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BLAST Fall Final 2024, Semifinals: Team Vitality vs G2 Esports & Natus Vincere vs FaZe Clan
09-28-2024 · 9h 41m
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finals and the forum is
today marks semifinal sat
remain in line for that
spears alongside steco pim
fans turning up today. We
long to witness who will
premiere champion. Gentle
amazing show yesterday.
better, Jacob. I mean, we
in the world taking this
regardless of the outcome
we got at hand. I think whoever gets into that final will give us a show in a best of
five game. So yes, I am really positive today. I'm happy and I'm excited to see some colors.
I'm shocked. I've never seen Jacob with a smile on his face. This must mean we've got
some good counter strikes today, Stiko. Absolutely. I mean, as Jacob said, four best teams in
the world currently with a form that they're showing should be a good show. How has
it been for you, Stiko? I don't ask you every day, but are you addicted to the
Analysts life. Yeah, it's challenge, but in a good way. Why? I
mean
It's a good question. You know, it's pretty overwhelming
There's a lot of stuff going on around and you have to make sure that your own point and you're kind of gathering your thoughts
For the audience in a good manner, but it's it's fun. I think you've been doing an excellent job selfishly
I want you here all the time. I don't want you to go back to playing
I'm really sorry to say that's deco speaking of games
We can take a look at the playoff bracket because we had two quarterfinals going down yesterday
day. One slightly more competitive than the other. I think we should start off with the
white wash that was FaZe vs Team Liquid. I was hoping for a more competitive game, particularly
after what we saw in Colen, which was one of the tightest games of that entire tournament.
And I think there was a fair expectation to have coming into that game. We obviously
know the history between FaZe and Liquid, between Twist and FaZe as well. And there
was a lot of star lines coming into the game. Unfortunately, Liquid weren't able
to show up whatsoever yesterday and it's a bit of a two sides to the coin you know
obviously Liquid didn't play well we had ultimate being on the stage for the
first time where Liquid kind of falling apart in the middle portion of that
first map and never really recovering but also face clan playing way about the
little that we've seen from the past so I think it's a bit of both obviously
for Liquid to go out in that fashion that is disappointing but for them to
lose to face in itself on a stage maybe not too big of a surprise.
100% and also studio wise this game would be completely different probably
But again, we're in front of the arena where just one side had too much of an advantage when it comes to experience.
And maybe that was the deciding factor, why it happened the way it did.
Yeah, potentially. I mean, for Liquid, obviously, it's going to be a disappointing result.
There's somebody that I want to look at that has been particularly disappointing over the course of this event.
It's not down to just one individual specifically, but Ykinda, he's a man that we always want more from,
because of what we've seen with him previously in this career.
I mean, he's set the buying quadruple high for himself.
A couple of years ago I think he was taunted at being
accurately the best entry fragger in the world.
He was so successful.
He was so aggressive, so good in the aim duels.
But it's been a couple of years now
and even with the transition into Counter-Strike 2,
he hasn't re-found that level.
I know context for this tournament was that he's been feeling
a little bit ill, a little bit under the weather.
However, I don't want to use this as an excuse
because I feel like the level and the form we see
from your kinder has been somewhat similar
for the past year.
He can't find his footing when in Team Liquid
from an individual standpoint
and to leave as one of the biggest issues this team right now is facing.
Ever since he left the Virtus.Growr roster to reach his international endeavors,
I think that we've not been able to see a Steer-Yakindar like we know them before
and maybe what we have some standard of.
And also, leaving the tournament as the lowest-rated player, that stinks.
Yeah, that really does.
Tell me a little bit about Osmoot, from your perspective, Stiko,
because as Fax pointed out to us, this was his first big stage he's ever played on.
What can that feel like as a player?
You're so used to those Judo environments, not having a big crowd in front of you, particularly cheering against Judo as well, because Karrigan's on the other side, that's always a nice thing to experience.
Yeah, again we have a stat baseline from his group stage games where there was no crowd and there we have one game where there was a crowd and the disparity is huge, I would say.
Well, from my point of view, when you're actually in the game, you really ignore the crowd, you really ignore the surroundings.
All there is is the game, are there teammates and coach behind you.
But the lead up to the game can actually affect mentality of the player, preparation, the overall quality, how he behaves on that day.
All these little things are actually going long way in competitive environments such as Counter-Strike.
That's the issue for a Fault Summit. As you said, we only have one sample size.
sample size, that game yesterday versus face on the stage.
Apart from that, it's been in group stage environments,
been in studio environments.
Last time they played, you spoke about the match
being fantastic, the whole comeback coming in for face.
He was the reason Liquid were leading 11 to 1 on Mirage,
the third deciding map when they were playing in Cologne.
Ultimate was firing on all cylinders,
he was aggressive, he was assertive.
He was actually the best player on the server
going up against face.
So for him to miss yesterday and not be apparent at all,
was a huge miss, only for him, but also for Team Liquid.
What's our take on now for Manor?
we just saw on our screen after yesterday's form.
Cheeseburger.
Yeah.
I would say grade recovery apart from the cheeseburger.
What does a cheeseburger even mean, Jacob?
What?
He's palatable to everyone.
He's fine.
Everyone enjoys him.
I guess it just makes him sound so lackluster.
No, listen, this is for you.
He's like the chicken or ale.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
You walk into McDonald's and you buy a cheeseburger
and you know exactly what you get.
It's not too expensive.
It's not too cheap.
quality without being too over the top and that is not for you will always
deliver a teaspoon will always be great it's always gonna have a great taste to
it it's never gonna be too expensive never gonna cost any trouble your
stomach is gonna be just fine with a teaspoon and I feel like that is what
math is all about he's not costing any issues at all he's always gonna show up
and he's never gonna be too expensive for a team liquid to have a wonderful
they say Brits have poor taste Danes Danes really do take the case don't
they you don't have any paler ass with your twitch yet would love that
Cheeseburger? Yeah, probably. Anyway, Cico, Cheeseburger's aside, what's your take on
NAF at the moment? No, no, no, Cheeseburger's still in the game. Cheeseburger and Malta in
APL wasn't that great. Obviously, NAF, that was this worst tournament in the whole year
of Liquid, and it's really great that we've seen the resurgence here in...
He was playing like a hand burger in Malta, and I guess that's the difference.
Let's talk a bit about Spira. Obviously, that was our first quarter-final going down
yesterday. Much more competitive affair versus G2. Still a new two-match, though,
And it came down to such a G2 comeback for them to be seen again.
Yeah, I'm starting to get worried on behalf of Team Spirit.
I'm not going to lie.
I think what we've seen the past couple of months have been very, very worrying signs.
We obviously saw them start at the group stage of Copenhagen as well.
Not playing good Counter-Strike.
They came into Cologne where they fell apart completely.
Couldn't get anything done.
Then you were hoping for with surgeons during Crowley.
You're hoping for with surgeons coming into the glassfall finals right here.
And it's not happening right now.
You have Donk, arguably one of the best players in the world.
if not the best, but the support cast around him right now is not working.
So I'm starting to get worried about what's going on.
Absolutely agree.
And also we are not going to see this resurgence anytime soon
because this team is actually not going to fly to the next big tournament
right after this one in IEM Rio, which is something that they chose on their own behalf.
Yeah, they've not been a stranger to skipping some events
throughout 2024, make that what you will.
Let's talk about Stiko's top five player of the year, Shiro.
he picked us two on himself yesterday upon reflection he said hey this is the
reason why we lost you buying into that as was it all him I mean I love the
accountability that he's taking for himself but it is true that shiro it's
just kind of disappearing this event or was disappearing this event same
rating together as on ticks I believe which is just for over that is
contending for the top five and I'm trying to make a case for him whole
tournament he's making extremely difficult for me so I'm not thank you
for that I think sure found a decent amount of impact on those two
especially with the AWP in the opening department as well.
So for him to say it was on him, maybe speaks more about, you know,
what he thinks he should be delivering, how much impact he feels he should be
getting out of himself.
But I don't think he was the issue yesterday.
Obviously it wasn't the difference maker throughout the entire game.
He fell out of the game on Mirage as well,
despite having a couple of heroic moments.
But I'm not going to lie.
You know, I don't think there's a certain player
who can point towards the spirit run and be like,
you're the issue or you're not performing well enough.
It just feels like the entire team is falling a bit flat behind Don.
And even Don himself have gone down a couple of matches in the middle as well.
The team are beauties, Gigi Wildblade, she too.
Make of that what you will, because the team that frustrated yesterday, right?
Don't continuing with, you know, not monitor smashing,
but he's got his head in his hands, hair in his hands.
It's not the face that you want to be seeing from somebody
who could still be in the conversation to be the best player in the world.
Perfect. And well, we have Don here as well coming into the play.
He has just not been himself throughout the tournament, absolutely matching up against G2 and Niko particularly.
It's just throwing the beautiful picture of their head to heads and we've been talking about it.
The biggest counter to dunk in Counter-Strike 2 is the man called Niko.
And the context you provided just before, you know, by saying they're not going to review,
it leaves a bit of a gap in the Canada for Team Spirit right now, where they have two choices to make.
Do we stick with this lineup, do we power practice coming into the Major and hopefully qualifying for the Major,
Or do we make the change right now given we have time where we're not going to wheel where it can make the difference?
So I think right now if you're Team Spirit probably as of you know in this very moment
They're considering should we try to replace someone should we try to bring in perfect
And should we try to bring in some other serious talent?
Do we stick with what we got and hope it's gonna get better for the major Jacob?
I'm just getting some breaking news in you are actually being awarded the new position of manager of team spirit
Please tell me are you making roster changes? What would you make? What would you do?
I hate you. It depends on the budget depends on who you can get and again
I brought up a name like perfecto
I feel like if you can bring him into the mix then that could be interesting again
How is he gonna fare with these guys? What is his history with them chopper as well as an in-game leader?
You see his stats for this tournament. He's also been going down the drain
Magics used to play some an awful lot. He's playing rough position
He's not getting a lot of freedom to move around, but he's also dropped in little so as I said
I don't feel there's a player who can point towards and say,
you're the problem, you're the problem, you're the problem.
Maybe they can try to change up roles within the team.
We spoke about Santex having very restrictive anchor roles
in a lot of different maps,
but when he's not on Mirage, he's playing at a high level.
So maybe there's still another run
within this five iteration of Team Spirit,
but something's got to change.
You're not going to show up at the major,
or the major qualifier for that matter,
playing the same brand of Counter Strike
we have the past couple of months,
because they won't even make it.
Hasantex saved himself after what was an abysmal T-side
to be starting off this tournament in the group stage.
He definitely had the redeemed moments, but it's just not enough and it's not good enough
as well, but you can't really put any issues on the player when you ask him for the replacement
because, well, clearly Zontex is saying that the problems that they're facing are mental
and that's really not, you know, you can't really point fingers looking at the players,
looking at the stats, looking at the rating, etc, etc.
Can you translate this for us, Tika?
Because you had a really good way of actually framing this to understand whatever Shakespeare
shit is.
So obviously, Zontik is not that great in English, but I'm trying to decipher this as
something that he would say when it comes to problems in isolation, something that people
are liking, that winning mentality, something that hungers, that spark that they were
having maybe throughout the Katowice.
Once problems arise, it's really difficult to actually fix them, especially for such
young group of people when we have some things, Dong and Chiro for that matter.
And to me that's the most interesting part about this whole conversation with Spirit.
We had Dong coming into the season and out of nowhere he plays like the best player in the world.
Out of nowhere he goes to Katowice and pulls out one of the greatest individual performances of
all time. Now all of a sudden he finds himself in a scenario with his team where things are
not working out. He's never faced any adversity, he's never faced any bad period, he's never
faced individual struggles himself. So how do you deal with that from a mental standpoint?
I'm afraid that if they don't get dunked on a control, because we saw his body language, we saw him tell them, we saw him sitting like this throughout the entire game.
That's the first issue they got to face, because if they lose dunk and his ability, then I said it before and I'll heavily say it again.
Spirit with the way they're playing right now, they're not a top 7, they're not a top 18 without dunk being the best player in the world.
Well, they've got a little bit of time to be kind of rekindling themselves, regrouping, re-mentaling, I guess, because they've got a bit of time off.
because Rio no longer in store for spirit. It's going to be wild finals first alongside
Liquid too. What should spirit be doing in that time off? I said it before and I'll
have to say it again either you change positions within the team you perhaps give
Sontek a bit more responsibility on the server, see if that's going to change
anything you have a heart talking between the members, you address the
donk situation as well his mental capacity will hopefully he'll learn
from this right he's still young and I'm not pointing fingers at him it's
completely normal to react like that when you're a young guy but I think
something's got to change whether it's a roster change or if its positions within the team something's got to change
Well, we had three more winners coming out of yesterday if we're looking at our traded place of the days for day number three
This was from the quarterfinals. What got the third best play of the day?
I mean, there was so many great plays yesterday and so many great aces and Jks is the first one up for it
He was keeping liquid alive with the AK 47 on the CT side single-handedly trying to make them competitive against faceclans pulling
of a nice ace but it wasn't enough for JKS.
Our Malves ace on the other hand going to perform this beauty today as well and well he had such
an impactful round to close out the game against Spirit, actually the map against Spirit obviously
and this kind of showed in the interview as well where teammates, he feels like teammates
believe in him more when he gets drops of AKs like this and it's beautiful to see
that he's finding that footing.
For me the greatest story yesterday was to see Rob's play at an incredible high
picking up the secondary op role on Mirage, getting the job done.
The first two kills are decent. Kill number three is awesome.
Kill number four is out of this world. And number five, even better.
To see Rob's play at this level, flicking those scopes, picking up the op,
that's exactly what we wanted from him and exactly what FaZe needs.
Yeah, the Rob's of Surgeons couldn't have come at a more opportune moment
before the side of FaZe can't. But, GG Bat predictions time.
Um, there's a murderer among us.
Steepo, you had a steal. What did you choose to do with that?
Get the man out of this competition.
You killed Anders!
Oh my God, are a Pianters, um, sorry.
It should be fair, I did all of us a favor.
You know, we were thinking about it, we all wanted to do it, and you did it.
He did it to himself on the first two days.
My God, he was in there with some crazy picks.
But let's take a look at today's schedule to see exactly what's on the cards.
Two semi-finals coming your way.
G2 Esports versus Vitality, gonna be up first, then phase versus Navi.
so bam it's stacked for today which sees us into our predictions for the day I'm
interested to see if I potentially can take down Jacob today oh no you're on it
oh no you're 11 and we've picked the same. There's a lot of yellow there. Oh and Anders actually doesn't even
they don't even give him a chance to resurrect himself he's just out see you later.
To be fair Henry is going for it you know going for G2 going for faces he's
keeping himself in the competition. That is wild well I guess we're all in
agree and so I think we all agree that we should be getting this game underway.
It's G2 taken on Vitality after the short break.
The return of G2 to the forum after shutting down Spirit yesterday.
Now they have to face up against an arguably more formidable opponent in Vitality
because the Hive, they've been thriving post player break already netting the trophy
a decade in the making back at the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne.
And Jacob, they are not satisfied yet.
They've said, okay, we've got a big trophy in our cabinet.
We want more.
we're hungry for more.
Well they need more if they want to challenge us to be the best team in the world.
Right now there's no doubt that is Na'Vi, they've been playing on all cylinders, they've
been doing a great job for themselves, they've been hoisting trophies, they won pro league
coming into this tournament.
Vitality still have a dream of claiming that title as being the best team of 2024
and for that to happen.
They need to win today and they need to win this tournament.
How far do you think the disparity is between Vitality and Na'Vi for that
battle for number one at the moment to go?
Honestly, when I'm looking at best of three I think the disparity is higher than
the best of five. I think actually on a couple of the maps I think I tell it against surprise
really now and I'm hopefully going to see them battle it out but that's my prediction. Yeah fingers
crossed we do have that potentially on the cards in the grand final but talking about this match
about hand. These two rosters never faced off against each other. The last time they did go
head to head was back at IEM Dallas and I'm going to put it out there right now Jacob by
Tally. They should have won that looking at the roster that G2 came in with. Young stew there
Yeah, they should have taken this one.
Well, let's be honest, right, Vitality fumbled the back.
They're going through a grand final against a team playing with a stand-in against a team
that couldn't really figure out whether or not they're going to play with Hoopsy,
whether they're going to win with Snacks, they have Stu2K coming in as a stand-in.
And if you're Vitality at that moment, you've got to seize that opportunity.
You've got to claim that trophy, especially if your ambition is to be the best team in the world.
So I agree with you. They fumbled the back completely.
I met Apex actually yesterday and he said that I quote, we f'ed it up.
So, I think he's aware and I think they're even more hungry for the rematch.
Yeah, and I think with this rematch there's a lot of things going into it.
Of course, the individuals of the game plan and I'm interested to hear why Pigs have to say about those very matters.
This G2, you've never faced them with snacks and mouths. For you personally, when you've looked at them,
do you see much difference in the playstyle and how they work?
Yes, of course. I think it's a lot different than the way they used to be with Uxy.
I think it's less tactic now, I would say than before, but they have really strong individuals,
stronger than they had with Oxy, like with three insane players and Ancer being a bit
trained right now, so I think if when they all show up it can be such a big thing, so
different than before, but better for everyone.
For the Vito, were you surprised from them at all because the Anubis pick came through
and the fact that obviously they tried Inferno, they tried Dust2, they can't seem to get it
against you on a pick what's funny with g2 and right now when you look at the
statistics I don't think they have a good map but you don't have a bad map
either they between 60 and 70% on all six maps they try to play our weakest
one why not we find with that we expected a lot of people to pick it
against us the next few four tournaments because it was our lower
our lower map and and we expected that we bit liquid in it they for me
the best team in the world on it we should have won against a
with enough fire in the APL.
But that's the way it is.
We really don't know about,
I think the pros and cons doesn't show
the potential we have and the level we have,
so let's see how it goes.
One thing I always love about getting Apex in the game
is he always says it, how it is,
saying, now G2 with Snacks, let's tactical of the team.
You agree with that?
Yes, somewhat I do.
I feel like nothing's really changed from Hoocsi and Snacks
and he said that I have changed
and that was a certain way of defaulting,
certain way of approaching.
The game will change when you change during game leader,
But at the end of the day, it still comes down to the individual.
If Moniz is having a great game, if Niko is having a great game,
and Malph is having a great game,
they get the freedom to express themselves on the server.
And for my money, that's the least tactical approach
you can possibly have.
And he also said in a very sentence that they are more hungry for firepower,
I would say, which doesn't necessarily show in the stats,
because snacks and hooksy comparison is one thing.
But also, we have to add 100 to the equation,
and he's just not having a good time right now.
obviously one of the lowest player, the lowest player non-fragging IGL on this event so far.
Let's put the firepower upside down and look at the positives for vitality because Zairu, okay,
people always say group stage merchant, whatever, I'm just glad that he's showing up and looking
really hungry, I mean, obviously that Astralis came to signed, that was a miracle in and of itself
but I love that we've seen that consistent form with him basically coming out the player break, right?
I feel like it seems to be a trend for Zairu and his penitent trend the last couple of years
in the last couple of years that he's starting the year off by being good, by being great,
and then he's ramping up slowly as we get into the season.
I think if you look at the past three months, I would argue Saibu has been the best player
in the world, the most consistent player in the world as well, and he's only getting better
by the looks of it.
So I agree with you.
It's always fun to have a player like Saibu go up against a guy like Moniz, he head
to head in the server.
And right now Saibu is firing on all sectors.
Is it better to feel Saibu like this from the tip of the stage than playing against
him because he's always going to deliver, no matter what he has.
He has AKs, he has Ops, he's super flexible on pistol, he's one of the greatest pistol players.
He's clutching, he's opening, he's doing it all, and he's doing it all at this tournament so far.
He's perfect!
He really is! You couldn't ask for a better offer, could you?
And you also couldn't ask at the moment for a better cast supporting around him,
because finally we're getting to see some consistent form from the other stars of Vitality, right?
Flamesy and Spinks as that, you know, formidable duo.
They've been looking really hot so far this tournament.
Especially since they lost to G2 in Dallas, they did fumble the back, they couldn't really get it done.
Spinks, there were even rumors about him asking to be able to leave the team or to seek opportunities elsewhere,
but he's been coming alive again, he's playing a great tournament so far, same to be said for Flamesee,
so I agree with you.
Saivou is one thing, having actually the best player in the world turning up right now,
but when he support-casts there as well, it makes it so much easier for Apex to make all the right and wrong calls.
I mean, he's just perfect match to what I will sometimes isn't able to do and he's able to finish off the pieces.
So, Stiko, can you tell me from your perspective if you, you know, you had a player like Spings on your roster, he's expressed, you know, he's not super happy,
even though they've been relatively consistent over the first half of 24, still no trophies prior to Cologne in their cabinet.
If you've got a teammate that's expressing that to you, what's the best way of going to it?
because I feel like Vitality, whatever they did obviously worked really well.
They kind of cracked the code with him.
First of all, I have to say I respect that he sang it out loud
and publicly towards the players, towards the coaching staff.
I feel off. I need to be facilitated more.
I need more resources.
And this is great showing of maturity as well.
This is just not going behind someone's bag
and trying to get into another team.
He's up front and I think that helped by Vellet
because they are actually putting him into more like Star Wars roles in a sense.
Yeah, I think the openness, I would argue, it shows that, you know,
he didn't necessarily want to leave Vitality, it was more something
that could have presented an opportunity, and when trophies are lacking in your cabinet,
then, you know, maybe it is tempting to go, okay, there's something,
an offer on the horizon to me, is it better, is it worse? I'm not sure.
I mean, we never know what motivates each individual.
We never really know whether he was unhappy about certain roles within the team,
certain players about a management issue, time constrictions, all the traveling you name it.
You don't really know what was motivating Spinks to do so, but back to the meta, he's playing well
now, winning Sol all all issues and I guess it's a great reminder that as long as you win, as long as
you hoist the trophies, you get into the semi-finals and the finals, all those issues no longer
exist inside the players. I mean getting Zairu, getting Spinks and getting Flamesee as well.
Stiko, tell me what it's like to play up against Flamesee when he's on top form, he's taken
He's always winning them, he's getting that aggression in.
It's insane, and he's also very methodical, and in a sense he's very much sticking to the system,
sticking to the strategy, making sure that those hits on sides that he's holding in the anchor positions,
they're more reliability at all.
Let's talk about the two sides of the coin when it comes to Jutri and Vitality,
because you noticed something very interesting about the CT sides, didn't you, Siko?
Oh yeah, I wrote it down. So Vitality for so far, this tournament, the best CT side, all across the board.
G2 on the other hand, the worst one. And I'm comparing even to Astralis, which obviously bombed out of the tournament, G2 is still worse.
Yeah, I feel like Astralis can probably inflate it by Tally's stats, but either way, it was up to them to get that 13-0, right?
Yeah, it was. And it's been the case for a long time that Vitality are consistent on both sides.
We know they're good on the CT side, especially enabled by Saibou's impact, by Spinks, by Flamesee,
and then the T-Sides as well have been immaculate from Apex and the Corning coming in.
So I'm not really surprised to hear that Vitality right now are chopping the charts,
but as you said, they win against Astralis where you win 13-0, you get 12 CT rounds.
It's definitely inflating the stats a little bit.
Let's talk about G2 and the form that we saw yesterday versus Spira.
Let's start off with the good, because Niko, he really showed up to the stage.
I mean, it makes sense, right? You got Death, Life, taxes, Niko showing up on stage.
We love that.
I mean, he is doing what he has to do, and obviously he's pairing the team together with Monasi
and at times with Malphs as well.
As we said, the Malphs discussion is a little bit off because of the disparity between his CD side and his side,
but you know, it's all coming together, and for T sides he's actually finding a lot of impact,
but for CD side, that's where the issue kind of arises.
Yeah, it is, and we heard it from Apex himself.
You know, he feels that right now G2 is playing a little less tactical counter-strike,
allowing more freedom to the players.
As much as we want to say that it's great to see Niko show up, it's almost demanding by him, right?
He has to show up, but all that freedom he's getting with the ability to say,
I'm going to go here, I'm going to do that, even being the secondary caller within the team.
If you weren't showing up, that would be a massive issue.
So I'm happy to see it, but I want to see it consistently and I want to see it again today.
And we've got to talk about it in the context of the rumors that are indeed circulating about, you know,
Niko's future with G2 potentially floating across to the Falcons at the end of the year,
Which Jacob really changes the conversation when we're talking about Moms, because I mean for him surely he's waiting in the wing if this is indeed true to be, you know, I guess being promoted and taken over the positions of Niko.
I mean if it's true and if it's going to happen and if Niko is moving to Falcons then it makes an awful lot of sense to sign a guy like Malphs and slowly integrate him into the lineup.
On the T side he's doing guards work for this team. He's really finding his impact. He's giving the freedom to express himself on the C side
He's a CT side. Sorry. He's a little bit restricted right now
And you can see that reflecting in his rating even said in an HLTV interview that he's sometimes getting a bit bored playing these anchor roles
So if Nico were to leave and open up that space for Melts, that would be absolutely fantastic
And they are giving him trust, you know, we saw it yesterday one of the highlights of the day
him being gifted an AK-47 in a hero-AK scenario and he's delivering with an AISO.
It is a team that is starting to trust him, but I think he should be given more responsibility
and he will automatically give Niko virtuality.
He could very well be the new Niko of G2 once it kind of goes into the way of him
going to Falcons, if you remember.
Now we've been treated to so many incredible head to heads, not least because we've had,
you know, all top five players in the world arguably take into the stage and we get
Once again, we get it between Zaru and that of monocy.
How do you compare these two OrpAs when they go ahead to head to speak up?
Wow, like both probably two most impactful people on the server that you can get at this stage.
And obviously the style itself is pretty flexible, I would say.
You know, they have to do what they have to do when it comes to system of the team.
Obviously monocy is leaning away from the system sometimes,
but he has to do that because we are looking at those individuals on the G2 side.
However, Vitality, I think what they're doing with Saibu, I think he wouldn't be able to get that resource anywhere else in the world.
And that's why, power-claiming is the face of the team.
If you were to find a difference between the two, I'd argue Saibu is slightly more consistent, and Monacy is slightly better at creating the game himself.
You know Monacy in the zone, he can out of nowhere create a round, he can out of nowhere get in the zone and take over the game in a way.
And obviously Saibu had the same ability, but he's a little bit more reliant on being set up by Apex and being set up by the system.
So the way Monacy are playing is also sort of like a reflection of how G2 thinks about Counter-Strike that individually
He has to take that responsibility where as for Saibu
He's getting a bit of help from Apex and getting a bit of help from the support cast around
Where do you think Monacy is at mentally at the moment because it's been you know a little bit of a roller coaster for G2
We have that honeymoon at EWC post roster change
Where do you think he's out with the Niko rumors playing around as well?
I mean, I think he's praying for Niko not to leave. I would love to see Niko and Monacy play together for many many years
And if I'm Niko I wouldn't leave Monacy around
Okay, we do get the video coming in. Last time around it was Inferno, Anubis and Nuke.
Are we going to see changes today, Jacob?
I think so, you know, and Apex were kind of hinting it a little bit that there's a potential
Ponies pick coming in from the side of T2 and I think we are going to see that right here.
Anubis being picked, and if I'm not mistaken, is that the first time at the tournament
we get to see a bit of Anubis?
Maybe, yeah!
No, I know, okay.
But I haven't seen any of this.
Dust2 picked him by Vitality. I mean, they've been saying Apex at the very
Loose has been saying feel like the best team in the world on this right now. Got a prove it versus G2
New band no inferno
I think the crowd was a little bit sad about that. That does leave us with mirage and that is
The best map in the map pool and the perfect way to potentially end this game
So I'm happy for the map pool both for the side of G2 obviously but also vitality and noob is dust to a mirage
And let's be honest
They're all very dusty maps and they're all maps where it's open
It's it's again a map where you look at those two you look at anubis you look at mirage as an individual
You can express yourself so if you do too right now
You should feel somewhat comfortable that it doesn't get too technical things and get so puggy things to get messy things and get chaotic
We absolutely love that seco you had some thoughts there about the side that vitality chose to start on because a g2 will be
Starting on the t-side of a new list the map that they chose
What do you think about how you choose to start CT?
That's true. So Anup is definitely with most T-sided map right now in the post.
So it makes sense that you want to start on the T-side and you want to grind those runs early on and
potentially even win the landslide victory and then hoping to see T-side with having to win like what two three rounds to close it out
Potentially not even showing that's a T-side for the future. Well, it didn't happen
They're starting that CT side and they're choosing to do so maybe they have a game plan
But we will have to see the pressures on right because if you T2 right now
I'm going to be bluntly honest if you want to weigh into this series if you want a chance of beating my telly
You've got to win your own map picks
So you are applying pressure by coming in with a bit of a punish pick you're applying extra pressure by choosing decide you want to
Start on so you've got to get it to work
You've got to win that and it was otherwise but tell me it's gonna run away
Do you feel like there is more pressure on mouths and money at the moment with all those rumors floating rounds about Niko?
Do you think there's more pressure on them to be performing because they know I mean unless of their choosing they also choose to leave
of G2, maybe, just maybe.
Do you think that they're feeling that pressure right now?
I don't want to build any conspiracy.
And I have to say that if I'm players like this,
I'm focusing on the present moment, present tournament.
I'm still wearing the G2 jersey.
I need to represent them the best I can.
Well, thank you so much, gentlemen, for your support.
It is time to kick off semi-final Saturday.
Pistol! Add his name to the red, people.
He needs to move!
For our semi-finals,
and we are blessed for the teams
that we have here competing still.
What about Na'Vi, we got some Na'Vi fans here?
Even this seems pretty split, I like this.
And finally, G2!
Teams have championship winning potential
and all of them are fighting with everything they have
to lift this trophy on Sunday.
But it's about getting there today.
So, Coban Hagan, I wanna hear you guys so loud.
I wanna hear you guys go absolutely crazy.
I wanna hear you go from top of the roof
all the way down to the floor screaming and shouting
at every kill.
Are you with me?
Naxx's squadron continued their crusade forward.
United, they stood tall above the rest.
Monosy took A and with spirit in the crosshair,
the dragon was shot down.
Team Vitality.
Vitality brought the bugs to Copenhagen.
Reminding teams that if you play with Hornets,
You're bound to get stuck.
They prepare to swarm this day.
The G2 greatness lies within reach,
while Vitality aim to protect their legacy.
An all-star act, sure to have celebration,
fanfare, and exposition.
Copenhagen, your reigning fall final champion,
has been challenged.
It's time to welcome their opposition.
In swinging their swords as they slice through the dragons once again,
throwing their trust and the hero, A.K., into the hands of Malves,
who was not going to make them regret that decision.
That trust is key, and it's a key to success that can't be overlooked,
like their trust in monosy to go above and beyond to get the job done when
their backs are against the wall. For this explosive team no one can fall down
no one can slow down as we discover if G2 have what it takes to make it to their
third final this year. Show us why they are one of the best teams in the
world. But the highs of Cologne are also met by the lows of EPL and they are hungry for
so much more. Zai Wu, they call him the chosen one for a reason. He has been dominating so
far here in Copenhagen looking to showcase himself as the most superior player in Counter
strike two. He hasn't been doing all of the heavy lifting though. Both spints and flames
are close behind him and that is exactly the formula they need to reach their fourth final
this year.
Two versus Vitality. The first time these two rosters have officially locked horns
in Jacob. I cannot guarantee you many things but this, this is going to be an explosive
game. I can guarantee you.
Inside an arena, we have two of the best players in the world taking on each other.
Saivu on one side, Monizzi on the other, and then you bring in the mix of Niko,
you have Spinks, you have Flames, you have all these hard hitters showing up,
playing a good tournament so far. So I tend to agree with you for you.
I cannot imagine a world where this game is not going to be great.
One thing that I noticed is actually how Saivu was actually a little bit
talented in that Team Liquid gave all of the very map anubis.
And I think ultimate counter to him by finding those openings.
and I think that will be detrimental for Modus as well.
He needs to be challenging Saibu head-to-head in the household tools and winning them.
That's a good point. We get to see if T2, whether or not they prepare for that specifically,
may be a way to shut down Saibu.
I guess my counter argument to that is, when was the last time you saw Saibu have two bad maps in a row, two different days?
He's always like that kind of guy that maybe sometimes he gets red, maybe sometimes he's having a day off,
maybe sometimes a team or certain player finds a way to shut him down.
The next day he's just coming up with a new way of playing.
He's not one-dimensional, he's anything but that.
That's the worst part. He had an off-game, but he was still far the best player on the server.
So it was... statistics don't lie, obviously, he's not gonna have two in a row, but it's a food for thought.
Well, we can see the liebots up on your screen right now.
They are indeed favoring Vitality, which I think makes sense, Jafer,
when we're just looking at what Vitality has been putting on the server.
Ever since they lifted the trophy in Cologne, sure, okay.
They did stumble versus Eternal Fire at ESL Pro League.
I want to say that wasn't a fluke because we saw a tunnel fire making it to that
grand final. I do indeed have my talent e-favorite in this series.
Me too and I think that's a fair assessment of this game however it is close. I think T2 have
you know great chances of making this game competitive. They're great chances of pushing
this to a third map that could be Mirage and we've seen that time and time again. Once you
get into a third map once it's Mirage it completely opens up the battlefield. For my money
there's a couple of players I want to put on this spotlight. Stukko you mentioned him just
a couple of moments ago, Honda is not having a great time.
One of the worst performing players
throughout this tournament so far,
if they want to win today G2,
he has to find some sort of limit.
Absolutely, and it's not only Hunter
that needs to come alive here, but also Malphs.
As we said, these two players are still in the tournament
and apart from IGLs,
these two are the worst rated players so far.
So, let's see how they're going to bring it back.
Tell me what we can expect
from a G2 T side start on Nubis.
We're talking about it as one of the most
T side maps in the pool.
Why do they bring the pain to their opponents?
I mean, Nico is always a fun player to watch when it comes to a new result.
I feel both on the CT side, but in particular on the T side,
his entering, his path of walking in towards middle,
using the utility to his advantage.
It's something we see time and time again,
and I hope they get to dictate the pace.
If you're G2 and you decide to start on that T side,
you're also sort of saying to yourself,
we get to dictate the pace,
whether the pace is going to be fast, explosive,
a little bit more calm, a little bit more waiting,
feeling out the opponent.
I'm not quite sure, but it's G2's responsibility
to dictate the pace from the ginkgo.
Middle is the most impactful position on the map
and look at the people that are playing both positions,
Mirrod, it's Apex and Niko,
two completely different play styles,
completely different statistically.
And, you know, it's just going to be the way
how Apex plays around it with utility,
with Nate, how he's going to outbrain the opponent,
he's going to call Zybu to hold Niko
and make sure that he's not unchained.
We will see.
Where are we on the snacks equation at the moment?
Because obviously alongside Hunter,
he's not been having the best performance.
How many maps, and where was it, Ben, with the negative racing?
It's up in a bit.
24.
Yeah, it's nothing great.
He's breaking records, actually.
All the records that you don't want to be breaking, Jacob.
Where are we looking at him to be bringing the biggest
strengths to G2?
Because he has been a man that's been receiving quite a lot
of criticism.
I'll be brutally honest, as I like it.
I think right now he's been a liability for G2.
I think his fracking power on the server, the way he
conducts himself on the server, has been a bit of a liability
for G2.
There's been certain games, certain moments,
It's more than 24 games since we saw that, but while he's finding impact there's certain rounds where he still has that clutch ability
He's often left by himself as well
He's very passive on the server not involved in a lot of opening kills and from snacks
You just want to see a bit more output. You want to see him win a couple of more clutches
I don't really care whether or not he's having a plus KD or if his rating is 1.1 1.2 1.3
That's not what I'm asking for
I'm just asking for a little bit of impact and the way he's been playing the past there say a month
You know, it's been a little bit lackluster and it's been a liability and that can't be the case in the stage
Oh, Chris, and I have to say that snacks has the ability to do so. He's been showing it throughout his career
It's been a little bit off since the G2 arrival, but well, I got I got high hopes
Surely Vitality are gonna know exactly how to take advantage of that though
Like we know that there are teams that love to be watching their opponent
Obviously, this is the first time we're gonna see them facing off against snacks against mouths in this G2 Jersey
Surely they've done their homework and know exactly what approach to make G2 bleed.
Yeah, I mean in a way they have a luxury problem because they look towards G2 and they think
okay, Snacks is an obvious liability, maybe we can test him a little bit.
What often happens with Snacks though is that he's getting hit.
He's not out there taking the first duels, he's not out there putting himself in front of the opponent,
so he can sort of hide. The problem is Honda. You have two players now being liabilities.
Two players not showing up from an individual standpoint.
Then there's a lot of space all of a sudden for Vitality to go test that water.
So hopefully one off or both of Honda and Snacks
will have a much better show today.
And then I think that could be a bit of an issue for Vitality
and their so-called game plan.
Any individuals on the side of Vitality
that you're looking out for, Stiko,
I know we can say the obvious, we can always say Zywoo,
but anybody else, give me some goods.
I will give you all the flames in here
and especially for Anubis has to help
that A-side being really resourceful with the utility
he has to play with and sometimes again pulling Zywoo
for that disparity of the play style.
I want to see him perform well starting on the CT side, it's not an easy side to take.
I was holding it throughout my pro team's career and obviously that is a challenge.
That's a player we haven't mentioned at all by name at any point in this segment, Fred.
Can you guess who that is? I know you are a good question.
I know exactly who you are going to say. It's our UK lad, Mezzi.
Now let me just remind you, Jake, before finals last year, debut of Mezzi,
what have I told you go and do? Oh, they won the whole bloody thing.
That's exactly what they did. What do you have to say about Mezzi? Go on, say it.
I mean, one year ago, I think Messi has been doing all right for himself.
And I think he's currently been performing better than Honda.
And I like to see that dual, because as you said, we know what we're going to get from Moniz.
We know what we're going to get from Saibou.
We almost know what we're going to get from Nico.
So that gets a bit boring, reiterating that time and time again from Messi versus Honda.
That anchor duel, that secondary star role, third star role, you know,
a little bit more support of element into both of their teams.
I feel like whoever those two have the best showing could be the difference maker.
And Messi so far in this tournament have been playing all right.
He hasn't been fantastic.
He hasn't been out of the waters, but he's been doing his job best for Hunder.
It's been a little bit underwhelming to say at least.
I thought you were going to chat some smack about my boy.
I'm getting defensive already.
I mean, it's just been a minute since we've had a UK player, a top tier counter strike.
Anyway, Stiko, I'm sorry for cutting you off.
You were going to say something lovely about Messi, I hope.
Of course, I like the guy, and he...
He's a nice guy, huh?
He has to do what he has to do.
He is having really, really the glue of a team on the server, it seems.
And, you know, for my money, he's in great shape.
Tell me a little bit about Vitality choosing to start on that CT side.
Already asked Iqo his opinion.
Does it make sense to you Jacob? Is that something that you feel happening?
To be fair, it's not something I worry too much about.
I don't put that much empathize into it.
You can start on the CT side and there's two ways of thinking of it.
One thing is you start on the hard side, if you get up to a good start,
you win your pistol, you rack up, I don't know, five, six, seven rounds.
You're coming into that second half feeling very comfortable
and you know that the comeback is easier to make on the CT side.
So maybe that's the thought process.
we are ready to be getting this semi-final underway Vitality versus G2 anubis to start.
Well, well, well, ladies and gentlemen, a classic in the making. A rivalry as old as time itself. G2
with the conqueror Titans of Vitality. Is it possible? Sure. Is it likely the previous
matchup suggests otherwise? G2 have the raw talent and skill that can they bring it all together
on the biggest of Counter-Strike stages.
Time will certainly tell, and we're here to guide you
to the end for the last ever four finals.
This is G2 versus Vitality.
Well, then let's get it on.
It's G2.
They're starting on the T side of Vitality on that CT side.
And we know how rough that could be on Anubis already.
So if they lose the pistol here,
they might already be in a little bit of trouble.
And it looks like a very fast execute.
Henry, we're not going to slow this down.
We're going to put on the pressure right away.
the glock train is coming to that A-bomb site and there's no sign of any breaking happening at the moment.
Modesty up on the plateau, but a nice answer back here for Glocks.
They're a little bit closer now.
He's up with some good shots here, and it'll be down to Saewoo.
If anyone could, with the dualies, it might be him, but what a task ahead of him.
Lovely execution, and it looks like G2 have done enough.
They're on the T side here of Anubis.
And now Zai Wu locked out the A-bomb site under full control.
He's got the jewelies, he's got the Kevlar and Anders.
I know it's pouring, but he's better off saving these weapons.
If they get a force 5 in the next round, he'll get a helmet.
He can drop the jewelies, he can buy himself an SMG.
I think that's the only approach he can really go for here.
So lovely work from G2.
Three members survive, and they've got a couple of decoys to boot as well.
It's not bad, you know, I guess you're right.
Maybe you want to see this from my talent early on as well.
they're not really panicked to try and do a 1 vs 3 clutch, playing it for the long term.
They're less already touched upon it, but you don't necessarily need that many rounds on the CT side here for it to be a bit of a victory.
So if you can snag one of the early ones, you've got to get some arm runs and boolies to the next round.
Maybe it makes sense, but this is pretty plain.
If you draw a couple of flashes, Hunter, you could see him assisted on the first two kills.
He also got a headshot on getting the third one of the round there.
Just overall great setup, good execute.
A peaceful round of theirs.
Well, bear in mind the first map of our best of three, G2 picked a Nubus.
And they will get that T side start as well.
See, it's almost too good to be true, Andrews.
We'll see what Vitality have got of their sleeve here.
And as mentioned, the force fight comes through.
Zaiwu saving the Kevlar enables the Famas to be brought out.
Okay.
He can carry them through this round.
sort of approach they put in mind I'm not sure but he's going towards A at the
start, no boosts, no gimmicks here, they're gonna be holding three players
towards A main and Malbed MD to defend, monosy waiting for any aggression
coming in from the connector room and indeed the window. This feels like you
too might have seen this coming as well, there's not a single Mac 10 in sight,
so you and Pionico we've highlighted it a couple of times before and you know
what we did have an insane spray down on one of these maps so I don't
to discount it, just guess. The rest of them are on Galeel's, so they are ready to fight
for Mars, MP9, whatever is on the other side here, including that CZ75 on Apex.
Here we go, the A-Splits coming through, playing to be tested first. Can he pass? He certainly can.
There's a ton of damage. They find the opening couple of kills here.
There's a display there from the A-Sight. Hunter, doesn't seem to think so.
Back to the 3x3, the CZ, it prevails. Apex will find the bomb.
And now, mobs. He's a pick of the pieces. They have time, but they're in a 3x2 disadvantage
and is that grenade could be an interesting image locked in in what that
can position you're right they have time now this body's taken down
what a great position for the last three members there by talent see they're all
at different elevations but essentially all holding the same angle yeah that
was so worth it built up behind the armor the dualies buying into the
from Arceum, this couldn't have been any better really.
And it all stems off the fact that Cyborg decides to save
the Kevlar.
It can bring out the Famous,
he can drop the jewelies over
and he delivers the goods with the rifle.
That is fantastic work here
and it's gonna be an instant timeout.
The G2, as they assess their options now,
things get a little bit more tricky on that T side.
They didn't get the bomb planted in the previous round
so bottom of the barrel in terms of loss bonus.
We're talking $1400 of all five players
going down as well.
So we're forced by a necessity going forward, but it's not a very powerful one
And I mean they're gonna have three people alive at the end of itality, right?
So they're gonna be able to operate into whatever glils were on the ground. Yeah, that's a good point
It's actually it's such a boost early on
Bit of a tech time out here
Yeah, get them out the way early on prefer that we get to the end of the map and a little bit more hard
Okay, I was just gonna say something crazy. It was spotted on the screen at the back flames had a negative for a second
I saw it on the big screen.
Why is it teasing us?
But he sold it.
He didn't actually use it, but that would have been a world first, I think, on the big
stage.
I would have loved to have seen that.
Me too.
It's not going to happen, but we do have those galils, as you mentioned.
And one on one, I see.
Okay, so you can see how difficult this buy is.
Even while fully invested, Hunter's got to operate with no Kevlar.
He must have dropped one of those galils.
got bare bones utility to save the very least a couple of flashes and they make this round work
I will tip my hat to them that looks almost impossible now it goes down first one of the
strongest the bombsites of all the counter strike vitality here looking to dominate as apex will
open things up we're going to shut them down as well monosie tags and the flashbacks they've
once had they've been expended at this point should be another kill for apex should be
Well, it's been the opposite. Well, it's Snacks has done very well.
Gets a Dink on Messi as well.
Three versus two.
Ossable here.
All comes down to Zai Wu.
And he knows he's going to be good for one-unders.
Yeah, absolutely should be.
Nagabarmo on the second target there.
Make it a very, very tricky to not get at least one kill.
50 seconds more to see.
But the health that he's got left here,
just making his job very tricky.
He's got the bomb at the very least.
The big downside perhaps, apart from the health,
the fact that he has no information which is intended what he's trying to get right now
backtracking into it here he does spot up planes but we'll go down at the end
it's a pretty expensive round but yeah that was a force up too it doesn't have any
massive ramifications attached to it because we do have the full eco coming up next now it's
$1,900 in terms of loss bonus yes good effort there considering the little way hard snacks
it's a good impact out for p250 he gets the second kill you never know but as mentioned
It's pretty much round over, but nothing Monacy could do.
