UT3.sk

Katami in flames: hemeroid wins the lead-changing duel

Three changes of leader, a five-kill streak and a Bio Rifle with the final say.

Match 319 on UT3.sk offered the kind of Deathmatch that makes DM-1on1-Katami a busy place, with a few explosive own goals thrown in. Four rivals — hemeroid, Trajbalajka, Jano and Telefrag — entered Normal mode with a target score of 30. Over 637 seconds, they recorded 86 kills against opponents and nine suicides, so the standings reflected both accuracy and costly accidents. hemeroid eventually won with 30 points ahead of Trajbalajka on 21, Jano on 15 and Telefrag on 11. Yet those numbers conceal a much more unsettled contest: the lead changed hands three times, Jano held first place in the middle, and the winner secured the match by steadily widening a gap rather than banking on one miraculous shot.

First blood, then a new boss

Just 15 seconds in, hemeroid claimed first blood against Jano with the Bio Rifle. Eleven seconds later the same weapon struck Jano again. Telefrag joined the action by hitting Trajbalajka with the Flak Cannon at second 27; one second later Trajbalajka repaid him using the Bio Rifle. Then came the strangest stretch of calm: there were 36 seconds without a kill after second 28, ending with a rocket at second 64. No other pause in this fast contest lasted as long.

Once the fighting resumed, Trajbalajka took over. His Rocket Launcher leveled the score with hemeroid at 2:2 in second 64, he removed Telefrag eight seconds later, and at second 88 he struck hemeroid again with the Bio Rifle. A Stinger kill against the same rival in second 119 made it 5:2. Meanwhile Telefrag kept bothering hemeroid and Jano registered his first point with a rocket against Trajbalajka. The early advantage had turned into a real chase.

Jano takes the throne but loses his streak

This was never simply a duel between two names. Jano struck with the Flak Cannon at second 151 and lost a point to his own weapon five seconds later, yet he recovered spectacularly. According to the computed match record, he amassed the longest killing streak: five consecutive kills spanning seconds 177 to 250, ending when hemeroid shot him with the Bio Rifle at second 250. hemeroid had tied Trajbalajka 5:5 at second 188 while surviving on just one health point. Jano, though, reached six points in second 207 and took the lead.

More rockets against Telefrag and Trajbalajka carried Jano to eight points by second 265. Trajbalajka answered with the Stinger, removing Jano two seconds later for a recorded Double Kill, the first of four such events. hemeroid had a Double Kill of his own after two rockets in seconds 282 and 284. When Trajbalajka lost a point to his own rocket in second 290, hemeroid seized the moment: a Shock Rifle kill in second 304 made the standings 9:7:8 and put him back in front.

A narrow battle becomes a decisive escape

Nothing was settled yet. At second 367, Trajbalajka felled hemeroid with a Shock Rifle shot, tying them at 11 points each. Nine seconds later hemeroid hit Jano with a rocket, completed another Double Kill against Telefrag at second 379, then caught Trajbalajka at second 383. The explosions were not all his, however: Jano immediately brought him down with the Flak Cannon in that same second. hemeroid shrugged it off and returned to kill Trajbalajka again at second 388.

The stretch from second 376 to second 429 made the difference. hemeroid jumped from 12 to 18 points, while his pursuers could no longer keep up. Bio Rifle, Flak Cannon and Rocket Launcher shared the workload as the encounters demanded. He did not need to win every exchange, only more than anyone else. He also registered 14 immediate revenge kills, the most in the match, compared with eight for Trajbalajka and three each for Jano and Telefrag. A very close contest was beginning to tilt decisively.

The busiest minute and the final shot

The ninth minute was the loudest, with 11 kills, the highest one-minute total. At second 519, hemeroid earned yet another Double Kill by taking down Trajbalajka with the Flak Cannon, reaching 25 points. He advanced to 26 by second 532 despite ending that kill on just six health. Jano continued battling Telefrag and Trajbalajka kept scoring, but neither could erase the leader’s cushion. Trajbalajka owned the night’s longest recorded shot: at second 359 he had eliminated Telefrag from 37.6 metres with the Rocket Launcher.

The finish also involved some unfortunate self-inflicted damage. Jano lost a point to a rocket at second 580, hemeroid followed suit at second 587, and Telefrag did the same at second 608. A Bio Rifle kill at second 575 had taken hemeroid to 29, but his own explosion sent him back to 28; he restored 29 with a Link Gun kill at second 615. Trajbalajka still struck him with a Stinger at second 624. Ultimately the Bio Rifle wrote the final line: hemeroid eliminated Trajbalajka from 7.5 metres at second 636 to reach 30.

Match moments

• Second 15: hemeroid gets first blood against Jano with the Bio Rifle.
• Seconds 64–119: Trajbalajka overturns the opening to lead 5:2.
• Seconds 177–250: Jano builds the longest five-kill streak, ended by hemeroid.
• Second 267: Trajbalajka scores a Stinger Double Kill against Jano.
• Second 304: hemeroid reclaims the lead with the score at 9:7:8.
• Second 359: Trajbalajka rockets Telefrag from 37.6 metres.
• Ninth minute: the game reaches a high of 11 kills.
• Second 636: hemeroid seals the match against Trajbalajka with the Bio Rifle.

The final 30:21:15:11 for hemeroid looks more comfortable than the road to it. Trajbalajka owned a strong opening and the longest shot, Jano led outright and posted the match’s longest streak, and Telefrag interrupted the rhythm of every rival. All four stayed in action for the full 637 seconds; none landed a headshot. Rocket Launcher was the top killing weapon overall, yet the Bio Rifle delivered the final point. It was a contest in which keeping count mattered almost as much as aiming, particularly when an enthusiastic rocket had a habit of finding its original owner.