G2 survive EG scare
The first round of the Knockout Stage took us to a matchup between G2 and EG. While getting matched up against the 4th best team was a challenging task in itself for the NA buds in bloom, they made things harder for themselves by picking Inferno, G2's most formidable map. G2 went ahead to pick Nuke, with Mirage set as the decider.
Inferno was just a show of pure dominance from G2. They started off on EG's map pick and secured an astounding ten-round streak. At that juncture, m0nesy had 0 deaths with 14 kills to his name, NiKo was riding high with 17 kills of his own. Conversely, HexT and Jeorge had 0 kills to their name. EG managed to scrape together their first T-side win in round 11, where each member of EG got a kill to win a post-plant on the B site. This glimmer of hope fueled their determination, leading them to bag three more rounds before the half concluded, though still trailing at 11-4.
With unwavering admiration for Zonic and a shift to the defensive stance, EG sought to stage a comeback. Their defense displayed some signs of life as they clawed back to claim three rounds after losing the initial three. However, their hopes were dashed shortly after, as G2 closed the map 16-7, winning 2 consecutive rounds thereafter.
EG lost the pistol again in the first round, making it the all three pistols lost in the game so far. However, EG swiftly retaliated on the 4th round, powered by autimatic and Walco's double kills, as they successfully regained control of the B bombsite. Even though G2 managed to secure one round in response, it didn't stifle EG's defenses. Instead, they strung together an impressive series of 8 consecutive rounds to finish the first half with a formidable 10-5 lead.
EG, at last, found their redemption by securing a crucial victory in the second pistol round, which was probably the most important of them all. It helped the Americans to take the lead to 13-5, as things started to look grim for G2. While G2 mounted a comeback somewhat, on the back of NiKo who totaled 35 kills in the map, EG closed the map 16-13.
Mirage proved to be a much closer affair than the other two maps. The momentum swung back and forth, with EG holding the defensive line while G2 took on the offensive challenge. All the players on the server were laser-focused, with each player maintaining equal footing and avoiding any significant disparities in performance.G2 finished the first half on a strong note, claiming all three of the last rounds, securing 7 rounds in total.
As the second half commenced, it was anyone's game. Yet, G2 appeared lackluster in comparison. EG players synergized flawlessly, as they left little room for G2's individuals to stand out. EG claimed the pistol and the subsequent round, and although they encountered a B stack, leading to the loss of the third round in the second half, they swiftly recovered and secured four more rounds, reaching 14 rounds. A heroic 4K from Walco blistered through the defenses of G2 on A, taking them to matchpoint.
Backs against the walls is where G2 thrives. They got in the swing, displaying better chemistry. While things got dire in a few rounds, as rounds came as close to a 1v1, G2 came out on top, taking the match to overtime. The hard work didn't stop there for G2. All three rounds they won in the CT needed a lot of work and could have gone either way. Nevertheless, G2 stood firm, and during the very first T-side round, they secured a crucial 4v4 post-plant situation, ultimately clinching the map 19-15 and sealing the series 2-1.
Evil GeniusesG2| Evil Geniuses |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paytyn 'junior' Johnson |
56 - 49 | +7 | 68.1 | 72.1% | 1.10 |
| Timothy 'autimatic' Ta |
57 - 59 | -2 | 76.9 | 72.1% | 1.06 |
 Jadan 'HexT' Postma |
52 - 64 | -12 | 67.5 | 65.1% | 0.92 |
| Colby 'Walco' Walsh |
50 - 60 | -10 | 64.9 | 62.8% | 0.86 |
| Jeorge 'Jeorge' Endicott |
44 - 57 | -13 | 58.1 | 60.5% | 0.82 |
| G2 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač |
89 - 44 | +45 | 112.5 | 77.9% | 1.67 |
 Justin 'jks' Savage |
50 - 50 | +0 | 68.3 | 76.7% | 1.03 |
 Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov |
57 - 56 | +1 | 63.7 | 64.0% | 0.98 |
| Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač |
48 - 53 | -5 | 57.5 | 72.1% | 0.94 |
 Rasmus 'HooXi' Nielsen |
44 - 58 | -14 | 60.3 | 66.3% | 0.82 |
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