The primary CS:GO event of the brand new season ended with a banger of a sequence that pit the finalists of the 2021 Stockholm Main in opposition to one another in a decider match within the BLAST Premier Fall Teams. Although a lot has modified within the intervening years, together with nearly all of the rosters on each squads, the celebs remained in place, nonetheless shining: as soon as extra, it was s1mple versus NiKo, and but once more, it was the Ukrainian who got here out on prime in a close-fought sequence.
Greater than something, this sequence was a few resurgent efficiency of the new-look NAVI’s authentic parts, with the 2 Ukrainians, s1mple and b1t, carrying the group with a 1.35 and a 1.25 HLTV 2.0 rating, respectively, throughout the end line. This was particularly the case on Inferno, the place NAVI appeared to drop the ball at first after amassing a 10-5 lead on the CT aspect however discovering a brand new gear at 11-11 to shut the map out in regulation.
The primary half in Mirage was a extra even affair, but it surely had an analogous complexion, with the groups staying neck-and-neck till 11-11, courtesy of heroics by NiKo and huNter-, however as soon as extra, NAVI went on a tear to get three match factors, the third of which they managed to transform.
Finally, NAVI followers had been those who might breathe a sigh of reduction and take solace within the phrases of s1mple within the post-match interview. The legendary participant was filled with reward for his teammates, saying, “I’m so happy with every of our gamers […] the entire group is cheering everybody up,” jokingly including that “if I’m not going to be poisonous, it’s going to be superior.”
Learn extra: BLAST Premier Fall Groups CS:GO 2023: Scores, brackets, results
“They’re simply higher,” was NiKo’s succinct abstract. “We simply didn’t get up when it mattered within the essential rounds. It was chaotic on TeamSpeak, choices had been made poorly as properly, and that price us the sport.” If this was a reference to G2’s long-doubted in-game chief, the stats actually inform the identical story: HooXi completed the sequence with a -15 Ok/D and a 0.77 HLTV 2.0 ranking.
NAVI earned themselves a spot within the Fall Finals with this victory, consigning G2 to the shadows of the Showdown. With IEM Cologne simply across the nook, neither group has quite a lot of time to iron out the kinks and work out some much-needed enhancements. On the BLAST Premier Fall Teams, you possibly can afford to lose two sequence earlier than the knockout bracket: the Cathedral of Counter-Strike goes to be a lot much less forgiving.
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