EPICENTER 2018: the victory in the semis

NAVI move further!

The semifinals at EPICENTER 2018 had NAVI.GG.BET fight AVANGAR.GG.BET in a Bo3 series. The game on Dust2 went our way 16:11, and so did Train after a very close game, as we move to the finals.

Dust2 - Natus Vincere [1:0] Avangar

The first game kicked off with a pistol round going the way of NAVI. We converted the round into a few points, getting a slight lead. As we hit 4:0, AVANGAR managed to come online for the first time -  Zeus, left in a 1v2, killed 1 player but the remaining opponent surprised him. Another round was taken by the opponent before NAVI retaliated, but the singular round our way didn't really help. Ultimately, AVANGAR scored 5, and NAVI had to go for an eco.

The game tied at 6:6 after  electroNic picked up 3 kills. Our economy seemed to have stabilized, as we were getting some good guns. NAVI scored 8 points, securing the half just before the last round. As the half was coming to a close, AVANGAR tried for an A push, but we were ready to intercept the attempt - the half ends with 9:6.

The second half didn't go too well for us from the start, as B tunnels in the pistols round was a disastrous spot for us - we lost almost the entirety of the team. AVANGAR came very close to NAVI, with the score hitting 9:8. However, we didn't allow them to tie the game just yet, having gone on a 3-round streak. A couple of mistakes and missed bomb plants, however, gave AVANGAR another chance, with 12:11 on the board. The lead eluded them still, as we maintained the lead with 13:11.

The rounds were becoming close - the 15th point went the way of NAVI after an incredible defuse deny by  Edward, who was sitting at 4 HP. We had 5 match point to go, but we only needed 1 to close out the map - Dust2 goes the way of NAVI with 16:11.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	20-10	+10	81.6	1.35
Edward	23-14	+9	83.4	1.32
flamie	19-15	+4	74.2	1.21
Zeus	18-15	+3	75.2	1.20
electronic	16-18	-2	69.4	1.06

Train - Natus Vincere [1:0] Avangar

The first pistol round was a rather chaotic exchange -  s1mple managed to deny the defuse once, but got overwhelmed by the opponents. AVANGAR didn't convert this pistol into a significant round lead right away, though, as NAVI broke ahead with 2 on board. Teams started trading rounds -  AVANGAR claimed the lead briefly. Those trades didn't allow our team to establish a solid economy, so the game wasn't going stable just yet, as the teams were still dead even at 5:5.

After that, NAVI were able to capitalize on a round, taking a lead. The game was still close, but we had what it takes to close in on the 8th round. For the concluding round of the half, it seemed to go rather smoothly for us, until something went not quite as planned -  electroNic was left in a 1v1, but he still managed to close it favorably, as NAVI move into the second half with 9:6.

The pistol round went quite well for NAVI, as did the next one. However, starting from the third round, AVANGAR seemed to find their game - some rounds were closer than others, but still, a 5-round series for the opponent certainly put us in a tough position. Still, NAVI knew how to play on defense, and AVANGAR fell behind yet again.

As the game was coming to a close, NAVI closed in on the 15th round. We had 4 match points to work with, and had to use some of them. The first match point went the way of AVANGAR, but we didn't allow them to take the next one. As Terrorists ran out of time to plant the bomb in a clutch moment, NAVI close out the map 16:12, moving to the grand finals!

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	32-16	+16	111.2	1.71
electronic	18-17	+1	65.4	1.02
flamie	18-20	-2	78.9	0.98
Edward	13-20	-7	60.4	0.75
Zeus	13-19	-6	51.9	0.70

OVERALL MATCH STATS

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	52-26	+26	96.7	1.52
flamie	37-35	+2	76.6	1.09
electronic	34-35	-1	67.4	1.04
Edward	36-34	+2	71.7	1.03
Zeus	31-34	-3	63.3	0.93