After all the pre-match hype, forum banter and people publicly declaring their loyalties between the hopeful Brit and the confident European, the game had arrived. A re-match of the i36 final didn't need any of these trappings to attract an audience, but I had the feeling that there were a greater number of people tuning in to see the lay of the new CS:S landscape.

Reason remain unchanged in line-up, but maybe not in spirit after being sucked into a quagmire of rumours and accusations. Dignitas on the other hand had to prove that this new incarnation was fit for the name that has been synonymous with excellence for as long as I care to remember. Perhaps above all things people would tune in to see if there could be an answer to who really was the best AWPer in Europe – the fortunes and hopes of each team encapsulated by their impact players, Ladislav “Guardian” Kovacs and Sam “RattlesnK” Gawn.

Certainly there wasn't be any toning down of the verbal exchanges, despite the numerous warnings over the course of the tournament for the many teams that swearing or excessive abuse would result in the loss of their retainers. Sam twisted the knife early with a shout of “Guardian to go zero for fifteen... That's what we want to see.” And while it is perhaps a fair comment that most people here are supporting Dignitas there are a lot of people stood watching Guardian's PC. The admins run the “numlock test”, something I was asked to supervise as the crowd booed me. All PCs were clean you will be pleased to know.

With such formalities out the way the game begins and Reason start as Counter-Terrorist on de_dust2 and pick up a quick pistol round. Dignitas come out with an aggressive eco in the next round that almost works. RattlesnK gets a pistol kill at long, takes away an enemy's famas and goes to work almost clutching the round with three frags but getting beaten by the double peak. He bangs his fist on the table and takes his headset off... His team mates have to remind him it's just an eco, but he sets himself such high standards you can see that it doesn't matter.

UN and dallow watch bazy's screen

The next eco is equally effective and it in a 2v1 situation, the new guys versus the man in the headlines and the whispers, but Guardian makes the clutch with some good shots as he single handedly re-took the site. Reason were 3-0 up, but they hadn't made it look easy at all. Dignitas were feeling confident going into the buy and Sam waits and waits for Guardian to show in mid before drawing first blood in the battle of the egonauts. The round is eclipsed by Re1ease coming up with a huge four man, sending the few spectators and his team mates nuts.

The momentum fully shifted towards Dignitas they take the next two rounds as well to tie it up. The next round also goes the way of Dignitas, but Guardian does manage to get a kill on RattlesnK to bring his personal tally up against his would-be nemesis, but it doesn't do anything for the team. His body language tells you that he is not one hundred percent comfortable at the moment, nor is he vocal. Despite assertions that he is arrogant, right now he is anything but and personally I've never seen anything different.

The next round brings cause for a lift in mood when Reason pull the game to 4-4 with a superbly executed deco round, the new Dignitas team perhaps lacking some coherency and communication, the kind they had talked about while sat in my office. But it isn't something they dwell on, two splits on A yielding positive results to give Dignitas a two round lead for the first time in the half.

After a promising start to the next round Dignitas conspire to throw it away with some sloppy play that enables Guardian to pick RattlesnK from B tunnels and it is here where Sam's mood takes a turn for the worse. Placing the blame, perhaps accurately, at the feet of Kritikal there is a lot of harsh words distributed amongst the team. It doesn't get a reaction though; Luke is in agreement and while the anger subsides in time for the next round, there is something palpable in the air that hangs around the enclosed space, like when you walk into a room and interrupt a couple locked in an argument.

It doesn't take long for it to come back and after another round is thrown away to bring the game to six rounds each, Sam berates Luke once more. One thing I have always noticed about RattlesnK when he is in a team – if you do something wrong, you can be sure he will let you know. You need a thick skin and I'm sure that, for all its pros, must have some cons at times as well. But one thing you cannot question is how right he is in what he is saying. The play has been sloppy, rounds have already been lost that shouldn't have been and they are the difference between being tied up right now or being a healthy 8-4 in front.

