Inner Circle Sweep RES Showdown 4 to Claim Porto Berth
Inner Circle have locked down the first European spot at BLAST Open Porto – the $1,000,000 CS2 event running August 24 – September 6 – after sweeping through RES Showdown 4, the dedicated Europe qualifier, without dropping a single map.
Viktor ‘onic’ Babii’s side dispatched GenOne, magic, and Virtus.pro in succession to earn what HLTV confirmed as their first notable LAN appearance since PGL Bucharest in April. The run was anchored by David ‘Dawy’ Bibik, who posted a 1.38 rating across six maps in the qualifier, including a relatively quieter grand final where Inner Circle still ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.
Virtus.pro Hampered, Inner Circle Clinical
Virtus.pro’s challenge was undermined when Petr ‘fame’ Bolyshev was forced to substitute for Alexander ‘AquaRS’ Kovalev on the second map of the final. Even accounting for that disruption, the Russian side had shown form worth noting – they took down Ninjas in Pyjamas and B8 en route to the final after an extended absence from top competition.
For Inner Circle, the qualifier continues a stretch of momentum that includes a title run at Super DraculaN Season 1, which delivered VRS points that have pushed them to a 26th-place global ranking – relevant for teams chasing future BLAST invites through standing rather than qualifiers.
What Comes Next
Three further Porto spots will be allocated through Americas and Asia regional qualifiers, with remaining berths going to teams on the Global VRS using the July 6 snapshot. Porto will represent Inner Circle’s sharpest test yet against an international field; how they perform will determine whether this qualifier run is the start of a tier-one foothold or a one-event ceiling.
Source: HLTV
