CS: I’m Only 16, and You Want Me to Stage an Old Veteran Comeback?

Winning an Economy Round Can Change the Game

Winning an economy round has a huge impact on a match.

In these rounds, the disadvantaged team is usually saving money. But if they manage to turn the round around, not only do they successfully save up cash, but they also maximize their reward bonus—and sometimes even pick up a few rifles from the enemy.

Many times, a single economy round win can completely flip the economic balance between both teams.

That’s exactly what happened to VG. After losing the round, their economy became a mess—some players could afford rifles, some were stuck with MP9s, and others had to settle for half-armor and pistols.

After some deliberation, they decided to force buy.

But this time, MO had a clear game plan. He knew VG’s economy was weak, so he focused their attack on the outside area. Extending the range of engagement would make the weapon disparity even more apparent.

259, on the other hand, was struggling with limited resources—he wanted to use tactics to suppress the opponents, but the weapon gap was undeniable.

To make things worse, this group of Old Veterans was in top form.

With that, VG was forced into an economy round.

Jiang Yang picked up another three kills this round. He wasn’t even aggressively pushing—he simply held his position, mowing down VG players when they tried to push out together.

The viewers were growing more and more fond of Ma Xixi’s cousin.

Truth be told, China’s CS scene isn’t lacking in mechanical skill. Domestic teams can still go toe-to-toe with Tier 1 squads in terms of raw aim.

The issue is that they often lose force-buy rounds or economy rounds.

But Jiang Yang? He had something that most domestic teams lacked.

Even though he loved playing like a "special forces operative," he never pushed recklessly when it wasn’t necessary.

Just like in this round, he played patiently, advancing carefully with his team rather than hunting for frags just because the enemy was on an ECO round.

His focus was always on winning the round and maintaining the economy—watching him play just felt so satisfying.

The score now stood at 12:8—the momentum shift was undeniable.

DD reminded the team, “They’ve got rifles this round. Stay sharp.”

MO thought for a moment and said, “No need to rush. Let’s run a default early on, apply some pressure outside to stretch their defense, then rotate back quickly to hit the site. DD and Cousin, you guys push in from Yellow Room.”

As a former pro player and an experienced analyst, MO had the highest tactical awareness on the team.

He had plenty of creative strategies he wanted to try, but he was worried that the Old Veterans wouldn't be able to execute them properly—so he kept things simple.

Following MO’s plan, both teams traded utility early on. Then, at the one-minute mark, Jiang Yang and DD got into position in Yellow Room, each gripping a flashbang, waiting for MO’s signal.

The moment MO called it, they threw their flashes and charged forward.

“Steel Helmets’ two strongest gunners are ready at the front, but VG is holding a double-stack setup inside. Are they planning to peek one by one?”

“Let’s see if these two can get their frags!”

“aumaN goes for an early peek—immediately shut down by Cousin!”

“Does Kaze challenge this? No! MO swings in for the trade, but Kaze wins the fight!”

“But Cousin is quick on the trade—VG’s defense just melted away!!”

Ma Xixi laughed, “Nothing to say, see you next round!”

VG still had some options left, but with all their defensive positions overrun, it was hard to see how they could retake the site.

They attempted one last push—259 threw a flash from the pipes, trying to help his teammate on the third floor.

But before the play could unfold, DD’s precise spray shut down their last hope.

With that, VG had no choice but to save their weapons.

Steel Helmets secured another round, forcing VG into a tactical timeout.

259 could feel things slipping away. If this continued, they were going to lose.

A Surprising Turn of Events

After the timeout, Jiang Yang followed MO’s strategy and attempted to push through the pipes.

That’s when something unexpected happened.

VG had saved two rifles from the previous round, but the other three players were only able to afford Desert Eagles.

Jiang Yang pushed through the pipes and, after a few quick engagements, took out all three Deagles.

The livestream chat exploded: “Cousin heard the ECO call again!”

With Jiang Yang securing the kills, the round quickly turned into a 5v2. Steel Helmets methodically pushed forward, trading 1-for-1 with Jamyoung at K1.

259 managed to get one kill, but he didn’t even bother attempting the 1v3 clutch—there was no chance.

Even after using a timeout, VG couldn’t stop the momentum shift.

The pressure was mounting.

259 was racking his brain for a solution, but Steel Helmets were in unstoppable form. Their economy was rolling, and they were winning every duel.

Steel Helmets steamrolled the next round, pushing the score to 15:8—match point.

The crowd went wild.

Steel Helmets were just one round away from making history—if they won the next round, this team of streamers would punch their ticket to the Stockholm Major.

A team of streamers making it to a Major—this would be a legendary moment in CNCS history.

But then, VG finally woke up.

Kaze pulled off a massive AWP quad-kill, dragging his team back from the brink.

From there, VG suddenly went beast mode, stringing together round after round until the score closed to 15:13.

The audience did not expect such a dramatic comeback.

Inside the voice chat, Brother Xiaosa said, “MO, call a timeout. I need to take a piss. And also, let’s cool these guys down—they’re in the zone right now.”

His bathroom break was secondary. The real goal was to disrupt VG’s hot streak and let the Old Veterans reset.

Everyone took a moment to compose themselves.

MO reassured them, “Don’t stress, guys. We’re still ahead, and even if we drop this map, we’ve got room for error.”

“The only reason we lost those rounds was because we got impatient. Let’s calm down—we can still close this out.”

Once Xiaosa returned, MO called for a simple, direct strategy.

He knew that at this stage, complicated tactics would only overwhelm the Old Veterans.

Instead, he positioned Jiang Yang at the center of the squad, letting him play a supportive role to secure trades.

The Final Round – A Moment of Magic

Steel Helmets went all-in—no holding back.

They faked a play toward the Iron Plate area, before suddenly switching gears and rushing B.

As they pushed through B-Tunnels, a sudden smoke grenade appeared in front of them.

Xiaosa, leading the charge, instantly accelerated his movement.

“Timing push! But Xiaojv takes down one… two! DD finally gets the trade, but this isn’t worth it!”

MO was killed in the chaos, but now he had the perfect perspective to guide the team.

“Don’t rush. Hold angles. See if they make a move.”

Jiang Yang quickly adjusted with DD. They waited patiently.

Then, the clutch moment arrived.

1v3.

Jiang Yang found himself alone.

Half HP. But still dangerous.

VG thought they had the setup, but when they stacked up at Control Room’s entrance, Jiang Yang’s crosshair was already there.

BANG.

A double headshot spray-down.

MATCH OVER. 16:13. STEEL HELMETS QUALIFY FOR THE MAJOR.

Jiang Yang’s excited voice echoed through the stream:

“Cousin, I’m going to the Major!!!”