Two to one.
And Rihanna, you're one to place some high level counter strike all across the place.
How many rounds of the CT side before you start feeling pretty confident in yourself on this map?
Anything above four is considered a good half.
Alright then.
And the current match that Sticco mentioned is the most two-sided map we have right now.
Anything above four, you kind of laugh them.
So they'll be aiming to get 5 or 6 ideally,
but we'll see what is afoot here.
We've got the full eco as mentioned.
Not really much they can do with this one,
apart from Bleed Down Utility.
And they're certainly cutting out.
Snacks just a taste of the HE.
And in towards there we go.
There's no real reason to run into your certain doom.
So just gonna be slowing this one down
and seeing if any CT's making a mistake.
Okay.
That's one of them.
That is definitely one of them.
I don't know.
Like, why the wide swings? You can still peek.
You don't have to go that deep into it.
Bit of an aid down here, and there's East,
another final hit, another damage here,
but another dink comes through.
Sairu, the one to try and rescue them,
and they're very low on health on the G2 side, but yeah.
This is a needlessly tricky round for Vitality.
It could have already been solved.
I think just getting a little bit ahead of themselves.
When you're peeking those corners,
you don't have to step out that far.
That's where you get really exposed.
You can't really escape, so bit of a speed bump,
Perhaps not the end of the world but yeah, could have been easier.
A couple of rounds, ever G2 times austerity here.
Blocks, but they make the most of them.
Now that does have a knock-on effect here.
You have kept the C&P's very humble, financially speaking.
While recovering from Zywoo, a messy, scary situation.
And we will not see an AWP entering this first gun round.
Round number five, three-one in favour of vitality in the CT campaign.
The pick of G2.
We've been blessed with some crazy AWP battles right? We had Shiro versus Monossey. Now we've got Monossey versus Sairu. I mean, it just gets better and better all the time, doesn't it?
There are no bad games at full finals. The trend continues.
This one could be absolute bang or couldn't it? Sairu?
Timing's pretty good, but Nico will shut that one down.
Okay, alright then.
Takes down Apex next.
It looked like he was hardly even visible.
He just wanted to throw the grenade.
He wasn't even really trying to fight that one.
But he's dead nonetheless.
And he leaves just one fare at the Ape onside.
Cognizanders have commented a lot of G2 recently.
Losing a five on three is kind of their specialty.
How do they call in guard?
Yeah, they like to make it hard on themselves.
There's no question about it.
headshot, can claim this but absolutely knocked out by that one and Justin Mezzi, he has to save.
I mean he probably won't save more than a Galil, if there's someone on the ground that he can pick up that would be a little bit more interesting surely.
You already said it, a couple of kills from the clocks in the previous rounds making it a bit more expensive like it all adds up into this round where now they just don't have a lot to work with in the next ones.
You've got to say on the other hand, this is absolutely important, right?
If they don't win this round, then you've already said,
Vitality, four rounds you're doing pretty well,
they probably would have been a four or five if G2 were to lose this one.
So it's good, nice round, but also one that they absolutely needed to win here.
Oh yeah, definitely.
Well done to Niko.
Good double kill towards middle.
And the protocols to get themselves a nice bit of space,
taking down Zai Wu.
Quick kill towards camera.
until I need today. Nothing too flashy. Keep it simple.
Hit your shots, work together.
Just like this.
Time to run for this fan damage.
Shouldn't work out for him.
Apex got a taste of lead as well.
And there was a moment, it looked like there was a chance,
but Snacks hits a bit of a banger actually on flame
to secure the round, seals the deal.
Well, and Snacks got the assist on Apex, right?
He was a whole...
Man, what a different team G2 would be
if Snacks was having a really good day.
We've seen that. We know when he was on Gamer Legion,
individually, he looked very, very sick.
So it's late in the tournament, but if you're going to start now,
OK, that was delivered straight to the threshold.
Max, I have to say the very least,
Apex and the 43 courtesy of an HG.
It's that new drone delivery everyone's talking about.
Oh, yeah.
OK, these are the sort of boots you like to see.
Always seem to yield a kill or two.
Nezzy bottom of the tower, spin to the top, they dismount.
And the sudden support nail sucks in towards A-Made.
G2 with the advantage in this round, but everything they need up against
Seiko Lills, Famous.
Back of utility at this stage as well.
Hoping that someone can get some key information across the map.
Niko once again being a nuisance towards middle.
Even a pixel gap gets the inside once there and he gets the kill.
It's dirty, but we still love it.
Going for that double and the treacle!
Mowing them down, that's more like it.
How sick is that? He got way more than he was even hoping for them, but they ran right in front of him.
And that's the round done with. Now this slow approach, remember when G2 were doing this on Mirage yesterday,
and it just wasn't working out, this seems to be much better. They are in control of some of these rounds.
Vitality, they're not getting a lot of information, and they're losing some of these opening fights.
I mean, G2, if they want to keep slow playing this, now it makes a little sense.
What a disgusting sequence from Niko using the pixel gap to get that Intel full-on spray down
You don't even see him and then they line up for him as well
Absolutely disgusting as flames looks to hold on here their finances are in deep trouble going forward
G2 and full control this stage or type things up at three to three flames looking likely to save the AK
That's all Niko once again
the hunters on can flame survive it looks like it's gonna be absolutely fine
here so we have the AK but it has to be the eco going forward now for vitality
we've got a game on our hands and I can't believe it
it's apex against the victim early on here
the power of having one AK on the CT side we've been talking a lot about the
individuals on G2 but my talent you have you know whole army of players
that can make this work see if they can give you a bit of a steel to be
honest. It's Flames who is in charge of it, saving it. So we'll see if he's going to be
able to make some sort of play. Oh my God, he's already in the middle. What's happened?
How did he get this far? Oh, surprise! Snacks! He was not ready. Uh-oh. He's going to go
down as well as Messi on the other side. Oh, they're in trouble now, but there is
a chance that they could shoot Flames in the back. I think Malus is coming back
from the A bomb site. Yeah, he's going to find them. What an absolute save. If
They didn't have Malbs over there, then they were kind of locked in.
Gonna sit there for them planes.
Vitality will have to lock in hard of an effort to make this round possible now.
Good start, couple of kills, but lost the rifle.
P250, P2000 actually from Ezzy.
Couple of USPs.
Zero chance really that they can pull this one off.
Would love to be proven wrong here.
See, you don't have to take a sequence of catastrophic errors.
Yeah, you're right.
Vitality to get in any closer to this round. They just used the last Molotov so that means they're not going to be hard-checking
Over the Molotov, but nice bit of guard work. Just absolutely sure
You said probably take a mirror call here now to clean it up
And honestly, he was the one that sort of pulled them out of the fire to begin with I do love that from flames
That is let's take any initiative if you were to find more than one player immediately
It's possible that nobody would have been watching that like could have been a round winning play
time out. Time vitality want to talk things through? This one's building up nicely. This
is the kind of game you want in the semis. No blowouts here, back and forth. Economy's
being crushed. And a timeout, the first one used by Vitality. Certainly the favourites
going into this series, destined for the grand finals for G2 are showing tenacity,
They're showing vigor as we get deeper here at full finals.
They're so beautiful because on the other side of the bracket,
it doesn't matter what happens,
we're going to have an amazing grand final, right?
It's how they could have been based,
or it's going to be Navi.
Either way, we know that it's going to be one hell of a run
from here on out.
What did they come up with?
I think they knew this was likely to happen in vitality.
You're playing that CT side, you're on a Nuvus,
you're going to run out of money quite a bit this time.
Still no AWP per side.
Not a big deal, he's still a really good rifler.
But we'll see how the player plays out for him.
Yeah, one of the few, like a hybrid player, at this point you're super star that can do it all.
Pistols, rifles, snipers.
He'll always deliver.
I'd like to see him in the AWP though, so I dictate in the pace.
We have got a bit of the pep in the step here from G2.
Four players in towards a main hunter, controlling the extremities.
And he might have to here, we've got some exploration coming in from Mezzi.
Flames to be tested. He will be joined by Zypwoo.
Flashbang goes in, M4 starts delivering damage.
We're not quite enough, Niko and Snack.
They've entered some firm of the rounds. Right there and then.
One more attempt here, and it will be Apex to keep the dream alive.
I can't believe it, Niko.
He surely has that kill every single time.
I think he was a bit distracted because Apex is inside of the Molotov.
He's gonna get that kill on Monosie as well.
He's actually trying to bring it back here, the captain of the team,
of the team for a big double kill. Snacks on the other side here behind the
cake trying to keep the dream alive in this round.
Messi will take him down and up to Hunter now.
Now Arnaud, they know where he is.
Messi, a clean conversion, the apex and Messi combining.
As soon as Nico goes down, the lambels go off.
It's Snacks and Hunter that have been having the rough run of four minutes tournament.
Yeah, they did Nico there with them, couldn't hold on.
It's a very nice really take there.
around the didn't look possible usually Anders if you lose two clean kills at
that going to the bomb site the rounds pulled off but apex he fancied it he
runs through the flames you'll find the all-important Niko and then the wheels
start to fall off here snacks misses a deadly spray and then Hunter can't
deliver and the two versus one as Vitality back to their winning ways now
that's a huge round to pick up on one it didn't look likely whatsoever yeah I'm
really surprised by that. And it puts G2 in a weird position. If you look at the money here,
they don't have that much to work with. I guess on the upside, they have picked up the AWP on
Monacy. We'll see if they're going to be able to do some damage with that. Flames is flashed in,
trying to be aggressive. I really enjoyed it. I think this is one of the great additions
to Anubis that's happened in the last six months or so, where CTs are a little bit
bit more active like that at the beginning there is a lot of passive play
for the CT side but now people are flashing their way out to try and attack
that outside of a position.
Once you can land a kill, a wide swing for Apex.
Apex opens up the round.
Apex starting to get in his zone right now.
Beautiful.
Spray towards middle, we'll find Hunter once again.
And Spinks is taking all that information.
The fact that focusing so heavy towards middle,
he's going to take his chances.
Begins the excursion outside of the B bomb site.
This is so much Interlanders. The closer he gets towards middle, the more rotations they can make.
Niko trying to be sneaky again with that pixel gap.
Spinks is on his way.
He holds up for now. Allows him to take middle. Trying to lock them in.
A split looking very likely.
They don't have a choice, right? They're completely blocked off from the rest of the map here.
So this is pretty obvious what's gonna happen. I think Vitality, they already know.
Apex taking down Niko. That is such a critical kill. If he can get one more here, it might be back on.
He's holding inside everybody's blind nobody can see a thing
and the shot comes through and Syros steps up right when they needed him
Valves is already low and out of time, there's some banging shots coming out
but I don't think it's enough here, 10 seconds
He can find out how to farm at the very least
now he fakes it once he wants to win the round
he's not trying to get the extra cash
he wants to win it for his team, 3 seconds left
gets that one looking but he can't find Spinks
and the round will expire
Vitality, they are well on their way. This is a brilliant first half now. G2
are being scrappy, they're holding it together, they've not quite enough there for Mal, some great shots, good effort
but it all started here in the middle, Apex getting the freebie on Hunter.
Miko doing everything he can once again for an a drag, G2 for his difficult rounds, they're playing, this is a world-class sequence.
And as that's how you hold the A bomb site, ducking and weaving,
Staying alive as long as possible, waiting for those rotations, getting yourself a couple of kills.
And now a tactical timeout called by G2, it's their first.
I can feel this one slipping out of their grasp.
You could probably even if you go back and re-view that round, you'd be able to see that the time that everyone has flashed is exactly the time that Saibu needs to get there to help out Flames to get that kill right.
It's all, the margins are so thin on the rotations, if they could delay it a little bit further, if they could get the kills a little bit earlier, then the whole round is different.
Yeah, I find all around here vitality things are looking super crisp right now
Okay, so we're going all in G2 have decided they'll be operating with two pistols a galil and a couple of AK-47s
You need a set piece here and as you can't really run the defaults
You want to just hold up the aggression the CT saw they're up to how scared once it's well
Then you're going all in together
The ace plates have been their go-to so far.
What if they lose this round though?
What if they lose this round?
That is the question.
Nice.
It won't be a great spot.
Simple peek there for Mezzi, but he sees nobody outside.
So I said they've got all in snacks.
He's actually being charitable to his teammates.
He's got no Kevlar.
And there has been some criticism, mainly from me,
that he's the one with the rifles
on Nico using a Digo, for example.
Yeah, you're right.
He's being very selfless in that regard, so respect there.
Yeah, we like that.
Oh, they're walking right.
It is a massive defense on the other side.
They don't think they're gonna make it through.
There's just three people already at the bomb site
and a fourth one in the middle.
You shoot them in the back.
It's kind of falling apart already here.
Monosy versus three.
You can win these.
Well, he definitely can,
but he needs a bit of luck to begin with
and if something happens,
Spicks will take him down instead.
The risk, the role of the dice here for G2
is not working out.
They don't get the bomb plant
and they're in a lot of trouble right now.
Yeah, you're right.
It all started with pistol victory here.
And GC went in the head box there, you're right.
Ah, they're still very convincing.
Like Niko going down courtesy of Flames once again.
He can't find one of those multi-frag sequences.
Using that sledgehammer approach in the four-spy.
And he goes six to four, and it looks like seven is likely.
Just a deagle. Snow Kevlar this time.
Niko, I tell a lie, he has got Kevlar.
He is trying to do it all.
But I drag G2, kicking and screaming across the finish line, if possible.
You know what? We talked about this some of the other games. There are games where you can tell Niko wants to do with the target's mouths.
If you'd have another headshot there, you never really know.
Now he's got a dastardly D.E.G.O.
Could it be possible?
Scary weapon to be up against here.
Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is secure. These D.E.G.O.s can cause havoc.
I'm sure my hotel you know,
they're probably reminding
everyone stay safe. Don't risk
too much here. Nice little
spray down snacks dead in that
lobby outside of a now it's just
Nikon Hunter left the two
cousins got speed on this one
boys. I don't know when some
of these players you just you
just never really know but
single miracle in the round to be honest. He had the idea, you can see he's lining it up in his brain,
he's playing out that move before it even really happens. Hunter goes down. At this stage, I'd be
surprised if I had to lose this map. I feel like this is such a lead already. Don't want to call it
done yet, but it's going to be such a hard road ahead for G2 to bring this one back. Now you
might be onto something here as mentioned a few times and as we always mentioned,
Nubis, that's each side of the fair.
It's your opponent's pick, and you've already built up seven,
potentially eight rounds here on the defense.
It hasn't been a ton of touches.
You've lost the pistol as well, Anders.
And still, in this winning position, it's not great news for G2.
Final round of the half, can they post anything further?
We'll see. Niko's at some fabulous moments,
but many towards middle.
Many with brute force and skill.
the game. It's just a little
bit of a deal with. Great
tournament. This is the
must win round for G2. It's
always finally got the orb as
well. Yeah, you're right. I'm
going to pick it up a little
bit here. Just looking for
the pixel. What if the
grenade if someone's going to
keep pushing doesn't really
work out that way. Take a
deep breath once again. They've
got time. They don't really
have to. And I get a few
actually burn out all stretches of the map there
not necessarily a bad way to stop
okay let's make the first mistake there from Flames
three halves so far look so good
and finally an advantage for G2
five versus four
oh but they are pushing into the three man stack
this is the most defended part of the map right now
for Vitality
they don't have a lot of time to change their minds
if they want to go to the other side it has to be right now
it's a cracking opening though
Hunter will take down Smeets and wants to keep going
It's very nearly a kill. I can't believe Mezzi stays alive and he gets another kill on Nico.
He should have been dead already. Finally, Monosy will take him down and now it's 8 hex.
14 seconds on the clock and it's not good enough for the Deagle. They'll take him down.
Look who's left, Belandes.
Surely not. Absolutely not. They know what this man can do.
Why would they fight him? Why would they even give him a chance?
An absolute demon on the big stage.
At three versus one, Sermy Wolfe in his wheelhouse.
The first shot will give him his position.
Can he deliver a banger?
Doesn't look like he will add a position now.
Surely there's no way.
And it's a great effort there.
The vitality.
They're looking red hot, red by Flames.
You'll post 14 kills as they find 7-5 here on their CC campaign.
So my name is Ixtas. I'm coach for vitality.
That's what we French just to enjoy after school.
like almost everyone. As an MVP player, manager I was for a while and for eight years now I'm the coach.
We play each other for a while, so sometimes just need between one to two hours, sometimes
maybe three, and sometimes you are just focused about yourself because, for example,
game and agent and we have not done that at all. It's a new roster, we don't know which
map they want to pick, so we are just looking about our own prep and that's it.
We take timeouts because of plan, because of mentality wise or just make a new call.
Honestly when I take tactical timeouts it's for a lot of reasons. Sometimes you feel
And immediately it's the wrong plan, so we want to change.
Sometimes it's just to adapt the plan, sometimes it's just mentality-wise.
Sometimes it's just to calm down a bit the players, because we are too excited
and we are not thinking about the game. We need to adapt all the time.
I feel frustrated, especially in advantage situations.
You know, you have the right call. It's like 5-3. You have the control.
You lose the round. You have the right call.
the economy is sorry but and you don't know what to do or you have the right
call but someone changed the call for no reason or didn't trust not the call but
what we are seeing on on TeamSpeak for example when the round is over you know
why you lost the round just not because of the enemy because you made a
mistake I have one rough moment for sure it was Katowice because I got
COVID. And so me in playoff, we did the final, it was different organization. And you are
in the bedroom at the hotel watching the game and you can't do anything. It was the worst
feeling honestly in my career. And the best moment, I don't know, actually, of course,
when you win a tournament, it's an amazing feeling. I don't know, to win and blast
The four-final, 11-final in a row was pretty good, of course.
I drew a lot the first time I did Cologne,
because it was my first big stage.
It was pretty, pretty atmosphere.
My personal goal is definitely to win one major at least.
I'm not thinking about the future for the team,
yes, but not personally,
because I don't think it's the role of the coach,
in my opinion.
So, I hope to be next year and I could say, okay, we did a great job last year, that's
not the case yet.
What's up, ladies and gentlemen, we're here for the first semi-final, at the last ever
full finals, once again we have some of the world's best gamers, locking horns and hunting
for ultimate glory.
There are no bad games with Copenhagen, there are only winners and losers and who
will be coming out on top?
It's time to find out, and it's seven to five-a-half, and you believe in the
G2 who can bring this back?
I do. I think they can. I just don't think it'll be easy.
Winning this pistol round is absolutely necessary right now.
But honestly, by charity, they look very comfortable.
They're taking risks when they need to,
but they're playing very safe when that's the better play.
I feel like they're making all the right choices at the moment.
G2, I'd say, maybe a little bit more desperate.
We need some of the individuals to step it up.
Somebody has to stop flames from what he is doing on the server.
Now on the CT side is G2,
and this pistol round is absolutely everything to them.
And I like this heavy mid position
because they can be very dynamic. They can go anywhere.
It's Modesty who hasn't had the best showing so far.
Karani bottom, fragging.
The G2 sits on four kills, eight deaths.
He'll have the Jullies in Kevlar.
They're gonna fend off his A attack
and look who's waiting for them.
Mr. Snax, he's got a smoke and a USP.
He might not have time to deploy that though.
And the Molotov, that's gonna isolate him.
All the players in middle,
how are they gonna get to him here?
All right, he's gonna try and put that down,
but the rest they're waiting behind the flames
in the middle, they can't get to him.
Snacks is dead. Now they're going to get there, but now it's too late.
The bomb is going to get found too.
That one Molotov, that absolutely ruined G2.
They just could not help him out. It is a flawless round.
Snacks has been targeted and taken down at the back of the A side.
They fludge all over that cake, all up towards Heaven.
As soon as they find that one kill, you're dead on that one Molotov
towards the camera room.
If no way to rotate it and back him up.
If we get the replay of that, you're going to see three players of G2 just waiting, watching the flames, like there's a little comfortable bonfire, they're just there, warming their toes while Snaks is dying alone at the A-bombsides.
Oh no. Very convincing, doesn't get played in a knack, well done by Taliti.
I guarantee you, if they had a smoke to put it out, they would have thrown it and ran through their own smoke.
But the only smoke was on Snaks, which fair play, he needed one as well, because there was a second molotov with a cake.
losing that pistol round is not good news. They have to win this
force by now and it's not the most compelling we haven't gone for the SMGs
they've gone for the pistols across the board in a bit of utility we're going
into what a once again grenade to flush out the cloister in proximity
snacks what have you got for us you have to fight seven who have to swing
momentarily he knows it as well doesn't get more than one for a double
we keep it into a three versus three and that's an ambitious grenade from
Mapeg's there, really wanted to get it in there.
And they have the man disavowed to this point.
Looks like they've done enough.
Spinks with the last play remaining in the two versus one.
He could crush the soul of G2 here.
If he wins this one, if he clutches it,
they're so close right now.
You're absolutely right.
If they win this one, it's back on again.
It'll open up the entire map here for G2,
but it comes down to this.
And Spinks knows it.
I think he's got so much time to work with here.
He's happy there's a sit behind the pyrrha.
Yeah, he can make them think he's gone B instead.
If you want so you can wait another 15 seconds it becomes risky, but one of them might leave.
He's sowing the seeds of doubt right now.
Oh, alright, there's a spot. It's an absolute laser, isn't it?
Melt's going down, and now we're down to the 1 vs 1.
Spinks looking for his fourth kill of the round, 20 seconds.
Bunk working against him. He's actually not even scared at all.
He's peeking that while reloading just to see where he certainly modesty is.
Smokes us up, tries to plant the bomb, he's inside of it now, and Monacee's right there.
Oh! He catches just the pixel!
And will take him down, it's a massive clutch and a massive quad kill.
So unfortunate that G2 did so much work.
In towards Dave Mayne, Snacks opened up the frag with a 5-7, Niko got one and a half with his D.Eagle.
And it looked like the floodgates were opening for a second.
Two versus one though, Spinks.
But he's absolutely, perfectly in the two versus one.
Fits a smoke down, baits Monosie into the clutch and now he begs the question,
do they dare force by again?
We've got something here Anders, they invest partially in Lisa,
comes some armor, some pitch stores, an opening frag,
and maybe they can get a double here but it won't be harmed out.
Niko taking out the equation, snaps as well,
and they know exactly where Monosie is.
He's starting to find some form though,
running to bring his games alive
so they know exactly where he is.
They can set the high tailored,
get the hell out of here,
gonna be smoking off towards the temple.
It actually misses.
Okay, that does make things a little bit more complicated now.
Yeah, that is a bit awkward, isn't it?
Couldn't have been a worse smoke if they tried.
They're all in the middle,
but they don't necessarily know that.
But again, they have so much time.
This is the correct call for mentality.
Speak some last round already showed
why sometimes slowing it down is just the better option.
a minute here must say the layered flashbangs over the B wall were really impressive the first one was perfect but then they would have been blind for the fight except for there was a second flashbang from from G2 and that very nearly set them up for a couple of great kills at the beginning what I will say is Anders had kept vitality very modest here at the very least it comes down to a 1v1 in the previous round
We have three kills here again.
I mean, we're clutching as straws in that regard, but still, it is something.
This round 1v1 by Monosy, he has no capitalized, got a Mach 10, hopefully 5.
Subscribes here, gets himself a smoke, a CZ, and now an AK.
Okay, that is pretty massive views actually.
Yeah, it's not bad.
Again, beginning to be quite a long road back here.
10-5, still obviously doable.
You see the flashes coming in first one catching them and this second one right as he's about to be the on flash
It's a very cool setup, but obviously they were way too many people there
The alien needed a new mouse, but it's all under control. It's all yeah
Setting the stage on fire of my talent team all comes down to this a
Gun round that will set the tone decide the fate of G2 here in the first map of the semi-final
It was always gonna be an uphill struggle. They won the pistol in the first half got
Yeah, lost it a full buy on the second and now
Desperately trying to hold on to them that pick 10 to 5
If they give this one up, I'm calling the GG has to be a win. They saved the AK 47 monosie six and ten
I need some form. He can come into life. That's a beautiful double kill
Just what they need it and swing from the window pits with a prime position here in round number 16
and that smoke that Apex is looking into, it is always a sign that you've got to be careful
towards that A1 side if you're on the T.
Have you hear that pop? You should know.
There is, there is a potential that someone's peeking down that window.
Listen, we've definitely reached the part of the game where G2 are the most fun to watch,
which is Niko trying to win the game on his own.
Is it advisable? Maybe not.
Is it how you can win whole tournaments?
I doubt it, but it does make really fun counter strikes.
Snacks gonna be taking on mezi
So far so good
And bear in mind we know the economy's low for reasons we say to before so this is a huge round
Yeah, like there's no plan. There's no frags. Yeah, G2 needed this and then some and they delivered the goods bombed down
Spinks left of no options here might even consider a save considering only get 1400 into the next
to the left. Let's go to
explore his options. So can
any sort of a dense in the
defense. Three players waiting
on the other side, but looks
like we're going to slow it
right down. Are we happy to
save if anyone comes probing
towards be made? He'll take
them down.
Snatch could probably operate
to another AK. So I mean,
probably three of them
assuming that nobody runs
into spinks anytime soon.
Quite a lot true on the
CT side, right? We see
somebody fights where the
low but you lose out to the AK so having those picked up right now I don't
think it's worth risking them just to try and hunt down Spinks here so there it
is they'll probably take a tactical time out going for the next round in an
awkward situation they have like 5k and one player Spinks are gonna throw up a
cash flow out the AK-47 do they want to fully invest here or go for an eco
around the AK and see what they can do this with this swing from Nika they have no idea
it's becoming true. Beautifully executed, monosy, nice little kill there towards apex as well.
And they have gone all in as we've got three rifles, actually not too bad all things considered.
Desi will be using the tech nine along with apex and the same swing from Niko here.
Ryan is luck. One is being exchanged and a couple of them tagging Niko down to 50 points of health.
I think they're going for snacks again.
Why not?
It's been highlighted, everyone has a sense that he's not feeling super comfortable in the team right now, but comes to the mechanics.
He's up in heaven now, so he's a little bit further away.
And he's coming back up here, but you can tell it's a little bit sketchy and he does go down.
He just goes a little bit panicked, lost in the corner, Niko goes down next.
It's Flames to open up the round, and it's Spinks and Cy would absolutely secure it.
That's four AKs that they had.
It's a force of formatality, and they've absolutely wrecked them.
It does look weak over there. It has to be said.
It's obviously hard to tell the difference, but there's a difference between playing defensively and playing a little bit scared.
And it just looks like he doesn't really know what to do when he's up there.
You do any number of things, like throw a molotov so they can't get to you, ask a team in a flash, there's so many different ways to get out.
It doesn't seem like there's synergy between himself and Niko.
They're kind of doing two separate things.
Snacks in that heaven position.
Like, you're either going to be smoked off,
mulled off, or flashed.
It's difficult to play.
Once you've already made it to the bomb side,
you haven't got that early intel,
it can fall apart very quickly.
We can see before you really saw anyone.
Flames are jumping up to heaven
and taking them down with the bayonet, basically.
And then Niko's trying to invest.
But where are the flashbacks?
Lovey-Alo, you've played.
How are they segregating these two fights
with no real reversal?
That is a disaster for G2 and this is a sort of round now where they'll have cash but we need to start conditioning this A side and suggesting you can't just have your wicked way with it every single time.
I think Monocene needs to go over there with the AWP. That has to be the remedy for this problem. He's over there now, Anders.
They can't allow it to just be bullied over and over again.
made. Doesn't quite land on top of vitality here. 11 to 6 loses when it's map points on
their opponent's pick. I like the idea of putting Monosy over here, but obviously that
in itself is a good tactical advantage for Vitality means they're forcing G2's defense
in a way that they maybe don't want to be able to run it yet. Oh, right, Malbs.
They're risky, but it absolutely pays off.
Okay, onto something now.
Mavs, look for the double, get the lever on all fronts.
That's a hard drag.
He's stepping up.
Did he think him with the USB?
I think you're right.
There's no way.
He did.
80 damage, I think, from Mavs.
He practically has a quad kill.
That's pretty ridiculous, but yeah, what a play.
A bit of a mind game, because obviously from Sidewisp,
one of you, he's here in the smoke.
He's expecting that nobody is pushed in front of it,
but Malds a step ahead right now.
And you know what?
He's not playing a bad game of Counter-Strike.
He's got 17 kills.
He's actually tied with Flames at the moment.
Yeah, we've got Nico and Malds turning up,
but the state lack of input from Modesty,
if he can come online, there is a chance to save this game.
The money as we go back and forwards here
and it's once again vitality.
We'll be feeling the economic burn going forward.
20 seconds, looks like Spinks will be saving once again.
A hero AK, saved previously, did wonders for Vitality.
I mean, that might even be how this map changes.
If they can keep the map alive long enough for Munnyssey to,
you know, shake off some of the rust
and really get into it, it is a brand new game for them.
I'm sure that's what they think about.
Two Spinks will save the AK at the end of the round here.
Now, this knight will really save him here.
It's a neat trick on this one.
Yeah, like extinguishing the Molly.
Yeah.
Swinging in on the sound cue, Tyroo have no idea he could be there.
Kits himself three and a half kills.
Seven to eleven.
Takes the question as to whether we'll see the force by once again.
They've been working out so well for them.
And it looks like we'll be doing just that.
But surely G2 are going to be scared about that A bomb cybersnaxes all the way.
That's why they got to keep sending modesty that's having a map in my opinion.
But we'll see what they've got up their sleeve.
It's actually going to be a B focus in both sides of the coin.
It's a great read for G2, right? Because the problem is if they do overstack the A1 side, they're so at risk somewhere else, so
As much as you probably want to do it
You can also absolutely backfire. I mean, this is one of the hard things that you have to figure out between the IGL and the coaches
Exactly, what is the protocol for this? How much do you want to play into by putting pressure on A and how much do you want to try to play your own game?
They've left the middle wide open here, so
So, Niko, he's playing at double position, he'll be able to help out snacks behind him.
They're coming again at this.
Here they are.
Alright, rotation is happening, but they're not going to get their entire year.
Niko alone now, snacks has gone down.
They look beautiful.
Three quick kills for him in the headshot on Saewoo.
It's a carry on top.
Apex and Mezzi.
I mean the rounds not done yet. Niko's going healthier, two versus four.
It's favoring G2, but as we've already said G2 they're a team to lose these kind of rounds
Yeah, the wheels can fall off very quickly and these sort of retakes
Players like mezi players like apex ready to take these fights. There is no backstab from a main
C-monacy, right? He's gonna take the tip this summer
He's the only one that views kid I sent you from mezi, but he's had to pull up the 10-9 and he will go down nice
I sent you for monacy. He's gonna clear out the round
And they're on that diffuse right away
certainly up. Very nice there from Nico. Snacks went down early, but he finds himself a sensational
sequence with the AK-47. Didn't miss a beat. Ducking and weaving is what you love to see.
Third shot. It's an absolute beauty. Nezzie fighting back. Loich P, though, in the flames,
taking down by Hunter. Nothing Apex could do. That's a force by Delwiff. The game
The game is still on, they are yet to post map points.
Try as they might with these four spies
and able to break through and spanks with the hero AK
once again to take pretty much an eco for Vitality.
And have a nine looking likely.
It's a scary thought that it has
to take that kind of performance for Niko
for them to win the round.
Can't be the case.
They need more than Niko and Malibu's right now.
Somebody has to join that.
Defense, I think it's looking good.
If there was a Molotov on Vitality,
this double position is kind of scary,
But there isn't, so they should be able to pick up at least one or two players as they're crossing onto the bomb site.
The real threat that AK on Spinks, that's a little bit further time by Hunter.
Nice work, Stove on the AK's, dropped there, and absolutely no progress being made onto the B bomb site.
But they're making it interesting once again, Henry. They're not giving up easy on the G2 side.
I like seeing this starting to show some character out there, some guts working in tandem.
Successful defense time and time again.
Big names starting to arrive.
Down but not out. G2 still having something to say here on Anubis.
11-9 overall, and with Stinkz purchasing the Hero 8K
in the previous round, he'll be sent hacking to the Tech 9.
I'd love to see one aggressive monosie round,
where he's just pushed a little bit forward
to finding that burly 4-5.
Well, he's an aggressive mouse move potentially.
Okay, flashing away through.
My strength in this only war for Malves.
He looks very hard now.
Nice shot from Sairu.
Oh, man!
Too much out of him, but two cracking kills
to get them into the round here.
Monosy and Niko.
OK, that's the pair you won, though, in this scenario, Anders.
Yeah.
Monosy yet to make his presence known on the server,
8 and 11.
Hasn't really got going.
Can he save the day with the needed most?
Going to head towards B, and that bomb site is wide open
to save the very least here.
Mika patrolling towards middle.
If they get the bomb down, it might not be more of going for it.
But so much utility left in reserve here.
They've made their way in towards the bomb side.
No problems, no casualties, no damage.
Bomb to go down.
And I don't think you can even consider going for this now.
Didn't even hear that smoke go down.
You know it's over.
They have the money, but it's just such a risk
to do it, isn't it?
So AWP is still going to be hard to rebuy.
And what are really the chances?
Yeah, they know already.
Literally the perfect call coming out from vitality sneaking the hallway there and never giving up any audio cues before they're actually on the site so I
Still I mean it's still a sick idea for the play
But side would you showed up and absolutely shut it down, but the first kill did go their way the mouse there
They just couldn't recover it
This double kill I think of beauty to say the least snatch and hunt second a taste of ledge
the game. They're going to
get the lead. And look that they
have the advantage there. You're
pushing out of mounts towards
connector. The flames are down
as well, but still. Vitality
find a way to keep it very
clean and find map points to
players. Survive the G2. Still
in this woman now need three
rounds in a row on the city
campaign. A tall order to say
the very least. That's the
So much on the line here.
First map.
The semi-final, Dust2 is coming up next.
It's picked by Vitality.
This one picked by G2, and things
aren't looking too hot at the moment either.
Mirage deciding the whole thing if we get there.
Right now, Vitality definitely look like a better team.
The more coherent team.
We'll see what G2 have.
Three in a row.
Probably one of them is going to be a little easier
with the money on Vitality.
I don't think they're gonna be able to buy all three rounds.
So there could be a bit of a luxury there.
We're still waiting to shout Monacy's name.
After real, he might not be on this map.
He'll have to step up, going forward.
If they give this round up, just one more.
It's all over, Red Rover here,
on their map, pick up a Nubis,
and see what they can make of it.
It's a nice, healthy buy,
with the save door.
AK-47, a solid made towards Apex.
That's the step though,
getting him so quickly towards that connector,
dissuaded by the incendiary and Snacks feeding himself.
I think he's gonna push for a kill here, Anders.
He's got monster behind him,
so he's feeding it a little bit more comfortable,
taking that forward position.
It's gonna be very quick, I think to the B bomb side.
They're not gonna slow this down too much.
Maybe the grenade there.
Just pushing them back in, Malus.
How aggressive is he?
Just finds it.
Blind through the smoke, then Snacks on the side.
You need to get back here.
Oh, he's shot.
He's got the USP on his level, he goes down him's stand, and this could be the whole map falling apart Malibs trying to see if he could save the day he gets another good spray down.
But he's alone, and the Molotov is absolutely getting rid of him, he's burned out, there's nowhere to go.
Nico to try and save the map for his team.
Excursion out of the A bomb site, Monizy 40 hit the leg shot, but he didn't, the USP was drawn, and now Nico thrust into what seems to be an impossible scenario.
three versus one the bomb pretty far removed those I will hold in the canals right now
He's in the right place at the right time if they continue to go towards B. He's got a look into this
Again, there should be no way
But the fact that the bomb isn't planted obviously it's gonna help them a little bit on the top just to put some pressure on
Let's back to check make sure he's not getting like pressure and they go to say
Oh, I'm over in CT spawn right now my two options are temple and the beach
The G2 comeback at 10th and 9th is by Tati arriving with a sting in their tail.
Ryzeniko might pull off yet another heroic play in that final round.
This one's Diko does rock up 13-9 in Vitality's favor.
Yeah, we said that if Vitality are picking that CT side to begin with, well, they better
come with a plan prepared and well, then they did prepare.
And even though they lost the pistol round, they still put quite a shot on the CT side
and taking that many rounds is pretty irrespective.
D2 took a bit of a gamble picking into Anubis.
I think it's the first time with Snaks on the line that they've been actively
picking in Anubis against an opponent and this time around it didn't really work out.
A couple of moments in the game early on where you think to yourself, okay they have a chance
and you clearly see they had an idea of what they wanted to achieve and how they wanted
to do it in their T-side but defense from vitality and the response from vitality and
the overall level from these players was simply too good.
There was one player though trying to get it done and that was Nico.
His entry in this game kept D2 alive from start to finish.
I know when you look at the scoreboard it was Melbstubbing it and it was Nico
having a somewhat decent scoreline, but the impact of all these works that we've seen
right now, Stiko, they were off the charts throughout the entire game.
This is exactly what we highlighted before the game, where middle is just so damn important
position of the map overall, and the fight between Niko and Apex just kept going and
going, and the entry frags that Niko was delivering were just pure...
That was a jewel that you were really setting up to be, you know, a tough side of the
equation, most probably if you're going to be Apex, because you never want to
facing Nico head on when he's fired up. But at times I know in those rounds that we saw Nico getting
ahead of Apex but then Apex he was firing back I think during the square. I think he became really
resourceful with his nades and especially like walking and giving up that mid part of those
pub and then enabling kind of G2 splits into that A site and they were shutting them there. So Apex
getting kill on Nico coming from camera all of the times, vice versa, Nico getting kill on Apex
back forward basically this is just highlight of the mid player how they're kind of like playing against
each other when it comes to mind games. The problem for Nico was that he was left to himself you
know I know Malts in the first half had a couple of moments as well and we know Malts even in the
second half were trying to keep G2 alive but overall it felt like Nico in the first five six seven
rounds he was the only one trying to get it done for G2. And then we move on to round number
nine, Stiko once again for CT round for Vitality. What happens here? I want to highlight one
little detail here where Hunter unfortunately dies to Apex again very timely peak and then look at
the information tagged by Spinks here. Hunter the B player on T side for G2, Spinks immediately
recognizes it and he takes all the space by himself and look how much that enables vitality to lean
into that A site for shutting down that A split. Here Niko obviously getting ahead of himself and
really getting that frag on Apex but after all Flames is just positioning really really well
Modesty here having quite a game and missing that shot on flames. It is actually pretty crucial
I will dare to punish it and after all it turned out to be
Clutch to be for mouse
But in the end just no time proved to be very hard task to you know overall navigate around the day side of general
And it's a great example sticker of what we often speak about on the disc coming into the games in terms of preparation
As you said they kill 100 middle
They realized that is the guy supposed to be out there defending that area
Spinks immediately reacts whether it spinks realizing if it's a pick calling it for him or whatever that's going on right here
That is a clear sign of Vitaly having prepared for G2 coming into it.
We got to see hell of a lot of impact from Flamesee in that round specifically,
and basically over the entire duration of this map. He is certainly firing on all cylinders, you think?
Yes, and for the CT side, his bomb side was actually attacked a hefty amount of times,
but even if it wasn't, and he had that round where he saved the extra weapon,
he decided to go for a mid push, and ultimately that round,
that even though G2 managed to win, which was an anti-equal,
that really ruined the economy for the rest of the half.
the rest of the hull. I just want people to realize when you're watching this
highlight package from Flamesee, he's probably one of the best players out there
as of right now in order to be stressed and still getting away with the kills.
There's no easy kills in this package, there's no one running into his crosshair,
we're sitting in a duel or he's crouched or killing two guys in the back.
It's always high octane action where he has to, you know, defend two, three,
four different angles at the same time, and he's so good in those scenarios
once again here on the stage. I think so proactive, that's exactly what we love to see, alongside that beautiful smile from Flamesee.
You know, I've got to mention him, Mezzi.
We were talking about him coming into the game.
So much impact for him, actually,
able to be found in the early stages of the Senubis.
And it was good to see, again, the player that we didn't mention before
at the very last moment, setting into the game,
he's not the biggest star on the server.
He's not supposed to make the difference.
But when you're in a game where there are so many stars on the server,
where you have Cyborg, you have Stain Fairflame,
you have Niko, for that matter, popping off,
sometimes just having that supportive element of yours,
and this game's Mezzi having a above average game
It can make the difference, it can change the tide of the game, it can change the dynamic of the game
and Messi can definitely grab this confidence.
And Messi, well, knowing for his this kind of polished game, I would say when it comes to positioning utility setups on the B side,
it's our forgiving side. You fail once and people will target you throughout the whole half.
He was not liability at all and well, as I said, pretty polished gameplay, not Messi pun intended at all.
It was kind of funny with Jacob because you were mentioning it, you know, we picked up so many of these vitality players' names.
Zairu wasn't really in the equation until the final couple of rounds where G2
start to make things close and then Zairu's like, okay, hold my beer, I'm ready to pop off.
Yeah, it was a quiet game for Zairu, it was a quiet game for Moniz's as well.
Those two didn't really have the biggest impact on the server.
As I said, Niko in the first half and in the beginning of the second tried to keep T2 alive
and then there was Malphs. Malphs was doing a good job. Once again, we speak about him.
T-Side Malphs is just a different player than CT-Side Malphs.
Even in this game, he had a couple of rounds on the CT-Side that kept T2 alive,
that allowed them to fight a bit longer until the game, but overall I'm almost
you know starting to believe in that here with Twitter threat you know that's
going on with all these other called in rose skies, whereas if Meltz is not free
up at some point, if we're gonna continue to see Meltz putting up great
performances on the T side and sub par performances on the CT side, it's no
longer about his individual qualities, it's about the opportunities
presented to him. This time around he was trying his best, but there's only
so much you could do when you're stuck on that bomb side. I think
However, Vitality hit the 10th round, he was deciding on factor for the remainder of the
comeback attack.
Basically, whenever he had the option to play either passive or aggressive, he was choosing
the aggressive option, was getting away with so many kills and multi-kills throughout the
CBR.
6 for 8 in opening kills, 106 ADR, as we said, Niko had an awful lot of impact, but
this guy was the only other player on D2 trying to keep them alive, and it wasn't
enough, unfortunately.
Where do you think Vitality were able to kind of neuter Manassee?
Because I would say this is one of the first maps that we've seen in the
the entirety of the full finals where Manasseh is, you know, below average.
Yeah, he was changing his own tail, you know.
Manasseh was moving around, made no mistake,
and obviously there was an economical game as well,
where Manasseh didn't have the op that many times in the game,
but whatever he did have it, he was constantly being smoked off,
he was constantly running around, trying to find impact,
trying to find an opening,
and as we always praise Manasseh for doing these pro-active,
but it felt like I'd tell you, we're good at avoiding him,
and whenever they were hitting a side,
there was no easy picks off for Manasseh.
There was no one running into his cross,
always behind the molotov, always behind the smoke,
and just couldn't get it done.
Overall, just, okay, I would say, for a moment and see,
and well, we have to just put it to dust, basically.
We do indeed, and that is what is weighed in
on the other side of this break.
Dust 2, the pick of vitality after this.
Dust 2, weighing in the wings,
the map choice of vitality and, according to Apex,
the map where they feel like they're better
than any other team on the world on it.
Jacob, agree, disagree, mediocre?
No, I think there's a case to be made
that could be the truth.
I think, if I tell you, they have looked very solid on Dust2, and they don't really lose it, you know,
so that's a good point, and for that to bring up that coming into the game,
and having that confidence in yourself as an in-game leader,
it must reflect on the other players on the server as well.
Saivou, I feel like he's known to be a Dust2 merchant,
and I think so could be said for Monizy, and Monizy did have a struggle some first map,
so hopefully we get to see the two superstars show up in Dust2.
Yes, and also, past 10 games actually, Vitality won 9 of them, so they're statistically backed up.
They're on quite the street. Now, Bankers gave us some insider information.
He's been down looking at the boots of G2 camp.
Everybody left, apart from Monizzi, he's been staying there to warm up.
That totally makes sense because Anubis wasn't too hot for him.
And I have a question for you, Stiko.
Actually, now that you've been a player as of recently,
I know what Monizzi's trying to do right here.
He's having a rough game on Anubis.
You want to warm up one of their match, you know,
want to get into the groove again, want to get a feeling for the game.
But that also means he's not out there talking with his teammates.
Do you think that's an issue from a player perspective
that you're walking out there and you're only five guys,
your coach and foreplayers while one of them is absent?
Or do you think that's sometimes okay?
I think that's definitely okay.
Sometimes it was myself like that,
where I just needed to reset,
not per se, from the game plan
or from the tactical point of view,
but from mental point of view.
And I just wanted to be alone
and there was perfect opportunity for me to
put like kill two flies with one stone basically.
I'm trying to warm up at the same time as resetting
and just doing it by myself is completely fine
and reasonable.
As long as you don't overdo it every time,
obviously sometimes you need to have the trap
before the jump into the map.
I just want to pay the devil's advocate, because I low-key agree with you, obviously sometimes it's a good thing to be able to reset, but do you miss out on anything when you're not in that team talk, when you're not in that hard-core prep coming into the second half?
