In an electrifying grand final, Raptors Esports Club emerged victorious over Endpoint in the ESL Premiership CS:GO Finals on September 8. The epic battle took place at the prestigious Insomnia Gaming Festival, held at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. Now in its 71st iteration, Insomnia is the UK’s largest gaming festival.

Raptors’ triumphant journey to glory saw them clinching the title after an intense three-game series played across Ancient, Vertigo, and Inferno.

Grand Finals: 3 Maps of CS:GO

The grand finals kicked off with a clash on Ancient, a map known for its strategic depth. Raptors definitely came in as the underdogs and it showed. Endpoint were able to take a decisive 16:6 victory after starting on the CT side. They’d already shown a dominant performance across the rest of the tournament. In fact, they beat Overpowered and Ex-Coalesce 2-0 in both previous rounds. This first game set the stage for the same story again.

It’s worth remembering that although Raptors were generally considered the underdogs, they also won the previous 2 series 2-3. After moving on to Vertigo, the second map of the series, Raptors aimed to mount a comeback and level the score. Endpoint made them work for it but they couldn’t quite manage to clinch the map. Raptors ended with a 16:14 scoreline.

The third and final map, Inferno, was the ultimate decider. Endpoint was determined to stay in the game, understandably so. Both teams lost their first maps of the tournament in this grand finals. It was another long and close game but in the end, Raptors took the win with 16:13.

ESL Premiership – National Tournaments

The ESL Premiership CS:GO Finals at the Insomnia Gaming Festival not only provided top-tier esports entertainment but also showcased the growth and popularity of competitive gaming in the UK. Perhaps now is the time to see more players making their way onto the list of best CS:GO players.

The UK has notoriously lagged behind the rest of the world in the esports industry. It’s not exactly common to see British players at the top level of many games. Tournaments with larger prize pools such as the ESL Premiership CS:GO event can attract more players to this level of competitive play.

As the esports scene continues to grow, events like this serve as a reminder of the thrilling potential of competitive gaming and its passionate community of supporters.