ESL Pro League S8: victory over Windigo

NAVI score 6 points

NAVI.GG.BET played against Windigo in a dual Bo1 series at ESL Pro League S8. The first game on Overpass went our way at 16:8, and Mirage concluded with 16:11, as we take both maps.

Overpass - Natus Vincere [1:0] Windigo

The first game took place on Overpass. The pistol round was a good one for NAVI, as we claimed it, only losing 2 people. That gave us the strength to continue with the momentum. The round was converted into 2 more, and then even more, as even a buy round coming in from Windigo did not help them. Only 7 rounds in did the opponent manage to take their first round -  electroNic chose to save the M4A4. The next round went in a similar fashion, as NAVI decided against the retake.

As Windigo got their third point, NAVI ran into some economic difficulties and had to eco. When the scoreboard hit 6:4, NAVI pulled off a buy and got a good round, slowly approaching the 8 points. That 8th point kept eluding us, though, as the opponent managed to get the 5th point their way, but we still had enough to get good guns and win the 8th point, with  s1mple saving an AWP before the defuse. Towards the end of the half, teams traded rounds, with NAVI ultimately coming out on top with 9:6.

Pistol round of the second half went our way, so that converted into a 4 round lead for us. Windigo came online during the 5th round, and capitalized on that to deny us the plant in the coming one, forcing  s1mple, as the lone survivor, to save the AWP with a couple of exit frags. That save helped us in the coming round, as we hit the enemy economy quite badly. Finally, NAVI made it to the match point, and claimed the first game successfully at 16:8.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
electronic	27-9	+18	116.3	1.89
s1mple	26-12	+14	93.4	1.52
flamie	18-16	+2	81.4	1.11
Edward	14-15	-1	75.0	0.99
Zeus	9-17	-8	42.1	0.74

Mirage - Natus Vincere [1:0] Windigo

The second game's pistol round was taken by Windigo, like the following one. However, rounds 3 and 4 went our way, which blew a heavy hit to the economy of Windigo. A 3-round series for NAVI didn't work out too well for us, as we ran out if time to plant the bomb. The same story repeated in the next 2 round, as it was troublesome for us to get onto the bombsites, allowing Windigo to run away with a 3:5 lead. Yet NAVI didn't plan to let the opponent run away with a good lead, as we bounced back into the half.

Still, the game remained very close, as eventually, the game hit 7:6. Damage trades were coming in from both teams, so the rounds were quite close. Ultimately NAVI were the first ones to get to 8 rounds, and the last round of the half gave us a 3-point advantage, as we secure ourselves a fairly comfortable 9:6.

However, the second half's start was much less comfortable for NAVI. Windigo went on a spree straight away, and we only managed to take 1 round out of the first 5. However, NAVI woke up right after that streak, picking up 3 straight, 1 being a defuse. That gave us 13 points, and despite Windigo getting 1 off of us, it didn't help them much, as 3 confident rounds, with barely any casualties, seal the deal on Mirage - 16:11 the way of NAVI.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
electronic	30-13	+17	121.1	1.88
s1mple	24-12	+12	76.8	1.42
flamie	22-17	+5	83.3	1.30
Edward	15-15	0	71.6	1.09
Zeus	11-16	-5	44.0	0.81