Following more than six weeks of fierce battles, the NSTLGA League Season 2 narrowed down 64 competing squads to just two finalists: SportsBetExpert and Without a Roof. SBE entered the championship match with an unblemished record, having not lost a single map on their path to the finals. They ultimately secured victory in an intense five-map encounter, claiming the top prize of $5,000—the largest payday in the organization's history.
Coming off a strong showing at FRAG Midwest: St. Louis, SportsBetExpert rattled off seven consecutive victories to capture the NSTLGA League Season 2 crown, demonstrating exceptional form throughout.
The championship series kicked off on Dust2, WaR's first selection. Following a pistol round win by WaR, the opening half was highly competitive, ending deadlocked at 6-6. SBE claimed the second pistol and, despite dropping the conversion, dominated their terrorist side to seal the opener 13-7.
Nuke, chosen by SBE, saw WaR jump out to a commanding 4-0 advantage after taking the CT pistol. SBE managed to claw back three rounds, but WaR closed out the half leading 8-4. After capturing the second pistol as well, WaR executed a flawless terrorist performance to level the series at 1-1 with a 13-4 victory.
Inferno, WaR's second selection, featured SBE controlling most of the first half before WaR rallied late to narrow the gap to 5-7. Though SBE won the second pistol, WaR seized the lead at 10-9. SBE responded with two rounds, but WaR captured the final three rounds of regulation for a narrow 13-11 triumph.
Mirage proved far less competitive. Despite a modest 7-5 lead after the opening half, SBE demolished WaR on the terrorist side, powered by clutch plays and an exceptional showing from Ian "motm" Hardy, building an 11-1 advantage. After securing the second pistol, SBE swiftly closed out the map 13-1, forcing a decisive fifth map.
The Cache decider began with unfortunate technical issues. As SBE was poised to win the pistol, the server crashed. Officials decided to re-enact the pistol round as it originally unfolded. However, some WaR players failed to purchase armor as they had initially, and despite returning to spawn, couldn't buy it, giving them extra economy for round two. Following lengthy discussions, officials restarted the server to re-enact the pistol once more.
After winning the second re-enactment, SBE surged to a 7-0 lead and entered their CT side ahead 9-3. Following another second pistol win and conversions, SBE rapidly finished the map 13-4 to claim the championship.
Gage "Infinite" Green delivered the standout performance of the finals, posting 88.7 ADR, a +4.35% round swing, and a stellar 1.45 rating across the series.
SBE will next face LAG in the ESEA Advanced S58 playoffs.
