The finalists of the Phygital Games tournament in tactical combat, Standoff 2 + laser tag, were determined – they were the Death or Glory and Street 8 teams. SaiNts and Winstrike Team will meet in the match for the third place. The deciding games will be held on May 31 at the Tennis Academy.
Quarterfinals
Death or Glory – Bullet Force – 22:12 (10:4 after digital stage)
Starting from the quarterfinal stage, in addition to the digital part of the match, the teams had to play laser tag on a real field. At the same time, according to the rules of the competition, one point is awarded for a victory in a round of the Standoff 2 game, and two points are awarded in laser tag, and this certainly adds unpredictability to the confrontations. Also in the playoffs, the digital part of the match consisted of one map up to 10 rounds, so the opponents had to join the game without swinging.
Bullet Force quickly took the 3:0 lead, and then made the score 4:2, making Death or Glory nervous. But after the change of sides, Death or Glory were unstoppable and didn’t lose a single round to the opponent. Alexey FLAFY Belozertsev and Alexey k o t Shinkevich made 17 kills each, Magomed DAZZ Kaimov shot accurately as always, and Bullet Force were not as effective as at the beginning of the match — 4:10.
“We knew we were going to play on the province map. The start was very bad, but our captain Magomed was able, as a leader, to guide the team forward. He took the most important clutch, and after that we have already closed the opponent. We were completely satisfied with the result, but due to stupid mistakes, the game dragged on to 10:4, although the score could have been 10:2,” said Ivan Miracle Prodan from Death or Glory.
It was realistic to play such lag in laser tag in the “Digital Flame Installation” mode, Death or Glory in the physical part of the game also were more coherent and more accurate. They took two rounds at the beginning of the stage, and the score was already 14:4, and then they did not let the opponents win back (12:8 in laser tag and 22:12 in total).
“The emotions from laser tag are very interesting. It’s very cool that two different disciplines are mixed – digital and physical. This is what the phygital format is good for – you can win both here and there, and show that you are stronger in everything. We didn’t have a lot of experience playing laser tag, but we set up our game so that the opponents couldn’t do anything. We worked on some approaches in training, and it helped today,” said Ivan Prodan.
“We had a goal to win at the Phygital Games. I think we could have done it 100 percent. We played laser tag very badly. Did not understand how to behave correctly on the field. But there is a boundless desire to return to Kazan for the Games of the Future. If only there were 16 more rounds in the digital part of the playoffs, after all, 10 rounds are not enough,” said Maksim qu1ns3 Ermolaev.
Revial Gaming – SaiNts – 10:19 (0:10 after digital stage)
In the second quarterfinal pair, a lot was decided based on the results of the digital stage. After the defeat with a 0:10 score, RGG had little chance of an overall victory. Artem Gentleman Belyaev and Sergey SiD brought SaiNts 25 kills for two, while their opponents did not succeed in shooting and implementing tactical plans. In laser tag, the game was equal, despite RGG’s attempts to turn the tide of the match.
“Any loss is very serious, so we need to draw conclusions, work on mistakes. I have made a lot of mistakes that I would like to apologise for. I tried to lead the team forward, but, unfortunately, something was not enough for us. We will continue to work. Defeats always hit hard, but if the team is together with each other, then they will remain as one and will definitely win the next game. I want to return to Kazan in 2024, but for the victory! I really liked the phygital direction. Thanks to the organisers, to everyone who supported us. The impressions are very great,” Alexander SK1LL Tenigin from the RGG team shared his emotions after the game.
“When we won on the map in Standoff 2, the emotions were huge! In laser tag, it was clear that it would be enough for us to take a couple of rounds, so we could just run and shoot. We were in a tough mood, and also the Rust card. We beat the Brazilians 10:0 on it, and in the quarterfinals the opponent chose the same map again,” said Artem Gentleman Belyaev.
Semi-finals
Winstrike Team – Death or Glory – 14:21 (10:5 after digital stage)
“Winstrike is a very strong team, one of the best in Standoff 2. They are a tough opponent. We will practice our game and try to prepare. Don’t write us off. We play as a team. This is our forte!” – Ivan Prodan, a Death or Glory player, said before the semi-finals. And his team managed to show all their best qualities and, due to this, defeat a powerful opponent.
The semi-final started with the advantage of Death or Glory – 5:1 at the start of the digital stage. But the next 9 rounds were won by the guys from the Winstrike Team, who felt confident in their abilities and, after switching sides, did not allow the opponent to recover. The advantage of five points is a good start before laser tag, but at the physical stage Death or Glory did not leave any chances for his opponents — 4:16 and the overall “plus 7” victory. There has probably never been such an emotional match at the Standoff 2+laser tag tournament.
“We were hoping to win the Standoff 2 game, but it didn’t work out because of our mistakes. The same person was shooting at us all the time. For the second stage, we decided to gather our courage and just play as a team, without any mistakes, as we know how. We were analysing the map of the laser tag arena, everyone knew what to do in what position, and this helped a lot today. This is purely discipline! The team game we’ve been preparing for! We felt that the opponent was a little uptight and began to crush them,” Alexey Flafy Belozertsev spoke about the secrets of defeating the favourite of the tournament.
“The pistol round was lost at the beginning of the match – and it was 0:2 already. Then we remembered how they played, and with the 1:5 score, we took all the remaining rounds in the round. In laser tag, it didn’t work out that one person didn’t play with us. He was replaced by a player who tried laser tag for the first time. It’s a shame that we didn’t make it to the finals – after all, we were better in Standoff 2. The match for the third place is good, but it’s still not the final,” said Daniil Lightning Valyan.
Str8 – SaiNts – 22:14 (10:6 after digital stage)
This time, the opponents of SaiNts chose the Breeze map, and the “saints” failed to get a head start in the digital stage. On the contrary, Street 8 played much more confidently and took the 7:2 lead, and when the teams switched sides and SaiNts came close to the desired score, their game failed again. Before the physical stage, the Srt8 team was ahead – 10:6. 17 kills were made by Egor Flodzor Matveev.
SaiNts rushed to win back in laser tag, but three rounds won in a row brought Srt8 another 6 points – the score became 16:6. Their opponent failed to win any points back. In the final, Street 8 will face Death or Glory.
“We were very energised after the first map at Standoff 2. After that, we started playing, and after the victory, we went out with high morale to win in laser tag. Emotions are great! We are very happy to reach the final. DoG is an unexpected, but very strong opponent who showed themselves in this tournament. We have already beaten them once. I hope we will be able to win in the final as well,” said Alexey M1sterio Baushin from the Street8 team.
The deciding games will be held on May 31 at the Tennis Academy.
The match for the third place starts at 14.00, the final – at 16.30.
The admission to the tournament games is free, but to attend the matches you need to book seats on the website kassir.ru:
https://kzn.kassir.ru/category/?keyword=%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB
The matches are broadcast LIVE on streaming platforms (VKplay (https://gof.vkplay.ru/ ), VKvideo, Youtube, Twich.tv, Trovo.Live).
