MSI Beat It 2013 Grand Finals - Battle of the Titans

MSI Takes CS:GO Competitions to New Heights

Most gamers and cybersports aficionados will know that fnatic, an insanely popular professional esports organization, had acquired MSI as one of their sponsors, back in 2008. Since then, fnatic has been working closely with MSI to incorporate ever-evolving technology in developing gaming notebooks and hardware peripherals to satisfy the growing demands of a typical mainstream gamer. So far, we think the collaboration has been working swell as we've high regards for some of MSI's gaming grade hardware like the Z77 and Z87 gaming motherboards, MSI R9 280X Gaming 3G graphics card, and even their gaming notebooks like the MSI GE40 2OC Dragon Eyes and their top of the line MSI GT70 series gaming notebook that has even topped our prestigious HWZ+HWM Tech Awards: Editor's Choice selection in the Gaming Notebooks category for 2013. Will they continue their winning streak in 2014? We'll find out in a few months.

To boost MSI's profile in the gaming industry, MSI has been hosting gaming events annually since 2010. However, this is the first time Patrik "cArn" Sättermon, Chief Gaming Officer of fnatic, is partnering the former to roll out the MSI Beat It 2013 tournament on an international level, in a bid to generate more awareness for CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), an online first-person shooter which many cyberathletes (including the fnatic CS team) had transited to after CS 1.6 gradually antiquated.

Held at Shijingshan Stadium, Beijing, from the 22nd to 24th November, 17 top CS:GO teams (that’s 85 players) from their respective countries contended for the top honor. Open to the public, the MSI Beat It 2013 Grand Finals consisted of two legs: the SEA finals (22nd Nov) and the Global finals (23rd-24th Nov). In addition to fnatic, another MSI sponsored team, NearlyGod (representing Thailand) participated in this gaming event.

Official Gaming Gear

All players competed on the MSI GT70 20C gaming notebooks; each powered on an Intel Haswell Core i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M 4GB GDDR5 graphics engine. This unit is basically a platform updated version of the the MSI GT70 0NE that clinched our vote as the Best Gaming Notebook in this year's Tech Awards.

MSI GT70 20C at a glance:-

• Windows 8.1 platform
• 4th gen Intel Core i7 processor
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M discrete graphics engine
• Exclusive Super RAID 2 with Triple SSD RAID (read speeds of over 1500Mbps)
• Exclusive Cooler Boost 2 technology (improves 15% cooling performance with lower fan noise)
• Exclusive NOS design (enhances 10% GPU performance)
• Matrix display (max. 4 displays for extreme gaming or multi-tasking)
• Killer DoubleShot (combines high performance Ethernet and Wi-Fi for superior speed and lower latency of online gaming and streaming)
• Keyboard by SteelSeries (full color LED backlighting, supports simultaneous key pressing)

You can read more about this from our review of the older GT70 model.

The GT70 was also plugged into the Eizo (a Japanese manufacturer of monitors) FORIS FS2333. The 23-inch LCD display packs Eizo’s Smart Insight technology which enhances visuals. This is beneficial for FPS gamers, especially those playing CS:GO, as its game maps feature many dark corners.

Eizo Foris FS2333 at a glance:-

• Super-Resolution technology
• IPS panel
• LED backlight
• Almost zero input lag
• 2 x HDMI, 24-pin DVI-D, 15-pin D-Sub
• Audio in, Audio out
• Remote control

At the gaming venue, MSI also showcased its gaming notebooks, motherboards, graphics cards, and All-in-One PCs, where the visitors could have a hands-on.

Day One: The SEA Finals

Eight teams sparred in a double elimination best-of-one bracket, to secure three spots in the Global finals happening on the following day. On top of that eligibility, the best three teams were awarded US$3,000, US$2,000, and US$1,000 individually. The remaining five teams did not walk away empty-handed; each team was given a Steam wallet worth US$300.

The eight teams that contested were:-

• Flash Esports (Singapore)
• Team nxl (Indonesia)
• Legends (Vietnam)
• Team LZ (Malaysia)
• NearlyGod (Thailand)
• GPR (Brunei)
• SMACKDOWN, TNC (both Philippines)

Unfortunately, team Flash Esports from Singapore did not manage to grab a slot to vie for the Global finals. They demolished the lads of TNC with a score of 16-3, but were relegated to the lower bracket by Team nxl (that proceeded to be champions), and were then eliminated by Legends (who later came in second place in the SEA finals).

In the meantime, Team nxl from Indonesia and Team LZ from Malaysia each won their upper bracket semi-final games, while the Vietnamese Legends crushed SMACKDOWN from Philippines 16-1 in the final match at the lower bracket. Because these three teams were assured spots to play in the Grand Finals the next day, it all boiled down to the distinction for first, second, and third positions (which was ultimately Team nxl, Team LZ, and Legends)

Because Team nxl were winners of the upper bracket, they directly qualified for the finals. Legends were also promoted to the finals, after stamping out Team LZ 16-2 comfortably on de_nuke. This also meant that the latter were ranked third, and Legends had to win two matches (whilst Team nxl only had to win a single match) having made their way from the lower bracket.

The Vietnamese went on to defeat Team nxl by the skin of their teeth on de_inferno with a tight score of 16-13. Since the Indonesians (Team nxl) had not lost a single game going into the finals, they have an advantage of a point; the tally between these two teams is now 1-1. The next match on de_nuke would determine the ultimate winner of the SEA finals.

Legends were not able to keep up with their momentum, and slipped 9-15 to Team nxl. However, just as Team nxl were about to seal the deal, Legends managed a rebound, winning six consecutive rounds to force a tie at 15-all, driving the game into extra time. Henceforth, whichever team that could successfully win its first four rounds would be crowned champions. Team nxl did just that, and concluded day one of the tournament by beating Legends 19-16. A close fight indeed!

