And so, we are here. Just one more game, and Insomnia43 will have breathed its last. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, the grand final is upon us.

TCM qualified from the Upperbracket, and so only needed to win one map to win the game. Memia.Infused Tt qualified from the Lowerbracket, beating FragMasters yesterday evening to gain a chance to replay TCM. As such, they needed to win 2 maps to win the game. The game started on mp_crossfire, Infused’s pick. TCM won the knife and opted to start on the attacking side. Infused picked up the opening two rounds, aided along the way by a TCM team kill. TCM are playing very slowly, and it seems to be working to their detriment. TCM galvanised themselves and started to opt for fast plants, taking the next 2 rounds to tie things up at 2-2.

Infused have certainly learnt a thing or two from the tournament thus far, their defence is just that little bit tighter than it was yesterday or the day before. TCM are finding it very difficult to get the bomb down as Infused take 4 rounds in a row to give them a 6-2 lead. Their attempts are fast plants are repeatedly foiled by some well placed nades from the infused side.

The only way TCM can get rounds on the board on the attacking side is by slowing things down, sitting back and waiting for Blackmane and froz to get some picks before they can move in. Even then the losses are heavy and they are winning rounds by the skin (if you’ll excuse the pun) of their teeth. Blackmane was left in a 1v4 in the last round of the half but was unable to take it, giving Infused a huge 8-4 lead as they go on to the attacking side.

It is clear how much Infused want this from the start of the second half. They are playing incredibly keen, desperate not to give TCM the slightest chance of winning the round. The plants are late, not wanting to show their heads until they have to. At 10-4 Infused are starting to run away with it, but then a team ace from TCM and accompanying roar shows they are still in the game. 11-5.

But perhaps I spoke too soon, for TCM practically hand infused the next round on plate, with team kills from Froz and Mumma giving Mark the chance to pick up the clutch and give them a match point, which was duly taken to end the map 13-5.

The second map would be mp_strike. A dejected looking TCM stayed in their seats, looking very much like they were feeling the pressure. Meanwhile, Infused took the half time break as a chance to get up and stretch their legs, looking calm and at ease. When the match finally resumes, TCM take the knife round comfortably and decide to start the map on attack.

They do not get the ideal start, losing the first round and the second as alpha picks up a 3 man with the AK from statue. TCM finally get on the scoreboard at 1-2, Infused replying quickly with a round of their own to restore their lead. TCM have now decided to wake up, and the game gets a lot closer. Froz gets himself his second team kill of the final but redeems himself in the next round, getting a 3 man to level the scores at 4-4. TCM are really ramping up the pressure and for the first time in the whole final they find themselves in the lead at 5-4. The lead is shortlived as Mumma and Blackmane find themselves in a 2v5 they can’t win - Mumma gets 3 to leave it at a 1v1 but time runs out before he can get mark or plant the bomb.

The teams are now neck and neck, neither can edge out the other and as the sides switch it’s 6 rounds a piece. If the change of sides will alter the match dynamic, it certainly will take a while to do it as the first few rounds here are essentially more of the same. All things are even at 8-8, before TCM start to pull away a bit at 10-8. Blackmane is hitting key scope picks, both rounds he has taken down kex. He does it again, heralding TCM’s pass into glory. They’ve now taken 4 in a row and Infused just done have an answer to it.

Coming into round 20 Blackmane again drops kex early on, and they capitalise on it to get 4 match points. Infused are not going down without a fight, closing the gap at 12-9. Kex is left in a 1v3, gets one but can’t take the others as Blackmane shuts him down. And with that, it’s all over. Infused, who looked so dominant on Crossfire were simply unable to carry that form to the end, and TCM only seemed to go from strength to strength. They took it from 7-8 to 12-8 and then 13-9, winning a huge 6 rounds out of the final 7.

So that’s it from the CoD4 tournament here at i43, TCM are crowned winners and take home £1500, while Infused score a well fought second place and £750. Remember, stay tuned to TEK-9 as the coverage is not over yet!

01		01
Map: mp_crossfire  05-13          mp_strike      13-09
TCM-Gaming  Adam "Mumma" Timle-Händel  Roe "froz" Langaas  Andreas "azeo" Westerlund  Michele "skkiNN" Mancini  Chris "blackmane" Kinnair		Memia.Infused Tt  Tom "tomzki" Churchman  Chris "kex" Tuck  Christopher "alpha" Bald  Ted "kowa" Hansson  Mark "mark" Horner