UT3.sk

KST conquers DM-Deck with nine kills and a fierce finish

Seven lead changes set the stage before KST escaped, although Deckrat still found a way to spoil his perfect streak.

DM-Deck rarely forgives a poor decision, and match 316 on UT3.sk made that principle painfully measurable. Every elimination added a point, while an avoidable death could take one straight back. Four competitors entered Deathmatch in Normal mode with a target of thirty points and 1,037 seconds in which to settle matters. Krallbait raced off the line; KST gradually reclaimed the initiative; Rockjock and Deckrat refused to become anonymous entries in the results table. The lead changed seven times, the arsenal rotated from point-blank Flak Cannon blasts to spectacular long-range explosives, and the closing minutes transformed a close contest into an unmistakable victory. But the ending makes little sense without the beginning, and the beginning belonged to the shortest of encounters: a Flak Cannon strike at just 1.2 metres.

Krallbait deals the opening hand

First blood arrived at 35 seconds when Krallbait hit Rockjock with the Flak Cannon from 1.2 metres. At 48 seconds he dispatched Deckrat with the same weapon and led 2-0. Then came the longest break between kills, a full sixty seconds. The silence broke at 108 seconds when Krallbait shot Deckrat with a Sniper Rifle; at 117 seconds he caught Rockjock with the Bio Rifle to lead 4-0. The opening had a clear owner, and his name was Krallbait.

KST finally scored at 119 seconds, taking down Deckrat with the Stinger. Another Stinger kill followed just five seconds later, and at 129 seconds he used it again on Krallbait to close the gap to 3-4. Krallbait countered with two Shock Rifle kills and reached six. KST answered at 168 seconds using that very weapon, but Rockjock began his own charge with a Sniper Rifle kill on KST at 213 seconds. Rockjock then registered a Flak Cannon Double Kill against Deckrat at 221 seconds. The supporting cast had suddenly grabbed a microphone of its own.

Ties, rockets and small disasters

At 237 seconds KST's Bio Rifle caught Krallbait and brought the score to 5-5. In that same second Deckrat hit KST with a Redeemer from 32.6 metres, making the celebration short-lived. KST edged ahead at 258 seconds, Krallbait made it 6-6 at 270, then reclaimed the lead 7-6 with a kill on Rockjock at 312. Five seconds later KST's Rocket Launcher answered for 7-7. The match's seven changes of leadership were built from precisely this sort of exchange.

At 370 seconds KST's Redeemer took out Rockjock from 63 metres and Deckrat from 28.6 metres: a Double Kill that gave him nine kills. One second later his own Rocket Launcher cost him a point and reduced his score to eight. Krallbait tied matters 8-8 with a Shock Combo at 388, moved ahead 9-8 at 420, and watched KST draw level five seconds later. Slime then deducted a point from Krallbait at 435. When a player can lose to their own weapon or the scenery, arithmetic becomes a particularly unforgiving opponent.

Hesitation surrenders the lead

The middle stretch combined fierce hits with self-inflicted losses. KST eliminated Krallbait at 491 and 509 seconds; Rockjock killed himself with a Redeemer at 519. Deckrat suffered several Slime incidents, as did Krallbait, but nobody stopped contributing. At 633 seconds Krallbait's Link Gun tied KST at 12-12. At 671 seconds a rocket against Rockjock gave Krallbait a 13-12 advantage. That was the last time he would be ahead of KST.

KST responded with the Bio Rifle: Deckrat went down at 678 seconds, and Rockjock followed at 691, shifting the score to 14-13. Rockjock did eliminate KST with a Shock Rifle at 711, but it did not restore the old balance. Here the scoreline ceased to look like a seesaw and began to look like a controlled escape. Krallbait remained in contention, and Deckrat struck KST with a Redeemer at 746 seconds. Victory was not yet automatic. KST, however, was arriving at the decisive phase with a flexible selection of weapons and a capacity to score more quickly than his rivals could respond.

Nine kills and the final word

From 761 until 873 seconds KST recorded nine kills without dying. Krallbait was the first victim of a Shock Combo; Rockjock fell at 774 seconds to a Redeemer from an astonishing 95.9 metres, the longest kill of the match. Shock Rifle, Stinger and Rocket Launcher followed. A Stinger strike on Deckrat completed a Double Kill at 827 seconds, and a rocket against him completed another at 873. KST's score climbed from sixteen to twenty-four, while both minute-index intervals 13 and 14 registered seven kills, marking the game's fiercest pace.

Deckrat finally stopped the streak with an Enforcer at 878 seconds. Their duel was the most frequent pairing in the match: KST won it 16-7, but Deckrat earned this one memorable interruption. KST retaliated with a Bio Rifle at 885 and never surrendered control. He eliminated Deckrat with the Stinger at 1,000 and 1,016 seconds, then the Link Gun at 1,023. At 1,036 seconds he landed a Shock Combo on Rockjock for his thirtieth point. There was no need for an additional argument; the scoreboard had finished speaking.

Match moments

• Krallbait drew first blood against Rockjock with the Flak Cannon at 35 seconds.
• Rockjock scored a Flak Cannon Double Kill at 221 seconds.
• KST tied Krallbait 5-5 with a Bio Rifle kill at 237 seconds.
• KST earned a Redeemer Double Kill at 370 seconds, then lost a point to his own rocket a second later.
• Krallbait led 13-12 at 671 seconds before KST reversed it to 14-13 by 691.
• KST produced nine consecutive kills from 761 seconds until Deckrat stopped him at 878.
• KST hit Rockjock with a Redeemer from 95.9 metres at 774 seconds, the longest kill.
• A Shock Combo on Rockjock at 1,036 seconds secured KST the 30:14:11:8 victory.

After 17 minutes and 17 seconds, the final order was KST on 30, Krallbait on 14, Rockjock on 11 and Deckrat on eight. KST earned 31 kills, incurred one suicide, held a nine-kill streak and delivered fourteen immediate revenge kills. Survival also tells the story: his average life lasted 64 seconds, compared with 47 for Krallbait, 49 for Rockjock and just 32 for Deckrat. KST's mean kill distance reached 19.6 metres, against 17.1, 10.4 and 14.5 for his opponents respectively. Seven lead changes eventually yielded a very clear margin. Deckrat can at least treasure one detail: he personally ended the champion's longest run.