Day Two: Global Finals Part I - Race to the Top 4

Show-goers and gamers were indulged with some artistes dancing to "Beat It", a well-known song that was penned and performed by the late Michael Jackson, colloquially known as the King of Pop.

Then, Sam Chern, MSI's Global Marketing Director, gave a short speech on how MSI gaming products, especially laptops, have evolved through the years. He said that portability has always been the first consideration when MSI engineers build gaming laptops, and that the company will continue to fuse the latest technologies and hardware in developing future gaming models without compromising on mobility and cost.

During an exclusive interview, Sam Chern mentioned that he was pleased with the direction that the MSI gaming products were advancing towards, and that the brand is already looking to further penetrate the Asian market. He also divulged that Vietnam will be one of the company's key targets for 2014.

fnatic's Chief Gaming Officer, Patrik "cArn" Sättermon, revealed that he will continue to collaborate with MSI to deliver gaming equipment that's functional yet affordable according to constructive feedback from gaming enthusiasts. He also commented that because MSI Beat It is set on a global scale, more gaming talents can be discovered and given the opportunity to pit their skills against more prominent cyberathletes. He remarked that he was overwhelmed by the players from the SEA region, who put up an impressive display of abilities the previous day. When asked about his thoughts on facing the Vietnamese Legends (who came in second in the SEA finals), he humbly said that he was "worried" for his team, and that things could be more "difficult" than he expected.

On with the tournament: Team nxl, Legends, and Team LZ join teams from Europe, Middle East, APAC, and of course, China, to form two groups. Notably, fnatic and SK Gaming, both representing Sweden, were clustered under the same group.

Group A:

• VeryGames (France)
• Vox Eminor (Australia)
• Nface (China)
• inchk1ng (Hong Kong)
• Team nxl (Indonesia)
• Falood Jacksons (United Arab Emirates)

Group B:

• fnatic (Sweden)
• SK Gaming (Sweden)
• Legends (Vietnam)
• TyLoo (China)
• Team LZ (Malaysia)
• H5 Gaming (China)

The games were conducted to adopt the old (but reliable) Intel Extreme Masters layout, where the group winners would progress directly to the championship playoffs while teams that settled for second and third placings qualified for the quarter-finals.

Reigning World Champions VeryGames demonstrated exactly why they were the best team globally, with an unbeaten run in the group stage. Not surprisingly, the French effortlessly dominated Group A, collecting all of the maximum 5 points to anchor a spot in the top 4. In Group B, fnatic finished first although they somewhat struggled against compatriots SK Gaming and underdogs Legends, snagging the second spot in the eventual 4.

Australians Vox Eminor and Chinese Nface from Group A, as well as Swedish SK Gaming and Vietnamese Legends from Group B, placed second and third respectively. Following the format, this meant that Nface would take on SK Gaming, while Legends would compete against Vox Eminor. The winner of the former match would face VeryGames, while the winner of the latter, fnatic.

Day Three: Global Finals Part II - A Champion is Born

Day three and part two of the Global Finals saw the final four teams battle it out to clinch the coveted title as the Champions of the MSI Beat It 2013 Grand Finals. The overall winning team would walk away with US$10,000 and five MSI GE70 gaming laptops that are furnished with WD SSHDs, while the runner-up and third-placed team each brought home US$7,000 and US$5,000.

The remaining games employed the standard best-of-three format, where a maximum of three matches between the two competing teams will be played to determine the winner. If one team wins both of the first two matches, that team wins the series immediately with a score of 2-0. The only time where the third match is being played, is when both teams won a match each. The third match will then decide the winner.

Here's how it all went down:-

Since SK Gaming and Vox Eminor outplayed Nface and Legends individually, the latter two were effectively eliminated and did not play further. Hence, VeryGames went up against SK Gaming, while fnatic faced Vox Eminor.

fnatic sailed to the finals, beating the Australian side 16-6 on de_inferno and 16-3 on de_mirage, while VeryGames breezed pass SK Gaming 16-8 on de_nuke and 16-7 on de_dust2. This meant that fnatic and VeryGames, who each won two straight matches against their opponents, were guaranteed at least a second placing in the overall tournament, and would fight each other for the grand prize.

A best-of-three series was played between Vox Eminor and SK Gaming to conclude the third placing. SK Gaming went on to beat the Aussies 16-11 on de_train and 16-13 on de_nuke, landing third place and bagging the cash prize of US$5,000.

Grand Finals - VeryGames v fnatic

In the first map, Richard "shox" Papillon of VeryGames stunned the audience when he single-handedly annihilated all of fnatic in the opening handgun round. The French team then widened the gap on the CT side of de_dust2 and gave fnatic something to chase. The first half ended with a score of 10-5 to VeryGames. The moment the match resumed after both teams switched sides, Papillon repeated his amazing feat with another perfect pistol ace. In return, fnatic dominated the following rounds. However, VeryGames completely eradicated the Swedes' reclamation, and ended the match with 16-12. VeryGames 1, fnatic 0.

VeryGames started strongly on the T side of de_mirage, once more winning the pistol round. The score was 6-2 to VeryGames, and fnatic responded firmly by winning the following seven consecutive rounds to lead the match 9-6 at half time. Again, after the teams swapped sides, VeryGames won the crucial pistol round, and bridged the score gap by sweeping the next four rounds. fnatic made it 10-all, but VeryGames punished the Swedes thoroughly by capitalizing on their failure to recover momentum. At the end, the VeryGames (France) hauled a 16-10 victory, winning two back-to-back matches to seal their reputation as prevailing World Champions!

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