Reigning champions eliminated from Cologne
Facing the threat of elimination, NAVI and FaZe squared in a best-of-three competing across Mirage, Overpass, and Ancient.
A 3k from Aleksib on the pistol gave NAVI a flying start, as they steered to a 3-0 score. FaZe answered back on the first buy round, and managed to follow it up with 2 more rounds to level the score. However, it was s1mple's remarkable 1v3 clutch that swung the tides back in NAVI's favor, leaving FaZe demoralized after squandering a 4v2 advantage. As the half progressed, we saw their synergy vaporized, leading to desperate plays that only widened NAVI's lead. Despite FaZe making a partial recovery towards the end of the first half by securing the last two rounds, NAVI had already established a dominant 10-5 lead.
FaZe's performance was uncharacteristic of their usual standards. It was evident from the second pistol round, where NAVI was able to win the 5v4 without dropping a single body. They fell flat on their T-side, failing even to get a bomb down past that. The game ended 16-6 in favor of NAVI soon enough, as they went 1-0 up in the series.
Overpass kicked off with s1mple showcasing his individual prowess once again, as he single-handedly put FaZe down with his 4K. NAVI built a streak of 6 rounds before rain eventually took their A defense down with a 3K to put FaZe on board. With the two new additions, jL and iM playing B, FaZe exploited their lack of chemistry, as they managed to strike 6 rounds on their T-side.
FaZe converted the pistol that began with rain's startling tap on s1mple. Although they lost the first buy round, broky, who had been relatively quiet throughout the series, came to life with an impressive 4K. Riding on that momentum, FaZe managed to secure four more rounds. However, NAVI's consistent ability to find key kills disrupted FaZe's economy and prevented them from gaining a stable footing. When NAVI won the 23rd round, it completely shifted the momentum, allowing them to make a remarkable comeback from a 10-12 scoreline to leading at 14-12.
The FaZe that graced Mirage seemed like a distant memory, as on Overpass, they displayed a renewed fighting spirit. Despite being down, they won two rounds, to level the score 14-14, ensuing the game to go the distance. In the race to reach match point, it was NAVI who bested FaZe. However, they managed to hold onto the game, as broky came out on top of an intense 1v1 to push the game to overtime.
OT was anything but close. With NAVI bombarding the B site with manpower, and managing 2 rounds on their T side. It proved enough to close the map, as they clinched the map 19-17.
FaZeNatus Vincere| FaZe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Robin 'ropz' Kool |
40 - 40 | +0 | 71.6 | 63.8% | 0.99 |
 Håvard 'rain' Nygaard |
36 - 46 | -10 | 77.1 | 62.1% | 0.94 |
 Helvijs 'broky' Saukants |
34 - 42 | -8 | 61.7 | 56.9% | 0.85 |
 Finn 'karrigan' Andersen |
32 - 40 | -8 | 63.2 | 60.3% | 0.81 |
 Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken |
29 - 39 | -10 | 60.2 | 69.0% | 0.81 |
| Natus Vincere |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev |
55 - 29 | +26 | 98.1 | 77.6% | 1.50 |
 Justinas 'jL' Lekavicius |
46 - 35 | +11 | 76.8 | 69.0% | 1.20 |
| Valeriy 'b1t' Vakhovskiy |
45 - 35 | +10 | 75.7 | 77.6% | 1.20 |
 Mihai 'iM' Ivan |
39 - 41 | -2 | 73.1 | 63.8% | 0.97 |
 Aleksi 'Aleksib' Virolainen |
21 - 31 | -10 | 55.9 | 65.5% | 0.86 |
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