Most of the stuff is already pre-discussed anyway, and it's put on the papers in front of the players anyway, so while maybe he's deadmatching or playing game-balls, he just glances over the paper, maybe reminds or rewinds the rounds that they had in practice, and they had to try and run prior to the game that they want to originally put into game plan.
And then Munnesee, obviously stepping up, I really hope to see that on this map of Dust2.
What else do you think is going to be key for G2 starting on the CT side of things to be
coming into this game really, really hot sticker?
Yeah, so definitely I would say pistol rounds.
Pistol rounds for Dust2 in G2 favour, very heavily, I think out of last 12 they played
on Dust2, 8 of them they won, and this is actually going to be very crucial that
they actually managed to convert those pistol rounds into second round, potential third
round win, and get the economy rolling for Munnesee to get that, or as soon
I want Twitch chat and everyone listening right now to pay attention because I bet you you're gonna see this trench by in the game
We know hunter and we know snacks are constructing a lot throughout this tournament so far and guess who's defending that B bombsite together
It's those two if you're vitality you got a test that bombsite now
What do we do if you're D2 obviously you address the issue before it becomes an issue?
So you're gonna send Nico over there
You're gonna do some stacks or you're gonna put monosie over there with an AWP as early as possible
So that whole B split that whole B execute into that bombsite where you find hunter and where you find snacks
That's gonna be tested and I hope you two have something pre-planned so it's not gonna be alive
Yeah, very interested to see how that one does indeed play out
But let's check in with the live also if they've shifted up at all no still heavily favoring the side of vitality Jacob
I think that makes total sense with just the momentum that we've seen from vitality
Stiko said it they won nine out of the last ten games on dust two
And I think that's gonna be ten out of the eleven in around 40 minutes
Well, Jacob's got his bets in but I think it is time to be diving into dust two with Henry and Alex
Yes indeed, the semi-finals continue here, a full finals live in direct from Copenhagen.
Move the Dust 2 next, which could favour G2.
The individuals look fantastic and it was the team play, the synergy that looked a little bit off.
39 in the first map, but Nico and Malz were hitting hard.
If Monacee can join them there at the front lines, maybe there's a chance here.
It's going to be a different game if Monacee is here. There's no doubts about that.
We're getting into it. It's the semi-finals here, map number two, Copenhagen!
Metsunoi!
G2 looking to bounce back.
They've got the skill, they've got the talent.
They can they bring it all together.
Here on their opponent's map pick, it's a fragger's paradise
and we're getting aggressive.
Monosy stayed in the booth.
He wanted to warm up Anders
and he's pushing towards top of middle.
He's got the dualies and Kevlar
but it's the old classic here.
Five players out towards long.
Smoke's ready for the crossover
and they're going to bombard it with flashes
as they desperately try to plant.
Now they've layered this.
They've dropped one smoke already, trying to bait out any sort of reaction they can at the start,
seeing if the CTs will bite, but they have another smoke in reserve
and now they're going to deploy that and get ready to make their conquest towards the A site.
How cool is that?
You know the CTs won't have any flashbangs.
If they use any of them on the first smoke, that's just a bit of a bait,
then they don't have any more left.
And to be honest, they don't have a lot to begin with.
One flash on snacks here.
And they're not really sure.
They're not 100% sure there's going to be an A hit yet.
Look at them, they're crouched through.
They've slipped and they've flown under the radar.
And now they're all the way at the A bomb side.
Nobody's died yet and the bomb is going to be planted here.
What a way to find the bomb plant here at a pistol round.
It's a semi-finals.
G2, this retake is going to be near impossible.
No diffuse kit, no smoke or anything else.
I've got a feeling on this, Niko in this position.
Maybe he can make something up this.
This once was Gandalf, good shit, so being delivered left, right and centre.
Flames lights them up, and it looks like that's gonna be enough.
Niko down to seven points of health, they've got no kit, they've got some headshots here.
And it's their round to give up this stage.
Snaps, good effort, gets himself a couple of kills,
but it's convincing in the end, their vitality dominate the A bomb side.
Niko never got his moment, never got his chance to strike.
Three players coming in from short, it wasn't quite enough there,
and they get a couple of kills before flying on the second round of Dust2.
It means that pistol is in scouts, it can be potent.
What a flash that was.
That's so devastating.
But even more so, for G2, I'd be so interested to review that round
because obviously from our point of view, it looked like it was a surefire thing
that they were at top mid, they were looking for it.
And this is the round when Monosy can have some serious impact.
He is yet to arrive in a semi-final by his standards.
He knows it.
He's got that scout, he's got Kevlar as well.
And it's all about the tags.
Not necessarily the kills, he's wanting to inflict as much damage as possible.
Ah, they're reading this while though, they're aware that the protocol is over G2.
Trying to shift away at them with the AGs.
Setting up the scout for a couple of kills potentially.
Here you go.
It takes damage in return, they confirm that lower B is clear.
There's gonna be a B split that looks at things here as well.
Go towards double doors.
And bear in mind the deaths talked about it.
the snacks and Hunter combo the two players have been struggling the most for G2
throughout this tournament they've got a door to play for now CZ and Ham is a
nice place that Molotov go.
I hope he's right on top of the ball.
I hope he's right on top of the ball.
It spills down onto the boost just the tempo they were holding CZ 75 but it runs on the bullet so it's going to take forever to reload.
I'm honestly going to kill him in the meantime as well so two versus three.
I've coveted a lot of dust too never seen that molly that's kind of insane
It half lands on the edge of the building and it's filled off.
Yeah, that's so sick.
I haven't seen that either, but well paid.
Nico's going to get defeated.
It's such a method position right now, baiting the player, boosted up on that first box.
It's forced by though, doesn't look like it'll be one, it'll be working out for G2.
Their woes continue here in the semi-finals.
Some good damage, couple of good kills, but ultimately, vitality.
Looking very good for a 3-0 staff and then that pick.
the hunter and snacks conversation like I feel a bit bad because we keep bringing it up, but unfortunately
It was a feature in the quarterfinals as well. We sort of brought it up a lot then in a trend of the tournament
And you're right. We have we have been talking about it a lot because
The team with a lot of question marks around the by now the rumors circulating
Tenshi losing Niko in the future. Where does that leave them?
Yeah, nobody knows
What we see here, this tournament, no one's been deploying that.
I just know what you're going to see more. No question about it.
So it has to be the full eco.
A new save of mouths, Deagle.
I think Eco ran into a common problem you're picking for the window there,
that his own gun model is blocking the player that's beneath him,
so you actually can't necessarily see too much of what's going on.
Unfortunate.
Round number three, and we have a single HE.
Now, we saw in the last last two-game recasting, 1-8-she, if they're pushing through, could be really sick.
I think actually Hunter and Niko were the ones to fall victim to that.
Ended up dying and giving over the AKs, but my talent here looked to be a lot more careful.
They're not easily going to give this one up.
And even more importantly, perhaps, they've got that 1-MAC-10 on screen.
They really want to know, they really want to find out if there is a stack.
They're going to throw the MAC-10 first and find an opening there.
I'm waiting. Nice position.
Keep up with the AK, I suppose.
Long ways away before that closer was in this round.
Oh, yeah. It's nice to find the AK-47.
You can find save that, and maybe Malph can find a double.
There's been a few flashes of inspiration from G2 here.
Malph just had some great moments.
Niko, of course, carrying down in Nubis.
That's all it's been. There hasn't been a whole lot of teamwork,
excursions, a workout together, flashing each other in.
It seems that the individuals have to go above and beyond
to find the scrappy rounds they're picking up.
And that trend has to change right here, right now, Hunter.
He will save the AK, but is it going to be enough?
They will have the monocie op going into the next round.
But he is not looking as usual self today in the semi-final.
It's an all-person paradise,
and this is where he will get a shine bright
and show us what he's made of.
might be worth a tactical time-up before this first gun round.
Discuss their options, work out their setup.
How can they avoid those V-splits coming in time and time again,
focusing on the duo?
Well, you've got to hope right now that the little parade
that Monacee had is going to change everything for him,
because, I mean, he's a super weapon, right?
When he's playing well, when he's on form,
he can change the entire game.
We've seen it many, many times,
but on the other side of the coin,
missing him on the team is leaving
a very weird position. I don't think G2 are even, they're not even playing their own game right now,
like they're still trying to get into the semi-final. Hasn't really been working for them, we'll see
if they're going to be able to now. Zairu's got his and Monosibah on the other side with
the A-double. Zairu is such a demon on Dust2 as well. As short as Monosibah,
Zairu gets into some crazy form when he starts feeling it, especially on those shots through
through the double doors, denying any inquisitive CTs
to push to the middle.
Speaking of mids, it's wide open.
It's that duo we talked about, Hunter and Snack,
responsible for the B bomb site.
Monacy has got vision.
This is devastating.
They might not cross it.
They might just go for the dry peak here.
And I think Monacy gets his kill all day long.
He ain't going to miss this if they try and peak here.
Yeah, but if they smoke it, and there we go.
You're absolutely on.
They try to do it with no warning, and it does cost them.
That's huge because otherwise that's the defense.
Yeah, it's great you're not locking down that choke point,
but if you have to turn around and fight
to the middle instead, which almost happened there,
it's not that much fun.
That's a nice remedy to the problem.
Like I said, you give them all that space middle,
they might be tempted to keep the contact play going
to give the Elevator prize on their side.
Now, that's a smoke going up.
Is that too deep now?
All right, it's gonna be fine.
They have a Molotov as well on snacks,
so there is a way that they can win this round
almost just on utility alone.
Apex, I think he's trying to recover the ground,
running up through the middle,
opening up, it's real close.
But Snax here, just stay alive,
leaving a Hunter, good head shot.
Tairu on his own, and just lock him in.
You don't really have to fight too much here.
Little flick doesn't connect.
It's a nice triple kill for Hunter.
That's pretty much picture perfect.
Yeah, couldn't ask for much more there.
They're aware of the weaknesses,
the gaps in the map,
monocly protecting them.
You can only find that single kill, but it's the most important, but the more it stops them in their track, they have to reassess their options.
Had they just smoked it and gone for the B collapse, they probably wouldn't have around.
I think so.
Maybe overcooking it.
Maybe trying to keep that element of surprise, but it's fantastically hold. It has to be said.
No one's crashed up.
Applied in time to the utility, had to collapse in, once it starts to go wrong.
Oh wow, monocy, here we go. Get him warmed up here.
It's going to be Zyber going down early, or a big suicide peek comes out on top.
It's time to get warmed up here. Here we go.
Grenade that's gonna leave
mezzies is ringing out along.
Get another couple of those around some
honesty. Start to feel the game again
and it could be the dawn of a new day
here for G2.
Look smoke set up. It's gonna
instantly force out a couple of grenades
there on the CT side. Gotta be so
careful because they really can sneak
out behind that one on the CT side.
It doesn't seem like it's that risky
but you wanna be careful
Although with snacks up here, they're going to be absolutely sure that nobody's inside of the smoke now
Bomb being brought back. It looks like they want to test on turn snacks again
It'd be
Apex now that side who's gone with the AWP
That's a hell of a grenade and actually collect so you can hear that snacks is gonna know on the other side
All right, that actually it's actually a really nice be hold good protocols. We didn't see that synergy on anubis
at a bomb side looked like they
were working together.
That's more like it there.
You can see that's a nice setup.
Get the intel.
Drop the grenade.
You set your player up.
It was boosted up there as well.
And this is looking like a done deal.
I can't see a way they make their way
into this round now.
You might even consider a save.
It's pretty bleak.
There is one way, but I don't think
it's going to be easy.
They do have a double molotov
with their no smokes on the CT side.
So if they found a bomb,
they could molotov for a real long time.
But I take it all back.
That is a devastating grenade.
That is so much damage. Yeah, forget about that.
There's so low on health already, with nine seconds on the clock here,
and they're not getting close to a bon fart.
Shut down!
Got a cannon fodder for Monacy towards the end, which I think is great news.
Just any clothes he can get right now to start to warm up.
That was well played.
That's well from Apex to hold on to the AWP.
They will likely have to use it. I'm not sure they can justify an armor purchase here.
Monacee aware of their tendency to kind of boost their enjoy. This is a beautiful beehive.
Great utility deployment here. So much damage on Rue and
15 seconds to try and make their way into Wul'dasai. It was never gonna happen. Monacee's
starting to get some serious form now as well. It's the shot on Hunza. That's the eye
of worry. He does purchase the Kevlar. They're gonna see if they can find some openings here. See
They built such a great little space in the early half of themselves here G2 if they can just make it past the save AWP, they only have a position, they're going to feel better about the game, they have a lot more money to work with, the real threat of Saewoo on the other side.
I mean, he's he's world class, staying really far away down on long, they're leaving most
of middle.
Honestly, this is a bit scary.
The timing could not possibly have been worse for him.
Okay, that is a bit of an issue.
Niko isolated here.
Dropping the grenade will be well timed, but can Malton himself defend his safe onsite?
The answer seems to be yes.
Zawu finds a second, still a decent amount of HP.
If he gets another then real trouble to glock.
Let's try and do what it can from range. Bear in mind, Spince has no Kevlar as well.
Just trying to be a nuisance here.
Malton should be able to get him.
Any second now, six bullets left in the magazine.
Zawu is disengaged.
Yeah, he must go back along as well.
Scary reloading out of the open, but the fact that it's a block down there is just make it a little bit tricky
25 seconds the bomb is on catwalk as well
So they not only have to kind of yeah, it's right there
It have to run up and get the kills think the time for that to happen is kind of slipped away
It's still a scary round with Hunter being low and a couple of early kills there. It could have happened
It definitely could have happened
But they'll be all right, and I think snacks could really run back to middle to pick up the AWP if you want to
Maybe it'll be Hunter instead, alright.
3-3.
And a round of G2 I think can move past pretty quickly, right?
From honesty, it's a bit frustrating losing
the early fight like that.
But your team wins it.
You save the AWP.
You don't have to really think about it beyond that.
Tactical timeout cold now.
Apex and the crew getting a chance
to get the team back on track.
They really have been testing that B bombs quite a bit.
And honestly, Snax and Hunter,
They stood up for it for now, I mean, that's been working.
They've obviously been working on it.
I think the problem was before, like,
Snax would be holding angles at the back,
beneath the window, taking jewels,
and then finding himself in compromised positions.
Now the single there, the North sinked up.
And Boots have went for before, and Monacee found the kill.
No casualties, keep things off here, but...
Oh, he's going to be careful.
They're already in lower dark. They ran here so quick.
If he's a little bit careless...
They could boost and find him.
Yeah.
Oh, he moves to the left. Oh, and it's worth it.
It's absolutely worth it.
Takes down Sao.
He's stuck around just long enough to get that.
But yeah, the risk is getting pushed on the other side as well.
And he's going to stick around.
He actually has no backup.
This is very, very risky.
Grenade has set it up, but Apex defeats him.
Wow.
Didn't see that coming.
No, certainly not.
Monacy taking down Apex, stepping up.
And the Beast flits, they're going to shoot once again.
They know the AWP's been removed now.
They can hold for these peeks.
Apex will confirm a player's beneath the window.
Snacks will come down to the double doors.
Flash in. Doesn't do anything for him. Apex will fight a second kill.
They know Hunter is isolated today. He threw the flashbang.
Before they committed, it's not the great smoke though.
They'll have to enter through the window. They'll be spotted otherwise.
And here we go. Hunter goes down with nothing.
Last chance to move for Miles. And Apex will find his hat-trick with the AWP.
here in Jaewoo Proud as he watches on from the grave Niko will have nothing to
say about this one retake possible sure but we'll have to find a kit first
there's one no utility three kills to find doesn't seem possible right now
doesn't seem worth it either with the money that they have it's just so risky
I'd love to see a replay I don't know how apex wasn't flashed for that one I
I felt like it landed in front of him.
Maybe he was just way quicker and managed to spin around.
Either way, that is an amazing round for Apex.
A man with a long career, feeling so many different roles.
Yeah, not known to be an orper, though, Landers.
Not known nor.
He started as an entry fragger.
Went through the hell there was.
And a strike for a while.
1v1 duals, monon scenes.
Charlie went into the flashback.
Gets caught by it as well.
And then he just holds the angle of the flashback behind it.
And then, certainly, this convulgated the young Snipe up, Apex stepping up, just what his team needed the most.
That's a huge round and denies G2 finding a lead here on their CT campaign. Another tactical timeout.
I think the smoke that the CTs threw is what allowed Apex to get a sense of the timing for turning for the flashbang.
Yeah.
They smoke up the wall behind him, and he's like, alright, if they go peek, they're probably gonna flash.
But the timing was unbelievable.
Alright, he was just vitality with the timeout, now it's G2.
This is where the game can go one of two ways for G2.
Either they recover this early on when they still have the money,
when everything is still looking pretty good, or Vitality take over the game.
And we kind of know what happens there.
They run out of cash for G2, they can't afford the AWP's, and it's all downhill.
Vitality certainly are the heavy favourites after picking up a Nubis 13-9.
The ruins of their map pick up Dust 2, he's been back and forth so far, but they break the streak of three rounds to G2 here, a double AWP set up has been deployed.
Snacks and Monosy are now just snacks who have to work with the snipe up.
As Monosy goes down, Zawoo gets his kills. Actually, Snacks from the same position, they won't know he's got the obvious side of the map and they're probably gonna peek.
Yep, it is, he doesn't quite get the connection.
He's still fair play. Not at all about a 10-mult. He has been looking stunning for the last couple of games here for G2 and now Long.
He'll take down Mezzi. Very critical kill. Nico, you gotta be careful here. And what, right?
That's the bomb. Right edge. He's aware. Yep. It's being brought up. Look at that. Apex risking it all just to try and time Nico when he nearly did.
Okay, this is a really compromised position now both teams feeling uncomfortable Niko looking confident
No, he's out get to think on I wound
Bombsite flamethrower find it a mouth complain so good so far
Answers back to the HE the flash panel catching the comfort of smoke
He holds his nerve hold this position find a text you ever cyber flames continuing to dominate
No, I just feel both these players
Spinks holding two walls long surely hunter and snacks can pull this one off
this engaging from the five. They need a long plant here. They'll get somewhat of a
plan towards long. You can cover that from the platform itself. How good of a
throw do you think Spinks has? He's got a Molotov. It's super unlikely, right? He
can't throw it from the pit. I think it's gonna be very hard, especially
in the cut. Okay, well, let's see. They don't have a smoke. They have a kit, but
That might not be enough, but with a headshot here, Flames!
How does he land it?
That's he, Spinks.
Does he want to risk it? It is a big risk if you go for it.
A little bit of a peek there.
Now he's on the bomb.
And Spinks, oh, he's just gonna step it up.
The AK will get the job done.
They have 15 health between them,
and it's enough to win the two-on-two.
Like I said, it's not the ideal long farm,
but it's serviceable.
If you hold that platform position, like Spinks did,
Snacks a nice idea, tucks himself in, goes to the full DQ.
He's not going to hit that shot, so close though, he's on the real nail bite, Malves and Niko
dishing out so much damage for that shot from Flames, seal the deal there, 1 vs 1, didn't need the Molotov at the end
Holds his nerve, holds the composure, and we're going into a force by here from G2
They've got the Monosio, good instinct, great to dissuade them from long
Monosio knows he has to carry them through this round, Niko's got the M4, it is SMGs and pistols otherwise
Vitality. They can win this one. The floodgates really do open.
There won't be much to speak of in terms of CT rounds available to G2.
They have to win this round. And it's compromised to say the very least.
You've got to get the G2. They really...
They put it all on the line for some of these rounds.
The same thing was true in Anubis. They had a couple of these buys
and they didn't work out and it cost them massively.
They're trying to once again pass us to Niko's crouching in.
first line up here it could have been an absolute slaughter he's gonna get the
one but Sighwood flames are practically dead behind it I can't believe the timing
and now pushing in front here speaks ready for the boost up he's not Malibu
the eagle swaps out for the end for to take down flames so far so good on the
force of it they can keep that cool here I don't think Messi could do a
lot that's very well done the must win round lands in their favor didn't
really break the sweats after losing a couple of kills,
vitality, walk into the key choke points
and get taken down one by one.
Nothing that you can do, huge rounds.
As they answer back here, down but not out,
G2 a convincing round, they can upgrade to AKs here.
As opposed to short-paced dividends.
You're so good at bouncing off each other.
You're so good at reading,
you're so good at fucking delaying the smoke.
Keep this shit up.
They cannot fucking break us, okay?
Yeah, you're fucking insane at getting entry respect the fucking advantageous guys when we have advances they're done
Let's go. You're fucking being amazing cons are amazing. You're fucking great great. Keep it up. Keep it up
Okay, the vibes are immaculate rallying the troops. This has is it enough
Damage to each other as the teams will flood out of the long door the tech nines
Just engage you don't have to fight the suit you just don't you don't need to I don't know why they're still
The worst thing they have to do right now is to lose a couple of players in that long fight and totally the ground is open.
It's not too bad. It looks crappy for a second. They don't take any casualty, short some damage, but ultimately they get away with it.
Five players here. This is the force fight as well for Vitality Bear in mind as well, so this is huge.
They would have liked to have at least picked up one there, recover a rifle, sphinx low.
I want to give that galil to Zai Wu if possible.
Oh, from you here in that rallying talk on the G2 side, you have to sometimes, you have to talk up your teammates, get them into it,
and make them feel like there's nothing to bring them down. Round number 10 here.
You already mentioned it, the one that last round that they did, they're in a strong position right now, G2.
They could finish this 7-5 even if that would be something Monazzi tagged up.
Gotta be a bit careful because Nico's low on health as well.
Well, they're setting up for a bit of a pique here with the flashbang.
I mean, he's got to go big.
Yeah, we'll see if they can.
They're just waiting for a hit from the swing on the T side.
And so far, the fight's getting decent, but Spinks has got a different opinion.
Unbelievable.
They're right through the smoke, and they're realizing there's nobody else there.
So they know exactly where Flames is coming from.
And feeling it now, Niko keeps them alive.
A beautiful spray with the AK-47.
Mose them down through the smoke.
everyone so low as well. He had to step up, he had to go to 12 points of health. Ducking
and weaving his way around those bullets gets himself three in total. Five to five has
to be the eco G2 above six on the board, guaranteed.
It's got to be a great mix, just, you know, the only ticket they have at the lottery.
Not going to be for long. You get the tag on snacks, but that's not enough to
changed the round and I kind of like this.
Once I'm being led off the hook, him and Snacks both need some good moments to
feel the game a bit more and what better to try and set it up here.
Oh, that's a team kill as well, but pretty sick as shot.
Yeah, a couple of them.
Should be all she wrote.
No more twists and turns here.
a minute to work with Shaw, but, as I were, Mezzi with no Kevlar, no map control, 4 on 2, impossible scenario.
I can't imagine the scale of the calamity here for G2 if they lost this round somehow.
Doesn't look very likely, especially with Sae we're going down early, knife up there, Mezzi's going to be blocked off.
Yeah, cost them a little bit, but I don't think they care.
They're up to 6, they want 7, no question.
It was the double kill, bubbly shot at Monosy,
Sphinx gets caught in the crossfire,
cash is the stray.
Good times.
Double up set up once again.
Huge advantage in the buy, 4G2, it's a tech 9 for Apex.
What's their approach?
They consider themselves the best us two team on the planet.
Monosy's got upper ideas though, slowly but surely.
The beast is being awoken, free beat over flames,
Second! My god, that was good. Niko fighting back.
He's over the hat-trick here for Niko.
Oh, no, did he pull it off?
He was completely isolated, fighting in every single angle,
and he still managed to come out on top.
Now, it's a two versus two.
They should have lost this round already. Flames. That was so clean.
Come on, Snacks. What have you got for us? Beautiful kill.
Should be enough here. Mezzi!
Known to enjoy a clutch.
He's all the way back in T spawn. Mounds and Snacks.
I've got this one in the palm of their hand-landers.
It's their round to lose, but Mezzi, a cerebral player,
he knows he can cause some damage here,
make them uncomfortable when he's gonna be focusing
that deep bomb set.
There's a smoke available to him.
Doesn't find it.
Just gonna be walking in dry.
Just snacks, just has to stay alive.
Obviously he gets a kill, it's great, it's done.
They got seven, he set up for it and he does get in.
Nicely played, a seven to five half
in favor of G2.
back to the blood bath that is Vitality versus G2 on Dust2.
Looked like Vitality were in full control.
They win the pistol, they go 3 and 0.
They find themselves a nice sort of 5-3 star,
but then four rounds in a row,
courtesy of another masterclass from Niko and Malph's combined,
have actually put G2 in the front.
They've got a 7-5 lead, but that is not secure.
They're going to need to go into another level here.
Step up once again.
We need Monacee to join them at the Tivity Top.
As we send four, make it five players
over towards the B-bombs at Anders. Is this a straight up rush?
Yes it is, and if you know anything, this is a classic.
Mezzi would have absolute collapse already.
They try to break their way through, but it's impossible.
He's just killed three of them.
They never even got a chance to get onto the site.
Such a disappointing feeling.
You have that great first half.
You call the B rush, and you just get one tapped into oblivion.
That's not the way they were looking to kick things off there.
Hiko. Get himself a couple of kills if possible, but this one has been completely shut down.
One more bullet will take him. He knows it. Need to reload.
Yeah, what an absolute shutdown. They had all the grenades ready. They had the flashers going over, but Mezzi just...
Yeah, they smoked the doors as well. It was a little set piece. Wasn't just a straight up rush.
Think of how sick it is for Mezzi right here. Three kills in the entire first half. Now he's doubled that to six.
I mean, he's responsible for winning the round.
Super calm of it as well didn't panic once get himself to one taps reload into safety
And they could still lose this
40 seconds we'll see there is a player at the back of that so
He's so low already is messy fishing when he started for nice kills
Okay, well we've got a real game in our hands now anything can still happen
Yeah, that changes everything no bomb plan notably there
the B rush
Completely nullified here by the P2000s.
Gets dinks, holds his nerf, stays calm,
and gets the final one as well.
Good stuff.
Not many P2000 users out of these days.
As we get into not a four-spire,
we are going to have a scout for snacks.
In-game leader giving it a go.
Yeah, why not?
Couple of tanks here or there.
There's a Deagle.
He's got the scout now.
It's an equal.
Moving around with the Deagle here.
Maybe somehow refunded.
He did.
He refunded the Scout.
So what, he goes to the pick of the star?
Yeah.
I didn't know that was a thing.
I didn't know if you fire a bullet or do anything with it.
Presumably you can't sell it.
Well, the shop took it back, Henry.
They paid all the money right into it.
They paid full price?
Yeah, they paid full price.
Okay, I didn't even know that was a thing.
I didn't know you could go for a Scout kill.
Surely you fire a bullet though.
You can't send it back.
I don't think he did fire a bullet.
I'm not sure.
Yeah, maybe not.
Okay, that's an interesting idea.
I've never considered that
Really though, but here we go 50 seconds. They got the D.E.G.L.
That one's not getting refunded
Look at how cool he is
Just not even super quick to buy
He's just taking a sweet time with it
Gets a couple of kills for himself
And it's a fairly quick round at the end of it here
That's how they'll be catching up
They look so much more relaxed
Even when they're a little bit behind by Talisman
It just doesn't seem like there's a lot of stress happening on that team
they've alleviated a lot of the pressure by winning the pistol.
There was no force fire in the second.
There was that interesting scouts decision that's refunded
and glass cannon from Monacy, knowing he needs to step up here.
You have to have his big moment in the semi-final.
Big Smith's way into the lower dark here.
Oh, the spray is actually pretty good, but the snacks!
OK, four players.
he transfers that one onto Flames and manages to take him down so huge because the map is
closing behind him. Spinks is in lower and up a duck he's realizing there are no g2 players
on that side. If Snacks doesn't get the double they're gonna be locked in on long and Vitality
will be able to rotate behind it. That's massive. Smoking the crossover. Flashback
being set up here. The rifle is sphinx. The void not the ideal time for it though.
They have another one, they can't give it a go again if they really feel like it.
Seems like they're moving a little bit further away.
G2 walking across, slowly, silently, getting towards the bomb site, ready to hold the trigger.
It's looking so good for G2.
Yeah, it is. One flash on Monosy, so we'll see if he wants to throw that at range.
Yep, he already has. It's in the air, and it is dead on perfect.
Mezzi does not see a thing, and Niko just cleaning it up.
You don't need a lot, but that flash from the clip there from Odyssey, devastating to the defense.
The AK-47, step up there. G2 take the lead once again. Up against the Famicers, there's MP9s.
Those are great starts. I would've got the opening kill, but snacks.
That's a beautiful sequence of the AK-47, even better with that flashbang.
Odyssey out of you sneak out of glory and we are going to see a force in response
vitality running out of funds here now a crucial round for G2 they have all the
advances they could ask for M4s out in pairs you've got a Famous and an MP9
5-7 for Spinks flashbang should be relatively effective smoke will take
the vision away from Odyssey what's the approach they've got a wolf pack
mentality and it's four players owning around the map we have mouths
control in the long double doors, very nice angle, you don't mind me saying.
Oh look at Mezzi, I thought for a minute you actually wanted to keep going there.
Just at the lip of the bombsite.
Man if they win this round by Talbot they are, they're stealing something from G2.
I think it's going to be real heartbreaking for them if they lose this.
If they go B split, there's no way they can win.
They're hoping it's an A finish. They've got a bait and switch set up.
The pistol, the 5-7 set up in towards Goose.
Zaiwu is going to swing off a flashbang, as you can see it, it's a very potent one.
That flash cannot be spotted by the T side, it gets lost in the leaves.
Oh, Snax, he's not going to check this.
I don't think so. Why are you thinking about it?
That's not enough.
And now they can't go B.
That's a real issue.
And a double position towards Goose as well.
I mean, you're going to check one of them, but yeah, there we go.
Sideway a little bit of an opening, the taps are coming out from Albs and down by the car,
Apex still ready to pounce on the monosy.
Come on, Monizzi, what have we got?
Oh, it's back here.
The Molotov's got a force in, but he's got a straight head shot.
And then Mezzi's already low.
They know where he is.
He's already been named title across the map,
he was towards B, he took down snacks.
Monizzi, huge advantage.
Can't afford to lose this one.
Pressure mounting.
Mezzi, opting to go towards Long
does not have the kit right now.
This was the force by Monizzi,
reading it well.
Head on the swivel, though you can see.
Oh, that was the chance.
Messi can't deliver! This is the shot! And Monace sends him packing! Huge round for G2!
The timing is absolutely ridiculous. He had picked up the AK, he could have won that fight
against Monace, but he misses one shot and that is all it takes. Finally here, a chance for
Monace to shine on the big stage. We've really been missing him here in the semi-final, but
But that is a giant round of win.
Oh, it absolutely is.
Bull eco now.
Third map looking more and more likely.
It will be Mirage if needed.
For now, nothing vitality can do but sit back and wait.
Default pistols across the board.
Double digits locked in by G2.
Monacy with his best moment in the series so far.
steps up when they need him most.
I don't have the woods just yet to lose this round, Anders.
I mean, they're going to be flashed deep by three USBs, not even that.
Guard, before the flash is even thrown, and yeah, he goes to the turn around.
He knew that was coming.
Several steps ahead in this round.
Very still a nice idea.
Probably won't complain too much.
It just doesn't pay off.
So, 10 to 7, and everything is working out for G2.
Makes you nervous though, doesn't it?
There's always... there's always at least one heart rate from that.
Oh, wow! Okay, what the fuck?
That's the P2000 in CT spawn.
Full eco kills here for Mezzi.
There's a world, I suppose.
The bomb is ticking at some pace right now.
He's gonna give it a go.
Sudden disengage.
That is a crazy sequence.
He was in five versus one scenario
and gets three kills,
recovers an AK-47.
He had a bit of a blunder in the previous round.
I'm missing a shot of Monosibath.
That gives G2 Modest.
You can hold onto the AK here.
That's pretty massive.
I'll tell you what he does.
It looks good.
Taps himself in CT spawn.
What just happened?
Could have a hollow victory in the end there.
Sure, you win the round, but losing three towards the end.
That's kind of insane.
Lincoln, you miss it.
Nice.
Oh, boy.
OK.
OK.
All right, the Fatty saves the AK now.
The marshmallows have come out.
That's when you know you're having a good time.
Another timeout used.
Vitality, I mean, they need to figure this out right now.
They have to get this together.
They need the money.
They need a defense to be up and running.
Otherwise, like you said, third map is on the cards here.
Fighting for a spot in the grand finals,
the last fall final that we're going to have both teams.
Definitely hungry to get there, hungry to prove themselves.
Here we go. Do a die time of vitality.
Mezzi attacking the resources of G2 in the previous rounds.
We got a boost there for Zai Wu.
Looking in towards low and B.
Bombs outside tunnels for now.
If you're running the protocols, you're not really peaking that lower dark position
this late in the round without a flash from top mid.
I mean, we've seen mistakes happen before.
Nice land. That's not a bad way to throw it.
Set them up, they're gonna eat some grenades as a follow-up, but yeah,
you get the control in the middle eventually.
Everything about this feels like it's gonna be some sort of a B push.
There comes the lurk smoke to set it up.
B-Curse is looking so sharp right now.
A man on the mission.
Every shot he's taking, whether it be through smoke, speculative or not,
they're hitting the mark, he's in the zone, he's feeling it.
And here he comes, the man himself.
Showing presence towards shore,
making sure they have no vision elsewhere on the map.
they've actually vacated the B bomb site here. CPs have been done. The utilities
gonna land and they might not even get a look into this one. It could almost be a
five-band save. They don't get a really fast kill here. It's not worth it,
unfortunately, for Vitality. Always the read. I'm not sure. I'm guessing they
think it's a split. They can kill half the split and then retake the bomb site,
but yeah, I don't think you can go for this. They're already running towards the pit.
Yeah, it's round over.
That is fascinating.
It's got to be the B-split that they're expecting.
They say, okay, we double-fight in the middle.
And then what do we have left?
Like a four and three.
We can retake the one side. It's pretty good.
Just didn't work out that way.
It's because they had no vision towards middle.
And normally the principle is,
you either take up a B or you fall back towards middle.
If you fall back, split is coming.
So at least you have one area that is strong arms.
But unfortunately, it wasn't the B-split.
straight up to be assault through the tunnels.
Utility deployed, they can't believe their luck.
It's a wide-open bomb site and no kills.
And round number 18, 10 players to survive and snacks.
The only player to take damage.
And the minute the gift in G2 will take it all day long.
One step close to the barrage now.
Resources starting to swell.
Vitality just have to take that one in the chin.
Believe Henry Coyne by you, a unicorn round.
I was going to leave it, but yes, indeed.
And nobody dies and it's a semi-final.
That's, thus too, as well. It's so unusual.
Wow.
They'll manage to get all the grenades they need.
Four round gap.
That's where the matter is.
G2, two rounds away from delivering a third map.
Consider the battle here in Copenhagen.
They want it. If they would have got one opening there,
they are immediately pounding on that bomb site,
But they never really got it back with the same boost here was flashed off last time see if they throw the same one again
They do but so who isn't ready. He's not gonna fall before the same way twice
Still up there should be good for a killer though. There is
Getting blown up on the catwalk looks like it could be a done deal here on dust to five versus three
flames of these dealt with
It's all over, but he'll stay alive, doesn't take any damage or find the lurking mouths as they set themselves up for another B finish here.
Smoke down towards CT spawn, Sphinx has been fantastic this tournament.
Goes to the Flash play, doesn't commit. Now he will, and surely taking down me, because he's afraid that he messes, he needs to go above and beyond.
Basically a triple here, they even make it closer, it's not going to happen.
Hunter will take him down, falling off the box.
That's 12 now.
The AWP lost here, and I don't think the Anikos can stick around
for this exact reason.
Now, Flames, that's a very clean shot.
He wanted to deny the AWP, so that's why we just never
did an extra round, which makes a lot of sense.
Might expect to be hunted here at the end,
so he's going to stick on the AK until the very last second.
But that's great work.
You see the protocols, and I mean,
That is sort of a rock-paper-scissors type situation, right?
Saibourg actually dodges the first flashbang, and then they throw one from top mid.
They knew that he was going to be there.
That's a perfect counter.
Yeah, remind, this is very impressive, Agita.
They've lost both pistols here on this outtick.
And now it will be Flames holding on to the AWP.
Bit of a dream right now.
But by Tality to bring it back into overtime, it seems like it's just so far away.
Seven rounds so far. Wow.
It's going to take five in a row.
It can be done.
If ever there was a team to find this tenacity and hold on, it would be vitality.
The tactical timeout has been called.
What can be said? What can they do?
Is there anything left in the tank?
G2 have played an absolute blinder.
A fantastic return to form for Monosy.
And still not out of the woods just yet.
T side continues.
The resources are good. It should be a done deal for Mirage.
They've got that long spawn as well, Anders.
That's always exciting.
See if they want to risk it, if they want to go for it.
The openings have been really good for themselves.
Setting up at least the smoke for the corner.
They're going to throw a couple of flashes over.
We'll see if Snatch really wants to push on out.
He will. He does take a lot of damage for his trouble,
but at least they've got a bit of control.
They're going to be forcing Vitality back.
yet here. Vitality need, they need a couple of rounds here where they're four on five where
they actually have a bit of a lead. They're pushing catwalk and middle, they've left both
bombsites. Which is great if there was anyone here that you could find, but they'll fall
out long. Every single one of them. See if they want to double pump this one, they
do have two smokes. So three in fact. They can spend some time here to get rid
are some of the grenades from Letalty.
Is this it?
Is this the moment?
G2.
Five rounds in a row, officially on fire.
Crossing over towards Long.
Pumpturing holes in their smokers.
Flames are no damage inflicted.
One round away from Glory.
One round away from Mirage.
G2.
I've got everything they need.
Mountain D with a burst incision.
Flames goes down.
It's down to Messi.
So close they can taste it now 30 seconds more smoke setting up. Oh, that's beautiful. That's the bomb
I just need to plant it right now and they're good to go mezzanine
Swinging into it gets a big double kill. It's not done yet
The orbs are still here on side for a second though and harmful with the kill on apex that should ring the bell here
I think it's all over Spinks trying to get the wide swing. They don't know these there yet
But I think they heard him grenade. Is it enough to find the kill? Not quite
It should mean the rest of them have to take him down G2, game number three.
G2 by and back and we have got ourselves a series.
Talk about a whitewash in that second half, Jacob.
Six T rounds in a row for G2 and we've got Mirage awaiting for us.
Yeah, what a way to respond from G2, obviously coming into dust too,
having lost your own map pick feeling that you're already on your way out of the tournament,
that we spawned straight away, but Talon even got us to a decent start,
but Niko and G2 wanted it differently.
Very composed, very cool action, and especially at the T side in the second half,
they were the better team on Dust2, taking down what we, I guess,
preface coming into the game called the best team in the world on this very specific map.
And also looking at the Bistarons that we spoke about before the game,
both of them went to Vitalityway and still G2 managed to close the game so in such fashion.
I mean, this is something that we saw especially with Monocid compared to the first map,
where he stayed in the boot to warm up and clear the pay-doh.
Let's go back to that first half because I feel like Niko, Flamesee, that was such a
duel coming out between both of them and they were really both putting up really strong numbers.
Yeah, to be completely honest Niko once again having a fantastic show and you see the very
last round of the first half is a great example of what transpired throughout the entire game.
Flamesee coming in doing God's work for Vitality at this point they can still get a 6-6,
lose track of where he is, Flamesee with a nice double entry then Niko stuck on Catwalk,
somehow some way battles all three players and finds all three kills again credit to flamesee for the double opening
Even more so credit to nico for keeping g2 alive in this round allowing snacks to get a very easy kill and for g2 to finish
Off the first half seven to five despite by telling the winning the best and we can see as well
Like when something goes wrong in the round
They are targeting that b side where we spoke before hunter and snags
Which is the lowest performers for g2 are going to be occupying the side and well
Well, we've seen it at the beginning when they were starting with the 3-0 heads-up and those were mainly the B attacks where it kind of worked out.
It's kind of crazy when you witness what Niko can get away with. Some situations like the balls on that man to just keep on going, clean up those three frags.
I mean, it's just beautiful to witness. Obviously, from the side of Vitality, kind of ugly to be on the receiving end of all.
Yeah, for sure. And we have a highlight package of Niko showcasing exactly that. I honestly want all the stats merchants out there to just take a look at what Niko have been able to achieve on map number one and map number two.
number two. If you look at the score line, it's not that impressive. Of course, 18-11
on this map is very impactful. It looks good on the scoreboard, but the impact he's finding
both on Anubis. Now, he does two as well. Either he's getting two or three kills and
a single hand winning the rounds or he's getting nothing. There's no in-between right
now for Niko. He's not farming easy kills. He's not getting that one off, one dig.
He's not patting the stats at all. Every single kill Niko has gotten in this game
so far has been of high impact. So, regardless of 18-12, it doesn't look that sexy,
but my God, is he playing well right now.
How does that compare to Flamesey then on the other side, Stiko?
Because in all fairness, sure, he's on the losing side of their own map,
with Dust2, but he was really having some impact,
but kept by Talies, heads above water in a lot of situations.
Exactly. He is definitely finding impact also with the Bollywood scene right now.
It's absolutely crazy, but on the other note, Flamesey delivering one
that he's had with those entries, sharp headshots all across the board
and kind of maintaining that impressive performance throughout the whole tournament
It shows me that this is consistent, at least on that we will need this witness performance
as well on map 3, if we won Vitality C in the final.
If anything, it's just in for the race for the MVP of the tournament.
If Vitality can win map 3 and they can do it with another great Flamesee performance,
I'd argue he's the best and most influential player of their team so far.
It's two maps in a row now where he's been popping off and he's meeting them at the moment.
Something that you were asking for Jacob was Munisee to have a resurgence.
And by God, did he do exactly that?
We found a couple of rounds where he had the impact that we wanted to see from Monizzi,
you know, cobbling off with the AWP, and Nubis wasn't looking pretty at all, but thank God
for T2 and thank God for Monizzi, he came alive in round 16 again, another very important
moment in the game.
At this point Vitaliy could still fight back into the game, they lose the opening duel,
Nubs is finding one on Flame C, Zairou is doing a good job, Nubs coming in
trying to trade, he will be traded from Apex, playing the car position right here,
and we think he'll serve a 1v3, not supposed to be one.
Modesty with the AK47 is doing it. This second kill right here is just nasty on apix. When he's in this move, when he's in this flow, he's so instant.
And he also knows that Messi is low HP after the initial engagement towards B side with Snacks.
And he just finishes off with pretty much no pressure at all.
Yeah, I mean for the CT side of Vitality, because you know, let's not forget Prefacer coming into this very series, they were the best CT side of team we've seen so far in the group stage.
Can you tell me as to why he felt like they crumbled on that one, Jacob?
I'm not sure why. I think individually speaking, they weren't really tied together as we normally see.
I feel like Spinks had a couple of moments where he single-handedly tried to flash himself out of a smoke and make the difference.
We also saw Saibou maybe not, you know, being as big of a wall as we would like him to see,
didn't have the op that much, didn't really was in any positions or poised in any positions where he could do the difference.
Just like we were going after Monizy after one saying that he wasn't having a great show in Saiyuan map 2, know what to be found?
Yeah, and we've seen that Monizy actually went for a lot of openings during this map
On contrary to what we've seen in the first map where Niko was the one leading the charge
So it's nice disparity seeing that rifle enabling being on the first map here. Hope is just putting up
Numbers and it's great to see that how easy this to play does to in 5v4 advantages that Monizy is going to grant you
Yes, it's always lovely when it's not just Niko in isolation, right, when you've got Manasi charming in mouse as well to be fair to the man
He has some great impact. Yeah, I think most of that a great series so far again great impact is entering on the T side coming out
I'm wrong. He's he's so good at it
And he's always finding the impact 17 kills this time around and you'd argue that over the course of both maps
It's been him and Niko now showing up in spades. So hopefully they can keep that up again
We spoke about the win condition for G2 coming into the game. You want your individuals to play well
You want your Niko, you want your monosies, you want your mobs to play well and so far
We've seen them all three have moments in the game
Which makes me believe that Mirage coming up as a third deciding map could be very very fun
Just going back to them in the apex said in the pretty much interview with Bank
You know he said since that's coming in G2 less of a tactical team has that mattered that much in this series so far
Stiko do you think there's actually any truth to Apex we're saying in that?
I think it might have been definitely true
But on Dust2 it's going to show its potential the least I would say the most aim heavy map
I think in the pool right now and the tactics and variability over the years didn't change as much as the other maps
So we say tactical wise that's going to be a little bit more raw and roll kind of thing
But for vitality they I expected more they are
Claiming themselves to be the best on the map in the in the in the world ranking right now
So I definitely expect a little bit more when it comes to aggression when it comes to trading also reading those long pushes
Wasn't up to par for my life
So let's be completely honest as well, because I agree with you by telling you have been underwhelming so far in this series,
having really played up to par, there's been different players, Flamesee mainly, who's been really living up to the hype.
Apart from that, got a point fingers at Saivoo, winner, a semi-finals scenario right now,
you're playing first spot at the last four finals, and so far it feels like Apix haven't really had that tool that he normally is.
Almost like he's trying to cut an onion with a spoon, you know, but Saivoo not showing up,
it's very hard for him to do what he normally does and take charge of a game, because right now Saivoo have not played two good maps at all.
