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KST stole DM-Deck after a long chase and won 30:27

Mlatic blasted out of the gate with a Redeemer, but KST erased the gap patiently and claimed DM-Deck at the finish.

DM-Deck opened exactly as the map likes it: loud, dangerous and with no time for introductions. At 38 seconds Mlatic fired a Redeemer, killed Nabeh and Bourak in the same blast, and collected both first blood and a Double Kill. KST did not appear on the scoreboard until 175 seconds, when a Shock Combo dropped Bourak, so the opening belonged clearly to Mlatic. Yet the early escape never became a comfortable cruise. KST avoided every suicide, survived an average of 91 seconds per life and gradually turned a chase into a contest that would be decided by one mistake.

A Redeemer opened the account and Mlatic opened a gap

Mlatic controlled the first minutes. After the double Redeemer hit he added kills with the Shock Rifle, Flak Cannon and Rocket Launcher, and before four minutes had passed he led KST 6:1. Bourak tried to slow him down at close range with Flak and Stinger, but rockets, slime and CampKiller penalties kept taking points away. Nabeh also found the slime early and hovered around zero.

KST began scoring in a much more methodical way. Bio Rifle kills on Bourak and Nabeh were followed by Link Gun work and a Sniper Rifle hit. Around the ten-minute mark the board read roughly 11 for Mlatic, 8 for Bourak and 6 for KST. Mlatic still had a clear advantage, but KST was no longer drifting away and, crucially, was not paying for his aggression with suicides.

Eight kills without dying changed the shape of the match

From 249 to 700 seconds KST produced the longest spree of the match: eight kills without dying. It was not built around a single weapon. He rotated through the Bio Rifle, Sniper Rifle and especially the Link Gun, repeatedly clearing Nabeh and then catching Mlatic. At 700 seconds Mlatic finally stopped the run with a Shock Combo from 40.6 metres. Even then, the match had changed: KST was no longer a distant pursuer.

The pace came in waves. The longest quiet stretch lasted 74 seconds and arrived only after 1542 seconds, while earlier phases kept returning to contact almost continuously. Minute 17 produced six kills, the busiest minute in the computed data. Close-range weapons were decisive: the Flak Cannon led the match with 29 kills, while KST built his comeback mostly with ten Bio Rifle kills and ten Link Gun kills.

Mlatic held first place while KST cut one point at a time

After fifteen minutes Mlatic led KST 17:13, and after twenty minutes the gap was still about 23:18. His offense used almost everything available: Flak Cannon, Redeemer, Rocket Launcher, Stinger and Shock Rifle. The cost was high. Mlatic finished with 33 kills, three more than KST, but six suicides dragged his score down to 27. Bourak also reached 30 kills, yet nine suicides left him on 21.

KST gave away no points to himself. At 1301 seconds he killed Mlatic with the Bio Rifle to close to 22:24. Less than a minute later another Bio hit made it 23:25. He then survived interference from Nabeh and Bourak, killed Mlatic again at 1378 seconds and moved to 24:25. A match that Mlatic had led since second 38 suddenly fit inside a single point.

A 26:26 tie and the only lead change

The decisive passage came between 1441 and 1485 seconds. KST first killed Bourak with a Shock Combo, then at 1451 seconds hit Mlatic with the Flak Cannon to tie the score at 26:26. Bourak killed KST one second later, but the race stayed tight. At 1479 seconds Mlatic fell into slime and lost a point, dropping to 25. KST therefore moved into sole possession of first place for the first time; the computed match data records only one lead change.

KST immediately followed with a Bio Rifle kill on Bourak for 27:14 and later a Flak Cannon kill on Mlatic for 28:25. A 74-second scoreless pause after 1542 seconds gave the ending unusual tension. Mlatic still climbed to 27, Bourak finished hard to reach 21, and Nabeh added several late Flak kills. KST, however, found the final point at 1837 seconds: a Flak Cannon kill on Nabeh made it 30:27 and ended the match.

Match moments

• Mlatic took first blood at 38 seconds with a Redeemer on Nabeh and added a Double Kill on Bourak in the same blast.
• KST recorded the longest spree, eight kills from 249 to 700 seconds, before Mlatic stopped it.
• The Flak Cannon was the deadliest weapon with 29 kills.
• KST tied the match 26:26 at 1451 seconds with a Flak Cannon kill on Mlatic.
• Mlatic's slime suicide at 1479 seconds put KST into sole first place for the first time.
• KST ended the match at 1837 seconds with a Flak Cannon kill on Nabeh for 30:27.

KST won a match in which he spent almost the entire night chasing someone else's number at the top of the board. He did not create the difference with a spectacular start, but with clean execution: 30 kills, no suicides, the longest spree at eight kills and the best average life span of all four players. Mlatic was more productive in raw kills and dictated the pace for most of the match, but six self-inflicted minus points became too heavy a burden in a tight finish. DM-Deck saw exactly one lead change, and it arrived at the worst possible moment for the long-time leader.