EPICENTER 2018: Semifinals secured

NAVI.GG.BET fought with FaZe Clan in a Bo3 winners' finals at EPICENTER 2018 Group A. After 2 successful games, NAVI secure a spot in the semifinals of the event.

Train - Natus Vincere [1:0] FaZe Clan

The first game took place on Train. A lot of action happened straight in the first round - electroNic was left in a 1v3 situation, but FaZe didn't manage to defuse the bomb on time, and we got some weapons to convert that point into another - 2:0. However, 2 rounds for FaZe hurt our economy badly, so we went for an eco. The opponent converted their streak into 4 in a row.  NAVI weren't able to get any points, with no bomb plants to go. We were alternating between getting force buys, ecos, and full buys.

Only after 7 points for FaZe did NAVI manage to take their third point. Another point our way dealt significant economic damage to the opponent, as they weren't able to buy much.  Zeus was left in a 1v2 position, and he managed to deny the bomb defuse. Unfortunately, we still didn't catch up to the opponent, as they took the 8th round and secured the half at least. For the last round of the half, NAVI went for a fake onto A site, with a 5v5 retake by FaZe failing - the half closed at 6:9.

The pistol round was taken by NAVI yet again, with  electroNic and  flamie splitting the kills. With 2 more on board, we caught up to the opponent. Unfortunately, NAVI did not gain a significant lead, as FaZe forced 2 our players to save the AWPs. 23rd round had  electroNic, in an eco, play out a 1v2, denying the plant and taking the 11th point.

Unfortunately, we got reset right back in the next round. Still, a great plays coming from NAVI, with  Zeus spraying down 2 to give us another point. That defeat upset the FaZe economy. Still, the rounds were quite close, and it could still be anyone's game, especially economically. Still, a 3v3 retake allowed NAVI to claim the match point, as  Edward came online with a 3k. The last round had both teams buying up, but something went very wrong for FaZe - they had 1 player standing, as we take the first map 16:13.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	30-17	+13	95.9	1.56
electronic	28-14	+14	99.2	1.53
Zeus	16-19	-3	67.8	1.00
flamie	19-21	-2	73.0	0.95
Edward	12-20	-8	45.6	0.68

OVerpass - Natus Vincere [1:0] FaZe Clan

The pistol round on Overpass went the way of FaZe, as NAVI were playing 4v5 pretty much from the start. The force buy from NAVI in the round 2 paid off handsomely, as we managed to convert that point into 2 more, ending up at 3:1. As the game went on, we continued to solidify our advantage. For the 8th round of the half, FaZe came close to planting, but  electroNic was the one to deny it and clutch out the round. Finally, we claimed 8 points, taking the half at least.

FaZe were trying to come online in the half, but NAVI have already established a huge lead. We were avoiding the deaths as much as possible, which helped us build the economy. Eventually, we got 10 points; at that point, FaZe managed to take another point on board. As the half was approaching the conclusion, teams started trading rounds. The final round saw  s1mple fighting with  GuardiaN 1v1 -  s1mple triumphed, as NAVI move into the second half with 12:3 on the board.

The pistol round of the second half was taken by FaZe, but the following one went the way of NAVI, and we were swift to convert it into a series of rounds. Eventually, NAVI were the ones to claim the first match point. Granted, the fate of the game wasn't decided straight away, as FaZe still had the fire to take a round from us before we closed out the map 16:5.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	24-11	+13	89.6	1.67
electronic	20-11	+9	98.4	1.56
Zeus	15-12	+3	98.8	1.36
Edward	16-12	+4	97.2	1.32
flamie	15-10	+5	67.9	1.10

COVERAGE

Overall match stats

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	54-28	+26	93.2	1.60
electronic	48-25	+23	98.9	1.54
Zeus	31-31	0	80.8	1.15
flamie	34-31	+3	70.9	1.02
Edward	28-32	-4	67.3	0.93