In the first match of Group C, recent KODE5 qualifier winner Turmoil, was set to take on one of the world’s undisputed best in Sweden’s fnatic. The match that followed was a serious treat to any fan of competitive Counter-Strike, as the Americans went round for round with the Swedes in a bout that was not decided until the final stanza.

Fnatic began the match on the defensive side of de_nuke, with Patrik “carn” Sattermon fragging four enemies and defusing the bomb to win the first round, after Turmoil scurried to the lower site after their upper rush was shut down. After a sneak plant lower by "goodfornothing," Turmoil was able to buy in round 3. They acted as though they would take the upper site quickly, and the two ramp players rotated immediately toward the site – right into the waiting guns of Turmoil. After trading frags, Turmoil went into the upper site, dispatching the rest of the defense with the exception of Harvey “dsn” Orwall, who made a valiant effort, but ultimately came up short in a 1v4 situation.

Sattermon got back into the thick of things in the round 5, as Turmoil attempted to hit the upper site hard, but was completely shut down as fnatic’s leader picked up another three frags. The round trading would continue throughout the half, as at the beginning of round six, Mehler picked up a spam frag on Oskar “archi” Torgersen. That would prove to be a crucial frag and the first of Mehler’s three in the round.

Not willing to give up more than one round in a row, fnatic played the outside more aggressively in the following round, swinging the score back to the favor of fnatic at 4-3.

After a Turmoil save round, Orwall pushed up from the ramp room, fragging one before buying it. Turmoil did not attempt to capitalize on the suddenly open ramp room until much later and fnatic was able to rotate Patrik “forest” Lindberg into the spot. Turmoil was able to get the bomb planted in the lower site in an advantageous situation, but Torgersen came up clutch, winning a 1v2 and picking up the defuse to make the score 6-3 in favor of the defense.

Turmoil went back to what worked for them in the tenth round, hitting the upper site quickly. The effectiveness of the upper rush was due to Derrick “impulsive” Truong’s continued presence outside, keeping fnatic honest on the rotation and more than once catching a defensive player in the back.

After a broken buy round from fnatic, they were forced to save. The match was now tied at 6-6. Orwall spoiled Turmoil's outside split of the upper site by pushed up and fragging one and wounding another in lobby. Fnatic made quick work of Turmoil and regained the lead, 7-6. Turmoil was not ready to lay down just yet, as the next round saw an initial flurry of frags, leaving Turmoil in a 3v4 situation. They regrouped and hit the upper site, with Mehler collecting the three final frags and showing off some great aim. It was all tied up going into the final round of the first half.



Orwall picked up two more frags before going down. Turmoil was able to sell a move toward the upper site and then head back down, leaving fnatic to attempt the retake. Oskar “ins” Holm provided the necessary firepower, collecting the final two frags and the defuse, giving the fnatic the lead, 8-7.

With the teams switching sides, it seemed the opportunity was there for Turmoil to take the match after a very strong offensive side. Sattermon had another big pistol round for this team, picking up three frags. Turmoil seemed to be prepared for the ramp assault, but when the attack came, they incurred too many casualties, leaving Perez in a 1v2, which he was unable to win. After the two resulting eco's, the score now stood at 11-7 overall for fnatic.

Turmoil picked up their first round of the half in the first gun round, working a solid setup which was keynoted by an impressive outside pick from "patyojon." Fnatic switched gears in the fifth round, going ramp hard. Basol seemed to be in a good position to pick up several frags, but was naded hard by fnatic. Turmoil, getting the call, retreated to the lower site without offering any opposition. They were eventually outgunned as fnatic seemed to be getting on a roll.

The offense hit the ramp again in the sixth round, as the teamwork they are famous for once again seemed to come to the forefront. Always leaving a player on the flank, they were playing well and didn’t lose a man on Turmoil’s save round. With the score at 13-8 overall, things began to look grim for Turmoil. Mehler finally got on the scoreboard in the second half with a strong three-frag round as fnatic ran their default setup of two outside and three inside. Orwall was left in a 1v4 scenario, but was only able to pick up a single frag.

The next two rounds saw fnatic playing well with some big entry frags from Sattermon, as their experienced seemed to kick in and put them in a position to win the match going away. With the score at 15-9, Turmoil seemed on the brink of a letdown after a strong first half. Then, Truong came up with three frags. Iantosca won a 1v1 after a fast upper rush by the offense. As the rounds started to pile up, something seemed to change in fnatic’s play. Orwall entered a site alone, his teammates being nowhere near him when he died. Before anyone knew it, the score sat at 15-14 in favor of fnatic, with one last round to play.

The Swedes went for a lower rush, able to get the bomb down in a 2v3 situation. Perez picked up a frag before going down, leaving Mehler against two members of the offense. He was able to get one quick frag, but Torgersen played smart, waiting to see if Mehler’s defuse attempt was a fake or not. When it seemed he was going for it, Torgersen struck, getting the frag and securing the victory for fnatic, 16-14.