents xKacpersky and Neityu has paid immediate dividends, offering a glimpse of a promising future for the organisation.
