EG.PA claim victory at Fragadelphia 17 

Following three days of LAN CS:GO Competition, Fragadelphia 17 wrapped up yesterday with a 2-1 victory of Evil Geniuses White over BIG Academy.  

This marks the first successful event under the new banner for the former Party Astronauts roster, which is now a part of Evil Geniuses’ Project Blueprint. The team took home $40,000 in prize money. 

Evil Geniuses had two CS:GO rosters representing the org in Fragadelphia 17, which sparked a discussion regarding the potential conflict of interest and fairness of such a move.

EG.PA’s Fragadelphia 17 journey 

Coming off the back of a last-place finish at the recent ESL Challenger Melbourne, this success is undoubtedly a big deal for the squad led by Ben “⁠ben1337⁠” Smith, who last led the team to victory at the ESEA Cash Cup NA Spring 2022 back in May.

The team started their Fragalephia 17 run in the last Chance Qualifier and continued in Group D of the GLS group stage with victories over Vendetta and Detonate. Without dropping a single map on the way to the Grand Final, EG.PA swept through the playoff bracket, defeating Iron Blood Gaming and team oNe along the way. 

The star of the event was EG.PA’s Josh “⁠PwnAlone⁠” Pigue, who averaged a rating of 1.27 across the 11 maps played in the main event.  

Grand Final recap 

The Grand Final of Fragadelphia 17 saw a thrilling clash between EG.PA and BIG Academy, who was the first team at the tournament to make EG drop a map. 

The two teams set the tempo high on the first map — EG’s pick Nuke — as they traded rounds back and forth before EG.PA took advantage of BIG’s weak economy and closed the first half 11-4. BIG Academy tried to catch up in the second half, and they almost made it thanks to the streak of seven rounds that tied the game 11-11. However, EG.PA didn’t let BIG take any more rounds and locked the first map with a 16-11 scoreline. 

The second map saw BIG win the first pistol round on their pick Vertigo, followed by another two rounds won before EG.PA equalized to 3-3. The two sides traded a few more rounds before BIG Academy asserted dominance to gain a 9-6 lead in the first half. In the second half, BIG Academy showcased a flawless defense to secure the map 16-6.  

The third map of the series Mirage started in a similar fashion as the previous Vertigo, however, this time, it was EG.PA who snatched the pistol round and gained a 3-0 lead. BIG Academy then started to take some rounds for themselves before EG.PA thwarted their efforts and closed the first half 9-6. Despite winning the second pistol round, the North American T-side was too strong for the German BIG Academy, who were only able to take three more rounds before EG.PA closed out the map 16-9 and secured the trophy.

Header: Fragadelphia