In a nail-biting opening match at the Asian Regional Major Rankings Event (RMR) for the Perfect World Shanghai Major, DRILLAS emerged victorious against Lynn Vision.
The team, coached and funded by popular CS streamer ohnePixel, showed grit and resilience in a game that saw them go from dominating to barely holding onto their lead. With this win, DRILLAS are now just one best-of-three series away from a spot at the Shanghai Major. They will take on MongolZ to achieve that, tomorrow.
DRILLAS survive against Lynn Vision!
It was a matchup filled with massive anticipation throughout the entire CS community. ohnePixel made his official debut as DRILLAS coach, standing behind the team he supports financially.
Coaching debut pic.twitter.com/vKgnpqJHe0
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) November 11, 2024
DRILLAS were able to hold a bootcamp in the BIG Clan office in Berlin, throughout last week, in order to be ready. And they were.
The squad, led by former Monte AWPer Volodymyr "Woro2k" Veletniuk, came out very well-prepared and firing on all cylinders.
DRILLAS comfortably established a 12-5 lead, earning them 7 chances to close out the deal. The opening matches in the Asian RMR are single mappers.
However, Lynn Vision had other plans, staging an impressive comeback and narrowing the gap to just 12-11, putting enormous pressure on DRILLAS. What seemed like a smooth victory suddenly turned tense as DRILLAS found themselves struggling to close out the game.
At the pivotal scoreline of 12-11, coach ohnePixel called a critical timeout, recognizing the team’s need to regroup. At that moment, he delivered an impassioned motivational speech, reminding his players of the progress they had made and the stakes of the match:
The speech that helped DRILLAS finish it before OT pic.twitter.com/mpM0mJVuiv
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) November 11, 2024
The timeout proved to be a turning point. With renewed composure, DRILLAS clinched the following round, securing a 13-11 victory and dodging what could have been a heartbreaking upset. The team’s resilience under pressure highlighted both their adaptability and mental toughness, essential qualities as they face even tougher opponents in their upcoming BO3 against MongolZ.
ohnePixel's CS team "DRILLAS" just won their first game in the Shanghai Major qualifierThey're one BO3 away from making it to the Major pic.twitter.com/4U3B5cq0Ka
— ohnePixel Updates (@ohnePixelUpdate) November 11, 2024
Tomorrow’s match against MongolZ will be decisive, with DRILLAS just one series win away from the Perfect World Shanghai Major. MongolZ, known for their aggressive tactics and strong individual play, will undoubtedly present a challenging hurdle. They are currently ranked number 11 in the HLTV World Ranking.
Successful start for DRILLAS pic.twitter.com/nEeTHUgNQo
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) November 11, 2024
This win on their LAN-debut has brought DRILLAS closer to securing their place in the Major, marking a significant moment for a team initially formed with the goal of getting ohnePixel his own stickers in the game.
What do you think? Can DRILLAS continue their fairy tale run? Do they have a chance against MongolZ?