Vitality vs GamerLegion, the Grand Final we never expected pre-tournament. On the surface, this match-up has a clear winner, but things aren’t quite as simple as that. Let’s take a look at the Vitality CS:GO team’s chances of becoming CS:GO Major winners in Paris, as well as how GamerLegion can put a stop to them.
A date with destiny for Vitality? Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
GamerLegion’s Dream Run
GamerLegion are not to be underestimated here. There are many who believe this will be a one-sided affair, but GamerLegion have shown more than enough to earn respect in this match-up. That said, every single player will have to be firing on all cylinders to have a chance to take home the BLAST.tv Paris Major trophy.
We think the route to a GamerLegion CS:GO victory is through iM. He’s the highest-rated player in the Major at the moment, even beating ZywOo with more maps played. The Romanian rifler has made a big name for himself at this tournament, but he doesn’t have to stop there.
GamerLegion can beat the best. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
A lot of it will come down to whether siuhy can outcall the Vitality CS:GO IGL, apEX. It’s a big ask for the young player, and can be a real test of his enormous potential.
If it were an easier run to the final of the BLAST.tv Paris Major, we’d probably be writing GamerLegion off here. But they beat Heroic, the team with the highest floor in all of competitive CS:GO. If they can beat Heroic, they can beat anyone, as long as they deal with the pressure of the big stage.
Vitality’s Destiny
It all just seems too perfect for Vitality. The final CS:GO Major, in their home city of Paris, to win their first Major tournament. It’s the storybook ending to CS:GO. Most would see the upcoming best of three as a formality. It should be a Vitality victory, and ZywOo will no longer be the greatest player to never win a CS:GO Major.
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest they’ll go all the way. ZywOo has been performing to his normal inhuman level in one of the best CS:GO Major performances we’ve ever seen. But his team has been rising to the occasion too, peaking at just the right moment. Much criticism has been leveled at apEX, Magisk, and dupreeh, but all three have played to a level we might have expected of them five or six years ago. It was the major barrier to this Vitality CS:GO team winning trophies, and they’ve cut it out at the perfect time.
apEX has rolled back the years in Paris. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
There has been some criticism about the quality of their opponents during their BLAST.tv Paris Major run. Two impressive wins over G2 and ENCE opened the best of ones, but ever since, matches against Monte, Into the Breach, and Apeks have been their route to glory. With GamerLegion in the final, if they get it over the line there will be some that discredit their achievement, but you can only beat the teams in front of you. This Vitality CS:GO team has gone about that in a convincing and professional manner.
The crowd will be key for the Vitality CS:GO team. The home crowd has come out in force for the Frenchmen, making no secret about their favorites. GamerLegion will have to deal with that hostility, or Vitality are going to walk this one home.
For our final prediction, we’re going to be a bit boring. It’s been a dream run from GamerLegion, but we don’t see a way through this impenetrable French wall. We think Vitality takes it, but we do reckon that GamerLegion snatches a map from Vitality. That would keep Vitality on their toes, at least for a while.