5yclone reverse sweeps ATOX at IEM Sydney Asia Qualifiers

On ATOX's map pick Ancient, the action kicked off with 5yclone grabbing the first pistol round by retaking the B bombsite in a 5v4 situation. However, with the plant money, ATOX got superior artillery and was able to overpower 5clone's defense with their AKs. It enabled them to cruise to a 3-1 score, before JamYoung's multikills turned the tide, allowing the CTs to catch up and even take the lead at 4-3.

Yet, it was dobu who really stood out, with an impressive rating of 1.62. His performance made a big difference as ATOX took control, securing 7 of the last 8 rounds and ending the half at 10-5. After a strong showing on the T-side, ATOX converted the first two rounds on the CT side effortlessly. Once the full buy rounds began, Mercury took on the role of finding openings. Riding on his plays, 5yclone managed to piece together 4 more rounds. However, ATOX eventually closed out the match with a solid 16-9 scoreline.

dobu was the driving force in ATOX's 16-9 victory on Ancient

As the action shifted to Overpass, 5yclone got their T-side underway by a full-throttle A rush netting them a flawless pistol round. Much like Ancient, however, ATOX answered right back with a force buy victory, pushing forward to take 4 more rounds. After the score reached 5-1, 5yclone's B hits started finding results, as they answered back with 2 more rounds. It was cool4st who put an end to their B antics after clutching an intense 1v1 against 1v1 against Mercury.

Despite that, the half ended with an 8-7 scoreline, narrowly favoring ATOX. However, as the game shifted to 5yclone's CT side, they transformed into an unstoppable force. Mercury, once again, shouldered the heavy load, as he boasted a 3.0 rating on the CT side. It played a significant role in the flawless 9-0 streak that the CTs obtained, to culminate the game with a 16-8 scoreline.

kaze's 23 kills were imperative in securing Nuke

The third map took us to Nuke. Starting on the right foot, ATOX managed to secure the first two rounds, but once the game moved forward to the buy rounds, a completely different narrative entailed. With every member from 5yclone chiming in when required, they strung together a sequence of 6 T rounds. While ATOX's efficient retakes kept them above water, the Ts took home 9 rounds at the end of the first half.

The second half saw 5yclone extend their lead to 14-6, as they rolled to a 5-0 start on the CT side. Inches away from closing the series, they were met by some resistance from ATOX, as they managed to deny the retakes on the B and then the A bombsite. Running on fumes, MiQ's 1v3 netted them another round, before 5yclone ultimately solidified a 16-10 victory to move to the Upper Finals against Lynn Vision.

IEM Sydney 2023 Asia Closed Qualifier

Bo3

5yclone

2 - 1

ATOX

All maps

5yclone	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating 2.0
Qianhao 'Moseyuh' Chen	60 - 39	+21	85.6	78.7%	1.34
Jingxiang 'Mercury' Wang	57 - 49	+8	84.3	70.7%	1.28
Yi 'JamYoung' Yang	60 - 48	+12	89.0	80.0%	1.28
Andrew 'kaze' Khong	47 - 40	+7	67.1	74.7%	1.06
Zhuo 'advent' Liang	26 - 49	-23	45.0	65.3%	0.70

ATOX	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating 2.0
Gan-Erdene 'dobu' Batbold	45 - 49	-4	77.3	66.7%	0.98
Temuulen 'MiQ' Byambadalai	45 - 49	-4	67.8	66.7%	0.97
Bat-Enkh 'kabal' Batbayar	46 - 56	-10	70.7	62.7%	0.93
Sodbileg 'cool4st' Batbaatar	47 - 50	-3	65.5	68.0%	0.93
Yalalt 'yAmi' Oyunbileg	39 - 48	-9	57.1	69.3%	0.86