GESC: to the semifinals!

A series to remember!

Another series of NAVI.GG.BET at GESC: Indonesia was against Fnatic. The match was an exciting one, with long games and plenty of action! Despite being behind, we clutch it out for a 2:1 victory and a ticket to the semis!

Game 1 - Natus Vincere [0:1] Fnatic

The first game started off quite well for NAVI, as we took initiative on the map right away. We've killed a few heroes around the map, while Fnatic struggled to do the same. Our Phantom Lancer was feeling fairly well, farming up and eventually taking the first place on the net worth chart. 

NAVI decided to go for the push, taking down a few towers and securing some map control, but the opponents did not have the possibility to do the same. After a few towers, we decided to go for the first Roshan of the game, but Атфешс were on point, engaging in the fight and stealing the first Roshan of the game. That slowed down our momentum a bit, as we decided to farm up.

A few skirmishes happened on the map, and the split push game was strong on our side. A few key items were coming for both teams - Crystallize decided to go for the Nullifier first instead of Manta Style: while it certainly undermined his escape capabilities, it certainly enhanced the offensive. Another series of pickoffs saw NAVI head back into the Roshpit, only to have Fnatic come back again in there.

After a big fight in our jungle, NAVI decided to go for the fourth Roshan of the game, but Fnatic were not ready to give it up, committing multiple buybacks. Only 3 minutes after did we manage to get inside and finish the job, getting that big objective. Following that, we slowly started to advance towards the enemy base, until 60 minutes in a big fight broke out, with multiple buybacks committed. Fnatic managed to defend, but the cost was a big one.

Fnatic decided to go for a smoke gank, and as we lost several heroes with no buybacks, the opponent took the fifth Roshan of the game and went for another high ground siege immediately - this cost us the bottom lane. Very soon, the game surpassed 65 and even 70-minute mark. The game was still remaining very close, and as the time was coming closer to another Roshan, the teams started to try and get vision advantage there. Ultimately, a fight broke out there, and we committed heavily expending buybacks.

Still, the Roshan was taken by Fnatic, and we lost a few heroes with no buybacks and chance to defend. As the opponents were in our base, there was no chance for us to force them back, and we lose the game 1 - it was quite a rollercoaster!

Game 2 - Natus Vincere [1:1] Fnatic

The second game started with the teams trading kills initially, carrying on with that aggression all the way into the mid-game. The early push was coming in from Fnatic, and NAVI had a hard time dealing with it, so we lost a few towers but still were in a good position. Gyrocopter was doing fairly well in the safe lane, while Sniper, on the other hand, was constantly ganked, and fell behind. Eventually, though, Dendi climbed back up with a few kills and farm.

25 minutes in Fnatic went for the first Roshan of the game, but NAVI was ready to intercept - despite the Roshan being slain by the opponent, not only did we manage to kill the bearer twice, but also took down other heroes of the Radiant, allowing us for the first high ground push - T3 down!

Fnatic decided to use split-push Luna, and that seemed to work out for a bit, yet a few team fights saw Fnatic fall further behind - the cooldowns for them were quite long, and NAVI were sure to play around it. Eventually, there was only bot T3 and a top barrack standing. 44 minutes, in, though, the said barrack fell after we picked up 3 kills. Roshan respawned timely - third Roshan for us. With all the advantage it gave us, we were ready to go on the offensive.

With the last remaining lane being the bottom one, NAVI gathered for the last push. The fight that unraveled there saw both teams fight for their life - Fnatic had to use the buybacks, Dendi used the Aegis, but in the end,  we got the job done, with a triple kill for Crystallize and a game 2 sealed - we move to the decider!

Game 3 - Natus Vincere [2:1] Fnatic

The first few minutes of the game saw active rotations from the 4th position players, and the midlane turned into the center of the action, with only occasional shifts to the side lanes. Crystallize felt very well in the top lane against Brewmaster, farming his items. Bottom lane, though, was not going too well for GeneRaL. There were many kills on the map, but we still needed quite a bit of gold. Lifestealer decided to go for the Radiance build, which changed the pace of our game to a much slower one.

23 minutes in NAVI went for the first Roshan of the game, yet Fnatic almost managed to intercept it. Unfortunately, the said Aegis was used up very soon, as Fnatic killed Lifestealer twice - only Dendi remained alive, because he was on the other side of the map, trying to finish his Shadow Blade. He got it eventually, but still missed damage to go along with it. Fnatic slowly captured the map, amassing the advantage.

36 minutes in Fnatic went for the first high ground siege, and the enemy Brewmaster attracted all the attention to himself, forcing us to get back, giving up the bottom T3 and a barrack. The game stalled again, Fnatic trying to get pickoffs, while NAVI were seeking farm with as few casualties as possible. A few items came our way, but the map space was limited for us.

After Fnatic got another Aegis and Shard, they went on the offensive in the middle lane, but as Death Prophet tried to use the ultimate, Tiny instantly engaged, destroying her before she dealt any significant damage, defending the base. A somewhat similar fight happened a few minutes later, resulting in T3 mid falling on the side of Fnatic.

Another Roshan was taken by Fnatic, and they re-engaged, with Mega-Creeps for them. We had a decent fight, but what followed left most people speechless. Perhaps, Lina is not the best Rapier carrier for some, but not for Dendi. With the BKB up, there was nothing stopping him as he melts the T4 towers of the opponent before they had a chance to do anything - GG WP, as we advance to the semifinals after a very drawn-out game!