ESL Pro League S8 Finals: victory over Ghost
NAVI makes it further ahead!
NAVI.GG.BET fought in a Bo3 series at ESL Pro League S8 Finals against 
Ghost. The tough series went all the way to an overtime and a decider map, but in the end, NAVI secures a cherished spot in the playoffs of the tournament!
Inferno - Natus Vincere [11:16] Ghost
The first game took place on Inferno. The first pistol round was taken by NAVI and the next one followed the suit. However, Ghost managed to come online in the third round, and didn't let go of the game for 6 consecutive rounds. Despite coming close a few times, NAVI were unsuccessful in stopping this streak. By 8th round, NAVI were down 2:6. We finally managed to muster a decent buy, but yet again, failed to capitalize on it. Both teams took 3 rounds in a row by the end of the half, and NAVI closed it with 5:10 on the board.
The second half started with a pistol round for Ghost. This time around, though, NAVI were able to strike right back and capitalize on that, as we got another round right off the bat. Ghost traded back one, as they were still sitting on a considerable round advantage. The opponent was unable to take more than 1 round at a time, which prevented them from establishing a solid economy. Teams were trading back and forth, with a clutch coming from NAVI's double AWP setup. Unfortunately, soon NAVI encountered severe economic problems, and as the score hit 11:15, NAVI were left with just about nothing - 16:11, as we drop the map
| Player | Kill/Death | +/- | ADR | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| s1mple |
25-17 | +8 | 97.4 | 1.38 |
 electronic |
16-16 | 0 | 65.0 | 1.00 |
| Edward |
15-19 | -4 | 67.1 | 0.83 |
| Zeus |
16-24 | -8 | 67.3 | 0.75 |
| flamie |
10-20 | -10 | 53.7 | 0.49 |
Natus VincereTrain - Natus Vincere [19:16] Ghost
The second map started off with a nice recovery by NAVI, as we managed to retake and defuse. We capitalized on that, getting 3 points more before Ghost came on board. They started their own streak, and NAVI slowly conceded the 4-round lead they had. NAVI went for a half-buy in the 8th round, and despite getting next to nothing done, we still had the means to get some decent guns and utility. That allowed NAVI to deny Ghost not only the possibility to skyrocket ahead, but also prevented a reset. Till the end of the half, neither team snatched a decisive advantage, with the half ending at 7:8 for NAVI.
NAVI started the second half on a positive side, getting 2 rounds for ourselves and establishing a lead. Ghost took 1 off of us, but we reset them right back. The scoreboard showed 10:10. A double reset from NAVI spelled quite an economic disaster for Ghost, as we continued to rack up round after round. Unfortunately, we failed to do a proper execute in the 24th round, and Ghost capitalized on that to come on board again, but didn't carry the momentum over properly. NAVI hit the 15th round, but Ghost had different plans - overtime live.
The first round of the overtime was taken by NAVI with an early bomb plant. The whole first OT half was a NAVI show, as we swept across the half, getting all 3 points, stopping 1 short. Ghost took 1 off in the second half, but NAVI were reluctant to give that opportunity to the opponent, as we hit the final nail in the coffin of Ghost on Train - 19:16 in the OT, as we move to the third map!
| Player | Kill/Death | +/- | ADR | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| s1mple |
40-21 | +19 | 113.1 | 1.73 |
| electronic |
22-22 | 0 | 70.7 | 1.15 |
| Edward |
21-22 | -1 | 69.8 | 1.05 |
| Zeus |
21-24 | -3 | 66.3 | 0.97 |
| flamie |
22-24 | -2 | 64.7 | 0.95 |
Mirage - Natus Vincere [16:6] Ghost
The decider map's pistols went the way of Ghost. They managed to run away with the pistol and followed it up with 3 more. NAVI finally managed to go online on the third map with a defuse, converting that point into another round. Ghost snatched one away, but NAVI bounced right back up, this time establishing a solid series. NAVI were pretty much an unstoppable force all the way till the end of the half; we seemed to get a good read on the strategies of the opponent, as [:ua:] Zeus was calling solid shots. The half ended with 9:6, as Ghost finally managed to get 1 at the very end, yet our lead was still solid.
The second half followed the suit - all NAVI players had an amazing game. Ghost failed to come online in the second half, as they were getting shut down massively, and even the gun round didn't help the opponent much. Eventually, NAVI hit 15 points, and Ghost still had yet to score. Both teams approached the round fully armed, and NAVI gave the opponent no chance - we take the map 16:6 and the series 2:1, securing a spot in the playoffs.
| Player | Kill/Death | +/- | ADR | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| electronic |
18-10 | +8 | 83.0 | 1.51 |
| Edward |
21-14 | +7 | 98.0 | 1.42 |
| flamie |
18-9 | +9 | 83.4 | 1.37 |
| s1mple |
18-9 | +9 | 69.4 | 1.30 |
| Zeus |
14-12 | +2 | 89.7 | 1.27 |
OVERALL MATCH RESULTS
| Player | Kill/Death | +/- | ADR | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| s1mple |
83-47 | +36 | 96.6 | 1.49 |
| electronic |
56-48 | +8 | 72.1 | 1.19 |
| Edward |
57-55 | +2 | 76.3 | 1.07 |
| Zeus |
51-60 | -9 | 72.7 | 0.97 |
| flamie |
50-53 | -3 | 66.0 | 0.90 |