I want to push you on that. Do you mean underwhelming in this map in isolation or you said series?
Oh, we think Vitality's been underwhelming on both maps.
I think Anubis was okay. I think T2 took a big risk picking in Anubis towards Vitality.
And I think Flamesee saved them an awful lot with his impact on that first map.
Anosai Rout didn't have a great map on Anubis.
It took him what? 12, 13, 14 rounds before he came alive the first time.
And for a guy that we praise to be the best player in the world
and the most consistent player in the world, we need to see more.
G2 vs Vitality set out one map apiece.
Mirage awaits on the other side of the sprake.
So Malbzen is interviewing HLTV.
He spoke about the hero A.K. on Dust2
and he spoke to me on the interview with him.
He said, how good it felt, right?
Is this nice to see that you can have that faith
in the new young player coming through
and just see how much it means to him?
Yeah, I mean, of course, we are really happy to have him
and that we decided to trust him in the team
because in all aspects he's a great player,
he's a great guy, great teammate.
So it's really good to see having as well faith in the maps after Niqua and Manas in the team and yeah, that's just amazing.
How much faith do you guys as a team have in him already?
A lot, like things that he's doing on officials are really good as well so far, but in practice he's as well smashing people.
He's so sharp, his aim is amazing and of course we have faith after what we showed.
of the game. One map now
separates G two or vitality
from that coveted best of five
a grand final that is going to
come down to the map of
more which I am so excited
that we found ourselves
awaiting Jacob because
between these two teams, so
much history on this map want
to focus on the vitality side
of the equation first
because nine map win streak
on this kind of marriage
including the last time they
played it, taking down the
And I'm glad you brought up that context. For 9 wins in a row for Vitality, that is the first time in the history of that lineup that they've consistently been playing Mirage at a high level.
It's always been a map in their map pool. It's always been the 3rd, 4th, 5th best. It's always been one of those joker maps that they sometimes try to force into the map pool.
They were picking it against opponents, but they never found any consistency up until this point.
So I think it's a perfect playground. If G2 want to beat them, if G2 want to book a spot inside the final, they have to take down the final boss of Mirage. That is Vitality right now.
Yeah, and for me, I think why are they so great on Mirage is that roles just kind of fit into place.
It's obvious. When you look at Messi, you obviously want to put him on those extremity towards B side,
where he's just trying to go for survival. Flames on A, huge multiple potential on that guy.
We've seen it on Anubis, we've seen it on Mirage multiple.
And I love that you bring up Flames C, because we just had Meltz coming into this one, you know,
saying that he's starting to feel more and more trust within the team of T2.
He's also being put on that a bomb side and I think flame see and melts that duel between who are the two can do a better job
CT side locking down that a bomb side could very well be the difference of who's gonna book a spot
Vitality indeed gonna be starting on the CT side of the equation G2 T side
What do you want to see out of the gate from G2 if they want to get off to this hot starts?
I know you've been saying the pistol rounds didn't matter so much in dusty
I will have to say again one crazy start about this round because it was crazy on a previous map this time
It's even crazier out of 20 pistol rounds. They played in past three months
They won 16 G2 are on tear with the pistol rounds and they need to convert those again into two zero three zero leads on both sides
Potentially and a few for vitality, you know with knowing that stat
You've got to be very alert of that potential and of course if you can steal away just one pistol you're halfway there
I also do think for vitality as I said coming into this segment
Saivoo again the best player in the world the most consistent player in the world
He's been consistently bad so far in this game
So we got to see more coming out of Saivoo with the way Nico is playing with the way
He's dictating the game unless Saivoo shows up. I'm starting to feel more and more
I guess my gut feeling right now my stomach is telling me G2 could actually win this
I didn't think that coming into this game at all. Well, let's see if the live wants to do agree with you
So we can get the updated ones coming at some map number three. Oh pretty still pretty how to leave vitality. Stiko
Do you agree with that? I
Do a little bit. Yeah, I do I do agree with it
The majority of people would probably vote for Vitality to see them in the grand final.
With the performance we're seeing today, it's a little bit hazy, but it is definitely still a favorite.
Listen, we've been speaking so much about who's the best player in the world.
Dong went out of the tournament yesterday.
Manasi has been delivering somewhat okay in the semifinal.
Saivoo has not, right?
Every single tournament counts. We spoke about it.
We don't really know who to put as number one, put as number two, put as number three.
There's so many opinions out there.
If you want to claim that spot, you've got to show up in the semifinals.
You've got to show up in the finals.
So far, Saivoo haven't done it.
If they want to win now in Vitality, they've got to be off the back of Cyborg playing well.
Let's talk about the CT side of Vitality, the one in which they will indeed be starting on.
I'm C.K. You obviously brought up the stats that they were, the best CT side of the team coming into this series at the very least.
Where should we be looking out for on Mirage? Like, where are the points that are going to be really tough for GT to be cracking through?
Obviously, here you can build multiple game plans for a map like Mirage.
Either you can fight for mid, that heavy aggression, and try to slow-pace the rounds into A-splits or B-splits.
but you can also hit those sites throughout the executes and you know it's just up to Apex how he's gonna lay it out.
Well, we are ready to be diving into Mirage, the third and final decided between G2 and Vitality.
Thank you very much guys, it couldn't be more exciting for this third map.
G2 have arrived in the semi-final and Niko is looking at lights out.
He's got Malves joining him now and it looks like they could actually have a chance of taking us to the grand final for G2.
Modesty had that sick 1 vs 3 almost, they ended up winning.
It's all coming together, I mean it's at the right time, right?
They've actually got the third map.
I'm excited for this one, Henry.
I know you are as well and the whole watching.
Now it's time to focus up.
It's the final round here.
We need a team in the grand final.
And it's either gonna be D2 or Vitality.
Let's get the show on the road.
Yeah, let's fucking go.
T side star Vitality.
Smoke available.
A flash P250 to Zai Wu.
Pimps called him out. He hasn't turned up that his grand final as if yet can.
He sealed the deal here in the third and final map.
Smoke in towards A. It's a bit of a ruse though, Anders.
No one there behind him. Now we're focusing towards a connector,
so this could be an interesting approach. They go through towards the window,
try and split in towards a B-Bonsai. There's so many options available here.
Yeah, you're right. That smoke actually allows them-
They will.
So many different things. Wow, what a setup then. What a kill.
He was called out, it is isolating fights with that smoke and now they're going to be reaching it.
Vanico continues to dominate!
Another three-piece picks up with the USP.
As Spiggs will have nothing left to do, nothing but headshots with Vanico.
This guy has entered the fifth gear.
It's the speed with which it happens.
You're winning the round and then two seconds later, half the team is dead.
He's so fast with it.
40 seconds here for Spinks, getting shot in the back and Snaps will take him down.
G2 once again saved by Niko. It is, the story is all this time it feels like.
What a round, what a performance. One of the best to ever do it in Counter-Strike Niko.
Ice cold with the USP, doesn't even need a reload.
No bomb planted and G2 for the best for forward. It was a technical strategy there.
there, isolating our window five, taking down one player with the B250, breaching the smoke,
but to no avail. As vitality wall forced by a back in response, smoke down towards window,
five players towards the B apartment here. Honestly with the M4, same story for Nico,
and here comes Flames. Maybe the MVP so far this semi-final. See where he can find
of his tech nine they'll be trying to focus on that B defense of a bite snacks
this time they saw what spirit we're able to do defeating snacks they know
what's possible they're gonna test it really stunning head shot takes down
monosie and cyborg he's sick of being a part of the score but he wants to get
back in the fight a third head shot that absolutely grotesque around them
Okay well that's a statement in itself. The round is grey but Zai Wu fighting that sort of form.
It's a scary prospect going forward now. Five players alive Zai Wu. Hungry for blood.
And they're trying to lock these CTs in Niko. I don't think he's got any idea.
He'll be up here apparently he does. Good free fire.
Trying to isolate these kills. You need to be careful here.
Now we'll lock it in trying to recover that M4 before Maus can do anything about it.
scoop it up and that's a hell of a round we've got to see that POV from Zai Wu, holy.
Yeah that's hard to explain but you know what we already went through the storyline and said it's
a different team of monies he shows off but obviously for vitality. Ross Saaru on that side
and he's been a little bit quiet in the semi-final so far if that changes, yeah changes the
the entire battlefield. An absurd round.
This first kill. He gets it towards the window. That is despicable.
Continues to frag. The third was an absolute master stroke as well.
Hits the head once again. Round done.
Now the hunt to find the remaining CTs, Cosmalor. He did lose four players en route.
They won't be too worried about that.
War of attrition begins now.
It will have to be the forcefire in response here from G2.
early timeout. It makes sense. Can't really lose the mental game early on. You've got to find a way to stay sharp.
So yeah, slow it down. You're not only getting the nerves under control, but you're also slowing down the momentum for my talent.
You're making sure that they can't celebrate their way into the next round and just roll forward.
They're going to have to take a bit of a break too.
Round number three, the M4 there on the CT side.
Love a round like that of their own G2.
Yeah.
To get it, they've set up with a B bomb site.
And there are my mouths, get some sort of three kills there.
He saves the M4, so he can drop that family server to Monosy.
And they know this B bomb site is
going to be a target for vitality,
for reasons we just saw.
So they're going to stack him.
Anybody watching that spirit game
would have been taking notes and saying okay well this seems like a brilliant plan.
A number of times where Spirit were able to catch out snacks in some weird positions that he just
wasn't really ready for. It feels like that's how they've decided to get to the A bomb site which
seems like a great choice at the moment. Honestly I think he spotted them so
at a minimum Niko's gonna be aware at least towards that jungle position.
I think he probably had to get a double kill, but his round is still defiable.
Now, all right, he actually gets one more in there and stacks of the smoke is taken down flames.
His force by has got some legs to him.
One will be planted, two versus two.
Hunter makes his way towards Connector.
We'd love to find a rifle.
Yeah, he does why try to do the jump there. I think he could have picked up the
FAMAS that was up there dropped by Monosy now instead he's got the 5-7 and
again obviously you do not have a kit. Got a smoke though. All right and another
one there that if he dropped flashed around the corner it's a very hard 10
seconds worth of defusing coming up here for snacks he's gonna tap the
bomb once but I don't think Simon was gonna be messing this one up he's
He's already got so much time to play around with here,
just another coming assessment.
So the clock will get the job done.
You can pretty much assume there'll be no kid in play
with those sort of rounds,
especially comes down to the one versus one.
Maybe there was one kick around somewhere on the map,
but well-handled good effort there on the retake,
but the force fight doesn't work.
Ava Jitsu in the end, flames,
and a couple of nice kills,
but I won't,
doesn't even really have to save the day.
There was no chance to defuse that bomb,
but he closes it out in style.
So, it's one and presumably three as now Vitality will have nothing really up against them after the force by a couple of pt-50s at the top end as you see the eagle and a pt-50 for Malus.
No Kevlar and another B-stack. All five players here this time.
I mean, this is working out better than I think Vitality could have hoped for.
That one round with the eagle on CyWoo is absolutely course correcting immediately.
This one should be a lot easier to deal with, against that going on.
Over the walls of the B1 site, but they have already figured it out. They're already well on their way.
It's probably not too much going to be happening here again. You could look for some exits if you're G2.
Might as well with the USP's perhaps, to try and see if you can find a rifle or two.
Yeah.
It's one of those rounds where there's not much to talk about.
Bear in mind that, as you mentioned, we do have another semi-final coming up today.
Quite a tantalizing matchup. Quite the bout.
As you see, Navi taking on FaZe, who seem to bounce back to their winning way just to get into Liquid.
They actually look pretty decent.
I was going to say, before yesterday I would have said, well, I don't think it's going to be much of a game for FaZe.
They look so sick yesterday. They bounce back really excitingly.
Yeah, and they're big game players as well, so there's a chance they could actually take Navi to distance.
And maybe, for themselves to play to the grand final by Talon to make a convincing case in the third match to Jujus Zaf.
As they go three to one up against the pistols there.
That's going to be an uphill struggle now for G2, playing on the back foot here.
Need to start posting some signs of life.
Do we see the time out for this first gun round?
Time will tell.
It looks like we're good to go.
I doubt there's an AWP available.
The bike confirms it.
There will be rifles across the board here.
Oh, we've come for a set piece.
Okay.
Vitality is not wasting any time at core difference form.
And I say set piece, I mean the full execution of all five players, old school, it's effective
and it's very difficult to play against if you're on a week by.
Yeah, I'm one good opening kill here and they might just flood the bomb site.
They're already getting real close to that connector, do flashbangs and they're even better to kill.
Setting up, taking down, monosie mount, under a lot of pressure here.
Time is running out and so are the bullets. He's going to end up going down to Apex.
The side which is charging forward, you can see he's in full kill mode right now.
right now. He's 12 and 3. I think he's thinking I'm going to kill every single one of them might
have shown him in care anymore. Be a bit quiet on the first two maps. Yeah, sure. Time in the
spotlight is his now. He's had some ridiculous moments here in Mirage and you're right he is
starting to wake up and show us his true potential. I mean there's nobody else getting
kills on my talent right now. It's just him. That's about it. Snacks and Hunts without
to be a partnership or have to disengage, save the pennies,
bang them going forward.
Lost bonus will start to accumulate here.
And still it's going to be a sticky situation going forward
here, very convincing by a player to have a spawn,
making their way towards the A-bomb science.
And mentions that first proper gun round.
You can assume they won't have the kits.
They won't have the helmet.
They won't have incendries, perhaps.
Now, it's exactly the case.
They couldn't put up much of a fight
Once they slip the net through the ramp itself, and Zywoo cracks a couple of heads with the AK-47,
they're flashed up the top, and a monosy for the smoke.
Look at the timing of the peak when the smoke is halfway popped towards jungle.
So the CTs, like, they just get a glimpse of living his best life already.
Absolutely true.
So, a similar approach but not the same.
This time four players and with spades,
patrolling the extremities of the map.
It's not a forced buy from G2.
They're going to save those two rifles and purchase
halfway with the CZs and Degos,
but Kevlar in the mix as well for Monocy and Niko,
providing their time of vitality.
It looks to be an A finish for the bomb.
They still got a T spawn.
They can reset this somewhat,
going to be smoking towards the window.
Got a C of Mezi. We'll see if it makes its way there.
And it absolutely does. You love to see that.
Okay, presumably the one thing you might really want to avoid is for both rifles to be the same bomb site and for them to keep right into it.
Any information that you get if they hear a rifle over at B, they're pretty confident it's just going to be pistols and maybe one rifle at the A bomb site.
That's a lot more fun to fight.
Okay, well, this next is here, so information has been gathered but it's going to cost them a lot.
Hunter gets a headshot taken down, speaks and that's at range.
That was all the way from the market into the B-Hallway that he meant to land that shot.
That's a really long distance.
Blames.
Sure, trying to set it up for the Walter because why not?
It's absolutely slacked it down.
Wow.
Weepo with a kill.
Ridiculous round there from G2.
It was looking so controlled.
They needed all that round like this.
They have lost so many rounds themselves.
And kick them out the second round here after winning the pistols.
Don't want to say they deserve it, but they're going to be real happy to bring this one back.
Yeah, this is the kill for Hunter.
Damn!
Mous!
Got that deadly deagle.
That's a huge round to win.
Now the financial pressure being applied to Vitality
will have to make do with his eye with a scout here.
AK is available, and well, the scout does come out on top.
Finding Hunter this time goes to the spray.
One hilllifter regrets.
Of course, there's a big problem for the CTs
because Vitality know that Hunter is the other B player.
So for a while, snacks are the only thing
I know there are going to be some rotations happening here.
See if they want to put a little bit of pressure on Niko in the middle.
It's actually joining, so they're almost saying,
forget about the B bomb side, let's refight towards the middle.
They're going to be all here, ready to go.
When Niko goes down, there's a little bit of stagger here.
They're going to fight again at the same time, but now mounts.
And want to see finally showing up for it.
And at the end of the day, it just might work out anyway here.
Saibu trying to do some more damage with the scout.
He's almost found.
He saw the backpack there, and he's going to get the kill on the snacks.
How is this so efficient? Just modesty left him.
Gotta be careful here. Anything touches him, he's dead.
Oh, so good at the movement.
Can't quite get himself in towards the window, but still.
This round is not a done deal. Now it is.
Zywoo! Open things up, close them down as well.
And now the multi-frag moment for the Frenchman.
And that's the gut punch there.
It was looking so good with G-tops, winning the pistols.
He'll start there, Hunter called out of position, not sure what he was hoping for.
Maybe he thought he was against Pistols, I think.
He would have been straight up his jaw with a rifle.
Yeah, it's possible.
That's history, it could have been.
Whoo!
You know what?
He was called out on the desk by him, and that was too much for his honor.
He...
Well, how do you skintons have another three kills, doesn't he?
Yeah, he's got, you know, he can't live with that.
Well, this is a very important round.
G2 are all in double orb set up snacks with the turrets over towards B. We saw that yesterday
It was actually pretty decent. He's managing to get some kills with it
He's playing for one frag stay alive
Very viable that towards B, but apex you'll find a key frag
Honestly fighting back with AWP back to the 4 on 4 good damage
It's not great play for apex
Trade is absolutely worth it especially because it's an eco that he gets
It was lingering inside the smokes, waiting for it to fade.
They are walking back and we'll see if Snax is going to be quite ready.
This did work out against Spirit for at least a couple of rounds where they had...
I think he's under something here. You won't be expecting a secondary orb.
You've called monosies on the other side, and that's beautiful.
He wants another go at it as well, and he gets this job.
Fair play.
Let's go down in the end, and now the scramble begins.
Advantage, G2, courtesy of a double kill from Snax.
Smoke on the bomb side, molotov towards the kitchen. A bomb is coming through here.
The Hunters found a gap, needs to be careful. Can't go down alone.
Needs to make sure he's with the team, with the boys.
Offs himself up, information garnered.
The pressure is on right now. Mezzy's at zero kills and now he's at a one versus three
and then he's exactly where he is.
He's going to smoke him off and put even more pressure on.
They've got the kid on mouth so he should be able to put that defuse in.
Nice grenade, but it's not going to change the ground and mezzy nose. Yeah, you have to give it up
Nice retake
Nice defense and snacks. That's all he needed
Big fan of that
The ultimate fullback was there, but if you could get two kills and go down
That's absolutely fine as long as he delivers that second kill which he absolutely did
They didn't anticipate the secondary all pair great ball from G2 or daisies maneuver to go for it again
Also, after Snax gets the first kill and he's jumping away from the T side, it looks like
he's running all the way.
So you're not really expecting it to happen, but especially with Snax, maybe you're not
expecting him to stick around and fight like that.
No, definitely not.
Respect to the big man.
As we get into another buy here, a compromise one to save the very least vitality that
scouts out once again and is doing work, it's doing damage, but so is he going on
for another triple spray down.
Well, it's well-defined by Zai Wu.
There's the AK-47 here.
This round's still alive, but he's taking damage.
Grenade's bombarding top of middle.
Bomb down.
Precarious, Faultier.
G2 still alive and well in this semi-final.
Here they are.
I could have said, I'm a little bit worried right now.
As soon as Zai Wu's alive, you really know what could happen.
Alright.
Hunt's a little taken down.
Nicely done.
Falling back on, that's a good pose in the middle.
This time the scout doesn't have the impact that it had in some of the previous ones
They're getting back into the game. I was getting really worried at this time
It just looked like my time. I didn't gonna run away with it. It's not what we want. No
Every map and the limit so far
Hoping to be a real slobbermocker
Oh, he's feeling it now. Niko digs right down towards middle.
That's the emotion that just keeps you hooked with the game, isn't it?
Okay, then we're back to that double-op set-up it worked out before.
But a bit of space now, some resources to that name.
They're up against just the pistols here. This should be a tied game.
Deagle for Zywoo, no Kevlar available across the board of Vitality.
He's already given them one round, but is Deagle?
There should be no world in which you can do it again in one half. Like it just should never happen.
There's no way to really headshot Niko here. Spencers found a way.
Yeah, I mean, it's a bit of a start.
Let's take it slow down afterwards. They want to see if there are any other CTs pushing anywhere, which currently is not the case.
They want to see he should win this fight every single time. He's got the rifle up close.
They try it in front, it's a pretty good kill, I mean, it's worth it, they trade it 50 seconds.
Technically a three on three, it's massively going to be favouring G2.
Now they get rid of Saibou.
Yeah, might be job done.
I think you're right, Spinks are 4 HP, bomb down, 40 seconds,
it's open to find one more, if possible, not going to happen.
Spinks, it has been the final interaction here, but now, we're having books.
to kill maybe that's what you know missing beforehand it's a good point
didn't consider the angle or seed. Stabbing to spiral here a little bit of
vitality. Can feel the control going in favor of G2 Nico has been an absolute
stud the entire semi-final whereas teammates haven't stepped up he has made
the difference time and time again continuing to show us world-class
us rifling each and every round always have an impact.
Malves will join in this time with 13 kills.
Missed slope as well, not what I needed right now.
It's not immediately a disaster.
But yeah, you don't want to be missing those.
Allows the CTs so much information.
If you were to peek into it, assuming
that that position is going to be covered,
never a fun time.
All right, Flames look absolutely sure.
There's nobody hiding inside here.
Forward position for Malves.
That's such a hot hand and he just dispenses of spinks immediately.
He knew that fight was available.
He was ready for it.
Smoke with a giant gap on the side.
They're going to be exploiting that shore.
Sideways a lot of trouble, yep.
That smoke...
Oh, look at that, near enough like that, possibly around.
It probably was a smoke more than anything else.
They look out of whack right now.
Vitality on here and looking.
Mezzy in another five on one.
Six to five, one round to go.
It might be even worse because I think from their point of view the smoke looks fine
Like they actually can't tell how one sided it is and pushed all the way into the one side of the hallway there
That's kind of devastating messy
I mean this you can't put it on him right now. He can't do anything save the AK
Unfortunately, that's probably the best move round number 12 is coming up here. What are resurgence from G2 water come back?
very impressive admirable
G2 were not the favourites by any stretch of the imagination today.
Vitality have them covered in pretty much every single outing.
But now going up 6-5, 7 looking good as well.
Snacks delivering, they're double-orbed set up, that's a master stroke.
It's conditioned them enough not to want to go back there.
Yeah, they haven't found that weakness that was being exploited otherwise.
They're having to be able to play the Hunter and Snack setup.
Lovely aggression from Malves.
But they talk about it right on map number two, Malves, when he's on the CT side and you can find those fights, like you're so good at winning them.
Oh, they were absolutely dominated there.
The gap in the smoke, two players peeking from short and connector, they never got to look in.
And if that trend might continue in the final round of this first half of the third map G2 are in the driving seat ladies and gentlemen
And we're going for a fast play into a day
They're looking for the knockout blow
Jumping ahead of the pace of the round. There's even open thing to
Yeah, no sign this one down. Eagles are out here and no, he won't survive
It's actually worked. They changed the pace. They rushed that a bomb site and nobody from G2 was ready
There's a knight on, and now they blow it up, and now it's all down to Snacks.
And a one-mast to throw.
This is the moment, Anders.
There should be no way.
They know that he's coming from this direction.
A bit of a flash to set it up.
He knows.
A little bit of a peek.
He's got the right idea.
He sees.
Just the ankles.
He knows Simon's in front.
Oh!
And a kill against him now.
Just one more kill left here for Snacks, making his way up the connector, and tries
to tickle him.
The grade is there.
He lands right on top of him, and he peeks out into it.
That might have been the moment.
This could be the clutch that sends them
almost to the grand final.
If they win this one, smoke this up, he's going to try
and tap the bomb. He's still going to the couple
of seconds left. Snacks!
Welcome back to the Carnage of Counter-Strike.
It is the semi-final here between G2 and Vitality.
Now, I'd like to issue a formal apology to Snacks.
I wasn't familiar with his game-anders.
That 2v1, the closed things out.
An absolutely show-stopping spectacle
to save the day and give G2 the edge.
Just remember that someone's going to be watching over there.
They might be like these guys are so smart.
Okay, I'm going to be watching the demo.
I want to see how smart are they.
Yeah, Snacks has been under the microscope the whole tournament.
Teams have been trying to attack and abuse him.
That's suggesting this pistol round is an anti-strat.
They have something up their sleeve here.
It's going to be an execution towards B.
They've got the smoke, the three flashes and decoys as well.
I don't think you're expecting that boost in the pistol round.
It's kind of rare.
It is just a USP, so it's not easy to get a bunch of kills here,
but when you get them that clean, maybe it is.
Spinks gets one, Flames as well,
and now they've absolutely shut it down,
whatever the plan was.
You had to get a couple of kills to make it work,
and now the final kill.
Going the way of vitality.
Well done.
bouncing back from the trauma that was that 2v1 it looked like there was a
done deal against snacks the Zai Wu has shown impeccable form in its third
map the first two weren't his best this was clean boosted up you're right you
don't see it too often these days but my god doesn't ever work so I woo get
himself multiple frags can't quite close up the last one go to the knife
in fact that everybody's got a plan until they get shot in the face
So sure there was a genius plan somewhere in there, but not this time and absolutely
Roundy of the G2, but even a flash to set it up
Guess you might as well
Gonna try and
Maybe make a bit of noise at the A1 site hope that it's enough to just get the B plant here
Be nice to get the extra cash
Definitely don't have it in this round
Looking at the scoreboard, he's still so ridiculous.
Saewoo, okay, all right, hold the phone.
Bit of a trade, Malves, if he had that second one,
the round would have been really interesting.
But yeah, 19 kills on Saewoo, he's absolutely stepped up here.
He wants a spot in the grand final.
Oh yeah. Honestly, though.
And they're doing his best to stop that from happening.
That's a nice shot with the P250.
Is that no helmet on Spinks?
Must have been.
Yeah, he died right quick.
Well, you went for the M4 and Kevlar combos,
so yeah, you actually have to have two kills
to give you the helmet with it and survive with your Kevlar.
Nice. Good math.
But the thing is, if you survived the round as well,
like you would have taken some damage to the Kevlar,
it wouldn't have been possible.
Really, either way, these are semantic.
It doesn't matter. He's dead.
So, he's got the right idea. He does get dinked.
All the way down to 10, that's a bit scary.
Looks like the clean-up is here, though.
and they're going to be able to win the round.
So, no, I mean, again, there's really nothing going for them in this round, G2.
And they managed to do a bit of damage. I don't think they're going to be too sad about it.
This game has had pretty much everything.
It's close once again.
I mean, it's impossible to tell who's going to win right now.
Tide game, 7-7.
Bates across the board, except for Snaps taking one for the team,
getting to Galeel for some extra utility. Somebody has to.
Snacks keeping up this game. Same amount of kills as Niko.
More than Hunter, more than Monosy.
Say what you will about his performance of this tournament
when it matters most, he is delivering.
Seven to seven, you're dead on.
Game is wide open.
I'm clear who'll be taking this round.
Vitality with the streak here in the second half, but
any active towards middle,
going to be focusing towards T spawn
and see if they can find some spacing here.
But I'm very lucky to be alive in this shot from Malus.
Yeah, but now they're in a little bit of trouble
because there's too many CTs here.
They've got to be careful in that on the past position.
A little bit of a trade and shot in the back, Hunter.
Nice one.
Coming out.
Yeah, this is very good.
I guess the power of having that many CTs near the middle
is that there's always another player that
can step up and take a swing and trade it back.
But that first jump from Simon could have cost him almost everything.
If he dies, the other two CTs that are there, suddenly they're on an island.
They can't really escape.
So, yeah, that could have been the whole round.
Could have been.
35 seconds. Unfortunately, he's too far away to make it such interesting.
He's in an interesting position, but no one giving him an opportunity.
You can see that slide.
He realizes he'll be saving him.
No time, no space, no bomb as he'll just tuck himself in towards CT spawn.
That's a great round there for Vitality. Very calm and a chaotic situation here.
Instead of being pulled around in multiple positions, the map's top of middle, underclass.
And Monacee, on to his back, but fancy footwork here from Zywoo, just ducking and weaving,
making sure they have the advantage every step of the way.
And as mentioned, Miko can do nothing but sit back away for the next round as Vitality take the lead here.
It was 7-5 in favor of G2, a halftime.
That's now three in a row the vitality as they get close to the grand final
absolute weird experience with G2 playing the first two maps and it's difficult
They have to get some of their own players online
But the one thing they don't have to deal with the cywoo at the very least
Maybe they forget about it. It's different experience now. It's all cywoo
He is right now the entire problem that they're up against that they just can't actually manage to overcome
22 kills in 15 rounds of Windows 23. The smoke missed again and there's a cost of snacks.
That is a 9-nest up. Couldn't go any more wrong than that. They take a max damage grenade
on mobs as well. They're not fully invested here, bear in mind. They saved Iniko AK. Snacks
They're going to be dropped now as low and Niko hunting for inter hunting for an opening.
Yeah, but I tell you, I have no reason to really fight that much.
They know the AK is out there somewhere.
Don't necessarily know how much is behind it.
And it notes on Niko.
So I'm sure they're going to have the adequate amount of respect.
Confirms they're in the middle.
It's a little bit hungry.
See if there's anyone that wants to flash.
I mean, if you want to take it further peak, that might be necessary.
Don't need a flashbang at all.
Ho ho ho ho ho.
The old fashioned way.
Three kills on the round for Simon before Nico.
Bro.
He's very low on LTA.
He still gets one more headshot.
Give him a chance.
It might be possible.
He's definitely spotted it out.
One of the few players in the world that could win around like this one.
30 seconds and he's made his way in towards that murder hole.
Slipping past the net in towards the B-bomb side.
And as he knows already,
would have to be an ace clutch, would have to be the sickest round of the tournament,
yet no question about it if he does this.
15 seconds, he's actually so deep in,
that Messi doesn't see it, he's not aware.
Mike Ghebrey currently gets the head shot!
And now it is on. This man is a demon.
I don't know what he did to become this good of the game,
but there's hardly ever been anyone like it.
And now he's hiding, I bet the pressure is on Apex.
He knows he has to walk into Nico's domain.
Can you find him all the time?
He's nearly there.
Nico ready and waiting, just hiding.
Waiting to step up.
Footsteps being heard on the other side.
I'm not sure yet.
Grenade, nope.
He's knocked up in the hallway either.
Nico steps up.
Can't believe it.
He couldn't have played it better.
He gets four kills.
It would have been clutch of the year,
no clutch of the tournament.
He gets the final frag on a plate.
He doesn't connect the final dots
after this heroic effort in towards middle.
Have you ever seen anything like it?
The world's best rifleman shows us what he's made of.
The final kill, Apex wasn't looking,
and it's such a disappointing finish for Niko.
You can see how frustrated he is,
but a statement nonetheless.
Maybe one or two players in the world
could have gotten into the position to begin with.
It is so close.
Nine to seven here.
Meltz trying to get the bag of those ring of things,
but it's gonna be stopped at the one kill there.
Messi take him down.
Neeko, do you have anyone left in the tank?
Oh, so they had to help him out.
They're still fighting.
They're not through yet, G2.
It's getting scrappy now.
This is how we like it.
A two versus one.
It's time for Zaiwu to step up here.
The bomb's top of middle.
Gathered by Snacks.
Zai Wu, after 16 rounds of play, has got 25 kills.
So disgusting, isn't it?
But he's really far away right now.
There's something to be said about the,
look at the money here on Vitality, right?
Because in that last round,
they have nothing left in the bank.
So if they plant the bomb,
it's possible that the better play for Zai Wu
is to stay away, save the or...
As much as you'd wanna see him try and clutch it,
might not be worth it with the money.
Yeah, he couldn't be further away.
try it right now. That's the problem. We'll give it a look and I think.
So that's how the smoke at a kid too, but I mean it's, yeah.
Okay, he's calling it off, considering the financial rupture.
Nico inflicted in our previous attempts. Their money's going to be low.
That goes without saying. So if he does go down and lose that AWP, that's a real problem.
G2 though, sure, they lost our previous clutch. Nico will be gutted.
He didn't stick the landing on that one.
But they can still pull this one back due to his contributions.
Absolutely.
And for them to win the following round,
it's going to be so important for his mental state, right?
The idea that, all right, I didn't get that last round,
but my team has stepped it up in this one.
And we managed to pull through.
I think it makes all the difference in the world here.
AWP is saved.
But G2, absolutely back.
Yeah, here's the attempt from the previous roundists.
Oh, my God, my heart is on absurd now.
What a maneuver, what a play.
God damn, he hits that table hard.
Who can blame it?
Yo, hey!
Collateral damage.
The table's gone down, Anders.
In all my years, I've never seen that unjustified, I think.
He hit it with some force.
Oh my God, he's bleeding.
He got Bloods for the first time in a semi-final.
Never let anybody question Niko's passion for this game.
I never want that question raised ever.
Dude, we might need a medical time out here.
I've never seen this before.
He needs to get that bandaged.
Like, otherwise, the Bloods could potentially
go on the mouse mat and the sensor.
He needs a bandage.
I think that's what we'll be going on right now.
What an absolutely wild that day to be a table. I'll tell you that much. Yeah
They're laughing next to no, I mean
You can't even blame him. Can you know definitely not I think it's justified
You get that close to winning that sort of clutch
Medical pause is coming up a world first here for finals
We have drawn blood in the semi-final.
You see what it means to this man.
He's given you everything in the name of Counter-Strike.
Blood, sweats and tears.
It looks like we're good to go.
Thank you to the admins.
And we'll get into a 9-8 game. Bear in mind, vitality.
Financially weak.
Let's do the 5-7 famuses.
MP9s.
As I was AWP, they're safe in the previous round.
Could be the difference maker.
It's actually getting so much control in the middle right now.
See if he's going to be able to do anything with it.
Nezzy playing at a common position.
He's looking to drop the smoke, keep the back.
And they've got the boost again, just like in the pistol round.
It's timed with a little bit more interesting weaponry.
It's a common boost, but it's not common enough
that you check it every time.
And you just need to overlook it once.
And the round is crumbled.
He's stuck through.
Yeah, he's actually slipping, there he is right into the bomb site.
He's a bit of a disaster, but Spinks is on him.
I don't know how he knew, but he found him.
Snacks going down, and now they're walking into the stack here.
It's a good shot from Ez, but the ace of the sleeve is still the captain of Vitality.
He's gonna be taking down one, but actually, now's the time.
What is he? They've been up.
They make it look easy.
They're back into the round now.
The flank coming in from Flames.
He's a pick at the base here, though.
The fake plan attempts.
Bides him a few valuable seconds.
This could be perfect now spot to play it towards the bend as maps going down modestly
His turn to clutch, his turn to step up
You can't find the kill and the flank is successful
Huge victory but mortality here considering they had the pistols the SMGs and they go for a B-stack
It's a perfect call. This is it for Spinks. I mean if
If Spinks isn't there to get that kill it's snacks that opens the round and they absolutely lose it
They're going to get wiped out. There's no way Apex stays alive.
Oh, it's such a massive round. At this stage in the game, I mean, yeah, sometimes, you know,
look at the score wall, you could get that. The impact of one kill and for Spinks, that
was it. It stopped that attack, dead in the tracks. Time are now G2 struggling once
again vitality we know how good they can be and they're proving it right now
they're hard to get rid of so many every last bit of strength that they have is a
game that's worthy of a semi-final oh absolutely this one is delivered above
and beyond all expectations G2 have looked shaky this tournament of time
Here they are. Keeping up with Vitality, keeping them on their toes.
High alert, a round of a 19.
It is going to be the fourth by Anders, three Galils.
They are running to the end of the line here.
They lose this round, it'll be 11-8.
The money will be in the bin.
It all kind of comes down to this.
20 kills on Malves.
He's been doing it for so many maps now.
He was criticized coming into the tournament.
Absolutely. His form the last month hasn't been
What we expect.
Started this tournament a little bit bumpy about into the quarterfinals.
He started to show some of that fantastic form.
We know him for the semi.
He's been fantastic once again.
Here we go.
D2 needs to be careful of how they deploy this utility
and how they receive it.
That's a max damage made on two players.
Yeah, that really hurts.
I think they're trying to put four people connected.
It's not the tightest choke point,
But it still kind of is one.
Better be careful you don't get granaded right when you're making your way through.
There still are a couple of grenades left here.
But maybe worse still, there's that AWP on the side with what CT spawned.
Oh, he's doing well. Buying time here. They can't flush him out.
They don't have the Molotov.
Smoking him off. Huge kill from Sphinx.
It looks like this might be the 11th round.
We said how important this one was.
If G2 can somehow win in the 5 vs 3, it'll be a miracle.
Viko is alive though.
Yeah, you're right.
Miracle required. They do have their Guardian Angel at the very least.
Round of 19 here, and a five versus three for retake is on.
Hunter traded out immediately, leaving it up to Snacks and Nico,
and the spray not quite good enough.
Here he comes. It's on him once again.
He nearly did it the one time.
Now is his chance to step it up, and they're on him already with Grenade,
with everything, smoking him off and trying to defuse that bomb.
He's got about two seconds. I think he knows he can't do it.
Too much utility on the other side. Vitality!
One step closer to the grand final.
Good effort.
Good try, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
You can see that injury.
First I'll have to commentate on injury before in a CS game,
but that's going to be a problem.
The blood hasn't dried yet.
It's going to be leaky on the mouse pad.
It's going to be sticky-anders.
Oh, absolutely.
It's going to be in the back of your mind.
It's going to be annoying. It's going to be hearting as well.
The force he punched that table at?
Oh yeah.
Good Lord, like he's gonna be aching.
The adrenaline is wearing off.
You start to feel a little bit more.
I've never seen anything like that.
I'll tell you what.
Analyzing injuries.
I never thought we'd see the day at a canister tournament,
but here we are.
That punch won the Copenhagen crowd.
It did.
Might have lost the round, but he won the hearts
of the people.
Okay.
We zoom out a little bit.
It's a three-round gap right now.
Money is already amazing on either side.
It's still an open game.
But look at who's pushing up.
Oh, it's so late in the game to be trying this for Apex.
They might not expect it.
He's been quiet on this side.
He hasn't really been too active.
He's found an enormous amount of information
for his team right now.
But it's worse because G2 don't even know it.
They don't realize that they've been compromised.
This could be a slaughter.
Yeah, Joe Wright's backstop coming in.
They can focus their resources here on the A bomb site, speaking of with their most powerful assets, Zai Wu, currently sitting at 25 kills, ready and waiting to find grand final point.
He goes down with nothing, G2 still fighting back here, down with none else.
Kilvin Sphinx keeps around alive and it's a 4 vs 3 in favor of G2.
G2.
G2's new.
They knew what was coming.
It makes them give them all the information.
G2 were walking into the Hornets' nest and somehow they managed to pass all the way out.
They get the two opening kills they need.
Dumb deal.
And by Taliyah, they pulled block.
That's one of the harder rounds to win.
I have to see that from Malz's POV.
They seem way too easy on the entries.
Let's have a look.
So, snacks.
Nice work on flames there.
Using the smoke to the advantage.
That's how it opens.
This compobulates the defense, Iwo goes down.
And that's a massive round. G2.
We're not allowed to define series point just yet.
We're going the distance, baby.
11-9.
Reguns to be safe if it's Vitality.
Yeah, which is absolutely critical.
We haven't seen too much frustration out of the Vitality camp,
but I mean, there's got to be a frustrating round.
P-Pex is probably calling that every step of the way.
He's saying, I'm closing the door behind them.
They're locked in, just take it easy, you know they're coming, and you just can't win any of those openings.
Wild, if not for a couple of safe rifles here, it would be nothing for Vitality.
Alright ladies and gentlemen, these players are giving you absolutely everything right now.
Let's make some noise, it's the last few rounds.
Vitality will have a partial investment.
Pistols in the hand of Zywoo and Flames
Rhythos otherwise they can afford to lose this one, but they can still seal it away
Again, they've got that push going on the read again. Yeah, they know but got a great read
Got the worst weapons this time not the same rather utility might be
Let's see if they can
Opening as he takes down Cywoo, but Niko's form in the meantime
It's the new comment of the team and he's trying he's a very best
Snacks one
right with a knife out into the open arms.
The flank is there and the round goes to Vitality.
They do the same thing again and nobody from G2 knows.
Yeah, absolutely right.
They have no presence elsewhere.
They are rumble so early on,
they take a risk on the CT side,
pushing towards the apartment to be certain depth
and they find some space, some information.
You can enable these sort of flanks and snacks,
No luck in the two glasses, one this time.
This is it now.
Time to tuck in G2.
And Simon will find Monosate.
He can finish Mirage of nine kills.
It's a five on four.
They disengaged, but Apex still wants a piece of the action.
To his detriment, he goes down back to the four and four.
So Apex is a bit of a rumble-tumble player himself.
He'll get down and dirty if he really needs to.
Making it entertaining at least 20 second round here.
Oh, I felt like it was so dumb.
It might have been.
I mean, Sy was going 26 kills.
He's just playing so well, and now Spinks is up there as well.
With the boost on top, looking for it.
He's going to see the shadow before Snax peeks.
Oh, but never mind.
It doesn't matter.
He put him on top of the boost.
It's the boost.
They actually saved them.
The most criticized player on G2,
Coming into this semi-final, the crowd is chanting his name now.
How has he got this one going? A beautiful shot to Zai Wu,
and the pre-emptive shot towards the boost as well.
Absolutely fantastic! Full eco!
Vitality! Just with the scout.
That's what they have right now.
Bit of a peek here with the D-goal.
That's where you want a CT to really take a deep breath.
Don't give this one up.
Snacks, great position in the middle.
They're rotating around him.
As long as he's controlled the center of the map,
rotation is going to be real hard for Vitality.
And it's a single USB over on this A side of the map.
Feels like we're going to be going the full distance here.
Can't see Vitality winning this.
They stacked the B bombsite.
And that is definitely not where the action is going to be.
Flames, he's going to call it out on the radio, but his team is miles away.
Nothing they could do to save him right now.
He could not quite spotting it out, which is a bit interesting.
Nice thing, but easily, well, going to be an 11-12 scoreline.
Five UR is joining us, seeing some of the highlights online.
Wondering what the hell has happened here.
How we got to this stage. It all started with Anubis.
I was picked by G2. It was a pretty comfortable victory for Vitality 13-9.
We moved on to Dust2 then, and G2 came to life. We said,
two members weren't turning up, but players like Niko, players like Mal,
started delivering the goods, started showing us,
they could make a dent in this semi-final, and he found us on the precipice of overtime right now.
G2, fighting with character, fighting with guts, determination, of modesty,
What if he gets a hat-trick?
They can really use him right now.
He's got a quiet mirage.
If he can get them to overtime with an AWP,
all will be forgiven.
You're not wrong.
He's the last piece of the puzzle.
The last player they need, and it can't wait any longer.
Over time, more busts.
The two options available for G2 here.
Vitality, Cole.
The final timeout of regulation.
Final round of play.
Can they close it out right here right now?
Or do we need the bonus rounds?
What a quarter of a minute.
I'm fucking bleeding and killing.
Let's go.
Ha, ha, ha.
You're selling the Arnico.
We commend you for your contributions here today
and your sacrifice.
Anders, we've got a double off set up
on the T side of Mirage.
We need to frame that desk.
Put it in resin and keep it forever.
Yeah, what a moment in history.
Oh, that is, did they go on to win it now as well?
My god, double offset on the T side.
I haven't seen this in years.
No, it is a rarity.
And why not?
I mean, they have an AK somewhere on the map.
They can swap it out if they really need to.
But look at the play from what's happening.
Talk about a rare moment.
I'm talking four CTs in middle, three of them
pushing to top mid to try and find anybody to fight.
And it's got to be such a weird feeling for them, because there's nobody there.
Normally you're at least going to spot one player that's sort of jiggling at the corner.
It's a good point. This will be a bit difficult now.
There's going to be a five-man execute here.
Presumably going to throw away one of these Orbs to get the other AK.
Is he here?
Oh, not like this.
Okay, it's going to be hard for them to have another AK in reserve.
They had the money to drop one.
Yeah, that's what I...
So now you're going to be executing into one day with double orbs.
I've never seen this before. This is actually wild.
Yeah, I didn't look I just assumed that the money as well is for sure they have one but that's crazy
You don't buy a reserve AK anyway
It's not threats on that and let's get into this final player regulation and it's take us away
It could be all on you every single teammate smoked up in the middle
The captain of the team it's on his shoulders. It's now
And they've got a sidewall, Niko is next!
The Poles are coming through and they're taking every step they need to get this one in the overtime.
Stinks and Leslie, I don't think they have what it takes here.
AAWP, somehow it works.
They don't even need them.
They've got Niko.
The Sledgehammer breaks in the bomb site.
Five on two.
Overtime, presumably locked in.
First kill, the Vitality is on Niko.
It's still time to make this work,
but now it had to be at three versus one.
Conspins through anything about it.
Surely not, the AWP ready and waiting for it.
So much to do, so little time.
As he picks up the 8-game-47, gets the move.
Now the pressure's on Vitality.
They have squandered the lead they had.
It was looking so comfortable.
It was looking like a done deal.
And now, three rounds in a row from G2
to keep the dream alive.
Now Stan, the T's had a mirage here.
And they are showing some very Alvin Garg counter-strike.
Double AWP set up in the final round of regulation
with no reserve AK.
And it works.
Here we go.
There's no delay.
