ENCE claimed their first big tournament win in four years yesterday, defeating MOUZ in the IEM Dallas 2023 Grand Final. It was an exorcism of demons for ENCE, who had finished runners-up in their last two events in Dallas. Winning IEM Dallas 2023 is a remarkable achievement for the team, who were several match points away from being eliminated by FaZe Clan in the Semi-Final.

NertZ has been a difference-maker for ENCE. Credit: Viola Schuldner | \u00a9 ESL

It’s been a bit of a slow burn for ENCE. They made the decision to bench valde in favor of acquiring NertZ, however, there were some growing pains. The quality of NertZ was never in doubt, but the team as a whole didn’t look like a cohesive unit. It all culminated in a terrible performance at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, and we were left wondering if they could succeed.

We have our answer. This ENCE roster have proven that on their day, they’re a force to be reckoned with. After that crazy Semi-Final against FaZe, we think they can beat anyone now. NertZ has been such a difference-maker, and we can’t wait to see where he goes from here. The sky is the limit for this Israeli rifler.

Credit: Helena Kristiansson | \u00a9 ESL

Pre tournament, our IEM Dallas 2023 power rankings gave ENCE a decent chance of being among the favorites. But we didn’t think MOUZ had any hope here, so they can consider a Grand Final a successful run. One thing defined both teams – everyone was contributing. There were to be no passengers in this Grand Final. For either side to win, everyone would need to play their part, and that’s exactly what happened on the server.

The match itself was a relatively low-key affair. The first map of Mirage was MOUZ’ map pick, but ENCE tossed them aside with ease in a 16:9 win. Spanish AWPer SunPayus played a starring role, and was seemingly unable to miss any of his shots with the Big Green. NertZ also pulled out one of the clutches of the year, a beautiful 1v3 in a post-plant situation to get the ENCE CS:GO team to 14.

With map one secured, we moved to Nuke, where MOUZ needed divine intervention to get anything from this series. Despite the best efforts of frozen and JDC, it never arrived, and ENCE converted a convincing 2:0 without much fuss at all.

The difference for MOUZ on the day was dexter. The IGL had been one of the team’s top fraggers in the whole competition, and was even in contention for tournament MVP. However, he didn’t show up in the IEM Dallas 2023 Grand Final, with a 19-42 kill/death ratio across both maps. He wasn’t the only problem, but compared to the rest of the tournament it was a sharp decline on the big stage.

We want to highlight what a moment this is for Snappi. At 32 years old, he’s spent a lot of his career as a perennial runner-up in big competitions. Not anymore. Considering the amount of incredible Danish IGLs there are in CS:GO at the moment, it takes a seriously special performance to stand out from the crowd. Snappi has done that in Dallas. HooXi, cadiaN, karrigan, gla1ve – all took part in IEM Dallas 2023. But it’s Snappi lifting the trophy at the end.

He’ll now see this as a springboard to even more victories. His team can finally call themselves winners, and if this doesn’t make them hungry for more silverware, then nothing will. With the launch of CS2 approaching this summer, it would be the perfect time to hit form.

Now, attention moves toward the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2023, which begins in just a few days’ time. With eight participants, we’re in for a few hectic days of Counter-Strike. With the likes of FaZe, G2, Heroic, and Astralis all in attendance, it’s sure to be a blast.