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Mlatic takes Codex after three lead changes and a late surge

Codex changed hands three times, but Mlatic owned the final word and the thirtieth point.

DM-Codex offered no quiet score farming: for more than eighteen minutes the match was a tug-of-war for control. Bourak drew first blood at 0:09 with the Link Gun on Mlatic, who answered only one second later with a Rocket Launcher kill. KST joined the scoring at 0:17. From the opening exchanges it was clear that no single weapon or flawless stretch would decide everything. The lead changed three times, Mlatic, Bourak and KST generated most of the pressure, while Nabeh repeatedly disrupted their rhythm with the Shock Rifle. The target was 30 points, and the route there became far less direct than the fast opening suggested.

Bourak strikes first, Mlatic answers

First blood came at 0:09 when Bourak caught Mlatic with the Link Gun from under three meters. Mlatic needed just one second to answer with the Rocket Launcher. Bourak stayed ahead early, but Mlatic gradually closed the gap and at 2:43 moved to 5 points with a Flak Cannon kill, taking the first clear lead. That moment also sat inside the best spree of the match.

From 1:22 to 3:18 Mlatic collected six kills without dying, taking down KST, Nabeh and Bourak. The Flak Cannon was his most reliable tool in that stretch. Bourak finally ended the run with the Bio Rifle at 3:18. Mlatic was not limited to close range: at 4:57 he hit KST with the Sniper Rifle from 44.3 meters, the longest kill of the entire game. By five minutes he had both the lead and the most impressive individual stretch of the first half.

Codex turns into a Flak Cannon brawl

The middle of the match belonged to close fights and Bourak's return. The Flak Cannon was the deadliest weapon overall with 35 kills, and Bourak produced 16 of them, more than anyone else. At 7:09 he killed Mlatic, then three seconds later added KST for a Double Kill. KST answered with the Stinger at 7:28, but Bourak kept pushing and at 8:38 reached 15 points to take the lead 15:14.

That phase showed how quickly the table could flip. Mlatic came under sustained pressure, KST remained within striking distance and Nabeh opened his account at 7:29 by killing Mlatic. The longest pause without a kill began after 7:35 and lasted 39 seconds; otherwise the game rarely slowed down. The computed tempo marks minute four as the busiest with seven kills, and the same seven-kill peak appeared in several other minute segments as well.

KST accelerates, Nabeh scrambles the order

KST built his game around the Rocket Launcher, scoring 12 of his 28 kills with it. His average kill distance was 15.5 meters, the highest in the match. At 11:19 he hit Nabeh with a rocket from 34.4 meters and three seconds later caught Bourak from 39.2 meters for a Double Kill. Nabeh answered at 12:00 and 12:02 with a Shock Rifle Double Kill on Bourak and KST.

Mlatic changed the balance for good after 10:57. A kill on KST moved him to 18 against Bourak's 17, and he never surrendered the outright lead again. Between 11:38 and 11:51, Nabeh, Bourak and KST fell to the Flak Cannon, pushing Mlatic to 21. KST stopped him with the Bio Rifle at 12:27, but the cushion was now much stronger.

The finish: KST chases, Mlatic closes the door

KST refused to fade. After Mlatic reached points 24 and 25, KST landed a Shock Combo at 14:20 and later fought through Bourak and Nabeh to reach 26. Bourak still interfered repeatedly, including Sniper Rifle kills at 17:04 and 17:20. Bourak–KST produced 19 mutual kills, exactly the same total as Mlatic–Bourak, making Bourak the center of the two fiercest head-to-head rivalries.

Mlatic was still surprised by Nabeh at 17:33 while sitting on 28, but he did not lose control. At 17:57 he hit KST with the Stinger for point 29. KST replied nineteen seconds later with a Rocket Launcher kill on Bourak to reach 27 and keep a mathematical chance alive. The final attack came at 18:23: Mlatic put Bourak down with the Shock Rifle from seven meters and sealed the game 30:27:23:12.

Match moments

• Bourak drew first blood at 0:09 with the Link Gun on Mlatic.
• Mlatic produced the longest spree: six kills from 1:22 to 3:18.
• Mlatic's 44.3-meter Sniper Rifle hit on KST was the longest kill.
• Bourak took the lead 15:14 at 8:38, forcing the second of three lead changes.
• Mlatic reclaimed first place at 10:57, 18:17, and never gave it back.
• KST scored 12 Rocket Launcher kills and finished on 27 points.
• The Flak Cannon led all weapons with 35 kills.

Codex ultimately belonged to Mlatic, but the 30:27 margin does not show how closely the challengers followed him. Bourak controlled the opening and a major part of the middle game, and he stopped Mlatic's six-kill spree. KST came closest in the finish with rockets and longer-range pressure. Mlatic decided it through resilience, effective Flak Cannon work and a well-timed late acceleration. His average life lasted 50 seconds, the same as KST's, yet he converted those lives into three more points and saved the decisive thirtieth kill for the final sequence.