TYLOO take China to new heights in Counter-Strike with first Tier One win
Asia’s third-best side win the esport’s opening event of the season
TYLOO broke new ground for China in Counter-Strike esports by becoming the country’s first team to win a Tier One event, securing Fissure Playground 1 in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday.
Ranked the second-best Chinese team and third in Asia, the squad went into the opening Counter-Strike tournament of the season as one of the underdogs alongside the Chinese No 1s, Lynn Vision.
The US$1,000,000 (HK$7,850,000) event drew 16 of the best Counter-Strike teams, and both TYLOO and Lynn Vision topped their respective groups to advance to the eight-team play-off stage.
Whereas Lynn Vision lost in their quarter-final match to Danish side Astralis, TYLOO soared past both French squad 3DMAX and Portuguese side SAW – both by 2-0 – to advance to the final against Astralis.
The grand final saw the format shift from best of three matches to a best of five, and favourites Astralis struck first to win the opening map of Inferno and go up 1-0 in the series.
The series was swiftly levelled up by TYLOO on the next map of Nuke, securing a 13-4 victory and flipping the momentum of the match on its head in the process.