We're not slowing it down.
Straight into overtime, ladies and gentlemen.
Get a bit of vitality.
Trying the last round to get up the top of position.
They're gonna fight the Burley and it's Niko they run into.
The beast that has been a thorn in their side, this entire map.
And he's able to cut down Flames at the beginning.
I like it from vitality.
I like the insistence on keeping the pressure on.
But it's cost them this time.
It's cost them dearly. Flames will go down with nothing.
They have excursion towards top of middle.
Leaves them on the back foot.
A five on four with no damage inflicted.
Niko gets yet another kill.
Warns and all he's stepping up each and every time and it's gonna be another
execution. I mean somehow they've been able to beat Cyborg over on the side a
couple of times. How long is that gonna be true for? He's in a perfect position
right now I'm sure they're gonna try and smoke him off but even then he can
play around it. Great execute all the smokes. They burned out that shadow
position, a miss shot to the left, scaring down.
Cyble, he's been carrying him the whole way through, what?
Snacks, Besson.
Snacks wins out the duel.
The spray down from the palace, a five on three.
It looked like a done deal.
Hunter oversteps the mark.
A slight opportunity here, but Mab snaps it away.
Two players remain, it spins to Mezzi.
And surely nothing more to be said here.
That's a nice kill, now.
up to 27 frags, top frag in four G2 here.
It's been a fantastic performance.
And they take the round.
What a resurgence from G2 that have down and out.
Three rounds in a row to get us over time.
Some heroic attempts in the clutch,
and snacks consistently delivering here.
His best performance by far at the tournament
has come at such an appropriate moment.
What a time to peek.
Yeah, this is it.
Snacks winning a fight against Sairu was looking amazing.
They're doing it again.
Double or back again on the T side.
I don't know what's happening anymore.
See if it's going to work out.
Is there going to be another jump?
He wanted it.
He wanted Mezzi to jump one more time.
And he would have been ready for it.
He hasn't really given up the idea yet.
I mean, this is unbelievably risky,
but he's moving forward to try and find an opening for his team.
Spinks versus Malbs up here at top mid.
Malbs hasn't lost many chutes so far.
He can save that again.
OK, Spinks.
Some sound cues here as they recover the bomb.
Niko waits patiently towards the A-bram.
Flashbang goes over.
What a flash it is.
Advantage, vitality.
Malbs removed.
Hunter is coming up on the other pass.
He has to find this kill. If he dies, I think this round might be done, and Spinks is the one to take him out.
Very good round here. 22 kills on Spinks. He's starting to really have a good contribution.
40 seconds and a five versus three, and what looks like a near-unwittable round here from the side of G2.
I don't know how they bring this one back. They're compromised. A little bit of a fail.
Go on! Try and bring them back, but it's down to monocling. He can't stay alive.
It's Spinks instead with a quad kill, sealing the round in favor of vitality.
Yeah, he did very well there, didn't he?
Towards the top of the middle, Aliyuk by Apex.
Faddle them into our day. There's the flash.
Real stinker.
From out to receive.
And then he starts rolling them down, found Hunter towards that underpass as well.
And then rotating in.
Majority of the kills fall in favour of Spinks.
We go 1-1.
Final round of play here in the first half of overtime.
And then brought to Bombardy, two of them.
They can find a 2-1 lead on their T-side, that'll be massive.
I'm the boss again. It hasn't worked out for a bit at all. I have to say no once again. He goes down with nothing
Nice to see hunter. I mean again. He's been struggling
Finding even one or two opening kills right now
Like you said all is forgiven. You could have had a terrible semi-final in general, but now is when it really counts
Mezzi with a grenade he goes a bit too deep. I don't think he realizes
He doesn't know how much danger he's in
a 5 versus 3 and what looks like a retake that really can't be done here they've got
snacks at top mid they're retaking with the AWP Zywoo is cooled off as well he's
been at 25 26 kills for some time now yeah look at this he actually does spotted
outspin so all right I guess they know there's only four people in the bomb
And it's a lot of it down to the timing against Mesny.
What a story. What a series.
Niko, once again, crashing things open towards his feet.
Bonsai, monosy. Sure it's been a quiet series by him.
But if he can start to knock him down, when it matters most,
it doesn't really matter. They've got the lead here.
They are the favorites as we switch things over.
One round would guarantee double overtime.
would thrust them into the grand finals here in Copenhagen.
He's got to do this.
He's got an injured man on the pitch as well.
He's chosen to play on.
He's got to respect it.
Oh, he's giving it all for his team now.
Now they've got to fight on for Nico.
One round lead, Henry.
Now on the CT side.
G2.
See what they gots
Oh now, dude, how many times are gonna miss that today?
sorted out by Salah T. Yeah
already too many
Dangerous and it could have cost flames his life there, but so far so good
Battle brewing in the middle, but hunter decides it's not really worth it. Stay alive
can't see my. Niko and Malbs.
a duo to be up against on
the armp. If anyone was
there, the thing is, even if
they don't find someone here,
if my talent, the execute
through the connector behind
them, it's still six to have
a double position at ramp
because you're not expecting
it. The T's will clear it
once and then they're
going to forget about it.
going back there not going
at all. Riko. The back
stab you don't expect
He's getting all the sound cues doesn't pull the trigger misses the timing somewhat, but he has got a lot of Intel
monosy with the AWP
backing up
What's considered to be a weak V bombsite flash bang aim allows a peek snacks to defend and rising to the occasion
Monosy strike you in the AWP we've got a boost on the side as well. Should we do that's what everything set up?
Oh, it's checked apex. He's been boosted up there himself. And he gets as he takes him down
I don't know how the back of the round G2 the head of God down. It's not over yet
He's had so many attempts of these cultures now is his time 10 seconds
He ain't going down about a fight today and now they've got two opportunities to close this one out
Grand final point for G2
Maraud is in the bins I woo hosting one single kill and overtime so far
Right, he's disappeared.
Nico up to 26.
The crowd once again chanting his name.
They were on their feet.
They're so ready for this right now.
G2, 5 kills away from reaching a grand final
in the most incredible fashion you could have imagined.
You couldn't even write this.
Vitality look of two rounds themselves.
They want double overtime.
They don't want to go out yet.
They're spiraling.
They've lost focus. They've lost track.
As Niko continues to ascend on the server, getting more and more powerful.
As time goes by.
That is the safe way to smoke middle.
And this is old school snacks.
Now he ain't sitting back to the back of the site.
Nope.
He's going hunting for intel, but Spinks...
Oh my god, almost misses that.
He gets dinked in the process. Snacks could have won that.
Five on four.
Oh, this is so scary. Simon, yeah, he's gonna get that kill.
Monossey walks right into it here and this round is going to be opened up every step
our way. Nico trying to catch them as they come in here. They've got to make sure they're
in the corner. He's under something special. In the corner, the Molotov not quite burning
him and Spinks already low. He does need Hunter coming in to help him out. He's solo
on health right now and his position is well known. We're eating Hunter to make
the next move. He's going to go check it there and that's the first and the
But all the work is still ahead of them. They're not through yet.
Flames and Mezzi just hiding and playing for time, which is exactly what they should be doing.
The entire bombsite to check you can't really do that. Oh, no one's looking! Niko! For free! It's on Flames!
They'll pick up the one and now he's being hunted. Niko coming for him. He's up one of the way.
He makes the jump. It's not enough! The mash will continue.
Vitality will stay alive. You can see how scared they are right now.
Panicking in corners unaware of flanks calm steam off. Oh, yeah, spiraling our vitality
Oh, what should the game will get away with a massive advantage here?
Nico had them booked once again
Give him 10 more seconds. He's got that
Wouldn't be scared
Nothing is safe like it doesn't matter how low it help is how many people you have
Oh, there it is
He finds it towards the palace, he's straight-locked, maneuvered, the fast-vote up.
Takes down the in-game leader. Apex will have to become the puppet master now from the grave.
There it is. What a play, what a time to turn up.
A team that already looked like they were spiraling have now got to operate without the captain.
And they have the other AWP. It's been a good position for Snatch so far.
Both of you are to the fact on the side.
I want to see he's going to be put to the test.
He certainly is.
Snacks holding the corner here.
If he can stay alive, this might be on lockdown.
Five versus three Henry and this one's for the grand final.
Certainly is.
It looks like they've done enough here.
Zai Wu waiting patiently.
The timers of the essence of this shot gives up the position.
the positions of Jesse going in towards B, a boost here.
Montecito, fastest scope in all of Counter-Strike.
May have steal the game here.
One kill away from the grand final.
It's just big to hold on.
The last man to try and keep the dream alive.
Have a look at the grand final.
Got to be one of the greatest storylines of the year.
A team that didn't look like they could make it to the grand
final.
It was a scrappy game.
Niko, above and beyond, Mavs stepping up and Monosie.
He found his form, he peaked at the right time.
The closing round of the series,
he finds multiple kills with AWP,
a reverse sweep, dominating vitality towards the end.
Blood, sweat and tears has gone into this victory,
and it's gonna mean so much to them.
They're into the grand final and vitality,
and there's a let that won't go at the end.
Oh, they definitely have.
Sywell, he carried them the whole way through the regulation of that third map.
It looked like it was enough, it looked like Sywell was gonna win it almost on his own.
Towards the end, Spinks started to come alive, he was helping out.
But towards overtime, it wasn't enough.
You've got to say as well, Malves, the whole way through.
Even when Nika was having a tough time in some of the rounds,
it was Malves that was the rocker of the team in many ways.
He kept it up every single map of this semi-final.
He's had a difficult tournament, he's stepping up with a man at most.
It cost a table nearly a pound, but they made it.
Unbelievable vitality. They lost sight of him overtime there.
Here goes now, but Niko is up. We'll hear from him on the show floor.
Indeed, warrior does everything possible for his team to secure the ground final.
Copenhagen, give it up for Nico!
It's a hard fought game, you are in position for that incredible 1v5.
That frustration though, that was just a pure passion and emotions, why talk me for it?
First of all, thank you guys for the support, I appreciate it, you're the best.
Good game for Vitality, it was a one hell of a match especially Mirage going to OT, you know.
Shall we have a look? Shall we have a quick look?
Might need to stop going to the gym.
Yeah, I mean, I don't think this was the dream.
This was just the anger, you know.
I knew how important the round was.
The money was very bad for them,
and I don't know, I even had a kill,
and maybe that's why I smudged the table.
Obviously, I didn't want to do this on purpose,
but it is what it is.
Just happy to have won in the end.
We never complain about that kind of passion,
that emotions and seeing how much it means to you.
But how did you reset mentally after that?
Because you still went on to be an absolute monster in the server.
Yeah, I mean, I was shaking the next round, maybe even two, but...
I did some breathing, but I worked with my performance coach
that helped me a lot drinking some water.
And I mean, the job was not nearly done.
So I had to reset, somehow I did it.
And I'm happy that I did.
My team helped me and they all believed in me.
And that was very important for me.
And lastly on this game itself,
How important was this win over Vitality for you guys?
As I said to you yesterday, this was very important to us
because the only team we've been losing is Navi and to Maus once.
So this was a match where we could see where we stand,
you know, are we belonging in the top two, top three?
So a very important game for us.
And I mean, you can see how important it was.
Now, for you guys, though, right?
believe we're going to face Navi in the grand final or Flays?
Do you want to face Navi and go for a render? Would you rather face Flays?
I mean, we need to beat Navi in order to be the best team in the world.
I think playing Flays in this arena would have been maybe a bit more cool,
but it doesn't matter. We need to reset for tomorrow and
I think both teams are going to have a great match today
and I'm looking forward to watching it.
We'll see what we'll face tomorrow but we need to focus up again and get the job done.
Get the job done.
That is what we're talking about here.
Coven Hagen!
Give it up one more time!
Raise the roof for Nico and G2!
A lot of sweat and tears required, both mental and physical resilience coming out
of G2.
That's the first time I've ever seen a player walking off with a table that he absolutely
obliterate it and still the reverse we pulled off versus my turn.
I can't wait for the airport security to be like why on earth are you checking in a smash table Mr. Nico?
What a wonderful game of Counter-Strike and what I've seen to finish it all Mirage we said it coming into it
It's the perfect playground for both these teams to battle it out and we thought that Vitality had it in the back
They were looking like the better team. Sairu was firing on all cylinders, but the man on the screen right here Nico
He said no, help by Melch, help by Snacks, help by the rest of the team, what a performance from T2
and what are the surf victory booking a spot into the grand farm?
Oh my god, and this was one of the, one for the books, definitely.
This was, I want to say one of the best games I have to analyze.
It's such a small sample size, but it's one of the fully history books, definitely.
I mean, when we talk about passion, nothing exemplifies it more than that.
Because, I mean, either way, Niko's made history, obviously, for the more hilarious reasons
and others. But that clutch, if he didn't pull that off, my Lord, that might have been the best
clutch in CS2 so far. I think so. We were discussing in the green room and we're trying to remember
some of the clutches in Counter Strike 2 and I can't come up with one that would have been better
than that one. Of course, he got so, so close and I understand the frustration. I understand
the reaction. I don't know anyone out there sitting like, he's a professional, he shouldn't
be smashing it. Shut up. The man is in a semi-final, he's so close getting it done,
pulling off what was an amazing clutch and then he misses one more bullet towards the corpse of Apex
to bring him down on Apex. As you even saw his reaction leading into the clutch when he was running
over there, he already felt like he would have lost it. Like he already felt that it was all over
and he got so so lucky, let's be honest. I feel sorry for Niko, I feel sorry for G2,
that clutch that would have been wonderful to us. And it started all with a fist around
as well that we can immediately see. I mean I'm so glad that in the end the Niko actually
managed to win the game because we would have again look at the clutch and we would have huge
what appear again another clutch that is defined by a miss that Nico had mentioned the nuke leather
and uh on the on the manger and it's not only mirage you know i i know we were praising Nico
from mirage mirage was in itself a fantastic match for the impact he had on anubis yes the impact
he had in the second map and now coming fully alive on the third map as well this was one of
the most impactful series i've ever seen nico play and i know you can find statistics out there
where his rating is higher, where his crutching perhaps is higher,
but every single time he had two or three kills in this game, he won the round.
That was one of the most impactful performances I've seen from any player in Counter-Strike 2 as well.
And if you don't believe me, then go back, watch map number two as well, sorry.
Yeah, I know that so much happened during the duration of the third and final map,
but let's go back to the first two rounds of this very map of the Lugus.
Oh, Maraj, sorry. What happened in this one, Stiko?
How it all started? Well, look at the first round to be something we've discussed before.
out of 20 that they played, they lost one on the second side, but they all started with the Niko clutch here,
I mean Niko pistol round here, and it all kind of collapsed into round number two, where the round
conversion just doesn't make any sense so far, and they were struggling with this, and Zywoo is the
reason, main reason to do so, I mean triple entry with the Deagle, just the Deagle, like that
on most of the swings, the snap depth swing, that is dirty, that is absolutely dirty, and that's
also part of the story, Saivoo had a fantastic showing in this game. He was at 12 and 3 by rounds
into the game and I think it took the rest of our mentality up until round 11 before the four
other players could combine for as many frags as Saivoo had in the first half. He was firing up
on every single account. I want to put a pin in the Saivoo conversation for the moment and revisit
after we talk about the almost clutch round 16. Let's bring it up. I mean,
I mean, can you walk me through this, Jacob?
Because I feel like Nico just,
I mean, he did God's work up until that final miss.
We're talking headshot kills as well.
It's one of those where he's just in his zone.
I don't even blame Vitality.
He's better to refer to players for taking the duel.
They're peaking him together
and you think one of them is gonna win the duel
and one of them probably should have won the duel.
He's also down to 24 HP.
At this point though, he has the bomb in his hand.
He has an awful lot of space
and I do think Messi is misplaying it a little bit.
You cannot allow yourself to be in an open position
with 10 seconds left, knowing he has to plant the bomb.
And then of course this, it's just filthy, it's just a little bit unlucky.
Apex is checking, the disc is getting a slam, but you saw the HP of Apex as well.
He was hitting the bullets, right?
It was Apex actually doing a pretty decent job tapping the bomb, looking towards Niko,
and more so than not, I would also acquitted it to a bit of luck, you know.
For Niko to not get that clutch, that's a little bit unfortunate, but the story
still remains.
Ouch.
I also have to say about Apex, I think he was spotted on default, which kind
of gave the puzzle pieces back to Niko to find a red hole through the window into
to the B-bomb side, and Messi was just overworked.
He had to take care of short, he had to take care of the kitchen area,
and basically, Nikol found a Mirage timing, miraculous timing on Mirage.
The thing is, with 10 seconds left, just from Messi's point of view, right,
he can't come catwalk anymore. If he had to, he would have been running,
he would have hurt him, so at that point, you've got to cover yourself,
you've got to shield yourself, or at least pick an angle.
Instead, Messi maybe got affected a little bit by the pressure as well,
where you want to cover two, three, four different angles at the same time.
At that point, he's got to put you back to the wall and cover one.
Let's circle back to the Zairu topic. Did you notice how many kills he had during that round?
Eh...
Has it a guess?
25. 25 kills. How many kills did he end on?
27. 27. From that point and onwards, Zairu only got two kills.
We're not putting it just on Zairu in terms of the collapse of Vitality in this map,
but from that incredible hot start, I'm so disappointed that he couldn't continue on.
It's part of the story because the hot start lasted in the first half.
He was 12 and 3, then he came alive in the second half of his world
when the scoreline was 12-9 I believe,
Cyro was 25 and 12 or something along the lines
and we think to ourselves,
we're even discussing in the green room,
maybe he's gonna break that record
of most kills in regular time,
but he never came close to that.
So yes, you can point fingers towards Cyro,
yes, you can say he slowed down,
but he had done enough,
he had done enough at that point for Vitality
to win the game.
If anything, he should be pointing fingers
towards any other member within Vitality
and honestly, begging for a bit of help,
when you're 12-3, when you have more frags
than the rest of your teams,
11 rounds into the game and you still have five to account for on the T side something is not working
And maybe the stats that is actually pretty crazy
I mean it might look at it that's the failed clutch from Nico actually impacted more Saibu than Nico himself after having two kills
Right after that, right? So yeah, I mean let's check in with round 28 because again
We get to see just just a mental round going down Jacob. Do you want to walk us through this one?
Yeah, there's so many rounds
We can pick apart round 28 is another great one monacy coming in with the all you think you have the perfect stack at this point
You think you can't lose the round a picks again
No credit to him for checking the position messy getting the Frank Nico coming in with a fast back first step
He was the one spotting the whole whole team into this position and this time around he delivers a one-way one
Maybe a PTSD from going up against a pitch this time around though. Look at how he's just taking the door
He's swinging. He's instantly killing him and he's you know, nothing his fist a little bit right there
That must be such a feel-good moment for Niko to finally get it on.
I love the moment where he molded the C4 with such a small amount of time left into the round,
which forces Apex to really take the duel into the Niko,
and there's a gap between Karr and the B-Apps.
He has to take the jump as soon as he hears that he's swinging.
He's making sure that Apex cannot really challenge him.
102 ADR, 64 kills, 46 deaths.
Ather said not the most impressive stat line.
I know the ADR over the course of three maps plus 100.
That's amazing.
But the impact he found every single time.
On a Nuke, it's all his kills, or either multi kills, triple kills, and intro kills.
There wasn't a single eco kill, there wasn't a single EC5 man spray down against Glocks and USPs.
Niko had one of the most impactful performances I've ever seen any player have in Counter-Strike 2.
Absolute insanity, but for the side-off fight,
Taliyah, where does this lead them in your occasions to go?
Because it was so, so down close, we just ripped out from underneath them.
I feel like they, again, losing the game, which they should be in no business losing.
same as Eternal Fire in the EPL, I feel like something is there, something that is happening
within the actual game where the third match is, they cannot get over it. Something so small
and ridiculous as the clutch that might have had happened there. But you know, after all,
it impacted someone on the server and that someone was mostly Vitality.
Yes, Semifinals does unfortunately mark the end of the line for Vitality here in Copenhagen.
So let's get some exit thoughts, courtesy of Zyrid and Vax.
Fightality journey will end here in the semi-finals with Godzai with me who you put up one hell of an individual performance for sure when we're going across this game
but things also start off in this series so well for you guys again you beat G2 on their map pick and then Dust2 Apex was telling me he goes okay we're the best team in the world on this map
and you guys should have been thinking that right mentality wise so talk to me for what went wrong
And just to, we can say everything went wrong almost like on the City side.
The City side could be better obviously, but the City side we didn't play our own game.
We tried to do maybe more things that usually we don't do.
And yeah, everything was wrong for us. We didn't play our own game.
The team play was not with us. We tried to maybe to play 2-in-DVD live against G2, it's hard.
Because when they have good DvD live, they're at your 2.
So, yeah, everything goes well.
Did it feel like you were trying to push a little bit too more,
like to take advantage of the little gaps and stuff,
and then being punished for it, because that's what it looked like?
Yeah, I mean understood, you mean?
Yeah.
Understood, we tried to, obviously we had some antistreat,
and we tried to follow it, but it didn't work.
And after that, I think everyone was just trying to play
mostly individually, and didn't work as well.
So, I think we just, I didn't just need to play with the team play,
I think he could walk more, must have given us a good team with that, so what's that?
Now come on to Mara's, it's going to sting more because you had it in your hands and you were doing most of the heavy lifted, you and Spinks.
Did you feel like, okay, we've got this, we can take this over the line?
Because even surviving that 1v5 against Nico, you must have thought, yes, okay, someone's on our side, right?
Yeah, I don't want to play with him, it was the stress moment for us because I think no one expected that, but yeah, in overall I feel we've got a good plan, we just play our game.
You can see it was us playing, not like us two, we have good team play, good injury, we played together.
But as an agent of the game, you can see maybe more stress moments,
maybe the communication was more technique, maybe more fast.
And that's why we, because the loss, because I think the stress was there.
And I'm glad you said the stress was there.
I want to ask about the communication in the overtime as well.
There was moments where you're in situations where you can win the rounds,
but someone maybe is in one position, it's not being communicated.
Were you feeling this?
Yeah, obviously we can feel it. We're most likely the one when Apex push B and we have all the info and
You can feel we are not moving together. We are like staying mean. I don't think we were scared. We just
You know when you're too too much focused on one thing and you don't want to maybe follow up like about the communication
About the calls we had and just what just what happened?
Overall, you do have a good tournament here though
How would you sum up the full files comparing it to EPL? Obviously a step forward
But still not where Vitality want to be
Obviously, we don't want to be in semi-finals. We want to win any tournament
So it's also like a walk for the major and obviously we can see through this match or this to this tournament
We still have to work. So hopefully I can say it's good to lose to see our mistake, but we want to win
Yeah, I love how candidates I was thinking that map was so stressful and we crumbled which Siko
You know, we would have wanted them to put up more of a fight after that Niko almost clutch moment
But I can really understand the pressure getting to them
Yeah, and he really mentioned in the interview something we've actually discussed the very first day of this tournament when we were analyzing their game against Vitality,
where we are trying to time the peak if you're Vitality, and peak at the Major.
Peak at the Major, this is the number one priority for the second part of the season, and right now they're kind of showing it that even though they lost here,
I don't think they're too stressed about it or too bummed as Saibou said I think quote him
walk towards the manager so he is definitely putting it as a kind of a data point what they
have to work on. There's always two ways of looking at it I think right now in this very moment
super disappointed because they were so so close and probably should have won from the position
being up 12 to 9 but I agree with you it has been a known fact it took an extra break coming
into pro league playing a little bit of pro league couldn't really get it down against
eternal fire coming into this tournament with no practice as well so for my money I'm not
too worried for Vitality I still think they're one of the main contenders to win
the Major but you're right in this very moment when you almost won a game when
you're leading 12-9 on the third deciding map the disappointment is what
feels right now tomorrow though probably much better. Just from an outside
perspective obviously we're not in the booth with them do you think the
mental side of things will be the biggest takeaway for Vitality here in
here in Copenhagen? I think it's always been to be honest I mean again we
forget about it when they win because when a team is winning there's
only good things to say right and all the bad things go away and winning
solves all the issues but I think it's always been the case with this
line of that. Spinks maybe not a mentality monster, Flamesee maybe not a mentality monster, Apex we
know how much he's reacting and how much he can be, I wouldn't say a bad influence because I don't
think he is, but he's very much up and down in the emotions. So it's always been one of those
things where you look towards what I tell you and think maybe they can do slightly better in
that department but again it's not something I worry about per se. As you said basically Apex
is this emotional roller coaster, high highs and very low lows. Basically when things don't
go well he's making sure that everyone in the arena and in the stream can see that if things go well
he's the one hyping up the most. Yeah I think if you're going to join a team with Apex you probably
know that that's something you're going to be watching out for yeah but we do need to look
forward to the playoffs bracket as our first semi-final has concluded here at the Blast
Premier Four Finals which means G2 once again in a grand final Jacob um I mean either of the
teams they're going to be facing out of phase one RV that's going to be such a bang in best of five
It is, it is, and it's going to be a big test for G2 as well, because as you said, one thing is playing a best of three at this environment, with this intensity that we saw right here.
Imagine if Niko had to play two more games with that hand, that could be, you know, quite an issue for him, so good for him, he gets a bit of rest for tomorrow, and then we'll have to wait and see whether or not he's going to be phased on Navi.
Yeah, I hope he gets a bandaid on that wound, and it's going to be healing sufficiently overnight, but we do need to progress onwards, as we do have another semi-final waiting in the wings, that's going to be phased taking on Navi.
but not before we had to do a quick break and bring on a very special guest.
Join us after it to find out exactly who it is.
We were just here staring at the stars.
I'm getting tripped out by these balls.
Just staring at the balls.
Hey, I'm Launders. I'm here on the full final
and things tend to get a little bit hectic, so maybe I'll just take a chill pill.
Nice. Welcome to Recline Perspectives.
I'm here with Sampias and Frozen.
This is the pre-2025 relaxation period
because it's the only break that we're going to get.
Frozen, I've seen you do this pre-match
all the way with your eyes closed.
Are you meditating? Marcus Aurelius, now?
It's called focus breathing.
So, yeah, more of that as a meditation, I'd say.
What's focus breathing?
Well, it's like breathing exercise
to kind of don't get lost in your flow of thoughts
when you're coming to the game
and, you know, just focusing on staying in the moment.
Is that like you do all the preparation, you do all the death match
and then you just need to think about nothing before the game starts?
I think it's more about just getting into the zone faster.
You know, I met some people on my journey
that showed me all kinds of different tools that there are
to be able to get to the zone easier and I mean,
it's just one of the things I do, you know.
I think it's like mindfulness.
Yes, mindfulness.
The other thing I can do is visualization.
You have so many tools, you can just choose whatever works for you.
There's been a few teams like in the last few years,
Like you had Heroic, then you had Gambit,
you had some of the online grinders like Monty before the Paris Major.
A lot of these teams played basically every online match possible to the point that
no one would choose to do that if they could only play the tier one LAN events,
but it really worked for them.
Did it?
Well, it got them to a point,
and then they end up usually splitting up or going to other teams.
Yeah, I mean, that actually goes with this tier two team.
What's the thing that is most important for your guys' mental health?
Gym.
Gym every day?
I try every day, yeah.
But, I mean, sometimes you cannot ride, sometimes you have off schedule, sometimes you have early games,
sometimes you have late games.
I think as much as I can, basically.
I'm not a gym guy.
I like to do sports, you know, but not gym.
I don't like it too much.
But also, I know when I don't need to do sports too much,
instead of what I need to talk with friends and family and maybe meet them.
So are there days where you want to be an aggressive, active player or like your team
needs that from you in certain positions?
But those days you feel a little bit off or maybe I should just play, try to play the
side a bit more passive this time.
Depends a lot on your instinct, how it is going.
Obviously also, the guys who you play also about the situation.
You try to go with your feeling always.
You need to trust yourself.
Well, thank you guys so much for staring up at these balls with me and this beautiful
and bearable black light reflections.
coming in with the new roster with Kadeon at the helm as well.
Can you give us just like a vibe check of how it's going with the team at the moment?
I think the first game we played here didn't really like got to show ourselves like how we wanted to play
and didn't really get the engine started.
I think the second game against Spirit was much more like us.
We got to play a little bit of a mix of the style before Kadeon and the one after Kadeon.
So it was loose with some you know nice calls here and there on the fly and still like some set pieces that we've been working on
So yeah, if this is what we can replicate and add some players to it
Yeah, I'll be very happy you came very close speeding spirit in that game on Mirage
Did the boys leave the tournament feeling disappointed that wasn't the case or was it still not realistic to get to take down a team of
the caliber of spirit?
I think if it was the game back
back the 3v3 after a half to plan on a side mirage I think that's the bomber
one the game itself obviously we were disappointed but the biggest thing was
missing out playing in the arena but the performance itself like I think we could
be happy about it and speaking of you with this reason we brought you up and
I'm sure Flair will introduce you but we have a conversation about coaching
and how coaches can impact games of Counter-Strike so for you to lose
that game to lose that 3v3 what is the first thing you do as a coach in
in order to pick up the boys.
Obviously, like, try to move on.
In Counter-Strike, that's not the easiest thing.
So when there's time to do it, like, it's to pick them up,
you know, interact with them, whether to take a time out
or do it like physically, like, giving them, you know,
a hand on the shoulder or something.
So it's tried to reset as fast as possible
if they're not doing it themselves,
but also to, as we heard Tess in the first game here,
like, try to spike the morale of the boys.
That's really interesting,
because we were talking about in the green room
right before we came live on the segment.
Jacob, you kind of view there being
maybe three different types of coaches, I guess.
We kind of have more stats, heavy man,
the height man, the hybrid man.
Like, how would you characterize yourself as a coach
before we jump into kind of maybe
analyzing some of the others?
I think that's a good question.
I think in my recent years,
I've become like much better tactically
and try to also focus on having impact during the games
and instead of having it, you know,
late style before the game starts.
And so I think for me, I've tried to also find out these things about myself
and been working on it with our staff at home as well,
to find out what is my profile and what is my strength and weaknesses.
I imagine that probably varies depending on the team you're in.
You've had a lot of experience across a ton of different teams in Counter-Strike.
Do you feel like matching up with Kady and now,
like initially I know it's a small sample size,
what is he wanting from you as a coach
that might be different to some of the other leaders that you've worked with?
What he wants is something you can feel instantly,
that he takes control of the room pretty fast,
whereas with the device leading back then,
I was kind of the bigger voice,
and he was like following my lead
to create the system as fast as possible,
whereas Kadean and me, we need to also work,
you know, our relations about in the coming,
even week, because we've only played together.
I think it was five days,
so it's also hard to get the relationship going
and how you want it to be for the long term,
like in a very short time.
So yeah, I think in general,
like Kadean as the leader, we also want from him,
and we also want him to be that kind of version of himself instead of trying to limit him.
He will also take more elbow room in the actual room than the type of device when he was in game-mating.
It's pretty known that players will always look up to other players
and try to get inspired by certain ways of playing certain positions.
It's the same for you as a coach. You look towards the blades, you look towards Sonic
and you also try to gather experience from some of the greatest coaches out there?
Of course. I think if I weren't doing that, I would be doing something wrong at least.
You always know after the veto that Bladesit's known corner, you know, doing his face expression,
hmm, and re-watching, you know, the map he didn't expect, and he's like,
damn, and you're like, okay, so he's cooking something, you know, so whether it's all attitude
or not, there's always something to learn from other coaches, whether it's the tactical side,
or, you know, just being, you know, there to create the mind games.
Obviously, Zonic, recently, he's going to be, you know, experiencing some changes
in the coming months, not least with Simkel joining the roster. First of all, what did
What did you make of that, simple going to Falcons, at least for a couple of times?
Be honest, Galadikos, you know, the old Real Madrid. I think that's the vibe they're trying
to put out there. And yeah, like, it's hard to say what, like, really have an opinion
yet, because Symbol hasn't really played the game that much. But you know Symbol,
he'll come back with a vengeance. So I think it's only a matter of time before
he comes into something that reminds us of his own self.
I'm sure you follow the rumors as well. Now we know Symbol is joining Falcons.
There's also rumors about Niko potentially joining. I'm not sure if he can
any more with the wrist injury he's having right now but do you think if
Niko were to join, if Symbol were to join on a permanent basis, do they have
something where they can cook so to speak? I think so. If you have two of the best
players in the world you'll always be able to cook something. The question is
you know if it's the Cloud9 version or it's something else so yeah it's a good
luck for whoever's gonna end game with that team because there's gonna be a lot of personalities wanting room.
When we look at Sonic obviously like the most winning in the world time if you just look at
that made it just an isolation and all the other trophies on top of that.
Fair you as another Danish coach.
What do you take away from Sonnecken,
his experience and what he is able to put on with the boys?
It's a pretty good resume, it's the first thing I was saying.
I think that Danny's biggest strength is building a team
where everyone believes in the same direction
and I also think that's probably one of the downfalls
of this current football country roster
that I don't think they really felt that the current five
and the ones before that was the actual long-term project.
So I think when he gets the pieces right,
he's shown it numerous times that even, you know,
big personalities, you can make them make the match.
Like we also had Christians when Madge is shown
as well as back then.
So I think he has a track record of making it work.
Do you think it might be the curse of Falcons
that they're kind of always on the lookout
for the stars into the team?
And therefore they're never going to be kind of like
set five?
I'm not interested in either of them, so yeah.
That's rough, you know, it's rough to be a United Fan.
I'll allow myself to be brutally honest,
because I also want to apply a bit of pressure to you guys,
as coaches.
We're talking about players not performing,
players getting cut.
I think if Sonic cannot make this new
felt consideration work,
let's say that he does get simple,
let's say he does get an equal.
If he can't make that work as well,
would you agree that, you know,
just as much good point towards players
and good point towards organizations,
we can also sometimes point fingers towards the coaches
and be like, listen, you're not doing your job,
you have all these tools,
but you're not making it work.
Of course, of course, like if you have
the biggest budget out there and you're not performing,
Obviously, you have to be in the conversation.
The same thing for me in Australia,
so you look a couple of months or even a year
into the future, it's the same for me.
Obviously, the projects are also, like,
they're not identical.
I also say, even though my team in OG
wasn't really, really, really peak performing,
the budget wasn't the same either,
so you also need sometimes, with a little bit lower teams,
like, put that into the consideration as well.
How do you rate Blaine as a coach?
We obviously, you know, you already said about him
having pages of nerds, spatial expressions as well,
but I think what he's been able to do
this generation of Nadia.
I mean, we had a lot of questions
when they put this process together.
It's been incredible for him.
I guess you would regard him as more of a strategic coach
rather than like the father figure
that maybe some of the other guys are.
So very methodical.
Like everything he does is with the reason.
I think everyone that has talked one on one
with one of his former players,
the famous story he always says is
every grenade has to matter.
That you cannot just throw a random grenade, you know?
And I think that shows a little bit of who Blade is
and how he works that you cannot just go in and yellow things.
And I think that's also why this team, if you look back
like a year, it looked like, yeah, questionable.
But I think the more time now, so I think these previous teams,
the more time I guess, the better they become.
And it's even, you know, not with the blockbuster signers.
I have a very specific question for you,
and it may be a bit hard to answer,
but we always find ourselves questioning
how much of an impact does a coach actually have
on the team, and how much does a coach
actually influence the game, you know, when in the server.
From you as a coach and from your perspective, how much is it down to you to make the team
play well?
I guess you're limited in some senses where you can't talk all the time and depending
on who you're working with as an in-game leader, but as a broad concept, how much can you
affect the game?
I think it's hard to say, as it also depends on the actual group of players, you have
a lot of coaches or I would say the majority ones have to do it before the game actually
starts, where everything during the game is just fixing something.
And there's more times in practice and installing good vibes and installing good
tendencies?
in practice and game preparation I would say.
We tend to be, you know, the cheerleaders a little bit on stage
because we don't get the same amount of talking time.
So even when timeouts are being talked,
there's still small things that when you have talked,
that the players need to take over themselves,
you will know as well, right,
that you can only help them so far.
So it's about setting them up to make the actual things
themselves and taking the last leap of faith
to get it over the line.
Is there a particular coach that you've been inspired by?
I think Sonic's time, I think everyone that has like seen him, like his work ethic, how he performs
or not, like how he acts around his players, how he is outside of the games, like everything is super professional about Danny and has been for a lot of years.
So also he's the most winning coach together with Blade, so it's hard not to be impressed.
What about X-Tiles? When we throw his name into the ring, because obviously he was absent from Vitality's major victory, that was Sonic standing behind them.
Where do you see him having like the biggest strengths? Obviously, this is quite hard to be saying you haven't been on a scene with him
But just from the outside, where do you see him?
A hard question for me to answer because I have very few that know him
I think Flames is the only one and he's only so good about him that he's a little bit more
You know simplistic in the things that he taught like when he works with the players that it's more simple things and
Making sure the team works more than having you know insane strats where I think it also fits
Apex is playing style as well, so I think that's also why they have such a good vibe and relationship going.
But obviously it's guessing since I don't know anything from inside the engine room.
I also want to mention that probably there's like kind of a vibe between both of them.
Apex and X has that he's kind of a supportive element to everything and this kind of creates
a nice combo between again as well Kerrigan and FaZe and their coach. So it might be something
that actually Apex is leaning towards where Kerrigan wants to have full control of the room.
Apex wants to do the same.
Kasper, you and I, we used to be teammates back in the day
when we started playing Counter-Strike Global Offensive ten years ago now.
A bit more of an open-ended question.
If there was any player of the current modern-day Counter-Strike
or any team that you would like to coach and you cannot pick Astralis obviously,
is there always like an in-game leader like Apex
or someone else that you always wanted to work with to get to know them
and maybe if you think that there would be a great synergy between you?
I think Karrigan and me have always had a good relationship.
It also helped that both of our first teams...
You're leading Australia to joint phases.
No, but we created back, you know, an MRC.
I think it was called Immune, the good old ones to know.
We created that one together very long time ago.
So obviously I've talked with him at a lot of events
and I can also see how he's thinking when he's calling the games
and sometimes I bait him a little bit in our talks
and he's like, trying to hide it and stuff.
So I think we have a good vibe going
and I can also see how he influences his teams a lot.
What do you make of some of the old legends returning?
returning, I'm thinking like Taz is, Ineos coming, standing behind the team, what do you think of that?
I think it's good, maybe they should have done it maybe a year earlier, both of them, but I think it's good to keep the knowledge inside the scene and help the younger players coming in.
We have a lot of international teams and the experience from these teams will definitely help everyone that comes alongside these guys.
Don't say Counter-Strike doesn't take good care of the elders, we've seen plenty of examples of that.
Final question for you, Raghair. This one's going to put you on the spot.
How soon did you know that Cadian was actually drawing the team?
Can you give us a clear answer?
Because I've been hearing numbers all over the shop.
How soon was it?
No comment.
No comment? Five days?
Yeah, it's been sounding pretty short.
Right, thank you so much for your time.
I should have asked you this before,
but I know she had made some of your family around.
Are they here to join you today?
Yeah, I have my mom, her boyfriend and my older son here
for getting their full experience here.
Is he into Counter-Strike?
Yes, yes.
He was crying the other day when we lost his parents.
So I think we are going even in the emotional department today.
Make sure you're up there next time, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Astralis Tana, look out for Raghastan.
Thank you so much for joining us here.
We're going to have a bit of an extended break, but one way
back.
It's Navi, taking our phase in the second semi-final.
My name is Andrei Gorodensky.
I am coaching Navi.
I've been involved in Counter-Strike for a long time.
If you speak about when I saw the game first,
it was, I think, 1999.
I think that time I was at the age of 13, so just playing with these friends.
I think that time was always competitive, like everyone was trying to play, like,
let's play duo with the best and all the stuff.
It's like normal kind of healthy schedule. I think we like to spend around four, six hours to prepare.
Depends on time, depends on opponent, because sometimes there's not a lot of time between
matches, for example, you can finish late and need to rest and then next day you don't have enough time.
Analyzing opponent, analyzing the map, the veto, correcting your mistake from previous match,
fitting your system to opponent, kind of like what is their style, what should we change and so
considering there is all there on this free timeouts per map, it can be really really useless
but unfortunately you need to do it if you kind of being snowballed. Most of the time I think
timeouts are needed if you see clearly how we wanted to approach the game. It doesn't work
or opponent is also preparing something and you need to correct a little bit or change the
direction and so on. This is how the timeouts should be used the most because this is the
the most efficient, let's say, impact of this.
I admire a lot that our players are very very hungry to learning and they are always listening.
It helps us a lot because we are like in a huge development process.
Being always ready to learn something new and to work on your weaknesses is something
I admire.
Second, I think is we are working a lot on staying in reality like and not overthinking.
of mentality is very good. Sometimes we can lose really hard and then if you say proper
words like to say guys let's be real like it wasn't our game. I admire also this because
it works. Our atmosphere in the team is very friendly and good vibes. Something I wish
we could win Cologne when we played Best of 5 Grand Final versus FaZe and that was really
hard loss. I think for me a special event was Copenhagen Major, absolutely
without any doubts it was the best win because it was so explosive in kind of
emotions, you know like we were like underdogs and I think playing as underdogs
is a huge privilege when you're not expecting something being like the
favorites favorites and basically singing about winning already.
Those first measurements is to also like to write the history. It was amazing.
The legendary Copenhagen clash now teed up for the Blast Premier full finals.
What was the major grand final just six months ago?
Now Navi and FaZe both doing battle to make it to our coveted best of five grand final.
Jacob it is not often that I admit when I am spoiled but my god we have got a banging game coming up.
We do we do and I think there's a lot of people inside this arena who probably were also pressing.
Last time we were in Copenhagen, when Asher said,
Faze couldn't get it done against Navi.
So if I say revenge is on the cards,
I think that is the perfect way to theme this kind of sweat game.
That major final must have felt a little bit
with the aftertaste, bigger aftertaste for Navi.
I mean, surface, because after that,
they were just basically rollercoastering
through the rankings, through the performance,
while Navi were pretty much cruising.
And it's always been the home ground
where Karagan has been evading those trophies.
I mean, no bigger than the major.
I'm sure he's certainly got his eyes on the prize today,
particularly looking back at that last clash.
I'm not gonna lie, he kind of has been dodging trophies since in Cope Magnum
and he's been doing a good job at it.
You know, there's been plenty of times where he's been in the final.
I remember the one in Royal Arena where they lost to Heroic,
where Cadian finally got to lift the trophy.
So yes, if you're care again, I think you pretty got there
motivated to finally get it done,
but you have to beat Navi in order to get into the final.
Yeah, tell me the story of that major grand final.
Obviously, Bit was absolutely lights out during that,
but it was that final map where it just looked like they broke at some point.
I think the context of that major was that Faze came into it and not looking too great
in the group stage, even they were close not making the playoff.
And then this playoff buff that we often talk about when it comes to Faze was suddenly appearing
to play great in the quarterfinal, great in the semi-final, great up until the third
deciding map, where as you said, Bid just completely took over.
And you could see that they mentally just couldn't cope with that.
And that's uncharacteristic coming out of Faze, right, because we always talk
about them as being one of those big sage teams where they're just lapping up the
energy of everybody that I expect was I could be cheering for Carrigan to lift it.
So even after the second map, which was a blowout, but the other way around it was actually face beating now
We very convincingly now I was I thought shortly they're making it momentum into the third map as well
But the other way was through let's talk about Navi briefly because obviously, you know
Topping the group safe side of things meant that they had a day off to be resting recuperating very well deserved
Because they've just been banging out all of the tournament since the player break and an underrated aspect
I guess of Navi we have to give it to blade
We were just getting some thoughts from Raga up on the desk this man is an absolute machine
He's been looking you know just in terms of the results he's been bringing to Navi
It's been clinical. Most people in here remember Navi and when they think Navi they think simple
But there's no longer the case right a complete rebuild where they went international
They brought in LXB they brought in Emma they brought in wonderful
They brought in some new unsung heroes almost some new stars in the making and as you said played have been able to make
If you told me a year ago that Na'Vi would be the undisputed best team in the world as of right now, I would have told that you were a fool.
But the fact of the matter is it's the case, Blade is done wonderful, Na'Vi is done wonderful, and they're coming into this game as the cliffhanger.
And those stars are truly in the making, because when you look at it, you cannot pinpoint anyone from Na'Vi roster.
We have it set all the time throughout the broadcast that actually Star is nowhere to be found. But the Blade is one.
Yeah, certainly. I mean, just look at the map, Wind Street, that they're on at the moment, all series Wind Street rather, for Na'Vi.
Na'Vi it's been something for the history books. Yeah and it's something that's not easy to come by nowadays. We speak about an open field of teams. We speak about an era of Counter Strike where everyone can be the best.
You put in names like Vitality, T2, Na'Vi, FaZe for that matter as well. Spirit has that appeared where they were winning everything. Na'Vi is the only team I feel consistently shows up tournament after tournament and they don't really lose games to teams they're not supposed to lose to.
Of course you can lose a game to FaZe or T2 or Vitality but you don't see Na'Vi losing to the eternal files of the world.
Yeah, that is very true. I'm going to put those best of five demons to bed as well, back in Malta,
which is a good sign to see potentially going into tomorrow. When we're doing a little bit of
comparison across each side of the server though, obviously Blade, he's a tactical mastermind,
he's very much the strategist. How do we compare Phazer's coach on the other side of the equation?
