Steel Helmets vs. Heroic
Map: Inferno
T-Side: CaptainMO, DD, xiaosage, young, karsa
CT-Side: cadiaN, stavn, TeSeS, refrezh, sjuush
Pistol Round Begins.
As the attacking side, Steel Helmets had the initiative. MO called for a standard default at the start, planning to execute a B-site rush later in the round.
Jiang Yang was given the VIP treatment for the pistol roundâhe got to use a P250, a clear sign of his star player status.
At the start, he held Mid Doors, using his P250 like an AWP, but the opponents refused to peek. With no targets, he moved to regroup with his team for the B-site push.
Then, out of nowhere, Heroic launched a surprise counter-push down Banana.
The fight at Banana turned into a disasterâSteel Helmets only managed to trade one kill for four deaths.
That aggressive European playstyle hit them hardâit was a true tactical masterclass.
DD was the last one standing, but after some desperate maneuvering, he also fell in Banana.
Heroic easily took the pistol round.
Forcing Up After Losing the Pistol Round
Without a bomb plant, Steel Helmets opted for a force-buyâthey had no choice.
Inferno heavily relies on utility, and their economy was already stretched thin.
The plan was to save up so Jiang Yang could buy an AWP in the gun round.
But in the next few rounds, Jiang Yang had the worst luck imaginable.
Round after round, he died without even seeing an enemyâeither getting spammed through walls or flashed and eliminated.
After losing four rounds straight, Steel Helmets finally called for a timeout.
Ma Xixi, watching from his livestream, nodded in approval.
"Good call. When things arenât working, you need to slow down, take a breath, and figure out the next move. No need to rush."
Even though he wasnât at the Stockholm Major venue, he felt like he was right there with the team.
He glanced at the chat on his secondary monitorâJiang Yangâs 0/4 scoreline was already getting roasted.
"Told you, Ma Xixiâs cousin would flop at the Major. Classic domestic warrior, international disaster."
"Yang ÷!"
"Faced a real European team and immediately shriveled up."
"Only good at bullying Asian teamsâfolds instantly against top-tier players."
As soon as the timeout was called, cadiaNâs voice boomed across the stage:
"WELCOME TO THE MAJOR!"
The Danish in-game leader, known for his loud and energetic personality, loved interacting with opponents.
Steel Helmets werenât surprised.
Maybe having a young player on their team made the âDanish Ogreâ extra hyped.
Jiang Yang understood the English but ignored cadiaN and focused on discussing tactics with his teammates.
DD reassured him: "Ignore that guy. Thatâs just how cadiaN is. Letâs figure out how to turn this aroundâyou just got unlucky those rounds."
Jiang Yangâs role in Steel Helmets was a bit complicated.
Everyone on Steel Helmets knew his potential and hoped heâd go far.
Since this was his first-ever Major, DD was worried Jiang Yang might tilt.
But Jiang Yang was totally fine. He even joked:
"Shouldnât have watched that electronic highlight reel last night. Now Iâm cursed with bad luck."
Everyone burst into laughter.
That was a good signâhe wasnât rattled.
The Eco Round â A Turning Point
MO called the next play: "Letâs eco. Try to get the bomb down. Next round, we buy rifles, and Cousin can go for an AWP."
As the round started, Jiang Yang grabbed a Desert Eagle and armor and moved toward Mid Doors.
The plan was simpleâgo for trades, damage their economy.
But as soon as he jumped into Lower TunnelsâBAM! FLASHED.
Completely blind. Zero vision.
"Second wave of Banana aggression coming inâstavn takes out MO! Then shreds Su Di!"
"They arenât being greedy at all. They smoke off Mid Doors, delay the push, and cadiaN rotates back to A. Steel Helmets are now split up."
"DD and Brother Xiaosa are moving through Connector, while Cousin is pushing A Apartments alone."
"This isnât a set play anymore. Now, itâs every man for himselfâjust trying to find kills."
DD managed to one-tap TeSeS through the wall in Connector.
Brother Xiaosa rushed in to trade but got instantly sprayed down.
Ma Xixi sighed. "Damn. That leaves Cousin alone in A Apartments."
The 1v5 Begins.
DD relayed the last bit of intel before going silent:
"Connector is low HP, but someoneâs rotating from Library."
Jiang Yang pressed his lips together as he pieced together the situation in his head.
He had heard footsteps at A Short earlier.
If they were making that much noise, it probably meant someone was covering them from Apartments.
They wouldnât be in the bombsite itselfâitâs too vulnerable to flashes.
Most likely, they were holding Connector.
Library had a rotator coming in. That meant Heroic was already in a 4A/1B setup.
Jiang Yang processed all this in a split second.
Years of grinding deathmatches and analyzing pro games had made this instinctive.
He took a gambleâpeeking towards Pit with his Deagle.
BOOM!
[young headshotted sjuush with the Desert Eagle]
"Cousin just ripped apart Pitâs Warlock (sjuush)! But cadiaN is holding Library with an AWPâheâs waiting for him!"
Just as Ma Xixi was about to count him out, Jiang Yang did something unexpected.
He adjusted his crosshair against the wall⦠then crouch-peeked.
BOOM!
[young headshotted cadiaN with the Desert Eagle]
The crowd erupted.
"HE JUST DESTROYED CADIAN!!"
"That was the NIKO-approved pre-aiming! He just DEAGLED THE AWPER!"
Little Black, who was watching from A1 Wood Stack, immediately rotated to trade.
But Jiang Yang had already anticipated it.
He fired his first shotâmissed.
Then he crouched again, adjusting his crosshair for a perfect headshot angle.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
[young eliminated refrezh with the Desert Eagle]
The 1v2 â The Final Clutch
Ma Xixiâs voice trembled:
"It was a 1v5⦠now itâs a 1v2⦠and we KNOW Connector is low HP⦠Could this actually happen?!"
The entire team suddenly had hope.
But MO stayed calm: "Stavn is at B, and TeSeS is low HP in Connector. Your call, Cousin."
Jiang Yang didnât speak.
He grabbed an MP9 and a smoke grenade.
Instead of planting the bomb, he silently pushed through the smoke.
Stavn, assuming a normal play, waited inside the smoke.
But Jiang Yang had a different plan.
He aimed his Deagleâ¦
BOOM!
[young headshotted stavn with the Desert Eagle]
"OH MY GOD! ITâS A 1V1 NOW!"
TeSeS, hearing the bomb sound, peekedâ¦
But Jiang Yang had baited him out.
BOOM!
[young + DD eliminated TeSeS with the Desert Eagle]
Steel Helmetsâ First Major Clutch â 1V5
"HOLY SH*T, COUSIN JUST 1V5âD AT THE MAJOR!"
The arena went insane.
Jiang Yang sat up straight, looked towards the opposing stage, and casually waved.
As if sayingâ
"Hello, CS world. Iâm here."