After the first map, Stermy's choice Galang, not many people would have predicted the three map epic we were to be treated to here at i30 but Cypher showed character to come back from an 18-2 thrashing to push the number one seed right to the wire. Stermy is infamous on Galang and he was at his best on it here today, with incredible scoped rail shots and slick movement to be seen in abudance. Cypher just could not compete with the aggressive Italian and was left clutching at straws as Stermy converted an early lead into an untouchable one with immaculate timing and stellar aim.

Cypher stuck in there however and after a battle of attrition managed to win his own map choice, Phrantic. With no railgun the map can has often proved difficult for Stermy and Cypher took full advantage of this, punishing his opponent for every mistake he made. The result, 11-7, was quite close but the Belerusian deserved the victory after some great rocket work and smart positioning throughout the map. The tie-breaker map was to be Monsoon and in a bizarre turn of events, the final fifteen minutes of play would see only 6 frags, half of which were to come in a frantic final two minutes. Stermy took a 3-0 lead and calmly held onto it for the vast majority of the match. Control shifted between the two but neither player was willing to take any risks and and it was almost two late before Cypher realised he was running out of time to make up the deficit, albeit a small one. A late charge from the Belerusian youngster did earn him too frags but Stermy managed to pull one back and with the score at 4-2, the time just ran out. Stermy played it like a pro, impressing viewers with his smart and patient play and advanced to the Upper Bracket final.


It was a case of the apprentice taking on the master here as av3k, the Polish sensation, would face his hardest test so far at this iSeries. Phrantic, or "Cooller's Lair" as it has become known here, was a one-sided affair with av3k never really able to gain a foothold against his experienced opponent. 17-8 was the final score and it was a fair result after Cooller's exquisite timing and positioning. It would be unfair to say that av3k was out of his depth though, after all he has beaten the likes of Socrates, Cypher and Fatality in the past and his performance on Phrantic here was nothing to be ashamed of against a player like Cooller.

Placebo Effect was to prove a much tenser affair however, with the scores tight for the vast majority of the 15 minutes. Cooller made a good start, staying patient and managing to pick av3k off and make the conversion. There was an immediate response from av3k though and some great machine gun play off the spawn saw him take down Coller and steal his rocket launcher with 1 health remaining. Cooller did manage to finish him off afterwards but the damage was done and av3k was able to work his way back into the game. A great rail shot, denying Cooller entry to the red armour area, was all it took for av3k to wrest back control and the Polish youngster moved into the lead. It was to prove short lived however and Cooller brought the scores level at 5-5 with some immaculate lightning gun around the upper platforms. Another quick frag followed by a conversion saw Cooller take a lead he would not again lose.

With just over 8 minutes to go, av3k did manage to steal the mega health away from Cooler but the Russian responded by slowing the pace of the game down and shifting the focus to a long range rail battle between the two. Frags were traded evenly for the next few minutes but one mistake from av3k, a number of missed rockets in the yellow armour corridor, was all it took for Cooller to spy his opportunity. Some great lg by the Russian saw him extend his lead and with 4 minutes to go there were 6 frags seperating the pair. Cooler switched to an evasive style, trying to play down the clock in a move that began to increasinly frustrate his Polish opponent. There was no way back for av3k and some aggressive play only gave Cooller the chance to extend his lead, the score finishing at 18-9 in favour of the Russian. Cooller went on to face Stermy in the Upper Bracket while av3k was relegated to the Lower Bracket where he would face a number of tough challenges.