Definitely the contrast. I don't think that he's helping as much as Blade of Ice is not
building. The strategy here again is known for that. He doesn't want the coach to interfere
with what he wants to achieve with the team on the server, however he's facilitating it surely
the other ways either through you know that hype, that aura, that friendship, that camaraderie,
all that things have to happen in team to perform. There's always been the case, you know,
look at Kerrigan's team history, look at the coach he's been working under before,
Robin was a great example as well. Kerrigan is feeling comfortable in us to lead the team
on the server, tactically speaking, it's all about Kerrigan and you can definitely help,
he can be his right-hand man, but in terms of having a vocal coach put in the team,
I think Kerrigan would much rather prefer to have a guy that has his back and then Kerrigan will have the rest of the team under his spell.
Is there a clear MVP at the moment that is in front runner coming out of Na'Vi because as you've correctly said, Stiko,
you know, there isn't that like one clear star like back in the simple days, we would always look towards him,
which is something that I love about this new iteration of Na'Vi because any one of them can be popping off at any time.
Anybody clearly standing out at the moment?
I have to give you the name of Wonderful, but also I and KJL obviously my previous teammate MVP of the major MVP of EPL.
I'm looking at him and cheering for him, Siegfried.
I think Wonderful has had a great, great tournament.
I agree. The impact he's been showing up with the AWP so far
has been slightly above what we've seen from him for quite some time.
I'd even argue if you were to point a player and saying,
Wonderful is maybe the one missing piece for Navi
to finally turn into a star.
But so far, this tournament, he's been the best AWP so far.
I mean, Saibu out of the tournament as well,
with Monizzi not really playing up to his best in that semi-final.
I think Wonderful is still very much in contention for being the MVP.
Siegfried, stylistically, how would you like, how would you classify
Wonderful.
Very much flexibility I would say. Honestly, I think he's reading the system and if system says you need to go for entries this particular opening match,
I mean he's going to go for it. If he's more reserved he's going to go for those clutching and he can do it all, with rifle, with pistols.
He's been known as a kind of this flexibility guy on my side.
So wonderful versus brokey the upper on the side of phase. Also, I mean he's in the race for that MVP, right?
It's one thing they share.
Right now the top performers of the respective teams, Nargion Face, is the AWP player.
Sproki has had a fantastic tournament so far.
Unlike Wonderful, I feel Sproki is probably a fan favorite for a reason.
He has that ability to explode on the server.
You put him in a 3v3, you put him in a 1v3, he will do something outrageous.
We even saw in the group stage this 1v4 against, was it, Liquid on Ancient Year, where
he's pulling off a massive clutch out of nowhere.
So I feel for Sproki, you watch him for the flair of the game, was for Wonderful
as you said, a little bit more of a system player.
If you could like make a line graph of phase in 2024,
what's it looking like?
Like it's squiggly up and down.
And we'll start up here
and then we'll just progressively going like this
and then maybe finishing around seven, I think.
And that's an issue, right?
If you're a phase fan and you're only seventh in the world,
not really good enough.
But I saw yesterday definitely phase that is not the seventh.
I saw something that is out of the world
and they were, he can see it himself actually.
He said that we've never looked, it's good.
Yeah, first is liquid.
That was clinical.
That was like phase of 2022
where they were absolutely dominating everybody
when they were lifting the major trophy,
when they were getting that Intel Grand Slam.
Yes, and there was one difference yesterday,
one player showing up that we hadn't seen
being shown up for quite some time,
and that is Mr. Rops.
I think we have to attack that point
because without saying that,
we can't really quantify why they look so good yesterday.
Frozen, he's been fantastic for face.
Rops has been sub-park, so to speak,
hadn't really been living up to the expectations yesterday.
He played one of the best series
he's been playing in-face for quite some time,
and all of a sudden they look like a team
that can potentially win the tournament,
but it requires work to show up once more.
At 1.71 rating, that's nasty coming out of Robs.
And he was doing it all together with entries.
Obviously, on Inferno, he was set up by the teammates
a lot of quad robs was delivering all those clutches,
and those 3v3s, 2v2s.
And then for Mirage, he dipped up to the condo,
and that was kind of last nail in typical.
Yeah, we saw him winning the play of the day,
as well with that one, that was beautiful stuff.
But you were talking about his kind of lurk ability, right?
I think that's something that Robs
has really classified himself as a player being,
which has looked subpar as of recent months.
Were you satisfied with that aspect of his gameplay yesterday?
We didn't see it that much, you know.
He was an inferno who was being put in crutches on the T side,
put him in pit and he will always get a multi-kill.
On Mirage, as we spoke about, he's playing connector.
He's a little bit more activated,
a little bit more proactive in the way he's playing Counter Strike.
So it wasn't about his lurks yesterday, and I like to see that.
You know, I like to see rups activated a bit more on the server.
Surely he needs to find impact as a lurker,
but I think that role as a whole has kind of been figured out by most players.
It's not as easy these days to be a lurker at that level anymore.
so maybe a little bit more versatile, Robs would be nice.
And I'm stats guy, you know.
I also watch a lot of Robs demos because I'm a fanboy
and also the clinical aim that he's putting off
is put to test basically in that connector area.
I really need him to see that coming into December.
Well, keep fanboying out, Seiko,
because we do have Robs on the line, courtesy of James Banks.
Robs, how good did that win feel yesterday?
It was nice to have a game
which could feel that we're gonna win.
It's not going to slip out of hands and we're just going to close it, you know, that feels nice, you know, get overly worried about having to do a comeback or fighting an overtime battle, you know, so it was nice.
Did it feel like something clicked or changed for you guys in this sense, or was it just a good game?
Well, it was definitely a good game by all of us yesterday.
I think that was the biggest difference, I would say.
I mean, if everyone clicks, it's going to look like that in the server.
If everyone has good duels, they're winning the duels and they're having good timings,
you know, it's going to look easy and that's how it was.
What does it do for your mentality for the whole rest of the tournament, though?
Does it feel like a phase that can go all the way?
This win definitely reminds us of how good we can be and how good we were.
like a few months ago in the beginning of the year for example so it's definitely
good to have such a win and you know get slowly get back in the groove
obviously it hasn't been so beautiful recently but you know that win shows that
it's possible and as long as you keep fighting it's doable.
And that's one thing you guys have definitely been doing. You've kept fighting the whole way through.
Now it's fighting against Navi though. Are you looking for revenge still? Do you feel like you can do it this time?
Well, I would say it's been a bit of a back and forth. I think we've got a win in EPL.
The previous season, not this one. And then they've won against us in EWC, I believe.
So it's been a back and forth. Obviously, I think we still want our revenge.
There's some still left from the Major and the impact it had on us, I would say.
It's definitely good to get a win against them. They're the number one team currently.
We're going into this match with no pressure on our side and just wanting to enjoy the game
and put up a good match and hopefully get one step closer to the trophy.
I absolutely love getting that insight from Robs because he's been a bit quiet on all
accounts both inside the server and outside, right?
He's been, you know, I told him a few interviews here and they're not giving us too too
much but I loved that he mentioned that event.
They've got their eyes on Na'Vi to be taking them down.
I think that's the difference right now for Na'Vi.
They've established themselves as the best team in the world.
is looking to watch how they're doing things, how they're setting up their players and everyone got a target on the back of Navi right now.
So I agree with you. Love to hear from Robs. We know the history as well.
I think was it Rain who said that he wants to beat them 10 more times before he can forget about the major final, before he can forget about that bad experience.
So right now there is definitely a rivalry between the two teams and it's looking somewhat decent for Faze in the internal history.
Yeah, and you have to say as well what Robs said in the interview that kind of they have no pressure.
This is crazy to say. Faze is one of the most staggered roasters and they have entering the server with no pressure.
Obviously that can only mean one thing. They're going to ride away from yesterday and hopefully that will kind of hang out.
Should we theorise about the pick and bands for the maps coming in?
Because I think there's a lot of different directions. I'm really curious to see.
There it is! The Mirage is banned coming out of Faze. They're really scared of Navi on that one.
Wah wah, no vertigo. I don't really miss vertigo at all and I don't think anyone inside this arena is going to miss vertigo either
So not too big of a surprise right here now inferno being picked by face-clang makes sense
They did it yesterday. They had a good performance who spoke about a very clear game plan as well
We have ancient coming in from Navi apparently a fan favorite inside this arena. I already like this map pull an awful lot
All right, we have a tough stupe and coming in
Which was one of the credit against best maps when it comes to individual performance
We mentioned it a couple of times already throughout the analysis and the Navi banning new so we have decided
Yeah, that is very nice. What do you think is our clear winner at the moment in terms of the video Jacob?
I don't think there's a clear winner
I think I think Navi's map pool as a whole have always been strong
I have been involving a little bit and especially
Something that will be tested should they get into the final and should they get into a pistol 5 scenario for my money
Inferno ancient anubis. It's a middle ground for both of these teams
I think in theory face clan have been picking ancient against a lot of different opponents
So for them to for them to get picked against them must be a little bit of an advantage
So if anyone were to win this video, I'd probably argue face
Let's continue our first time discussion just to wrap them up very briefly because we talked about rocks obviously happen
Incredible series versus liquid yesterday, but when you couple that with frozen showing up as well man
If they're both on form today, you're in for a bad time. No, he's a superstar. We don't even speak about it
He's coming to Faze, he's replacing Twist, very hard player to replace in that regard.
And he's been doing well for himself.
Now the reason why we don't praise Frosin that much is because Faze are not winning as of right now.
And if they were to win trophies then obviously we'd point towards Frosin and be like,
you're the MVP of this team.
So for him, he needs to rest of the team to help him out of that.
Exactly, I don't think Frosin is the first star of the team.
He needs to be the second star, first star occupied,
either by Robs or Broke, he's having kind of a good game between each other.
Now, Jacob, there's been a name rather that has been evading us.
What is that? What is that name?
Maybe for the Danes in the arena? Who's that?
Ooh, I think we've got him on screen right now,
and I think you hear the reaction as well.
Obviously, Kerrigan entering the States in just a couple of moments,
and as you said, it's been quite rough for Kerrigan and Copenhagen.
I know they've been in a final, they've been doing a good job,
they've been trying to win the tournament, but haven't really been the case.
He finds himself in a semi-final.
If there's one thing we know about Kadeon,
It's his way of using the crowd, and with that, I'll address the crowd just a tiny bit.
All of you here in the forum, don't know if we'll get a lot of gas for Navey,
but of course we'll get a carry and a face, and we'll get a cannon!
I think they're ready.
He certainly got a couple of thousand fans behind him.
If you're on the receiving end of that, if you're Navey, that must be very brutal, right?
I mean, they're an international team, and they are used to play against the crowd, in a sense,
So I obviously don't think that this will become a factor after all it's Navi number one from in the world
I bet you what he's gonna do, you know when we have our little segment before the game goes live
He's gonna stand up. He's gonna get the crowd rowing Katie and juice
He's not Katie and Karrigan juices that energy. So be ready for it. Well, we are ready to kick off a second semi-final here in Copenhagen
pistol
To the left
See how this energy is because you guys are fantastic in that first game
everyone on three make some noise for me three two one now as always I see
plenty of different shirts in the crowd I'm sure we have some phase fans right
as I expected and for Navi that seems very close let's try that again
expecting Coban Hagen for Navi to maybe just inch that one but guys we want
some great counter strike right not so much on the free-maps are you guys
Oh, that's fair enough. Are we ready for the game?
Coban Hagan, we're not bringing these teams out until I hear all of you.
Let me hear you!
To take on FaZe, it's time to see if FaZe can get their Coban Hagan revenge.
FaZe faced the fear of defeat.
Back to brilliance, rising again.
Unified together, withstood the test of any foe.
Evil old friends.
Navi. Navi walked with their heads held high.
Victory the normality for Navi.
And with Blade sharpening his team's minds,
Alexi B's Navi charged forth into Copenhagen.
With Faze and Navi winning is an expectation.
doing what they do best and delivering for the crowd.
For Navi, it would be another title, another trophy for FaZe.
It's about representing the name.
Both teams want to deliver.
Only one will survive.
Perkins Smile told us everything we needed to know about what they did yesterday.
While they can't celebrate prematurely because the job is not done, it was Rops with the slick movement
and the quick scope that reminded us all of the level he can bring. While victory was achieved,
the journey to redemption has only just begun. This could be their chance to exact
their Copenhagen Major revenge stand before you as the best team in the world.
Major champions who are not to be messed with. Wonderful has taken the momentum with him from
back to back events and came in like a wrecking ball to all who opposed him. As they eye up yet
another grand final appearance this is where they need to shine now they face a
familiar enemy but it's been a while since they went into that battle it's one
they know all too well one that Alexi knows will take the full team's
performance to win thank you so much James okay yes sir yes sir indeed thanks
it was the gold. Yeah definitely it was an amazing performance last time around
it was a great game but we're also looking at a game where the favorite
title kind of changed a little bit. We're looking at Navi right now being the
clear number one. We're looking at face fans being struggling a little bit having
really been able to play up to par up until yesterday. So if we want a good game, if we want a close game we'd better hope that the face that we saw yesterday is the
same version of face showing up today. I mean yeah we have to do something that
was working yesterday but I don't want to overcook it from on the face side
because there was certain game plan that they were bringing us in liquid and it
worked but it was very volatile in my opinion and as well if now we kind of
studied that inferno thing I think they're going to be chunked from down
utility down banana blocking me not letting Kerrigan and Rain taking so much
space as they did yesterday against liquid because that was detrimental to
them putting brokey frozen rocks into clutch situations was actually the
reason why it was such a landslide victory for a phase yesterday. That
inferno is exactly where we are going to be starting this semi final
series phase on the T side of that. I think it's an excellent point and it's an
excellent point to bring up in the context of this game because the face
is playing the same brand of counters right they did yesterday where they're
okay with playing 3v4 3v5 against a team like Navi who are so good at
orchestrating retakes were so good at playing together were so good themselves
are being in a 3v3 scenario they'll lose they cannot afford to just send
in rain sending care again let them die and then hopefully Broke he rubs
frozen for that matter can win a 3v5 against Navi that's too big of a
Where do you think Nabi are going to be positioning themselves on that CT side?
They chose to be starting on the defensive half.
What are you particularly looking at on this first map of Lomfano?
Whoever plays Inferno knows how Banana is important and fighting for that Banana
in terms of LXCB and JL for that B side is going to be detrimental
and how are going to face put up against it with either carry gun or frozen aggression
whether it would be even a rain coming into play.
I don't know but definitely there's going to be heavy fight for that area of the map.
You mentioned last time around when we saw Faze taking on Liquid just for his
failness in Furno, you were looking at Robson in that alert position, didn't it
exactly need him to be showing up? He did show up with big numbers though in
those clutches. Does he get away with the same tricks versus Navi today?
I hope so for the sake of the game, for the sake of it being competitive, for the
sake of Faze playing as well, I want to see Robson at his absolute best. I
personally believe that the difference between Faze being seventh in the
world, the difference between Faze stocking a little bit is the fact that Robson
haven't been around so if he's playing well the person is playing well and the
rest of the team is doing what they normally do rain is playing you know
somewhat decent counter strike Kerrigan is calling a somewhat decent game of
counter strike I think face are good enough to channels now we put out raps
there's no game well we can check in with the live odds for the second semi
final series to steal I want to hear it from you who's taking it who's
joining G2 in that grand final I'm terrible predictions but I'm still
picking now I think they're gonna be having edge in this best of three
last time they lost best of three was more than two months ago I believe
The discrediting that best of five in between, best of three is where they shine and I think they're going to be taking this one.
Had you asked me yesterday before I saw a face in the States, I would have said there would be no change whatsoever for Faze to win this game.
I think Navi is a far better team in a far better shape right now.
However, with the way Faze were playing yesterday, they're giving me a little bit of hope.
Navi still clear-cut favourites. I still think Navi's going to win, but I wouldn't be surprised if we need both we now.
Is there a particular favourite individual that you're looking at from Navi?
Because that's always the discussion. They don't have that clear superstar.
Anyone of the four can pop off basically anyone.
Let's create one then, let's look at Wonderful, he's had a fantastic tournament so far, he's playing the AWP, he's going against Broke who, on the other side of the coin, is also the highest way to play for facecans.
So, you want to make a star out of Navi, you want to pinpoint one player and say you can be a superstar, I think Wonderful is the guy at this tournament who has been.
Yeah, and I mean, the Navi group are just buying into the system as well, so Alexipi is ready to cook up some calls both on CT side, he's known for those stacks towards A or B side depending on what he kind of feels and what the game plan shows him.
and Blit is definitely prepared for these kind of things.
Broke he versus Wonderful, I mean, we've already pre-faced it,
but I'm so excited as kind of two MVP candidates
coming into this semi-final.
I'm so excited to see how they're tussled.
JL versus Fosun, Emma versus Robs.
There's a lot of good match-ups within the game.
One thing I want to look out for is Kerrigan versus Alexi B.
Kerrigan obviously inside this arena.
He got the crowd behind him, he got the history behind him.
Artfully a Goat candidate for the in-game leaders.
Alexi B not quite there yet.
yet he's making his legacy right now he's becoming slowly but surely I'll let you
not the game again taking down face winning against him in a semi-final that's only going to hurt him to make that case in each one.
All that has to happen is for Karagin to come on screen get that dead paneling to the camera and the crowd goes wild.
Stiko I want to put you on the spot just for a second because one of your X teammates is up here on stage.
How does he fare with the stage pressure?
Actually two of my X teammates rock and jail so I think both of the stars for or
stars quote-unquote both in face and both in both in Navi camp but obviously
Jail is aiming for that third MVP of the year which is crazy. It is insane did you
see obviously you know you were teammates with him you obviously for something to
be bringing him into the roster but at the Copenhagen Major did you see him
having that much of an impact to be not only lifting a trophy but taking the
MVP title with it. Honestly I've seen so much growth in him because he was
at that point, one year away from my team.
So I kind of saw how he implemented,
or Blade implemented him into the roster,
and what he did to make him flourish this much
is no short of impressive.
Let's be honest, right?
When you had that magic major run with JL on the team,
he wasn't the highest performer.
He wasn't the sort of guy going absolutely crazy every time,
so I agree with you.
I think when JL joined Na'Vi,
it made an awful lot of sense from the Rolls perspective,
from him coming into a team where Blade could form him,
but to see him thrive as a player that yesterday,
Just yesterday, we had a conversation, maybe, just maybe,
you see the fourth, fifth, sixth best player in the entire goddamn world.
Nobody, as an absolute nobody, could have seen that coming.
And if you said you did, you were lying.
I mean, that was just an insane major round for Maypex, obviously.
How quickly after you guys had, you know, wrapped up that major,
how quickly did Naby come knocking for JL?
It was pretty fast.
I'm pretty sure it happened just a few days after.
And when we learned about this, we were all happy for him.
We said to him, like, you have to go for this.
This is insane opportunity for you.
You go for it and he's taking it filed by amount.
We are ready to get our second semi-final underway.
It stays taken on Navi.
Launders scrawny, take it away.
Yes, thank you so much, Freya.
Thank you so much, Desk.
You guys have been awesome.
Give it up for Stiko as an analyst for the first time.
How great has he been?
Awesome, right?
And everybody here too.
Borum, how about we hear it for Faze, for Navi,
for our second semi-final.
first one and for a map we haven't seen since the major they're bringing this
back in the pool it has been nothing but nuke and mirage until today I know that
first game was draining but we've got so much CS still in store so let's kick it
up we got bit with the deep mid-peak falls away it's a little bit phase
versus liquid on inferno launderers but you're absolutely right something
different for this equation wonderful not a part of the pistols equation
First casualty as they wrap pretty quick around the arch side, Stutter for a second,
nice ones from Marein, he's coming through with the two quick kills, Ima has got the answer.
It's a double each until Broke comes out.
Alexi's got this deep positioning, but Broke always just walks it in from my brain.
Aikona, what I was specifically referencing was their head-to-head maps.
They have not brought this in, they have not brought a Nupus in even.
They only played Mirage and Nuke the last three times.
And we remember what happened at the major when they played Inferno. It was Inferno, it was Kerrigan 1 and 15 on that map.
That was a 13-3 loss, if I remember correctly. Faze totally got wiped.
And so this coming in in the first map, turn of the statement, we're revisiting our old demons. We believe in our game.
We're building off of what we've shown so far at the events.
And they've got us all watching.
I think as Tico said, it was a volatile game,
but it was still an impressive performance versus Liquid.
I think FaZe know this is a step up a challenge.
Yeah, it was the nature of that game,
Karrigan in the post match saying, right,
like, oh, it just felt so good to play like that again.
It had been a long time since we saw that version of FaZe.
And it's a FaZe that I think got everybody in this room excited
because it was the playoff stage FaZe
that we'd all come to believe in, to never doubt.
And it had been a little while,
and it's also been a little while
since they were able to get one over Navi, right?
Sure, the loss of the Major absolutely stunned them
when they were able to beat them to pro league
in their next matchup.
Rain said it's going to take ten more wins
before we finally get even.
Then they lost two more.
Not been the best outing.
The conversion to the pistol here,
wrapping around Archside, get again.
No hesitation. Once that smokes down, they go for it.
Are they committing or not?
It is given a bit of time to find a little positioning inside.
Cytus teammates try to push through smoke to help him.
And then E-Met off the balcony.
He's actually going to take this down to the 4v3.
Kerrigan's still up.
It's barely alive here, but he is still in that ball.
Wonderful headshot!
And E-Met going to keep that SMG going.
All of a sudden...
All of a sudden, they have hit a bit of a brick wall.
Navi, respond instantaneous.
Wow, they blocked the lane smoke, man.
That has been so powerful lately.
We even saw Liko try to do the exact same thing versus Stazum there explode and in that situation
It didn't work out this well. It's so nicely done here for Navi
Wow, they went into emergency protocols when the our trap took place when they lost somebody running through the library smoke
It seemed like it was gonna be over, but nobody coming on the falls
They kill him
So rinse and repeat from Ema right to K from the pistol off the valve to K with the SMG this time
This is that step up the challenge.
It's been so nice watching Emet kind of start to peek over for this Navi roster.
So many doubters after all those struggles from him.
I was a massive doubter. I mean it's been incredible to watch how good he's gotten again after so much time.
It's obviously normal to say that good things take time, but in Counter-Strike you don't often get a lot of time.
So good on Navi
Good on late for finding a way to incorporate it because to be honest I was critical of Emma
But I was also critical of the fact that the system didn't really welcome him in the right way. He was
Playing really strangely at first
Took a while, but it has been worth it. It's late
Never did I think I'd be cast in Paragon in a Danish arena and hear of Navi's fans just as loud
But it really is a testament to the run they've made since the Copenhagen major
I don't know if Alexi heard that being blind. It's possible he missed it
This is an interesting gap maybe for face. You bet definitely here's a go charge it right out of
Helping hand Alexi does indeed find Kerrigan in the CT spot, but that's an AK for rops to pick up
We saw what he could do last series to a maps versus liquid of impressive CS and now his hands no longer busy
How could Rob send a message this early in the series?
He's tapping for the headshot, but he gets away.
Wow, he was calm and patient with it, but he couldn't hit the headshot.
That would be wonderful to take him down.
Good job, JL there, throwing himself forward, not just hiding in sight,
not letting everybody move in on him.
I think in a moment like that you actually thank yourself for not freaking out.
Like you did play it, composed, even though you don't hit your bullets.
Could have been close to an AK.
There's some variants there.
This shot though.
That would have been a tough follow-up.
It's a great safer memory. You saw how every little bit counted at the end and he got that first clip off on the half ball turning back
The line. Yeah, perfect 90 degrees snapback. This map for me comes down to two players that's Robs and Bit. Bit being the lane player on CT side.
Robs being the Hall's anchor. Just looking to go over against him. Robs's form has been called into question so much so he's going to be imperative.
Plus, BIT has been their best Inferno player in these big maps, especially versus FaZe.
So I can expect that head-to-head to dictate a lot of this game.
You can see them already sharing a wall.
Yeah, I'm glad you highlight that, because I do think it is brewing.
Storm that could go down all Inferno long.
Wonderful watching us back at the moment.
So Robs' hands have been seen.
Wonderful on high alert. It's going to drop in there.
No real easy chance to rotate back towards A, and especially as BIT goes peeking down middles.
So that's information, two CTs just stacked up on Bracket and really forcing phases, limited hands
towards the B site, monkey, okay.
It's a bit of a gift given over by Bit, caught bottom mid.
They do have to be careful because they're so far apart from each other.
They might lose sight of how aggressive another T on the map is
and we see JL is low as he falls back.
He meant just went around that CT corner too, right?
corner too right? There's a non-zero chance that this goes wrong and Navi if they're not careful.
Rosen well ahead of the smoke and the low HP right there. Oh he shot. Easy pick up.
Jail dropped out of this one. Oh save plant. Navi have a loud phase back into a round.
When things look so suffocated for a moment we can't forget they don't have Kevlar.
You think E-Man would be able to clean him up but as they get closer he starts to fire up, they line up.
Oh, he can't track the second, so Brokey comes through into the Desert Eagle.
Three kills deep for Brokey.
You could reload this gun. Depends on if Wonderful gives him a chance.
Oh man, down to the 15 points of health.
Brokey, one more shot.
Two shots to ask of him.
Wonderful's gonna make sure that he stops the bleeding,
but still that's quite a few losses for Navi to deal with.
Only one survivor in the end.
Yeah, we'll see if that actually amounts to rounds in the future.
It is really good right now, but there is this potential
that phase absolutely get wiped out in this map getting close won't always be
good enough that's how strong I'll be all right now must hit shot right there
for wonderful didn't happen I don't think broken peaks again so you get by
by the skin of their teeth they're up three rounds often play for wonderful
picking up as he gets closer talked about bit versus rocks over towards
apartments but I think we're gonna have some brutal banana fights queued up
Throughout this match, 2 was originally 3, already has, you know, rotating to the other side of the map,
and he's in position over there if needed.
No forward challenge, isn't he? Yeah, but you start to see wonderful kind of sniffing towards it.
Now, you know, Navi, happy to play Leen's back.
Jail is taking first contact on Banana.
Most, most rounds, honestly. Very, very comfortable playing here from Hobbit.
X-X coming in, front wall smoke though.
They try to call it through.
Off the earth.
They're scared of this.
Down to four points of health.
Wait a second.
Their A site split ends up getting cut off a little bit.
They have to go into a change of plans.
Emergency protocols.
Robson the lead.
How are they going to commit back on B?
Oh, they're confused.
And they haven't made a choice.
The options opens at 30 seconds.
We're talking.
No smokes after this.
Still not entirely certain.
But when that smoke goes down,
it's going to draw him ever closer.
Will he be set up to push through?
Flash pops.
He doesn't pounce.
He's got JL back side as well, he met, oh nice!
Oh, so clean!
Ah, that's incredible timing.
They exploited the call there.
That was actually pretty unique, like with the mid-split
that was happening.
Were they actually going to push through B into CT spawn?
Because they did a front side smoke.
I don't know if those mid players were going to try
to wrap Arch, but they hadn't worked on Bracket yet.
There was something there that honestly haven't seen before
and I'm not sure how that looked like it was going
end for phase but I think Alexi had the right idea when the front side smoke came
out he said I'm gonna be a baneling here and run out and try to take aggro get
some damage in and slow this down and then on the other side of the map they
got one pick off on arch and that was it they weren't worried anymore so it's
right here if against this kill in the 5v5 you see that it's so late in the
round and there are they working on a B split because why don't we have two
two players admit.
Was that inferno pick, right?
So we were going to go and see if we adapt.
I mean, I definitely understand trying something new.
I think with the amount of time left over,
the little concern is still like what the idea was.
Whether they can implement it right now,
high pressure situation,
grand finals on the line.
FaZe wouldn't know anything about that.
Let's see.
Povic plod down banana to catch Broke.
Try to change from one corner over to the other.
The back grenade damage is immense, so it's not an easy job here for the very limited by a phase to get towards banana
And that's it's just off to the races on ten three
And I really put that one on care again at the major man
He was the one who visibly fell apart. You saw him spam and smokes at the end of that game one in fifteen frustrated
I think consumed by the audience and
In a major final wasn't the first time in his career. Just thought it wouldn't happen again
Just to grab me at a situation.
Probably felt so close as they should now for Nami.
Wonderful, not afraid of that proximity.
But as he peeks in extending for the short kill,
he gets one over to frozen low health, though.
Very low health for the remnants of FaZe.
Bitch, never be worried unless, of course,
there's this inevitable split that could be coming off.
Bitch, not worried at all.
And that's why men, close rounds are cute.
But just because of the matchup, because of the history,
strength of Navi currently. Not sure close rounds are going to matter that much.
Anybody holding back? We are six rounds in and he's still near 280R.
You gotta believe that. Navi are pretty excited at the thought that the Vitality has now been
eliminated. They get a chance to play against G2. Of course still a best of five if they get there.
Yeah, but we know Alexi's record versus G2. A bug on the windshield as far as he is concerned.
But we'll see if we get there. Nice double-nade comes out from base.
That's Jail isolated and done for.
Pretty hard rosation though.
We're moving two pieces of the A defense over.
Bit's gonna get active in apartments.
We were talking about that bit versus Robs fight.
We haven't seen it until now.
And it's gonna be Bit to come out on top first.
1-0.
Robs had the swing as well.
We'll have to keep our finger on this pulse.
This Rain looks to go for a trade, slowly drawing one over.
That's going to be utility pressure coming over the rooftops thrown out by Broke from bottom middle
He's going to go look at that as Bitt finds himself a second from this absolute guys Bitt Furnaw is a real thing
God forbid you start to let a second piece of Navi power up with confidence
Wonderful is going to take that deep position in the site. He just lost his support
But so be it
Frozen steps into the middle of the road and Perik is already so deep
But if they shot for wonderful you can face another chance. They're going to cut him down
All the way into find him time to reset to deep need to try and soften them up
Broke he can upgrade to the up. Yes, sir
And if you put Broke he on an off in a bomb site with the post plant
Oh, they're giving him a champion. Karrigan's giving him a way to swing out wide
big reposition
Yeah, you wait
See Karrigan going that deep allows him to have free reign over this as long as they know that no one's there and
That stays earned back.
One round.
A deep entry frag from Kerrigan getting across.
And you see the CT come back through smoke.
Did not ever expect Kerrigan to be within that bomb site.
And he gets that kill deep site.
That is Kerrigan clearing your site
and giving you this chance to win a second.
And that's the second and third kill.
And that's Bitt who won on his side of the map.
But Kerrigan won on the other.
Great tactics here to take out JL,
who's obviously one of the strongest banana players
in the game right now, they're always the threat when the bomb is down.
Steps ahead, that ended up being of course the CT smoke thrown out to allow Ema in and
wide, but it feels like Brokey got very comfortable as you alluded to because of the Karrigan
positioning, really sets up Brokey to shine in the post plant as he tends to.
And that's a counter-detentancy to do these guys retake through CT more often.
Do they retake through construction more often?
You have to play out those reads and believe in them because you don't have
the resources to cover every option all the time and just as I say that we see a
lead here from Na'Vi but it is pretty silent. They aren't taking bottom banana
control they are playing three up here just in case it gets taken over but
phase right now they have a small arch gap and they'll actually find it. Brace
here from Alexi B, smoke lands in front of it but he's gonna miss a timing now.
Oh he jumps and he still shaves Karrick and off but yes you're right
the timing that he missed is Reign, deep CT.
He's able to turn and die.
Yeah!
From Reign.
Nicely done on his own.
Big gets active.
Looking for a double yet again.
And he got another headshot because he does.
Answers, 2v2, and pressure on Ema within this bomb site.
Of course, no support at the moment.
It's a slow flank from Wonderful that'll eventually get here,
but for now, it's got to be Chris from Ema,
and down for it.
Frozen continues to collect these headshots.
And so an AWP retake needed.
Bomb to be planted. They have no idea which direction he comes in from.
Wraith's there!
Okay, what a reaction. Frozen up next.
Flash into Swap to the rifle. It hits its mark, but I don't think he's going to expect this position.
Wonderful thinking back side.
Come on, Swap! Right back into yet another round.
I mean, Navi are playing very well, but Faser playing hardball.
You see that play from Bitt. It's like a literal mirror image of Robs in that exact same position, raising hell.
Moment of timing here for Wraith, but also it's his awareness.
There's no audio to you from JL as he turns around to check that works out beautifully. I love that back and forth beautiful from bit on the pillar
Jokes out the second kill tries to put the defense up on his own
But it's not enough and what do you know nine rounds deep and all the back into pistols
Looks like we found out this game
Will be close
It's gonna try to try by won't go. Well, we did talk about round two where they ended up getting eco
The force by ended up winning her face. So
I'd be on high guard
USP so dealt with quick now rain starting to take over as the top fragger
This time they have a Halls player on this take versus the pistols this free farm here for ops info and a kill
One death to deal with but
250 so be it
You can attack through face consecutive round with a consecutive well-earned eco and as you pointed out earlier lots of
Close rounds, no wins.
Finally, that money starts to affect Navi.
But they'll take it on the chin.
Navi often let leads go, even at their strongest
at the last few months.
They're very comfortable with that.
It's part of what makes them so powerful.
Water often ducks back sometimes
when things go wrong for this team.
Perfect time for Blade to chime in.
Leo's probably quite pleased with the comeback.
On back, of course, put forth by that carry.
I think we're at the point of the half now where we reset and then we retest the
brick bit and drops inside of Hall's outcomes. We see if those duels happen we
see if Rob starts to swing them more into their favor or if Navi get back to
winning. Half the damage off the Nade there, Kerrigan and Frozen both stunned by it.
The first time I've seen this 3D start at the B bomb site. We need to give it up after throwing
grenade. Jail leaves the cache behind.
It's deployed with options.
Rain, yet again, up into the apartments.
This time far less resistance.
I'll be leaning back.
A classic.
I think that's getting loud.
Wonderful.
There's down banana.
Yeah, he's going to find it.
That's a massive pick-off we're talking about.
Halls and Lane get it taken over here from the T side.
And nobody else close to deal with that,
so Kay's definitely going to start
to feel the pressure to move this one forward.
Is there counter-gatility here for JL?
He's going to let them crawl.
No, he dropped it before he came over.
Oh, and they're going to go like ships on the night.
2 IGLs, Alexi Bees Aware.
Nicely done.
Good read from Alexi.
Rob's going to try to inches way in.
Very little utile here as the flashes fly up.
The double beats from the CTs connect.
Out of the pit again.
It's a double kill from Bitt.
Great.
This time he will take over spawn yet once more.
Trying to lead forward with bomb down on short.
Two defenders on top of it.
And they're going to win this battle.
Bitt is the king of A at the moment.
Yeah, man.
Sometimes he waits for Inferno.
Sometimes it comes to him.
Here he is kicking off this series.
HOTS!
And the funniest part about that performance was it was so good and such a stark contrast to the other two maps before it.
Where is BIT? Where is BIT?
We were asking ourselves in those first two maps in the grand final in Copenhagen.
And then Inferno took place and it was as if that was the only map of the pool for him.
It's the first map that he played joining Na'Vi and the map he has learned the most on absolutely.
And I think the perfect guy to really be that threat to RUPS.
Yeah, of course.
A for the top foot.
Damn, this MAK10 wants it, and it'll get it!
We gotta wait for the fire to quell, but sticking around here is JL!
Does this end up costing him?
Oh, he passed Karrigan out!
Karrigan has no idea.
While his teammate runs for the hills,
through that fire, past the smoke, he sticks around,
wants a little more blood, and gets it.
5v3 advantage here for Novi.
Looking to really take that momentum back from the three-round streak of FaZe Clan.
Roky moves forward clearing corners, trying to figure out where JL got off to.
He pops up intermittently between the cough and Alexi on high alert, ready to hold this.
The utility's still strong for the defense.
JL's got a flash for after this smoke if needed.
Oh, good spam.
It's a very low JL at 30 health.
One bullet hits him, not quite enough, so here comes that volley of smokes.
Support of utility from the Rosator and Ena, Alexi sees it coming.
What a fine.
And he'll deal with Rain before the CT player even needed.
This time, EMSB goes down, punished.
Last time, he gets three kills.
This time, empty handed.
And they know they subplanted all the rotations already.
Two more CTs in place.
But low HP back sight, still not going to be a problem.
KL, an additional kill from 22 health,
and drops him to get a similar attention to clutch.
He's got one in the back sight.
He knows it.
Support coming over.
But will they give him something to pull on?
Yeah.
They come at him.
But wonderful connects.
And that is Navi with three alive to seven.
Man, it looks so calm.
Every single situation here for Navi.
They peel it back.
Great round from JL.
That put Pickoff on to Kerrigan.
And like ease, Navi are back in the driver's seat.
Utility can't afford to be off by half a second or an inch.
Navi will get you.
And I'm all for it.
I mean, no glaringly obvious mistake so far.
No bad calls, no bad reads.
There's the Navi that's pulling out the edge at the moment
with Bit, Ime, wonderful, miss chance.
Preoccupied with both sides of that peak.
Real rumbling of a presence here from FaZe and Apartments,
but they don't know how many are actually ready
to try to flood out from that apps.
We've seen Bit tested, we've seen him survive the test
and stand tall, so here he comes again.
Table to get back behind the wall,
chip away at the second, easy headshots for Bit.
It's always headshots, but as his gun starts
to get empty, that pressure continues
Thanks to Kerrigan, the reloads needed, but the cover's there.
Alexi coming through, the perfect time, giving him another chance.
And of course, he's going to do what he does.
Tears, heads, off shoulders, and pushes pressure onto Frozen.
No test, no challenge, as he scoffs them away on A.
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faster and your patience infinite.
whether you're T or CT back with us. We don't just plant interest, we diffuse doubt.
Base clan take this series to Inferno. They definitely had a plan, but you can't always
plan for his performances like this. Bit goes above and beyond Mohan. 15 frags, solid anchoring
on that A site and even in those moments where you could have considered him overwhelmed,
delivers.
I mean, yeah, again, the mirror matchup between him and Robson clearly won there from Bit
And that's what we expect these days on Inferno.
This is what Faze expected when they picked it,
knowing that this is a map that they've avoided
for the last three series against their Nemesis
at this point, the one that stole the major away from them.
But the map still isn't over.
Robs has a chance here on CT side.
Let's see how Navi were for this veto.
See if you can get that head-to-head versus Bitt
back on the defense.
The moment doesn't look like Faze want to interrupt
too much.
Red is unbroken, no kit for the defuse if needed.
And a double smoke set up for the execute.
It's clearly setting its target right now.
Kerrigan waiting in anticipation for that Util to come over to top.
And as he sees it, it still hangs on.
Just trying to time this flashbang to perfection.
But with all this set up, nobody's watching the balcony.
And keep an eye on that, because there's two T's ready to go.
Mid doesn't get help, but it does.
Great, finds one, falls back to the site.
Nothing more. I mean they got crushed. If mid gets stuffed then they bank on balcony
But it's the fact that everything goes well there. And I think they know broke
He's gonna try to do that and they're sitting there passive one block holding left side
Getting it broke you to peek in he ideally want someone who's pushed up the left side of the wall
Fighting into bracket, then he shoots him the side
Then he makes it a multi as they're setting up a moto smoke or whatever he thinks the read is in that case
it makes perfect sense. I can't help but feel like Navi saw it coming.
Jail finding two in the pistol, getting a score all tied up. It's tough to look like
a star in Navi nowadays, especially with Bit and Eves performance so far here on Inferno.
Yeah, it's like Jail would get that consistent MVP. The last obviously is his finals need
to be worked on a little bit more, but throughout the events the impact is just unreal from
him as a right flier. It's incalculable sometimes. You know, that's what really
Novi have been doing working on the finals. The Alexi BBO5 curse has been lifted and so maybe Jail kind of getting the performance in the final game of tournaments is what's next on the docket.
Total conviction here in the game plan to just stamp you through A site. I don't know Nico's got another hand to break.
I hope you got back to the hotel and ice pad. I hate to write off base here because after yesterday I think a lot of people have renewed confidence in phase.
This is a team that hasn't won a one versus the best of one versus the top five teams since May they have still taken down
Other rosters that are very good. It's kind of weird like not in the top five is still strong
But they are nowhere near where they were at right really embodying kind of like the gatekeeper
The best team for the first quarter of CS2, you know by far
First third even know that level of competition has risen
I keep saying that they miss that championship window. It's hard to straight back, but they are a family. They really do, you know, try their best to stick together. They lose twists in the process, but they pick up a very, very good replacement in frozen.
I say very good. He's mostly at the top of the board. You know, most of the time.
Finds one. They realize nobody else over there, but they're going to start to piece that together.
That's three spotted already. Him is just here to farm.
Yeah, they're going to follow through on JL's entry for sure.
Almost off the beat of the corner, and what do you know?
Drops doomed, as these pistols aren't able to put up too much.
So no hiccup, no hurdle.
Navi just going to breeze forward into the double digits
at this point, and the inferno challenge definitely not
going how FaZe would have hoped.
At least not yet.
Yeah, you can't pace told judgment on their CT side
until they get that rifle in.
So we'll see.
It's been double digits within 20 minutes here for Navi.
I was thinking two guns down at least.
Let's give them silver linings.
Turns out that's not going to happen.
He's swept away.
His majority still stand for Navi.
And like you said, it feels like 20 minutes
because there is this conviction that's
coming through from the Navi camp,
laughing off the challenge of Inferno at the moment.
And Faze definitely tried to bring a certain pace on T-Side.
And it just shut off.
Like Faze won the right rounds.
They even got an eco out of Navi.
But after that streak, it was it.
Waiting to see if this game is going to be a wash.
They haven't even needed to use JL, really, in this game.
8-7, sitting pretty.
It's been a lot about bit.
Inferno A site, full bite comes in.
As they fold, they still have Kerrigan
taking one concession with EMP-9.
But the utility is here.
Faze need to know this.
No, they need this excuse.
Got to be the turning point.
It's got to be now.
Got to dig deep.
And poor Kerrigan, whose performance
we highlighted from the major was a struggle.
Almost looked like he turned it around at the start of this game,
but still sitting at four kills as JL finds yet another opener.
Started to be given the responsibility towards Banana
that could just end phase early here.
Map one.
Kerrigan doesn't call for support just yet.
He still holds on to top Banana for the defense
to just stagnate at eight for now.
Natalysse, it's no reaction until Rain.
Maybe they're not that close because they're not.
This pack of players coming towards Karrigan.
This is not where you want him on an individual level
when three players are about to peek.
And he's done a nice snapshot up for the head shot.
But at that point, again, with the conviction
we've seen from Navi, you think this is just them
following through.
If they had the bomb, right?
Bomb sitting bottom mid makes this still a little curious.
Because Reign's given a chance to dance towards A.
I don't know, man.
I feel like they're just having fun at this point.
They can go and grab it.
And since Emma showed himself, they
have to be worried about the threat that it rotates back.
But you start having fun versus phase and that's when they make you pay the price when they catch you off
All of a sudden B site compromised bomb is scoop. Oh, actually it's Lexi. He's got to do something
There's a challenge coming out from rain in a moment. He's gonna come through this and Lexi's now dead
You've got to take this site. You got to watch for Ross
You've got to run in and hope Rob drops the ball a fumble ball by knock
This oh, wow, okay
You were completely right. I don't even I didn't realize broke. He was just walking in
Unspotted don't start maybe that was a little overconfidence from Emma. Maybe the call wasn't there
I don't know. There's obviously enough time on the clock if they watched everything, but
Emma was just taking a fight inside of
Towards arch from boiler and they needed him on bomb duty my thoughts exactly
This job done for the day here for G2 already everything's a bonus now
problem is with a form like this I don't get obvi's ability to just kind of dust
themselves off and burst through with double tech nine double deagle we'll see
what they can piece together or if they did really just give a golden
opportunity over for phase to bounce back I'm don't give phase moments like
that you're for it let's make it a close game you will offer for broken
it's gonna send that Nate downtown and soften up another couple maybe piss
folks but it did come in with a very healthy purchase of utility so there's
still tools to work with for the offense and they try to shake up face clans
bracket control slightly we've got one half of it still smoked off but they
hang on and this is one of those rounds where phase has often not to hide in
their bomb sites taking a more forward stance maybe trying to flex this weapon
advantage they're puffing their chest a lot trying to draw out the counter
utility but I you know phase aren't really moving they're in fine positions
and at the end of the day Navi's only got the one real gun on wonderful
Will this amount to anything?
Broke going back for a second glance again, but this time that crossfire he had originally is not in position
So this is all Broke, it's gotta be him and it is
Two kills made easy
Three away from number three and as he falls into the bomb site those pistols will find no opening
You think there is still the chance of the half pop
But bit he may find one at this point no teammates to help him and Broke he's gonna offer us a 4k
I've said it you do not give chances like this to fake
Hey, I'm down. Let's see if they make them make it an exciting game off of that one flop into this
But this sort of an anti-eco, but you saw how hard Navi was trying to win this round down to 30 seconds drawing out bracket utility very cute
At the end of the day, they couldn't even get past broke
Guys is this gonna be a real game?
Maybe you will get to witness two of the most special games in a row. We've all been lulled into writing off face
Don't let it happen drops goes deep
Hello.
That's awesome, huh?
In underpass.
And now you're starting to see in these last couple
of rounds, probably because of weapon advantage,
a little more pizzazz.