Rattlesnk takes off his headset in frustration

With the half drawing to a close in a shower of tit for tat kills, Dignitas have the edge but only just with eight rounds to Reason's seven. Luke starts to work his motivational soundbites as the half starts, Marek does the same for Reason. The Eastern Europeans are not hiding from their opponents, matching them for intensity and volume, especially bazy who is spitting out words I don't understand but that I am sure are far from complimentary about his British opponents.

Reason take the pistol again and Dignitas still do not manage an eco. To compound matters they then lose the first buy and there is a despondency setting in as the map looks close to slipping away from them. A surprise then that the first round they take is a deco, sending Kritikal into overdrive with some very English – or should that be French – insults thrown at bazy. ODEE looks at me in disbelief, muttering something about his players possibly heading for another warning and shakes his head even though they won the round.

Reason are not phased though and simply take the next two rounds, easily as it happens. Watching the way they play it is hard to explain what makes it so good. They are doing simple things, nothing spectacular, but it is done to perfection and it is effective. At 6 – 1 RattlesnK is left in a clutch situation, which he makes but he has to pick up a defuse kit from a fallen comrade, cutting the defuse as fine as you can get. There is a sharp intake of breath from the players and spectators, a silence broken by Luke again offering the wisdom of “don't be shit, buy a kit.”

The ball is very much in Dignitas's court now and they start to slam back some savage returns to their opponents. After losing a round to make it 7 – 4 for the half, Dignitas pull out an incredible eco. RattlesnK again gets the kill at long and opens up with a galil stripped from a dead terrorist to get another two kills. After he is killed though it is up to some fine teamwork from Wez and wilzOOO, still without guns, to make sure they get the round and bring it to an overall score of 14 – 13.

It was to be the last positive action of the first map from Dignitas and they crumbled in the face of relentless Reason pressure. Perhaps the writing was on the wall when Guardian made his first crossing mid doorbang from T spawn. It was on RattlesnK.

de_nuke was the second map, something that you would gamble on being close again, but all early indications are that Dignitas are now in the zone. After taking the pistol round thanks to some huge play from James “wilzOOO” Wilson, they next two ecos are straightforward enough. And the first buy round should have been too, synchronised flashes from upper decimating the guys on upper, yet – not for the first time in this game – Dignitas fail to take advantage despite making the opening two frags of the round.

When the game is at 5-5, a healthy score for terrorists and certainly something they would have been pleased with, Reason work another deco on their opponents, some sick shots from bazy – a person who has also had his critics – and once again that mood descends over the Dignitas players. They seem unable to comprehend how they are throwing rounds like that away and you can visibly see the change as they slump in their seats. Reason on the other hand are as luminous as their hoodies and close out the half without conceding another round. Dignitas have thrown away so many promising positions you do have to wonder if it will come back to haunt them.

Even CoD4 players had stuck around to watch

But Dignitas take the next pistol round but Reason are getting plants and with that extra money they make the early buy and peg them back immediately for two rounds. Realistically the CT set-up from the UK side does not look the most convincing and Reason are finding it very easy to get into positions that they really shouldn't be able to. As another round goes the way of Reason Gaming, cheered on by their manager, One of the Dignitas players shouts “that is unacceptable”. But it doesn't matter what is and what isn't and whatever you might want to debate over the next few days, about bad luck, bad play, new team syndrome or whether they were simply outgamed, one thing is for certain Reason have deserved to win. 16 – 8 is convincing enough to tell you this fact if nothing else.

So – what questions were answered in all of this? Well, we learnt that while Dignitas may have good chemistry, they still have some work to do. We learnt that Dan “Re1ease” Mullan can most definitely hold his own with the big boys. We learnt that Reason Gaming can still do it at LAN, even under the weight of public scrutiny and perhaps a large swathe of their former supporters wanting them to fail. But as to the duel of the day, there is no clear cut answer. Sam “RattlesnK” Gawn might have played better individually, Ladislav “Guardian” Kovacs did have a disappointing day at the office... Yet it his team that emerged victorious with room to spare. On that basis you can ask yourself who won the duel and come to your own conclusions.