After the loss to Elevate in round 11 at CWL Anaheim, 100 Thieves won seven straight matches on Hacienda Search and Destroy to end the CWL year. A total of five teams stepped up to the task, but none of them could taste victory against the back-to-back champions.

100T were a very strong team on offense, capable of making clutch plays to win rounds. This was evident at CWL Champs, when Kenny “Kenny” Williams clutched back to back rounds against Enigma6, and eUnited conceded a 1 versus 3 to Preston “Priestah” Grenier in the Grand Finals.

From the seven successive wins on Hacienda S&D, 100 Thieves won nearly 75% of their offensive rounds, and conceded just three rounds per game on average. A plant rate of 39.5% at A showed the extent of which they favoured that side of the map. Furthermore, 100T managed to win 84% of rounds in which they planted the bomb, showing their excellence in post-plant setups and teamwork.





Impressive plays on Offense

From the seven successive wins on Hacienda S&D, 100 Thieves won nearly 75% of their offensive rounds, and conceded just three rounds per game on average. A plant rate of 39.5% at A showed the extent of which they favoured that side of the map. Furthermore, 100T managed to win 84% of rounds in which they planted the bomb, showing their excellence in post-plant setups and teamwork.



A site play

At the A bomb site, 100 Thieves set up with Octane on the outer part of fences, Priestah in connector, and Kenny watching over Enable planting the bomb. Slasher’s role in this play can be compared to a lurker’s role in CS:GO. He is rarely part of the main offensive push, but instead tries to catch the opponents off guard rotating to the A site.

Once the bomb is planted, 100T like to defend the bomb with full control of connector, and utilise their AR players by allowing them to lock down the push from the front. This post-plant setup is seemingly impenetrable, giving numerous teams a tough time to break it successfully.



Example versus eUnited

Down 2-0 in map 2 of the Grand Finals, 100T opted for their first ‘A’ play of the game. Kenny and Octane approached the A site with ICR’s, locking down either side of ‘fences’. Priestah made his way to connector, while Enable supported the team awaiting a bomb planting opportunity. Slasher played a lurking role top mid, attempting to gain intel and make an appropriate play based off of the information gathered.

Kenny managed to get the opening kill on Arcitys, which gave Enable the green light to plant the bomb. Octane played passively behind the fence, making sure Simp had no chance of finding an angle on him with the Paladin. Meanwhile, Kenny got his second pick of the round, forcing eUnited to complete a 3v5 bomb retake.



The way in which 100 Thieves set up in connector makes it extremely difficult for teams to retake the site. Priestah and Enable have great discipline and composure, frustrating opponents and forcing them to play reckless.

Mid Map Play

When 100 Thieves execute a mid map play, Priestah is usually the sole player at the B site, while the rest of the team lock down the entirety of mid. The main goal is to intimidate the opposition with their heavy AR presence, seeking first blood and then either pushing through or planting at B.

Example versus eUnited

eUnited found first blood through James “Clayster” Eubanks, and Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson managed to cross bottom mid unseen, spotting two unsuspecting 100T members retreating. However, Octane managed to turn around and snipe him before he could make any play, allowing both members to push back into top mid.

Once the bomb was planted at B, the play for 100T was to aggressively flank eUnited. Enable had already pushed through the left corridor into ‘top vault’, and managed to shoot Arcitys in the back, who was monitoring the pinch. Octane and Priestah joined the flank, while Kenny was positioned in water patrolling the bomb. The pinch was successful since Clayster was pushed up at the B site, leaving Abezy and Simp in a 2v3 in vault which they lost.



Slasher’s role as lurker

What separates 100 Thieves from every other team on Hacienda, is undoubtedly the unorthodox plays of Slasher. His elite game sense combined with his meticulous nature makes him the perfect candidate for the role. When 100T plant at A, the unpredictability of his whereabouts make it more difficult for teams to retake the site. Slasher could either be with his teammates at A, lurking, or watching the full flank.

This is a perfect example of Slasher’s impact as lurker. LG was kind enough to show us what happens when you get aggressive towards 100T at A. While 2 members dropped, Brack saw an opportunity to pinch 100T through connector. However, his confidence got the better of him as Slasher was in the perfect spot to get the jump on him. The 2016 World Champion was allowed so much space on the other side of the map, doing what he does best.

Here is another example against Evil Geniuses. Early into the round, Jkap had eyes on mid map, while the rest of his team were taking it to 100T at the A site. EG struggled at A, finding only one kill but losing three members. This forced Jkap to wrap back to help his teammate and attempt a 2v3 at the site. Unfortunately, Slasher was behind him taking the exact same route, eventually shooting him in the back to kill the round in favour of 100T.

Conclusion

Although many argued that the pace of BO4 meant that the SND was inconsistent, 100 Thieves proved that this wasn’t the case, as the statistics of their tried and tested strategies would corroborate. They didn’t conform to the meta, as their roster was considered as having an abundance of AR presence, and the difference in their team composition allowed for them to play a rather unorthodox style. 100 Thieves’ best aspect was their consistency, but consistency does not necessarily equal predictability, as Slasher’s “lurker” playstyle showed. For a player as important to a team’s strategy as Slasher is, signing the entire 100 Thieves roster should be on the agenda for any franchise team.