Faze, making these fights coming at you in alt mid.
What are you going to do?
Hide from blocks?
No.
This is great.
So they're going to take that step forward.
Connor, don't tell me that one moment where they have 35
seconds and a man in vantage.
The image just peeks into arch and weighs three seconds.
But that's the reason that Faze gets back into the game.
We've been here before.
Surely not
And you've all made the mistake
But that's the thing that mistake
I know is something blades going to be bringing up now as he gets a chance to talk things over
Yeah, right
We always praise plate for his ability to just interject to kind of combine forces with a lexie and solve these kinds of problems
Yes, there's a heartbeat here for face. It's interesting because they they've made it look so easy up until this point
You couldn't really visualize them struggling, but the results of the rounds speak more.
Sure. I mean, I'll chalk this up to the same thing we saw in the first half.
Everything seems swimming. Everything's going swimmingly.
They win five rounds in a row, Navi, and then we have that quick little resurgence from FaZe
in the way of three rounds consecutive. Then Navi figured them out.
Guess what? Same thing here. Three rounds now for FaZe.
It forces Navi to take a moment and talk about it, and now we'll see what kind of a solution they bring forth in a round 18.
Let me tell you this, even on that eco bit, still one another duel versus Robs, and that's
going to be a team, and that torments him over and over again and can dictate the outcome
of this match in the close, in the middle, it feels like it's more of a team thing, but
I'm going to keep saying that individual duo, Robs, has got to be the kingmaker.
Frozen, that's an important one, J.Elf down, that's his nemesis.
And J.Elf has been getting the better of Frozen.
They're both sat down there at 9 kills each, but last two rounds with weapons, it was Novi finding some success over towards Banana.
Can they call it back from the 45? Does that really hold back their plan?
She's closer, dangerously, nearly kills Alexi with a nade, and that's his game.
That's Alexi's thing.
Smoking hand as he jiggles the corner and hears that jump, so he's gonna lay it down cautiously at a minute.
Better safe than sorry.
Did they just miss a run boost?
Or maybe we just kind of try to boost off of that, either way.
Pulls the smoke out, half a rotation.
CTs don't have to move too much. They've got a big advantage here.
Alexi down low, JL down completely.
Another smoke at 40 seconds. That says go away.
I think Alexi's going to take that invitation and walk with it.
Doesn't need to stick around into those corners, but they look at this arch smoke and
Wait, they're running back from it, maybe picking up a better gun.
Erigan comes through and as he arrives, Pits looking for the kill.
Kolael's doing that!
Get put down!
When the anchors do it, man, it's all about Brokey standing in front of the pillar, blocking
himself off from Bits' vision while taking a hard fight to, in fact, on Lane.
That's what needed to happen after Rain got caught off guard.
Close call.
It's huge, and from Frozen, Bits!
Almost hit that table.
Almost.
Almost.
I don't know how many more spare tables we have.
We've got to save at least three for Nico tomorrow here again says focus up because I'm focused
Always their goal was to come in and enjoy the game today
And I think you know don't let the bitterness of their past defeats and all of their recent losses
Become them
It really was kind of the mantra across multiple players in interviews right phase very much putting that forward and that fun
And sometimes when people see that they sound they sound like they're selling you a bill of goods
But when they say it, you know there's some thought behind it.
Because when FaZe starts to drop off in form, it's very hard to pinpoint exactly why.
Like, people muse about how Robs needs to be the one to step up in a big way.
And he was such a key piece at the beginning of the year.
But when you see what Frozen has done in terms of output coming onto the team,
you think they'd have enough bandwidth to be able to have an off-day hero there for Robs.
But there's more to it.
They're like, FaZe off-days, they're a bit of a mystery, you know?
Sometimes they're a little bit slow on duels the rotations still seem good
Maybe the communications off right and I think they still believe that they're the same team
But their mindsets off they are one of these few teams as well where when those off days happen in group stages or studio games
They have like a community wide excuse
It's not phase on the big stage
And we give them that that lifeline that that out
But if we're gonna offer that to them on the shortcomings
I think moments like this when the pressure is at its max this is supposed to be care against throne
Even a win here on inferno would be pretty monumental gonna still say though. This is Navi's
Doesn't end up finishing a second luckily for them rocks finds one coming out from the balcony
It's a bit disjointed from the T side again. Just working with pistols
There's that M4 in the middle from JL, but it gets dealt with as it tries to pressure the other end of this.
And Wonderful's Desert Eagle does not look to get upgraded, so take your bomb plant as you get wallbanged.
Talk about a sign of things to come.
Three killers on the prowl from base to put them down, and they'll do exactly that.
This phase plan is suddenly one round away from finding the game at 10.
No, straight up. They're working.
That's nuts, man. It was 10-5. 10-4 even.
Blades back in though.
In fact, if you want to look at it like this,
we don't even have a real rifle round one from Navi in this half.
Sure.
They got an eco or pistol in conversion.
This is where you think about the blade time.
This is third and final chance to get in within regulation.
Five rounds in a row for the CT side.
Last two by way of defuse.
A measly round between them and tying this up.
And it's been since Mason's phase have beaten the top five team.
And that top 5 team was?
Huffy.
Exactly.
That pro league is probably the only thing that's keeping them up at night these days.
The new number one.
Nearly six months of not beating a top 5 team.
If I were to say that, I feel like you've never even think we're talking about a base,
but Alast JL giving another chance.
Oh, and I love the positioning.
Ooh, he almost honed the gun in for a second.
Oh, it's the other side of him.
Look at that!
Chucks it right over top and Kerrigan can't run fast enough.
Roki's gonna pop open mid smoke and find nothing on the other end as his incendiary was also burning towards middle,
so I don't know what he would expect.
And again, let's look at two rops.
You know, why would Navi challenge through his Molotov so haphazardly in a 5v3?
They're looking a stack, actually. They're just peeling back completely, and I think the idea is try to save guns for this next round.
Yeah, they've won 5 straight. If Navi make a mistake and come towards B,
Sure, we'll take it, and there's Broke at.
Finding a single kill as the opponents on the other side of the map are still searching A.
Robs stands guard nearby.
Hasn't moved, right? Once he tucked into Moto.
Broke says, I still kind of want to win this.
I don't know if it's possible from these rotational spots.
Yeah, yeah, he can help.
Oh, dad getting in there.
Perfectly tethered.
And now all of a sudden we go back to the phase advantage.
Ema's going to get the answer as he just struggles to get out from apartments.
Oh, how do you find that?
Must have seen a sliver.
And now Rain, who got caught off guard on arc that previous round,
bailed out by his A site teammates has two down low and a chance to maybe
pull off the retake.
They're right there.
They're, he could sense them, he could feel them.
He's got to wait this out.
He can't go in barreling without vision.
This is obviously more risky for him.
Oh, he goes down, gets delivered on a silver platter.
So now Rain's going to look towards that site.
And he knows that there's no one else late.
It could be pit.
It could be halls.
Is this JL's moment after a slower map and some of his teammates,
The challenge bottom with a name another Nate goes deep
For 50 some of JL's best impact triple kill sets them up. They go charging into a with man advantage
Nades go both ways that's karma 3v5
Oh off the backboard see you gelator
Here we go six straight now. Now there's a tempo. Now there's a certain energy in the air.
No electricity but wonderful while blind. Careful. That's the guy to kill if there was one.
Rain out of the picture. Rotations are pretty frantic both ways.
Navi coming in calm. Brokey wants a piece of this.
Oh man he's barely alive. The Frozen's going to support him from the corner.
Actility damage is going to keep Nalfi tiptoeing around that side.
Rosen's able to eject.
Man, did they need themselves?
They didn't see that coming in from Brokey.
I agree with you.
Don't know where that nade came from, but it hurt.
It did end.
Brokey, he's on the off.
I mean, he could afford to be on 3 HP.
They couldn't kill him.
He made one miss.
Will he make two?
They're floating around out middle.
If there's one mercenary who wants to deal with the problem,
it's a bit right now.
Oh my god.
The timing on the clear is absolutely perfect so often they go for these challenges so often they found nothing
But this time they extend
Gives a headshot back
But as he stops forward do not write off that low health broke he it's a bit of a bait though
Isn't it to come back to this side of the map? I mean obviously
No, the lurk is perfect frozen. This is your moment
Oh, he gets tagged down so low.
Carragann, it's all about the timing and he's off.
20 seconds to the clock, the bomb's gonna start going back.
They don't know about Brokey.
No, no, no.
This whole time Brokey had been written off,
but he's not underground fast enough.
He's listening.
10 seconds down to the top of the round.
J-O needs the scoop and he's gotta get out.
They went another round.
Zero out T-Rounds.
Zero rifle T-Rounds here, one for Navi.
They could have committed B.
No more blade timeouts.
No more helping hands.
What was that call?
Why didn't it commit B?
Boom, boy.
I did not expect to see Navi getting rattled in this game.
4-B-5 followed after a 3-V-5 and a 1-B-2 clutch.
And Bokie would have had the easiest opportunity
to follow in the apartments to play A-Site.
What is this appointed?
15 help, and he could have just hit it.
And we also have a weird round, the first rifle round.
The round where Inman sticks around just for a few extra seconds to take a peek on Arch.
And that's enough to lose the time going over to the B site.
No way, FaZe are actually doing this.
Why do you sound surprised?
I don't know.
I told myself I would never doubt FaZe again, no matter how many troughs they go through from now on.
Back in 2020, I did the same thing.
And I was like, they need to make these replacements and they're falling off.
And then they'll be the same.
And then they stuck together and they waited for Lan.
And when land came back, they became great.
And after Antwerp, we had another downturn period.
And now that they've replaced, and then when they were placed
with frozen, they add all those second place finishes.
Which even though they didn't win those events,
those were all very impressive runs.
And they had the Chengdu win as well.
It's not the era that they were on the cusp of,
but it was still very impressive.
Now a downturn to follow that.
It's just a natural market cycle of phase.
Yeah.
But they are that anomaly where any time you join phase,
you join phase to win events.
Yeah.
It's as if they go into a recession of sorts
and sell off all of their bad assets
and start to consolidate and reform.
And then they swell up, and that's how Kerrigan does it.
It seems like magic every single time.
Sometimes good things happen in recessions.
And this event specifically is one
that they came into with an extra bit of preparation,
a little bit of time.
Time is the resource and counter strike
that is so rare to come by.
And it's also willingness, right?
Everybody asking for care again to retire.
Look at him, because he wants to.
That's up to him.
That's his decision to make.
And if he wants to play
and he doesn't care what you think
and he continues to get good
and live off of the crowd's energy.
Who's really going to stop him?
I won't stand in his way.
He's done when he's done.
And as long as his teammates continue to believe in it as well,
you have to be a fool to doubt Finn.
Even with the Miser, they have the two-story lines of him not losing to Maus in playoffs.
Maus still have yet to beat them and now they sort of started to have their own downturn and
that rivalry or one side of rivalry is sort of missing and now we've have them versus Liquid.
Kerrigan hasn't lost their series versus Twist, IGL-ing.
They've had a couple of chances now. They were in fact one round away back at Cologne, couldn't close out there.
Now what we've got is a one round game with FaZe and the lead on Inferno, which is the map that Karrigan had to stare himself in the mirror and say,
and say I'm about to bring my boys into battle versus the number one team in the
world and the team that is much stronger than we faced them last time at the
major who absolutely destroyed us and destroyed myself confidence and left me
one in 15 watching the confetti come down for another team to pick up that
trophy and I'm going to tell my team I'm going to pick that map and we're
going to play it right here and now with a chance to get into another
grand final and he had the goal to do it and that's why Kerrigan will
forever be known for his vetoes.
To have to try and overwrite what
could be one of the hardest losses of his career, one of.
Oh, man.
Major Grand Finals, man.
Think about that.
It was Cloud9, Boston in 2018.
And after that, he won Antwerp.
You thought there was no way that that could happen again.
Mentally, once you come back from that,
how could it happen twice?
That's almost the tragedy of Kerrigan.
and the scary reminder to everyone in life
that the job is finished when you quit.
But you have to earn it every single time.
And he could see, you know, his fears and self-doubt
reemerging once again, even late stage post-major,
post trophies into his career.
And think, if I'm going to continue playing,
I'm going to have to face that every single grand final.
And he's still here competing.
Every win kind of lets you shake it off for a little bit,
but when you're alone at night,
when your thoughts catch up to you,
those skeletons will forever be in Karrigan's closet.
You get faceclan, pick themselves up,
and dust themselves off, and bounce back into all of these maps.
We're talking about a seven round streak right now
to put them in the lead for the first time in this map.
We're talking about a brokey 22 and 13 top performance,
and that critical apps push.
Everybody's thinking about lifting this trophy
for confidence going into Shanghai later this year.
And FaZe may have been learning Chinese all year,
but they still want this trophy now.
You can go through the trenches,
you can go through the struggles,
but it's all about coming back at that right moment.
Oh, great, you start the season well.
That's one thing.
But the majors now finish our season.
It's all about peaking at the end of that
after all the events have gone by.
That extra layer, trial, tribulations,
shortcomings, self-doubts.
And on the other side for Navi, there's fitting image of what FaZe left for them.
The series of second place finishes.
A second place error is happening in both halves of the first year of CS2.
And they are looking to lift another trophy, not just make a grand final.
Their bar is so high at this point, they literally need to win.
And then to double that, they go up and potentially a best of five against.
Some could argue a stronger team in G2 over Eternal Fire, who were also
incredibly strong, but the curse is lifted in one of their quote unquote easiest grand final so to speak they
And Alexi B
The guys who also had a Karrigan s journey and the amount of doubts and trials and
Team changes that he's been through to get to this point
And has to worry about missing his championship window
No peak is forever
Two of the undeniably greatest in-game leaders of the modern Counter-Strike era
One holding on to their current reign with both hands
Lifting curses and being better than other ever
You know Lexi's Lexi's personal development and in playing on Navi is just the most unlikely of all the teams that he's gotten into right?
This is a story to get on to a roster that has never been international and then be that guy
After playing on G2 getting replaced on G2
And to do it after losing the star that was supposed to be on Nami
What a monumental task and I have never heard him speaks so highly of a coach before right ever honestly
Until he's played under blade
Going on at the moment. So we bring you the task to fill this brief
Intermission whilst we get our best technicians on the case. Let's talk about what we've seen of Inferno
So far um, it's been a bit of a roller coaster Jacob to say the least
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, the beginning of that game did not look great at all for FaZe Clan.
Felt like Navi had a good game plan. Felt like they were in control, which they evidently were.
And then all of a sudden we find ourselves in a position now where Navi have completely lost grasp of the game.
Kerrigan right now calling a good CT side, the individuals are stepping up for FaZe.
And then we cannot hide away from the fact, Shikku, that Navi are currently the worst-grown enemies.
two rounds in a row have they done everything they could have do to
themselves in order to reduce those rounds. They're throwing the game so to speak.
Oh yeah and well we have to look at it away from individual perspectives.
From the beginning of the game, Bit was really owning it and it was
remembering me the the moments from the major actually when they won that third
map and Bit was in the pure flow state as Alexipi actually mentioned
and right now it was looking the same way up until the half switch I would say.
Yeah, and I've got to give it to Brokie as well.
Brokie's had a fantastic showing for face once more.
We prefaced it coming into the game.
He's had a great tournament, one of the MVP candidates.
We thought to ourselves, Brokie, can you do it against Navi?
Can you do it against Acre, the best team played,
the team with the most cohesion, the team that has wonderful,
which is another MVP candidate?
And so far, the answer is yes.
He did it with the rifle in the beginning of the game.
Now he's picked up the AWP, and Brokie right now
is the difference between face still being the game
and face being down 0-1.
just trying to resolve some network issues at the moment.
Not sure what the UT is on it,
but hopefully we'll get back into the game as soon as possible.
Let's start by talking a little bit about the T side.
There are a lot of the time rather in front of the booths
to kind of set up exactly how we thought
FaZe would be approaching it.
In terms of expectations versus reality,
where did FaZe hit that mark?
I know you described it a little bit that we want
to see different game plan coming into this game
compared to the liquidity yesterday,
but actually we've seen very much similar gameplay
where Kerrigan and Rain are taking the space on the east side
and they were trying to push the tempo towards certain parts of the map
just to enable the trio of Brokey Frozen ropes into the clutch situations
and it wasn't paying off that much because of also how utility-based it was from CT, from Na'Vi side
and how well they played with the setups.
I think we said it coming into the game.
You cannot play that simplified version of Counter Strike.
You cannot allow yourself, if you're Kerrigan and if you're Rain,
not to find any sort of impact and making it a little bit too tough of a
playing field for the likes of rubs, frozen and broken in that manner.
You know, going in and I guess attacking the game in the same way you did
yesterday against a much, much weaker opponent, it can be one of those
things where you trick yourself into thinking, okay, it worked yesterday.
We were flying on all cylinders, we're playing so well for ourselves.
Let's just do the same thing today.
I think the game plan maybe was missing a little bit for face plan and
the adaptations weren't coming in fast enough.
But at the end of the day, right now, it doesn't really matter because the CT side has been stiller and they're slowly but surely grinding the way back into the game.
Just to zoom out from the game at hand, just a little bit because I do have two experienced players up here on the desk.
Yeah, obviously tech issues, something that you don't want to encounter, something you hope that you don't encounter, but the reality is sometimes they are unavoidable.
Stiko, in this situation, obviously, you're not allowed to talk, just to preface that for the viewers at home that might not understand that.
What do you think is the best way to make sure that you're not losing that momentum?
Maybe if you phase that you've already been building up. What's the best way to handle situations like I'm gonna give you my personal experience
I'd never wanted to snap out of the game out of the flow to him off the game
Even if that post took 10 15 20 minutes
I was always making sure I'm reading up the notes in front of me what game plan we have what stress we have
I'm just kind of playing them in my mind as we practice them and reading the papers looking at you know
behind me towards the coach, towards my teammates, making sure that they all kind of are preserving that energy throughout the rest of the three.
That's kind of hilarious. I'm not going to lie because it's probably the right thing to do and probably what anyone, you know, being a pro player would do today.
I remember in my time, I would be thinking about, okay, Jacob, what are you having for dinner tonight?
What are you having from just eat? What are you having from both? You know, are you a burger kind of guy? Are you a pizza kind of guy today?
What are we eating tonight?
And what was it more often than not, Jacob?
I'll be honest back then it was both you know, I would never take one, I'd take both yeah
No matter if you won or lost would it be like what's a winner's meal like compared to a loser's
Winner's meal would be pizza burger fries and maybe a dessert and if I lost I'd skip the dessert and be like you didn't deserve that
You're on a diet today. Um, yeah back to the game at hand of course
You just have a slight network issue that is being resolved ace up
But yeah, I mean if you're Navi now and you're on the flip side of things
You're having to stew in that. You're having to replay those couple of rounds
which you should never have fumbled. What do you think they're doing right now?
That's a good point right now because I think there's a massive difference if you're Navi going into this technical timeout
because as you said all the players right now, they cannot speak to each other.
They're just eichling right now. They're trying to remain focused, but the last thing they can remember for the game
is them throwing two rounds at a row and it is throwing two rounds at a row.
They should have won the map already. This take pause shouldn't be happening. We shouldn't be waiting right here.
We shouldn't be talking about this map still being alive now. We should have won already had they not thrown those two rounds
So that's probably what they're thinking about and I know it's easy to say you shouldn't think about that
You should let it go but from a player perspective to go it is the hardest thing to do
And this is also on the back of the blades timeout, which was the last timeout that he can use
Yeah, this goes over time, but well they
Were clearly in advantage in those rounds, but they kind of threw it away with the like mid round calls
I would say one time it was a clutch where reyna actually managed to win 1v2 and once it was probably in Mac calling the rotation back to a side
And it was just a little bit too late because rookie with an all was pushing in that second mid
They just called a c4 off guard there, you know, they're kind of out calling themselves
It wasn't necessarily that phase are making great adjustments. It's just not be choking am I saying that right?
Yeah, you are you're saying that right now. We are choking and they're doing it against the worst possible opponent
What do you think Karrigan is feeling right now? He's sitting at home turf. He got a crowd cheering for him
He's on face-can who's known to make comebacks. It's the worst possible team you can allow back into the game
So I think if you're carrying right now if you're frozen despite having a bit of a nap right here
You must be pretty goddamn happy that you're still alive
Did you still in the game because you would have lost it had now been not messed up so much
You noticed something quite interesting during that time out the last one that played cool
So you said he went just up to jail. He was just talking to him, right?
What do you think he was signing?
I think from that 30 seconds he spent probably 20 seconds directly standing behind JL talking purely to him
Clearly giving him instructions. He haven't had good game up until then. I think he was on nine frags at that point
He went into banana after that very timeout and he got two insane entry kills which resolved into
Well great scenario for now, but ultimately didn't capitalize on that
They lost that round and Jail was kind of thrown back into the game.
I think he got like 3k or 4k that round. He was unable to finish it off.
But at least it's giving you the vibes of the blade impact in the timeouts.
It's clearly giving you the solutions.
And if Jail is maybe not feeling well individually or feeling off when it comes to reading the game,
especially at Banana where there's utility heavy fight,
well, maybe Blade was giving some instructions how to deal with that.
And he was doing a really good job.
If you allow me, Stiko, to pick your brain just a little bit more about JL, you kind of said it in front of the Boos,
you've seen him grow so much since you had the time on Apex with him way back in the Paris Major when you hit exponential hides,
and what saw Navi picking him up and putting him into their roster.
Where do you think his biggest areas of growth have been?
Oh my god, he grew as a player, but also mentally.
You can see that he's kind of a showman, kind of a phase of Navi right now.
Whenever something goes wrong, he's the one telling the team-speak in the time-outs.
Guys, let's go. We have to reset. We have to focus more. We have to talk more.
He's kind of the guy that is making sure that everything is kind of responsible, I would say.
Everyone is kind of getting held accountable against the JL.
And I think this is one of the beauties, because from Apex, it's just showing me how much he grew.
He's a fantastic player. I said it coming into the game.
We had a conversation yesterday where we discussed
The likes of JL, the likes of Shiro, the likes of Wonderful for that matter as well, the likes of Niko, who is the fourth, fifth, sixth best player in the world, and just the fact that he's in that conversation.
Just the fact that we can make an argument, we can make a case that JL perhaps is the top five, top six player in the entire Garte world right now.
That's growth for you right there, because had you asked me one year ago, had you asked you one year ago, you would have said never.
Never can you tell me a bit about that apex roster and like how that did all come together because obviously I think when we talk about you guys
When we talk about J's history, it's always that miracle run in Paris
What was the story before that like how did you guys even find jail? Was it a fluke?
It wasn't a fluke, but I think we over performed while everyone else underperformed sure
So that's my definition maybe I don't really know but when it comes to jail
Obviously, this was this was courtesy of Coopen, which was our coach back in the time and he was coach of jail in Mad Lions
I believe so he kind of had a relationship with him and he was like guys we're changing roster
We're getting rid of two guys. Coopen is coming in let him kind of build a roster and well jail was top of the list
Love that love the jail character arc that we've seen ever since then as well because that was beautiful back in Paris
Is that like for you that must have been one of the top moments of your career as a player, right?
Yeah, when it comes to major that was different to my deepest finish, but on the other hand, you know,
it's kind of different for me because I've been around for a long time and we've hit at certain
points with mouse sports, number two in the world, so I've got the taste of P1 back then. However,
that didn't last long and I had to kind of build my way up again through various projects,
I've experienced one of it and we came from nowhere basically within a year and a half
into the fourth of the last year's World Major and that was just Cinderella's story.
And now you're here, right? You're sort of like the face ranking graphic we had showing here before
the game where they went on to be really good second in the world and then slowly but surely
you're moving down your seventh, your tenth and you end up on this thing. What on earth is
going on? Why not play right now? I mean are you gonna go back? I mean I love to do that but
I'm not feeling as good. Okay selfishly I want you to stay here because I'd love to have
you with us but yeah we'd love to see you on a team as well. Tell me about your
other ex-teammate on the other side of the server now.
Ooh, so I was teammate with RoX once up on a time,
except exactly on that mouseboard roster when we hit that number two.
Well, I'm going to be honest,
it was beginning of the career for him very much,
and the player that he's right now, obviously,
and the human being that he's right now,
is just vastly different from what I know good back then.
And he won multiple MVPs,
he was at one point best CS2 player in the world,
maybe at one point one of the best Rylefurs in CSGO,
one of the best lurkers, I mean I can just keep going on. But you know the fact that I was with
him you know six seven eight years ago it kind of gives me a glimpse of you know it's kind of muddy
kind of hazy with the memories and obviously I want to do more to discredit him at all but
he's just been doing absolutely the best he can whenever he has to perform in his role and he
kind of reinvented the anchor role from supportive position into more star position.
Why don't you ask me about my ex teammate for you?
Oh, um, because I don't care, Jacob.
Oh, you don't care.
I used to play on Liquid though at some point, didn't you?
Did anybody know that?
I think maybe you failed to mention that.
Hey, I think if you asked everyone in the arena,
they damn know well that I played for Liquid.
Yeah.
That was not for long enough.
So I did ask Jacob yesterday in the green room,
you know, you are kind of legit famous in Denmark.
What list celebrity would you say you are?
You said C+, right?
Oh, let's see this, let's see this.
Right.
Come on, boy.
Is it legit? It's not a video, is it?
No, don't.
This looks legit.
Let's go!
Okay, okay.
Just like everyone else, you're a loser.
I'm lucky, I'm lucky.
Yeah, I don't know, I don't know.
Nice try, do it again.
I love how you tried to stay the conversation towards you, Jacob.
I do have more questions for you, Stiko.
So, when Robs was on that roster with you,
was that like, was that during when everyone was accusing him of cheating,
when he had to go to the FaceIt office and disprove it,
was that just afterwards?
It was just afterwards. I think thanks to this kind of disproval of Faceit being
basically making him clear that he actually played in the office and everything was fine.
He got the offer from Mouse Quartz after all and he was juggling school, he was juggling CS,
that was pretty impressive at one point. You know, it's just he had such a huge
shoes to fill because he was replacing Nito on the gross.
That's crazy. What was the line up? The Mouse Line Up at that time?
Oh yeah, it was Sunny, Chris J. Ropes, Oscar and Mesa.
That's crazy.
What was your stand-up memory from Ropes on that team?
Did you foresee him kind of on this career trajectory going off to win a major,
win a top-round plan as well?
The absolutely craziest part is that he was nowhere near kind of
star player back then, he was just anchor and he was just consistently
outputting what he needed to do.
But Sunny and Oscar was back then, just our main guys.
they were kind of the ones to carry us through the games and now Rooks is one of them and he was
throughout the career when since basically he came to base. Still resolving that network issue
between FaZe and Navi, I do hear it's an audio issue with their communications so hopefully
that's going to be fixed very soon indeed. With this FaZe what we think is a comeback and potentially
Navi collapsed Jacob. Oh, oh wait what? Oh, yeah, you are so here. Sorry. Sorry. Okay. You said what?
Of course you weren't thanks, man
Yeah, I'm actually gonna talk about the semi-final that we have at hand. No, you
Waffling about something else and mouse and rubs and face it. I don't even know at that point
I think there's a world where face can win map number one here
I think there's a world where face may be the favorites to close out inferno
especially considering that Navi have done everything in their power to throw away the game.
But I do think, however, it's going to be very, very, very tough for them to win the entire series.
You still look at a map number two, you still look at a map number three, where I would favor Navi.
So for my money right now, I'm not feeling too comfortable in a phase win, but I think they can win inferno.
You feeling any more comfortable in a phase one, Stiko?
Right now it's anyone's game. It's waiting for us for comfort to say anyone, basically whoever wins the next round
is going to be very much, very much closer economically and also score-wise into the getting the first map.
Should we give a little bit of a preface to Ancient as well, because we do have Ancient, Nugas, Ipogilio, the decider.
I love that we're starting a little bit topsy-turvy compared to what we saw back at the Copenhagen Major,
because Inferno was our last map, Ancient was the first map.
Does it make sense to you that Navi picked into the Ancient?
It does, because Navi play Ancient at a very high level, and they also have a lot of tape on record on Facebook and playing Ancient from this tournament.
So if you're Blake, you know his characteristic is he likes to prepare well for his opponents.
So FaZe have played Ancient in this tournament a couple of times already, so there's nothing new coming in.
Blake would be prepared for everything when it comes to Ancient.
However, as I said, also going into the game, FaZe have been picking Ancient as one of their map picks into other opponents throughout this tournament.
So if you care again, if you're FaZe, you feel comfortable, right?
You feel, okay, listen, they want to bring it to us on our own map pick.
They want to bring it to us on Ancient, which we picked against other teams, which we've beaten other teams on.
Let's get it.
Ancient was definitely.
Yeah, I would say one of the shakiest maps we've seen from Pace here,
especially in that game against Falcons, I believe, where they lost in overtime,
even after Heroics of Croke, winning that 1v4 in overtime.
But it was just ultimately not enough, and Falcons leaving the tournament with the last place,
but they have at least one scull, and that is against Pace, which are playing with Sena-files.
Now, I'm not saying you guys don't love listening to us,
but just to inform you, players have been permitted to go for a bathroom break,
so I'm allowing you to do the same at home.
maybe get some hydration, maybe get some snacks to rejoin us when we do eventually start this map.
Popcorn, I think popcorn is the perfect counter-strike.
Right, okay. Gaming snacks. This is a loaded question because I'm a big fan of cheese puffs,
you know. That's some cheese puffs. But when you're gaming, that's the worst snack you can have
because you get the dust all over the people. A fork for your cheese puffs, like Osterpops.
Yeah, yeah, Osterreier, yeah, yeah.
But it would break, Jake.
No, you just need a bit of a technique, you know.
You can also use a spoon if you want to.
You just spoon, like slicing an onion with a spoon.
I love that, that was great.
What's the go-to gaming snack, Seiko?
You probably know better than us.
Can I give you a boring answer?
I mean, I'm here for analysis for the stats.
I want every...
You speak carrots.
I want everyone from audience to improve from me.
Right.
Bananas.
I mean, you see it, you see it,
everyone is having it between the maps.
What do you mean no?
Shucks.
Of course everyone is having every sport to lead, everyone between the games.
Try to turn around, look at the crowd. How many out there do you think is eating a banana?
Look, I'm giving you the answer how to improve.
Okay.
Not everyone is doing everything they can to improve.
You seem quite stupid huh?
What about like...
You're spinning the game.
This is what it will do to you. What about like an orange slice, an apple?
I think fruit, fruit's fun but ours suck.
It's a boring answer.
Yeah. Okay give me a fun answer there.
I guess one beer in a game of Counter-Strike probably not great on a professional level, but I'll leave that up to the experts
Let's be honest a bag of sour cream and onion, you know in front of your PC
Saturday night, you're hanging out with your friends. You're gaming on discord ventrilo who cares?
You know what? I hate I hate that
Thanks, I hate that phase took a leaf out of eternal fires book
I know this is like a different context with best five better three, but banned mirage
I hate that. I hate that.
Why?
Because I love seeing Navi or Mirage.
You don't remember Goliath versus Vitality?
That was probably one of the sickest maps I've ever seen.
I hate that they did that.
I understand why they do it though,
because Navi is damn good at Mirage.
And I think that's one of the cool things about FaceKind as well.
We, I think we spoke about it yesterday.
You know, one of the few teams that can flex the 7 map pool from time to time,
and the way they flex it is in the video process.
They can allow themselves sometimes to ban out the strongest map of the opposition.
And there's very few teams right now who have that ability.
Absolutely.
And you know, all I'm saying is great, we're not seeing vertical.
Throughout the story man, we haven't seen vertical.
Wait, you're a vertical hater too?
I mean who isn't in this arena, vertical hater?
Do you think anyone inside this arena actually likes vertical?
I'll tell you right now, you'll suck if you do.
What would you replace Vertigo with?
Like imagine, you know, you're fucking master.
Legit anything.
Anniversary was here, I will give you the concrete answer.
Cash looks fire?
That's a hedgehog, I like to play.
I know what they would like to play train is a goddamn good map and if we're gonna replace vertical
Right you gave me like kind of a crazy answer when we were doing this in the group stage
We kind of got I got sidetracked. I'll admit and we were talking about you know changes to the map pool
You said post major half the match should be cut add a new three or four in
I know 7 you can't. You said that? Yeah. I did.
CEO of Valve by the way. So imagine, right, we get to Shanghai, current map hall.
I hope they still keep the current map hall. What are you doing? Which three or four are you taking out?
I'm going to look at the perspective of stats. Just least played maps should probably go,
or at least one least played map, maybe throw a spin on it, one most played map,
and then one somewhere in the middle and just add three of them.
Like, look, I'm all for increasing the skill ceiling.
I love the changes in this high-tech abstract.
And maybe it's me bias because we're not getting any changes later.
Yeah, not even for birthday. Happy birthday, by the way.
Anniversary. Anniversary.
Sorry, anniversary. Yeah, we don't do anniversary presents.
OK, that makes sense.
Why the ball? Absolutely nothing, I guess.
Are you speaking from experience there?
No, no, no.
Anyway, maps, what would you change, Jacob?
I will follow you on the analogy that we need more changes
and I would love consistent changes.
So after the major maybe remove one map bring in a new one skin even we have two mages a year
We're gonna have two new maps every year wasn't the question. I asked you actually which three you were moving which three you're adding in
Okay, I'll remove vertigo and then I'll remove vertigo once more. No, I'll remove vertigo. I'll remove
Inferno probably not too big a fan of inferno and I will get rid of dust to again
Yes, which is just come back. I don't care. I really really don't care and you are placing it with what train?
I want training there. I
I want, you guys remember season?
The next season?
Yeah, actually, yeah.
Yeah, that was a good map, you know, especially in Counter-Strike Saucer used to play and
then I liked Overpass as well, but I don't want the old version of Overpass.
I want a new, innovative version of Overpass.
Cass is a good shout-out as well.
Couple stone, not my style, but I think Overpass, you know, maybe slightly more compact
than with a couple of new cool spots.
Could be pretty good there.
No, I can't co-sign on that.
I'll just give you guys a quick update at home.
Network issues.
Hopefully they look like they will be fixed very soon.
I can hear or I can see as well that our players are back in the booths with their headsets on
Fingers crossed you don't have to listen to this man. Yeah, I got a question sticker and be honest with me
I know it's a inappropriate maybe but but you're on stage in a technical time out
I really have to go on the toilet. I don't really care which one of the number one number two
You got to do but is that sometimes hard to do?
No, I don't know
Never had this issue, but I know everyone out there has been thinking those thoughts
You know, you play a game for three hours and you haven't gone to the toilet.
It's not never something that creeps into your mind that I could use a toilet break.
No, as I said, I never snap out of the game.
Like, I'm a legit laser focus on the game and I can't think of what my body needs at that point.
After a game, whatever.
Well, your body just switches on.
Yeah, everything is going to switch and go.
Really? That's crazy.
Funny how that works, because it works the same in sports.
You know, I'm riding a bike a lot and it's the same thing, right?
How are you, Jacob?
Yeah, I am, you know.
And it's the same for football players, etc., etc.
You never heard of a football player who had to run off the pits and, you know,
take a take a dump or whatever they do, but it's fun how you get the same physical, I guess,
appreciation for how hard it is to be in a game of car. I know you're not physically exhausted,
it's not like you're running a marathon, it's not like you're biking 150 kilometers,
but your mental capacity and how you have to, as you said, you know, keep laser focused for
such a prolonged time. We're not kind of constructed for that, right? As a human being
to be focused for three hours straight, that's a massive task and it requires an awful lot
a lot of energy.
Could it be adrenaline?
Like, flight and bite response, kind of?
Flight and flight, whatever it's called?
I'm sure there's experts out there knowing more about that than we do, but I bet you
answer something, you know.
I don't know if it shuts down for the body and your stomach and what not, but probably.
I think, I mean, I just want to remind everybody, mostly you, Jacob, is this a semi-final?
A particular one of them.
Well, this is the 65 hour.
Maybe we wrap up the talk about all those horrible bodily functions and get back to
the game at hand.
All right.
We are seeing it almost right up.
Where do you think Navi are going to be coming back into this, back from the tech pause, considering they lost out this couple of rounds in a row?
It's a real question and I would love to see that because if anything, if Navi were to come back on Inferno now,
if Navi were to come back and win this map, then it would be another story in this mental resiliency that we see from Navi time and time again.
I know it's tough right now because we prefaced it and people probably at home thinking,
what is going on, why all these players sitting around not talking to each other.
You're not allowed to in a technical time, you're not allowed to discuss the game, you're not allowed to talk to your teammates, so if you're Navi, you gotta be mentally prepared to coming back to it, and I think we're just about ready with exactly that.
We are indeed. Let's get back into the action of Informat.
Oh my goodness! Forum, you guys have been tested tonight. One hell of a banger to start off the day, three long match-up counter-strike, some tech pause tests.
But it's all because it's leading to this, a culmination of FaZe Clan in a comeback against
Na'Vi.
Let's not forget where we were.
We had all written off FaZe in this map.
This place was quiet.
So I'm going to ask, Forum, are you ready to get back into this second semi-final?
Let's fucking rock.
Come on!
11-10 and FaZe are going to pick off where they left off.
A true test of their mental resilience.
Into the action.
22. Now if you have a chance here, lots of time to think about the fact that they still
have yet to pull off a rifle T round so far this half. Unfortunately for them, they have
to do it on a round where they're only spending half their money. They still have an investment.
These could still lose to this, but they're not coming at it full strength. Maybe sacrificing
map point right after this long break. We'll see get back into that zone got to
tap back into your killer instincts. Smoke down on our side that's one player to
play without info. Rain stickers at it just in case. I've already seen some smoke
shenanigans be pulled out but this looks like a well-oiled pack of
players ready to swarm into the Bronx site. CT smoke thrown forward they take
that route as a chance to go CT. Now he hears this. Yeah, two calls here for
Rosen. Rosen's rotate on high alert. Beautiful shot.
He's able to get a second. All of a sudden that B site is going to be tested.
Broke is trying to help. Can Kerrigan do it alone? Oh, he's so blind.
The Pistols get the route. Broke jumps out because he hits the ground.
He hits them hard. JL has been swept out of this.
And we go 2v2 with still one of these P's on the Pistols.
Spray is off the mark. Navi put the bomb down. Tied game on the line.
Yeah, just over ahead. It's got one HE no utility here for the CT side. No, sir
It's got to be that dry retake and the question is at what point can they come in and at what point can wonderful hold them back
It has guns up broke the only kid. It's an arrival of the first as he starts to come around that corner wonderful
Just missed it. He's not able to react fast. It's got to be picked the headshot machine and he lays down led to broke the
And that's the sign
That phase are truly in the lead.
Robs wins the 1v1 over Pitt with the Dink coming in, hitting 12, surviving this round after the pause.
That would have been nothing short of tragic.
Around the worthy of the anticipation, that's massive.
It's about to come and pick it up where you left off and they prove that.
Look at that streak.
Eight rounds in a row to deflate Nobby.
They caught on fire and stayed there. Up until this point.
Darigan leads his soldiers into another difficult challenge of Inferno.
That's a Miss Molotov from JL. Not going to make his banana control any easier.
It chucks a frag out. Negligible.
Still, there's been a pressure here from Faze.
Oh, massive info though. Yeah, because they don't molly him back.
The captain will come down and look to rest.
And they can try to reclaim. There has to be a strong cover between frozen and him
in terms of cover. They can both die at the same time if they're not careful.
And as for Nabi, they might have an opportunity here. Comes down to Kerrigan.
Yes, he has.
As he lays his smoke down, support is still from Frozen. Like you said, they have to remain tethered.
And Brokie...
Oh, they're looking to make this flawless.
Oh, the lane goes into the mid-peak. You'll fall, but wonderfully does.
Wonderful, feels the pressure from all directions.
Swarm by Speddy.
or not the rebound secured for FaZe.
Carrigan takes a map on home soil
and what a way to be doing it.
Navi fumbling about, arguably,
in some of those rounds we will be talking about
and FaZe jumping on the ground.
That's what's going to sting.
I'm not going to lie.
Not only do they do it after the take post,
and that's going to be frustrating
for the Navi players,
but some of the rounds we're going to dive into,
you're going to see a very clear case
of Navi not playing up to par.
Navi not playing like they're the best team in the world.
Navi fumbling, Navi dropping them all.
Yeah, and I have not seen Na'Vi dropping the ball this way in a very, very long time, very uncharacteristic.
And I wouldn't even say that the start of the round were kind of a problem from Alexi B's point of view or calling-wise.
It's just the mid rounds that were maybe even other players are having some kind of input wherever we should rotate, whatever what we should do.
That is kind of what kind of caused them to see rounds.
And I think we're kind of jumping on this particularly because the first half, it wasn't like that was bad for Na'Vi, right?
They came out of the gate hot.
They were really taking advantage of your phase on that first round.
Yeah, I think in regards to what we spoke about, you know, Blade being a coach that
likes to prepare, Blade being a coach that likes to dive into the details.
The game plan laid down by Blade in that first half, he was definitely winning against
New York, definitely winning against Kerrigan, felt like they had the number, felt like
they know what they wanted to do, and it was showcasing that first half for sure.
Yeah, absolutely.
And we can also see that in the round eight that we were going to have.
It just showed that the game plan that they have, the liquid kind of, they tried to replicate it,
it didn't work and for multiple reasons.
And the main reason that I'm going to showcase is actually Bit here.
But we're going to start with the LXB opening on Ergon, but look where Rain is already.
Thanks to that duo, that dynamic duo, that space-taking duo on base,
he managed to slip by to CT completely, surpassed JL and winning the duo on LXB.
But this is what Bit is doing, that Liquid wasn't.
They are re-aggressing. He's bringing the fight to them. He's trying to win these duels
This is exactly why maybe JKS or NAF or that matter those anchor positions over at liquid
We're kind of lacking and this is bit shining. Was that something you expected now to be able to deal with quite easily?
Yeah, I would say so. I think it's also terms of quality of our position not to take anything away from Team Liquid
But they're not on par with Nabi at all. They don't have a bit put in their lineup. They don't have a wonderful
They don't have a jail.
They don't have those players in form who are able to play with a certain amount of confidence
and change the tide of the round by themselves.
So yeah, I was a little bit disappointed in face-glam, that's the first step.
I think the simplicity of the way they played and the way they were trying to, I guess,
restructure and redo the same thing as we saw yesterday.
It was a little bit too simplified for my liking and it felt like Blade and Navi
had it under full control in that first time.
Let's go to the point that we have been alluding to for the entire time it
No pause, and basically after that entire map ended, the switch-up, the moment that FaZe
were really able to push back and Na'Vi begins with a Na'Vi tactical pause, and then what
happens after this?
Yeah, so you can see that the tactical pause, as I said, Blade is probably two-thirds of
that tactical pause, is directed directly to JL, who's not having the great game,
and then he whips up this, going to Banana, brawl against two players, three players
actually, getting two entries, and the round kind of resolves itself in a really
winnable situation, Rain stuck in the 1v2 here, Ime not sure why he's grabbing that piece of information
that is not needed to push that smoke there, however it puts Rain in a much winnable position
and then he's supposed to jail. This is huge, he founds HE on the way as well, he hits perfect
Nade, I believe that is full HP Nade that is going to make the most out of it,
Jail unable to basically win that. And that's one thing you know, one thing is losing that
clutch to Rain which never should have happened, he picked up a second Nade, he's a little bit
We dive into the following round, round 21, back and forth,
Rosen is finding a trade frag right here, gets to fall back.
Look at this position, there erupts,
doesn't see anything in the middle, gets caught off guard by Emma.
At this point, you have everything under control.
Rosen down to 0 HP, Broke in this position,
where he catches the bomb, re-rotating after they already
have control over the B bomb side.
It's a great example of what we sometimes see with LXB,
and it hasn't been often, but as an in-game leader,
you can outcall yourself.
And whether it's LXB, whether it's a different member of Naby or someone else making that call,
I don't know, but they were overthinking the situation because they already had the B bomb side,
they already won the round before they even started to move away.
We are talking about Blade having one of the most impactful tactical poses in the game
and this was kind of not showing its due diligence because they lost these two rounds
but the calls were good, the positions, they were supposed to win that.
They managed to bumble that after the tactical pose they didn't get on the ball.
And it's atypical Navi, right? We've been praising them for being consistent.
We've been praising them for having the best cohesion, maybe the best team play.
As you said, the calling, the idea, the game plan, the way you start the rounds,
it's all working out wonderfully well for Navi, but they couldn't close it out.
And those are individual mistakes and mistakes we haven't seen in quite some time.
And that's the thing when we're talking about the individuals of Navi.
It wasn't like they weren't popping off in the beginning of this map.
We've got to give our flowers to Bit because he was making some, I mean,
just game-changing plays, which is lovely to see from Bit.
Very characteristic of exactly what we saw on the last map of that Major Grand Final, which was indeed Inferno.
I mean, the Major Grand Final was actually the best performance that I've ever had on Inferno.
This one came close, I'd argue. At least he found an awful lot of impact.
The re-aggression in middle, constantly being annoying towards face-climbing.
Whenever they got close, as you see by the scoreline right here, 5-4, it was spit-stepping up and doing the work.
The amount of kills he got on ropes, which is his mirrored position, absolute, is kind of ridiculous.
