The ECS Season 2 finals are mere weeks away and SK Gaming have already booked their slot at the Anaheim Arena by topping the North American league. Winning 14 of their 18 qualifying matches, the Brazilians tied first with Cloud9 to take their spot in the California finals December 9-11, thanks in no small part to captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo.

FalleN’s astounding AWPsmanship has sniped many teams’ hopes of maintaining a clean sheet against SK. Competing for the title of best AWPer in CS:GO – quite possibly against his own team-mate, Marcelo “coldzera” David – it’s no surprise that the team’s route to the finals has been full of sharpshooter moments. Here’s a taster of what waits for fans joining FalleN at the ECS finals next month.

Oh, and if you want to see how SK does on the finals stage live in person, use this special link to get 30% off ECS Season 2 Grand Finals tickets!

Nowhere is safe from FalleN's crosshairs. Not even crouched, in a corner, behind a crate. Several crates, in fact, as Twistzz found out in the final round of TSM’s first map against SK. There are fewer ways to definitively complete a match than to pick out the only pixel of your body showing within a fraction of a second of peeking the site.

There’s definitely a skill to sniping, that much no one’s disputing, but occasionally a little luck can work wonders. For FalleN it’s about maximising the potential for luck, though, so while we see Scout potshots through the Dust2 doors, he sees a series of complex mathematical equations floating through his mind’s eye. Sometimes they end up as extremely calculated wallbang headshots. Everything else is just rough working.

What most spectators will note about FalleN’s sniping skill is just how quickly the shots happen. One moment you’re waiting to see how he’ll react once the enemy x-ray silhouette appears for real on his screen, but before you’ve even had time to see whether he hit, he’s moved onto the next two or even three in a streak of sick AWP flicks. Cloud9 felt the sting of each of those shots in their third-week match-up against SK, where a Train site take didn’t go quite according to plan.

Train appears to be a proving ground for snipers, with long avenues and short gaps between carriages offering the tiniest of sight lines to test their reflexes. Sadly, sometimes those tight gaps also provide the chances for special shots that don’t come around very often. Displaying his unique spidey senses, FalleN scores a through-and-through on half of TSM as they try to catch him sleeping. It is yet to be confirmed if FalleN actually can fall asleep with that extra set of eyes in the back of his head.

The true mark of a master AWPer is when they can make any shot with their eyes closed. It’s not, obviously, because that’s impossible – you can’t close your eyes in CS:GO. So FalleN prefers to stare straight into an exploding flashbang, searing his retinas and then make the shot through a full plume of smoke. He then usually likes to celebrate by an unholy flick of the wrist onto the last remaining Luminosity player on the plateau of Cobble’s B site. As one does, indeed.

Where can I buy tickets for the ECS Finals?

You can buy ECS Season 2 Finals tickets online today, and if you use that link then you'll get 30% off the regular prices! There are four ticket types:

• Student Ticket - FREE! Includes access to matches, partner booths, signing sessions and other activities on December 10th and 11th. Ticket holders must show College ID.
• Ticket - $10.50 - A regular ticket gives you access to matches, partner booths, signing sessions and other activities on December 10th and 11th.
• Ticket Plus - $24.50 - Everything you get from a regular ticket, plus a Limited Edition ECS Anaheim Cap and access to an improved seating area.
• Premium Ticket - $52.50 - Everything you get above, plus a Limited Edition ECS Anaheim Hoodie and Fast Track for queues.

Good luck and have fun!