I don't have the exact stat for that, but it looks from these highlights that we're seeing right now that he's just had his number right there.
This clutch as well, he was so, so close winning that 1v2 clutch at the scoreline of 10-7.
There would have been another one going the way of Naby.
I bet you right now they have the feeling that they should have won inferno nine out of ten times, especially being that scenario.
So to leave the stage, leave this arena being down, 0-1 in this series after a long technical process as well.
This is a mental game right now for Naby.
Yeah, it's definitely gonna sting. I mean, let's talk a little bit about the orcas before we wrap up the first map that was inferno
Because we were talking about this kind of head-to-head that we're going to be seeing both brokey and wonderful
They were in contention to be MVPs of this entire tournament brokey his name still in the running after this before
Broke is playing fantastic
You know he's starting off with the rifle a little bit on the CT side
Then he picked up the orb and he was just finding impact left right and center
Shukou you've been playing against him. We've been watching him play
He has this ability to just sprout on the server
And I don't know what it is with Broke, but when he's feeling the game, when he's in the group, when he's walking through smokes, when he's taking close to little combats with the AWP, there's very few players out there who doesn't to that level.
I also don't understand what he did during that technical post, because after that he had this monster performance throughout the... you see this with AK here on the 11-10 round, and then the last round to close it up, I believe this was probably one of the highlights of this map so far.
Are we giving Broke enough credit for being versatile? Like also finding impact with the rifles?
Yeah.
throughout the entire tournament. I think we think of him as an AWP player, a little bit passive,
very explosive, but I feel lately he's been picking up the rifle more and more and more and
he's finding an awful lot of kills for it. A million dollar question or I guess 500,000 euro
question if you're thinking in terms of the prize ball. Do Navi have the mentality to be bouncing
back from this context to me? This wasn't their map pick but they did have a massive advantage
as they fumbled so many rounds that they should have closed out. If anything Navi has to
prove that they are number one team in the world right now and I think they're leading
into the pause right now between the maps saying guys we're a better team we just fumbled
some of the crucial rounds and it wasn't enough after the technical course they still believe
and for my money they're still a better team on the server right now. I think it's a good way of
putting it you know another test towards Navi another one where we go after the game and be
like listen the way you started out the game the way you lost inferno doesn't matter you
found spec and we still crowned you the best team of the world but I will say it's untreated
territory we haven't seen Navi fumble the bag in this fashion in Christ in Time so maybe
Maybe there's a mental game to be had right now.
There's not forget is also getting late.
They've been waiting around for a long time.
Jail was standing up here with us,
waiting for the game to get going
after the first series went to three maps.
So I think it's the tough one right now for Navi.
Well, it's a decent opportunity for Navi.
It's to be bouncy back there.
Map of the Ancient awaits after the break.
The map that began the legendary major grand final,
which was indeed phases pick at the time,
now the choice of Navi coming into this semi-final series.
Jacob, tell us a story about Ancient.
What do you expect to go down on this map?
I think it's a good map first and foremost.
I think it offers for good aggressive counter strike,
offers for a lot of utility usage as well.
I think the utility damage you will see through the roof
reminds me a bit of Inferno, especially in the lane area.
And we have seen FaZe being super aggressive on the T side
in this tournament when they're playing the map.
However, what Stukuz said just a couple of moments ago
was correct. They haven't looked clean.
They haven't looked clinical on ancient.
They were struggling massively against Falcons.
They ended up losing their members well in quadruple overtime
or something like that. So I'm not too confident in face moving
interchange. Look, I think Navi are statistically, tactically
and in general, better team on ancient. However, the fumbles we've
seen across the Inferno, I think if they translate into ancient
can very much. We can very much have our hands on this game
because well, if you think about it, it all comes down to
clutches on a lot on ancient and those can go really either
away when individuals are just not China. And that's where
it gets to for me as well, because I agree with you. There's
There's no argument against Navi not being a better team than face right now.
There's no argument against Navi not having the better players, more informed, yaddi yaddi yaddi.
But it becomes different now.
We're on a stage, Kerrigan is on a home turf, Kerrigan just won and stole away a map from
Navi.
It's all a mental game and we see that, you know.
It's not always the best player or the best teams winning their games of Counter-Strike.
Sometimes they can be their worst-owned enemy and that's what I'm looking very
much forward to see in this game.
Does Navi have even more in the tank than we knew, right?
Have they established themselves as not only the best team in the world but
also a very resilient team so we're adding to that story as we speak and we
are seeing the crazy stat line on I want to bring you attention to 4 vs 5 41
percent 4v5 conversion on the Navi is something I have not seen for a long time
usually you want to get that around like 25 27 30 percent is good 41 is crazy
you're losing a 93 and you're winning that around 40 percent of the time
even more than that well that's might be a winning condition for now
Na'Vi, they are going to be starting on the T side of things, so anything we should expect from Na'Vi?
I want to see Emma go off, you know, I think he's an ancient specialist, especially back in the days with GamerLietten at the major where he was performing as well, almost becoming the MVP.
His play in particular on Ancient, very aggressive, loves to be in middle, loves to find timing, so if there's a player to look out for, if there's a guy who usually elevates himself a little bit above the rest when it comes to the specific map of Ancient, it'll be Emma.
And I want to say a shout out to LXP because he's going to be holding that cave position, which is going to be against Rain most likely.
And Kerrigan, that's going to be a fun duel.
And Kerrigan as well. There's going to be a lot of gamble plays I would say, a lot of smoke plays.
There's a lot of smokes deployed in that general area of the map.
And Kerrigan and Rain, whenever they see the smoke, they'll walk through that.
So, you know, LXP has to be careful.
We've seen some highlights already going down from Broke in this very tournament.
On this very map, I've mentioned, is he going to be up to his same antics today?
I hope so. I think Brokey continuing down the road he's been playing so far in this tournament.
He is probably, if you were to stop the tournament as of right now, the MVP so far.
So yeah, I hope Brokey, I hope we get to see the best of him
because then we could see a very competitive and cool map.
Also want to check in with the live,
what's to see exactly how they've been shaken up moving into the second map.
Very, very close indeed.
So I think it is time that we get some answers as ancient with Connor and Matt.
Yes, thank you so much, guys.
Well, we have got the best possible outcome on that one for the most exciting series possible because Navi are not dead yet
Very impressive from base, but ancient will not be easier. No, I mean as they go highlighted it, right?
I almost never before seen 45 win rate
You could put one player of Navi down with the beauty of Navi at the moment is that the stars run so incredibly deep
So for him we're gonna be buried in the midnight oil
Let me hear what you've got!
This one ain't over.
And we'll see you tomorrow for that best of five.
Yeah, no matter what happens at this point,
somehow it looks like it could end up being Phase G2.
So unlikely considering Navi and Vitality were in this playoff bracket,
but look where we are at now.
You guys stuck around and it paid off.
We have the potential for another upset.
But will it be on ancient?
I have a hard time believing that.
Navi has still pointed out incredible in the 4v5s.
Here's one of them but incredible. It's such a great adjective to describe phase
two when they start to find that groove when they start to make the comebacks.
This is what it's made of.
Karrick and two kills like it's nothing.
Oh boy.
Triple in the pistol.
Oh what's going on still no any two rounds?
It was a flawless comeback from phase after losing the pistol and conversion.
Yep.
All the way through inferno.
There was something of a breakdown on Dovvie impossible to point out right now.
We'd have to hear about it later in the interviews.
It felt like a combination of massive tilt and confusion.
And I don't think that, it felt like a map agnostic problem
really, the way that everything fell apart,
it shouldn't have happened on Inferno,
it shouldn't have happened on Na'Vi,
it shouldn't have happened in this matchup.
Felt like something in their core.
One of the cogs broke down and
played with his limited ability to get input,
was not able to fix it in the middle of the heat
of the battle, so.
Yeah.
Flintseal got smashed, transmission fell out,
They started going in reverse.
They don't have to take them to the pound.
Not even a flashbang, just an Alexi beat Eagle.
Who let him by that?
How come Alexi gets the dig?
The B stands for Blade.
Maybe it was him.
Frozen toying around with bottom middle.
We'll see if this MP9 ends up making a ton of money.
Got to remember, one player down means nothing for Navi.
Beasts on Ancient.
Blade in the mid.
Waiting for their thing.
They think it's going to be a late B pop out of the door.
So I carry it until the active watch here.
But he's looking to hold down.
Yeah.
Oh, there's an eagle.
Oh, that's why he bought it.
Ham's busy with the bomb plant.
And the Lexi's dead, but it's just enough.
All right, not bad.
Get that bomb down, make a little money,
and it goes back and forth with all the cash
that Frozen's SMG just gains.
They only needed two yards.
They died back for it.
Team Karrigan.
Copenhagen is his kingdom.
But what's the stat?
Oh, that's so nice.
Thank you, guys.
What's what's the stat that carries one in Odin said, but he hasn't won at blast or in Copenhagen
Yeah, when in Copenhagen it felt like when we were at the major that like the stars were aligning and we want to talk about
You know Alexi B's best of five curse. Yeah, there's a carrying in Copenhagen curse
There's actually like a you know Danish team wide curse. This rolls even had trouble winning at blasts even during their prime
You guys are just so intimidating
It's a lot of pressure. I was nervous
There's something in front of this crowd, oh man, but Kerrigan maybe's overcome that.
I mean there is that special thing, Danish counter strike and to be thrust into the spotlight.
It's one thing to go play elsewhere in the world tour, but you show up home, there are expectations.
Wow, they're falling back off of this. They're not even going to get the smoke out, man.
This is a very strong map at the moment. Maybe they have a read on Kerrigan's rotation.
I'm trying to figure something out here, but that little jiggle is backdoor.
If Emma leaves, Karrigan can follow suit because he's seen one farther back.
We cross a minute, thinks he can get a little bit more scary here for Navi,
but for the meantime, these are the ones who are up the numbers.
Look at this massive window gap.
It's supported because Brokie is watching the cross, Shiro style from Donut.
Brokie locked in though, not going to move a muscle.
Just stay fixated.
All the time actually gets him off the spot, but he fights instead.
He'll go for it.
He's a good pro-key as been.
Yep.
Across Inferno now, now.
Top performing, closed map one with a 4K.
Had multi-frags.
Almost every rifle round to close out on the CT side of Inferno was omnipresent in
that comeback.
Damn, that's how it goes down.
So your 4v5 stat be damned.
That opening kill does indeed get FaZe into the 3-0 start and put down the first
rifle buy of Navi and there's no guarantee that these other players still get to live.
We can see Rain trying to hunt pushing down from B site.
Faces CT side looking still impenetrable.
Oh, they gotta be careful actually as time goes though because they get spotted.
There's no one close enough to punish.
Rain also gets hit so they let him live.
Say keep your guns into round four.
I was scared for Brokey for a moment.
You know what, I was gonna say I think he did something really clever right there.
That Molly obviously spreads to both sides and I think when Bit trusted it he decided
to duck into the molly for a second.
Oh.
Could seem like he's running out the other side.
And then when Bitt came to hard clear him, he wasn't there.
His whole plan was to stick around and fight.
And his confidence has been shining through.
He continues to hit these shots.
You'll know why.
But in-game leader on in-game leader violence,
Alexi B comes out on top of the cave fight.
But look who's coming up next.
Rookie wants a piece of the action.
And it's not far off.
and a disengage from this lane control out of the gate.
Broke even have to go any further
is the fight gonna come to him.
Just gonna take the gun out at the moments
and go for some upgrades.
And I mean Broke can sit on this
as long as they're not gonna fight him.
It's a good grab.
There's also still this question
of being able to get past Rain
as he holds that smoke out.
In anticipation of contact,
JL keeps his head underneath
but still the smoke's gonna go.
And so held back in a minute.
Oh, he lines up damage.
Tries to hone in on the second player and what a roll!
Oh, connects it through the smoke.
Now Brokey's put into doing the spot.
What?
Desert Eagle's going to keep him going.
Oh!
OK.
Tries again, and JL will punish it this time around.
Enough's enough.
That's a big fight.
Yeah, Frozen ends up dropping the ball,
and the player continues to get kills inside of B site.
So Brokey looks like a shining star,
but other players go down empty handed.
Yeah, man.
It's a clear sky apart from that.
That's an unfortunate situation.
watching a hero's journey with Giroki here in a top spot knowing he has to
chase this kill down with a molly coming up potentially gonna get thrown behind
it by a lexie b but we got a lexie winning his opening duel on karygan then
we have cave control being won and frozen couldn't tip the scales back
wonderful could have not got his smoke shot on rain into the site we saw a
couple disasters from Na'vi but face cannot withstand those another beat
Oh my god. Lucky that gun's empty, but Kerrigan's not gonna go down. What's happening without a kill?
It's a Kerrigan rain double up through middle alongside frozen getting away with too much from the cutout.
And so Navi just kind of smushed their head against the wall like a Niko fist on tables and 4v2 we go for FaZe.
Navi are bleeding out of more than just a pinky right now. I don't know what's happened. They just, I mean, they got run over here.
It's not as if this round played out slowly and they couldn't win their trades phase brought the fight to them and won on all fronts
When you default outside of B, you're gonna have to win those duels
You know that CTs are gonna try to push cave aggressively in that exact same way and they were not prepared for it
Phase look and feel like the better team again across the interviews was like ubiquitous
They all said that they wanted to come into this game
No pressure and have fun and that's sometimes a meme when you hear people say it
But for a team as experienced in a season as FaZe are, you have to listen to those words that are normally,
that normally can sound kind of cliche and think about them.
Yeah.
Frozen almost got this second kill straight up.
It's also recovering.
And I mean, if you really want to be picky here, not even that picky man.
Not even that one round, that wasn't a full rifle.
They couldn't win a full rifle T round on Inferno. They still haven't won one yet here on ancient
We don't get to see it from Alexi's perspective
But in that third person replay too you see kind of like a labored effort to kill Kerrigan and a teammate dies down lane
Yeah, that's the Alexi frustration coming out
I've got all that while considering he's pop-dragging for Navi out of the date because nobody else is really putting anything forward in the first five round
Yeah, we didn't say much about jail on Inferno
And I like he yeah obviously apart from the the finals or whatever that's the thing that he's not performing as best at
He's he always has consistently insane impact all the way up until that point
scoring two MVP's in this year already and
That's for Navi who don't have a clear start at least that's the narrative at the moment
We are seeing it here and there and we see Emma more and more consistently
Sometimes it's nice to not rely all on one person, but at the same time, Counter-Strike's a lot like basketball.
That one individual star on his best day can win you the entire map almost exclusively by themselves.
And apart from examples like Navi and Maus, it's very rare that you get a team that can operate without that one consistent feature.
A real testament to the system and the team play that Navi have been able to bring to the
table in recent months.
They're number one ranked, no fluke.
Right now it's under question, nice shot from Robson, pops on the hop, we saw what
this could do yesterday versus Liquid.
He's going to give it another try if they continue to pressure that A site, but yeah
look at them pushing everything.
Another chance for Kerrigan, and I always love when Kerrigan kind of throws himself
forward in cave.
Oh, he's not committing well.
JL, where's the confidence?
He's putting a lot of pressure on himself to perform,
and so far he's doing it.
Five kills deep for Faze is Kerrigan,
and no return from JL.
Like you said, the duel is there,
but it's Kerrigan to get out better off.
He doesn't swing properly, it doesn't commit,
and then ends up losing too much HP.
Rops looks like he's still hungry.
Now they can walk up underneath the scope,
depending on how patient he's feeling.
Oh, never mind.
No, he's not that covered.
Rops gets his as well.
Yeah, that was almost simultaneous upkills.
It ships again from each corner of the board.
Fee and Kato getting their kills and getting information from the other one.
No chance at wonderful to return the favor.
And Kerrigan's not going to just shy away into the shadows.
He keeps that pressure up.
Jail's now lucky to be alive.
Takes a bullet and still sits on 15.
How many of these limp saves are we going to get out of?
Navi before the game really gets going,
because there's just no real pizzazz.
But there is still this little X factor with bit over on A with the bomb.
Do they want to try to throw this away? Because three rifles seem so valuable, but again, it's
a bargain to keep up pressure.
No, this is playing to win, right? This is not playing passive and scared. This is going
for it, and even though it's 14 seconds, it's actually wonderful who's now worried,
because he's trying to save this gun. I'm not going to say he's going to die, but
look who is up next.
Yeah, it feels like Rain should get him, and if he gets him after a time, then this
goes from bat to worse. Rain fires towards elbow first.
Oh, wonderful. Can he hang on? He turns.
Faze go up 5-1 and there is no response from Navi at the moment.
You know if Old Faze wasn't working maybe they need to have that off hybrid come in more often.
You don't want to change a player, change the way that player plays and rops.
He's made a cameo or two in the past with this gun but genuinely there's never been a time where he's used it and it's been horrible.
He's been a consistently good secondary offer for Faze even though it was rare.
When Ancient first hit the map pull he was offing way more often.
Sure.
When Twist was on the roster he would also be offing more often.
Yeah, but I feel like since frozen came through we haven't had that double sniper for phases often. Oh, is this a gap? Yep
Oh, no late. No commitment. Wow. He gets hit. Broke is so where he is absolutely on one
Six and one at the moment. Oh
Paragon up for a free beat a quick peek up to grab the rifle JL finds his hands on it
But he's sitting one and five right there with email
This is insane
Great set after they lost that major final and they beat him at pro league.
They said they'd have to win 10 more times to make up for that major final and then they ended up losing two of the next series.
So make it 12.
Make it 30.
Yeah.
To do it right here right now would send a message to G2 waiting at home in the wings.
A second unlikely grand finalist.
And now it's not broken.
It's Ross, but look at how well fortified the map is.
Eight rounds away and E-MAT, it's a little sliver of contact towards Cave.
We've seen how dangerous these technines can be though.
Patches frozen, looks for more.
He's got a CT locked into the gunfight and he's calling for a teammate to come over.
But Kerrigan's just gonna keep on killing, playing with confidence in for the head.
Oh my god, going into the USP almost gets more damage in.
Pokey's under pressure.
Oh, wow, wonderful, almost doesn't clear.
Oh.
But they hesitate for a moment to put them all a-talk down.
Now the bomb does cross towards Pillar and a deep peek from JL takes man advantage into the hands of Navi
Still though, this isn't even a fully fledged gun round
But rather lesser weapons can rops also offer a clutch in addition to some of these up frags the kits right there
But he's already got one. It's a full belt of utility
I don't think he believes in the odds of this and even though yeah, because they can spread the map
They can get to any point cost try and save yeah, and they want to have this off again
So FaZe will actually walk away from this. I'm gonna say it again.
Navi still have yet to win the full rifle. They've won this two off of half-bys with the tech nines and particular from Imma.
And even this little bit of extra damage is really important because Navi were saving on this round.
So a great victory for them to kick-start them.
But let's see if they can make it two in a row. This isn't the Navi we know.
And this Kerrigan though I'd like to get to know him better.
Two bullets left as he blasts Ema out of the round.
Luckily Ema had done his job with that opening tech 9 kill.
It opened the door for this flurry of a push.
I think Brody got a little bad RNG on the nose scope.
Okay.
And why you should basically always quick scope.
Because right there you could, your shot could be way off.
But quick scoping takes one frame.
See if Navi just have to weather this early storm
and their face fizzle out on a CT side.
They can crack this economy, it'll be one thing.
That costly double-op goes back to the single on Brokey.
And it's come with lesser grenades at a minute 30.
Still smokes across the board.
But this pretty consistent lane positioning will go towards the red challenge again.
And that is a beautiful shot at a wonderful straight between the eyes of Frozen.
But the op takes the exact same spot.
And it's not the first 5v4 at a round like this.
a distinct advantage utility wise nice walk up like we'll have to be big this is
again and he's a lays down utility he has pinned in this corner pressure elsewhere
from Alexi B but that's Karrigan to pick up a frag JL responds instantly and a neat
beat for Wonderful. Screw the off that's a double AK headshot round from Wonderful
to put this bomb down and to likely give Navi their first full rifle round win
since they've taken to the T sides.
Yes, that's actually a fantastic side now for Navi.
Maybe they've woken up, it took a little bit of time,
but maybe we're here.
Coming up on three rounds on T side,
it took a couple of shots being missed here from FaZe,
who still have a lead,
but Navi know that they can thin that out.
Even then though, FaZe still not getting
completely swept out.
This round was back and forth for a moment,
and he keeps two players alive.
It's an early instance of success that they're trying to transition forward, but this shot.
Crazy.
Crazy.
Follows it up.
An excellent trade-off in default, we're going to go on the sides.
Yeah, beautiful.
I mean, Wonderful has genuinely put up some better rifle kills than he has off-frags,
especially going up against Broke in this form right now.
Might be a bit too much, but why not show your versatility?
Do it when push comes to shove.
Timeouts coming in.
Seems like an apt moment for both squads to think.
It seems like Navi's broken a mental barrier here.
Thank you guys for being with us all night.
It's been a long one.
And it can be just as draining to watch a great game.
Yeah.
And we haven't even gotten to map 3 yet.
Yeah, that's promise by the way.
It's FaZe.
There will be an overtime.
It's FaZe.
There will be four.
He's that on Karagin, MP9 for reign.
So again, the shortcomings of the last couple rounds begin to catch up with FaZe.
That momentum they had out of the gate needs to be reclaimed.
This consistency from Alexi to try to keep the pressure on K goes well this time.
Karrigan, lesser weapon, doesn't work.
Rock, one and done.
Man, wonderful swing in it right now.
Yeah, absolutely keeping it clean with the AK.
It's an instant move up from the bomb, so bit uncontested as he goes through this plant.
And that lead that FaZe had is seemingly just disappearing before our very eyes.
This is so naffy, isn't it?
Bit 0 and 5 just because it's not inferno.
Then you have wonderful suddenly carrying on his bare map like he does once a series.
like that is their power for sure that it's hard to say who's the star player
across all maps but they've got specialists I'm just worried this
wonderful form fizzles out and I would the rest of this kill feed for the
nobby camp and it's dry it's not for Alexi kind of going back and forth with
the cave impact yeah we've got a very quiet JL emet and bit that's not a
sign of good to come for nobby we didn't see a I don't want I want to
it. You can see a single
acceptor round from JL on Inferno.
And that's where we see like JL is the player who it feels like in the last five rounds these days is the rifle or that you can count on to put together insane 3K like insane 3K back to back rounds or that clutch.
I'm glad you bring that up.
It's happened into that just yet.
He has that responsibility as the T side banana player within Inferno as well.
And T side has been the struggle.
For the last 20 rounds or so between maps.
We'll see if he can tap into it.
He'd be a fool to write him out now.
Out of the spawn though, but running back towards lane, this constant pressure.
Really, it's not giving Robs much action on A site.
We know his form was good.
We'll see if things end up there, but right now, there's not even a contest inside of middle.
Trying to make the most of these very few weapons that FaZe are able to limp into round 10 with.
That wallbang's not too far off, but no money for JL.
Players don't know this, I can't really respond. You don't have the strong guns besides frozen.
Kerrigan try to do absolutely everything he can. 10 kills.
Outperforming everyone else on phase.
I'll be banging on the walls to find out if they have a neighbor. They want something to give.
And as time ticks down, they have to make a really important decision.
And that will be entering a site blind.
As we come to a step.
Brokey was it and if Brokey moves he's leaving an extremely well fortified site as well
As he does move
Okay, we know about these Immelurks
And Brokey had already been pinned into this corner within red room before so
He looks very
Confident about Navier moving way too slow. There's something wrong with this
Gargant in the corner 5-7 and Han gets hard cleared by JL. Good headshot
That's an instant move from Brokey to try to throw the AWP back. Look at him
just run through smoke like this.
I mean, he is just throwing himself into the storm.
Or so it looks.
Meanwhile, Roth will find that red room lurk.
There is no smoke out on Long, and Roth
is not going to miss this shot.
JL, is it his chance to shine?
He's put him under the microscope.
He offers us two kills to kick it off.
Oh, and up there.
His smoke wasn't good enough.
No, it wasn't.
He threw it.
It went too far.
He was up in the maze through it.
Instead, there's two a phase behind it.
And he knows.
Left a gap of a door for them to push through, so be it the team kill phase, don't give a damn 6-4 on this CT side.
All about Pro-Key once again.
Feels like every round rests on whether or not he hits his shot, because at the moment, positionally,
he's always where he needs to be to catch a Navi player.
And even on that round, that was a great setup overall.
They lost players inside the B site, but what do they have?
They had Pro-Key watching mid.
The Lurt came out on late timing, but he left frozen there to take his position.
He was ahead of the action when they got that bone planted and got his kill again
Undeniable impact double op comes up again for face clan
For less lane presence this round so something a little different from Nami
Trying to keep it fresh
Trying to apply this new look towards mid. Oh this made careful. We've seen the wonderful. Hey
But now he's down on 55. He will still find a better duel versus frozen six HP
Brains trying to attack this and he does get the better of JL from a distance.
Alexi, late on the trade frag and a wonderful only six points of health as he gets caught up on the wall.
The IGL goes down for the Navi camp and he does peel back in time.
There's a walkout. We've got Bit finding space. Wonderful can join him.
How far ahead do they think he's gotten though? Look at Brokey, very wary.
Super cautious and he needs to be because little does he know he's about to get that shadow advantage.
Boom! Brokey is on it, not letting himself fall victim to the sneaky shenanigans of Bit.
A little bit of utility here to try to set up on it, but no chance made.
To hell with your flashbang, Brokey is going to be the hero of Ancient if he can keep this up.
No kidding. See what he got a spot named after him.
I mean, of Ancient, he already did it back on Inferno.
Yeah, man. That's true. It's been a crazy series for him.
for him. Phenomenal CT play and the off impact undeniable of Faze's defense. Also flowers
to carry him for this game too. Then very aggressive, a lot rests on whether or not
he's winning his duels and he is. Damn, Cal goes frozen. Oh, okay. He's going to be
happy to be carried again. Oh, wow. Man. He came out swinging and he has kept it
up. Couple of missed chances, but he remains the talk performing player for Faze and
he's going to keep adding him to the tally. Look at the angles he's playing.
So confident JL trying to clean up what Alexi started
But Alexi be damned Karrigan. Here's a little steep. Here's another round. They come in with tech nines and in a K
Yeah, he's have to try to put these down
These ones they struggle with last round of the half
at the moment they're completely pulled back from one site and
That's like very much looking like the intended target. They're gonna go re clearing mid and find nothing
Yeah, they won't see a thing and I don't
I don't think Navi are gonna come back to me. It's truly not. Oh my god. They are. Oh, it even takes a fast step
Oh, it's listened to
rotation coming in slowly from Brokey and rain he could laugh this up
Free kill down lane into JL. They will come back at it
Doubles his kill count right then right there. You heard that step earlier bit underperforming at one eight seven plants bomb surrounded in sight
They come in separate with so beer, even Broke's pistol is enough.
Counter-Strike is mean, means area.
Failure and loss in Counter-Strike is always hard.
Even though it's hard when you lose, you can always learn from it if you have the right mindset.
My name is Marzium, my in-game name is Doun, and I play for Astralis.
My nickname is Doun, it's obviously like it doesn't mean anything.
I think the story behind it is when I was younger, my brothers, they would like to tease
me and apparently they like to call me down because I would get annoyed by that.
They basically called me that my whole life and I remember when I was choosing a nickname
for C.S. it was just my friends and family would call me that.
So I just took it to me eventually without being angry about it.
I grew up in this small city called Espargaya and I've basically lived here my whole
life, here with my parents and my family.
I've always had very close friends, they lived close by and the schools close by
as well so it's always been easy for me just to go to the school and get back home and play some CS.
So regarding childhood dreams, gaming has always been a part of my life basically. Other than that
I played a lot of soccer as well until around the age of 11 or 12. I can't remember exactly where
I broke my leg. After that I couldn't really play football anymore so after that it was just
only CS. One of the hardest moments of like my career was when my brother he
committed suicide back in 2021. I remember that is like the hardest part of my life
for sure. I knew that my older brother he would want me to just keep playing CS
he was always like one of my biggest fans so I just found strength on that
and just continue to keep playing and playing for him as well. My first
This experience with competitive gaming I remember I was going to Danish, small, bring your own computer land in Denmark.
I think I was 13 or 14 years old.
We thought he was too young because a bunch of friends were going, but one of our friends called in sick and we decided to let him have the chance to go mountain.
I think we won the speed tournament in that land.
It was clear from that moment like that he was a very special player.
The biggest moment in heroic for me is for sure winning the last Premier Fall Final in Royal Arena.
That is to this day is the most important day in my career and life maybe.
I've never been that happy as winning that match.
It was also a very close match against Faze, winning in overtime in the third map.
And being there with family and friends, both for me personally but also for my teammates, it was an amazing day.
And it had to stay as my life.
All that you worked for finally made sense.
So I think one of the hardest periods in my career as well was also the change from
Heroic to Astralis with Yabi. All the hate I think me and Yabi got from that
online I think was very tough on both me and him. Now I'm in a much better place
than I was back then. I was like it's always going to be a part of my life
and as long as I enjoy doing it I will keep playing.
Just when you thought FaZe were down for a fight they start the ball rolling over on
And that that ball turns into a bolder named Karrigan
No comes charging through them on ancient to kick all of this off
And now here in the heart of the forum phase up eight four on their map pick and then a champ to eliminate
Navi yeah, who wants a Navi G2 final tomorrow all right now
Who wants a phase G2 final tomorrow?
Kind of set it up. I give a little more of the stuff a really nice Karrigan series
I did what you did play to the crowd a little pandering
Also, they're in the lead and and they're in rare form genuinely rare form
All those stats Navi had you know so confident coming in
Thinking you could just pick ancient and sweep phase away like a bunch of chumps and instead you met their IGL
But now bit gets dinked after one at least he kicks it off man advantage and a wonderful
Stamina clean it up loses vision and the flank comes through this is a 3v5 that gets equaled out
Karrigan's going deep and oh he gets it.
Get left, boys!
Fosin's able to trade frag right back and a pistol here would be huge for FaZe.
JL, this is where the X factor has to come in.
But he's been struggling.
And as he switches to the Berettas, he's going to go through that smoke at the tail end of it, looks towards me.
That teammate for FaZe is nowhere to be found.
Rops with all the health in this situation, but he just missed him crossing over.
JL knows he's going to be stranded in the open.
Oh, we can't damage!
And it is FaZe to take it!
Get that kill, it's not over but he still could have won, they lose the opportunity.
3v5, 3v5, this isn't the Na'Vi scene building themselves up for the last few months.
It's also another phase.
This is the phase we saw yesterday, now transcending their opposition, going from Liquid to Na'Vi.
And they absolutely stomped Liquid.
Came out of that game and said we haven't played that well in a long time and oh does it feel good.
You know it's all about momentum.
And they almost lost that momentum almost at the start of Inferno
This place was quiet. I
Mean my mind was quiet because I thought the outcome was not it was just gonna be naffy
We're gonna win because they're the better team and we're gonna get another grand final for them
They've been doing nothing but getting there
Who would have thought of all teams it would be face the team that they said most successful against on their climb
that could stop them. Well maybe that is what's going to happen now. That'll get
the peek out of the rest of this pack so no longer the secret inside of the A site
and so be it. B's under wraps. Phase on the fast track to a 10-4 lean. Yeah,
they'll climb out of there. There's gonna be a few pistols here. Oh wait a
second. Navi have the man advantage okay? We've all been there. Oh my god
No joke the ball two players left 75% of the bomb Kerrigan sitting here
Tens available here between Broke and Kerrigan
Yeah, but that's smoke keep him out to run through that would be foolish
I know what I'm too far gone waters. This one's done. I'm calling
But they still want to go and hunt down these ak's because they want to upgrade so at least
Nobby will be able to hang on to those all right silver linings and such
You know, why don't we flip that script a
A flat-looking Navi in map 2 to make a comeback happen now.
Yeah, right. That's what we demand of them.
Yeah, that's right. This is the point where it felt hopeless for Faze last map.
Now it feels hopeless for Navi.
Hey, I know that guy.
Whoa, Marco!
Polo!
Since we're on the walkie-talkie, 10-4.
That guy played pretty simple.
Flash, this is fast.
Ooh, we didn't really see fast A-pods from Navi.
That'll be ready for everything.
Oh, he's in the match.
Terran won't go down without a kill, I tell ya.
Nice pressure for E-Mail around the smoke, but it ends up costing him.
Jail's gonna do the same.
Oh, there's smoke. Kills two.
Takes the edge off.
All the while there is still time.
Four lurks to occur.
And Frozen knows this, but he's making sound on the approach.
Yeah, he's trying to just delay, obviously.
He's got a 1v1 locked in against the Lexi,
but he doesn't know if he is in here and yet he finds him.
That half of health gone for Rops.
for Rops, Molotov pressure thrown out, JL he has to go in.
He's already done his job, can he do more?
He's being held by Wonderful as he keeps his head behind that box.
The support position known, but Frozen's on 19 health.
Just a little more than JL, missed shots,
and there's the CTs stack up inside of the site
to trade likely for the shot.
Oh my god.
It's close, and this one comes up JL.
That's his best round yet.
Yeah, there we go.
That's the next factor.
Some of that was through the smoke, wasn't jumping away
as well, what was going on there?
CT spawn. JL, that's all I saw. Maybe that could be a turning point. It looked like it
was supposed to be over right here. Oh, that's just, that's huge. I mean, that was the last
resort really, so it had to work out. That's exactly what X-Factor is. Unlikely moments
going your way. JL, low HP, clutch, and 3K. Now if E, 5 rounds.
The fucking tools though. Couple of tricks up their sleeve.
Okay, E-Meth.
No time to even think about what you want to do.
It's gonna have to be the wrap head.
Flash interrupts it, approached by Connections.
Alexi's got himself only the one.
That's a lot of damage. Look at the bars here.
Nothing left to tease.
You think this should be impossible?
They don't punish that.
It's 3v3. I mean, this is instead severely favored towards Navi, but...
There's one Nade on E-Meth that gets thrown out and doesn't kill anybody.
Three straight bullets and phaser dead. Is he going through this? Yes, he is.
No wild antics and no real chance for a rop's clutch. He gets an AK in the middle of all this, but there we go
Bit knows he's got the edge and I like that he gets a little praise. Yeah, man
I mean they could have been watching that but they just thought we could move on to the next stage of this round
Try to go into our post plan early and they got punished for taking that fast step
But that's not enough playing scared in a position where they could have looked foolish.
Alexi we got a lot of damage on this hole.
I bet even denying the plant is nice.
Six rounds of solid.
Another ego here for FaZe.
Kicks off with JL.
Getting that 3k.
It's one of those players I do love seeing rotate through CT spawn.
I feel like when he can help out at A site, he just loves throwing himself behind that box on site.
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie sometimes it looks crazy when Navi try to go for the oh he takes they will just send players
One after the next I like a little crazy. Yeah, you feel me
Nothing should get crazy in this one. We're talking five clocks per phase
We saw them with the Desert Eagle
No, I'll be that is get this bomb plant down, but
It feels like too much of an ass.
Wonderful and Big going to combine forces here.
Oh, mostly bad.
There's four for a bit.
Tiff of the drill here on the eco.
And that's now only a three-round lead.
Yeah, with one loss on that round,
Avi can build up a bank.
They can get focused.
Now, it's sort of a matter of face.
Got enough rounds in the first half to feel comfortable.
Back into the well-equipped state phase.
What do you have to offer?
Anything new, anything fresh?
Donut smoked down fast and Frozen takes a ton of space, but as they open that smoke, no.
What does Wonderful end up seeing?
I don't even know.
It looks like that smoke was coming right back up, but maybe he got a glimmer.
Oh, this is huge for Emma.
Not only that.
They did it because the AWP was spotted there.
There's no way anybody's watching the window timing.
And Bits already pushed through, Amy.
Dude, this is naughty with some killer instinct.
A suffocating amount of map control on top of a very comfortable 5v3.
Follow this paranormal activity the way they're moving around.
They're in the walls, man.
And they aren't scared of anything.
Now, rookie is somewhat watching this.
He'll end up getting killed, and this is a ripe-around.
It was absolutely wiped away.
No chance, no chance from the get-go.
That was Navi's round, all-Baylon.
From start to finish.
Thank god, wonderful.
Excuse me.
Pushing around down in the water.
It's so ridiculous that Navi are 7-1 on Ancient.
But they normally score 70% on T side.
Tonight's weird.
Yeah, tonight's extremely weird.
It's been a weird day of counter strike.
I don't know about you guys.
I'm signing up for it.
I'm all aboard at this point.
But it's still 57% CT.
And now that we switched over, phase are also
a little bit weaker.
But again, this lead should still be serviceable,
especially considering what they've already shown us today.
They're beating the numbers right now.
And I almost feel like that's what you have to do
you play phase throw it out the window get into the x-factor we see wonderful
starting to power up go for some very brave moves like in that last round I
mean frozen felt like he had so much midspace only to be caught by a monster
in the smoke working with very little this time around sure you got enough
utility for an execute and if that execute catches an opening kill maybe
you grab a Lexi's AK up in cave for example get your paws on some
hardware. All the rounds we've seen from Navi this one doesn't really serve up
in interruption out of the gate right? Far less pressure as what we've seen
previously. Maybe in anticipation. Lesser guns don't want to throw the rifles away
so they let the execute come out. We do get this bit of a challenge again.
It's already actually captured. But he regains vision in time. He loses his teammate.
But he puts up enough. Or does he?
Alexi B finds a kill inside of the cage, so he cuts off one half of the attack, goes for the spray through, small, can't make the most of CS2.
Cia robs, Brokey's Desert Eagle versus 3 misses its chance, and now we're talking about a Nautis Vincere with a 1 round difference.
Yeah, that's such a distance.
20 yard line here for Navi to pull the tie up.
They're wearing their suit jackets here for map 2.
CT side is looking more comfortable.
T side in the rear view.
But these last few rounds have been a series of mixed
bias and egos here for Faze.
A different tempo, different directions.
Definitely still shadow boxing with Navi,
looking for where they can sneak that jab in.
And that last day attack was really special up until JL
got in the middle of it.
Kerrigan's waiting for Alexi aggression.
He was just on that angle.
They've got a teammate, but they've got a turn.
Oh, the flash.
Saves maybe the second from going down.
JL, he's coming right back.
Right from the Molly.
Back coming.
No way.
He didn't think JL would try it twice.
A pressure from the door that has to be pulled back.
Broke, he cannot throw himself away like that.
That has the bomb.
Playing with reckless abandon.
Wanted to get that trade back for his captain.
Comes away with nothing for now,
and the CTs will regain control.
That is some aggressive play here from Navi.
the same stuff that got FaZe, their CT rounds is working equally well for Nautice's
Zerzee switch over on fire. And on one hand FaZe look ready for aggression this
round from the cave entrance where Alexi attacks but and the flash banana ramp
they never saw coming. No they flashed banana and that's why Jail couldn't
get the trade and then he ran back through the Molotov after second
because yeah, he decided I'm not leaving without something.
You know, sitting at the table if you're bringing nothing to it.
More to be had for him if he wants.
See if he leaves any leftovers for the teammates around him because Wonderful's got cave locked in.
JL, no third kill this time.
Ema's able to work up from long go and they go to clear it, which they trade frag efficiently.
Oh, the wallbang hits!
It's close!
Broke!
Lucky to be alive.
Four health, no awp for them.
But does that luck lead to excellence?
Because he pulls off of the bomb site with 4 HP, he leaves rocks within it, and as he peeks short, he goes down.
It's low health for both bit and Broke.
Wonderful has an advantage.
He's going to go for wallbangs.
No way.
Is that what he's doing?
Oh, he's actually picking up something.
He gets the first!
He does get him off the bomb.
Wonderful!
It's not for it!
It's away!
It's a side!
It's just a general!
He put it together.
Playing a dangerous game.
Crazy that even comes close.
Playing the wallbangs.
He was very low.
This hit!
Yeah.
Crazy.
Two feet.
And if that gun isn't empty, one straight headshot.
I know how that feels, man.
I know how you feel right now.
Once come back in, we're all tied up, 10-up-paw.
Nobby doing to phase what phase did to them.
And Alexi just dunks it on Kerrigan,
calling from the sidelines in a critical gun round
and stops on the attempted to mid-butt break.
Gets a head put into his own crosshair, up close.
Alexi able to piece together the 2K and then they punish.
Wonderful, just keeps on coming.
And his lock returns the favor with one.
Everybody else is towards B.
Yeah. Take that bomb and run A,
But now, of course, he's never going to know this.
Has no idea.
And they've pushed.
That gets spotted.
He dies.
And it's a lead for Navi.
This game seemed impossible.
And now they're in the lead, just like Inferno.
Don't come in with expectations.
They will get subverted.
As IGL revenge here for Alexei as he wins over Karrigan
and has been doing a great job of being aggressive
and winning over Banana.
K-Fights leaning the way the CT side in both halves.
It's the same thing that Karrigan was doing on CT
side. Another mix by here for FaZe. He may want to fight in mid but blinded. He falls back.
He's coming through it. Don't want to be the first casualty box player. Should have been spotted.
They're everywhere right now. Yeah, they get a glimpse of it and this isolated team at the
bottom of mid is going to get swept away. Wow, they handled that perfectly.
Alexi happy to keep that pressure up, 1-0 for his a couple, and TREKKA!
Crushing them on every front now.
How have they done this? A map and a half to warm up.
All that analysis pretty game, all those numbers, we've crunched it, and it makes no sense.
A flat T-side into a brick wall of a defense put forth by Alexi.
It's more like a living, breathing wall that comes after you, like they're pushing cave.
Oh yeah.
They're taking every fight aggressively just like Maze did.
And it was five rounds on the board when J.O. got that 3k, they never looked back.
They had really done a good job of capitalizing on that.
Here we stand at map point.
Eight straight.
It's that A-Rush that they used last time, it seems like maybe they were thinking
about it.
Just trying to fake that out.
They have so many looks outside of B,
like I would be intimidated as well about taking a Vows phase.
They've tried so many things in response and have gotten countered.
She's this layer of confidence.
So a man, as you're trying to chuck your nades around,
you suddenly think you're going to get attacked,
but it doesn't swing in with it.
Just a little challenge with the Util.
Lexi, here's the rumblings outside site.
We get utility over top.
But another smoke where the first one went down.
And at a minute mark, this is good control for Navi.
It opens the door for Wonderful to start pressing out middle.
Bitt wants to turn around and help, but if Bitt's busy in mid,
does anybody come through the door?
You only lost catches, Ema.
Wonderful's a little bit caught, but he does have a chance to escape.
All the while.
He wants it on a fight. And he loses.
He wants it.
And he gets it.
Here's a custodian. JL from behind.
All inside a window.
Hanging onto the bottom of ramp, he's got a player up into the cutout.
He is certainly outnumbered, but can he deliver it as he has?
Yes! A back turned, and no immediate repeat.
Kerrigan doesn't want that to go from bad to worse.
Because if he don't know where the bomb is.
Just wait. They want to make sure...
Oh, sweet justice!
After all the kills, Alexi gets over Kerrigan.
That one matters.
Jail's going to rotate into his tower.
He gets to overtime.
I think we promised you three or four here with face clan.
Not going to lie, even I doubted it for a second.
Ha ha! Again?
Alright.
Somehow they solved their problems, and I think it's partially just simply by way of rocks.
What a by way of amazing trades and individual skill.
Because Navi have the same great looks outside of B.
They had a great late counter smoke in the door.
They were prepared and careful and had lots of avenues of counter defense
for the exact attack that was coming in.
So I wouldn't be surprised if Navi go ahead and just close up now.
Even though their on fire streak has ended, they've shown us so much amazing stuff so far.
But they better clap their hands and pray because they have shown a lot of their playbook at this point phase have shown they can adapt to it
The reason why care again is famous is for moments just like this one. I would always say it's that round 28 call now in MR
12
the rounds 20
Second 23rd
This is when he really starts synthesizing the data putting together
that master plan
And it's always clear that the troops are right behind him and believe in it
He's been leading those troops. Yeah
He reopened that B site
Steak is marinated
Alexi lingers outside B yet again
They cheat JL out of the B bomb site as wonderful maintains elbow control Lexi is gonna be holding doors from top ramp
What's the call here? Karrigan? What's the move? What's the Karrigan call?
What is the golden call and for Navi and a Lexi who's been on top of everything countering the game plan for phase
What will be the setup?
Numbers group up for that site hit Karegans gonna keep throwing out you till elsewhere
We'll see if not the end up pulling down on something they shouldn't but it's still mid control wonderful the round that got
Navi back into this game was when I ended on a and CT spawn
And so here Ema is in the deep of the site and as that Nade goes forward, it's a warning
of the presence that Navi do indeed have in position.
Full blown utility starts to be thrown and fire on Ema's feet.
He has to go into the peak and down he goes to the hands of Rain.
Are we talking OT?
Fire on both sides, 20 seconds.
Alexi tries to get the spam through and you will find a headshot.
Faze have to continue.
They have to push in.
They're still fighting.
To keep on going.
And as they do, Frozen covers.
Two frozen covers trying to push us out of regulation.
JL just can't find that line up, but Wonderful will connect with the off.
And as JL gets closer, catches one off guard and goes for two, but Rob flocks it in for the back of the site.
And Wonderful, now he's in a pinch, he's in a bit of a pickle.
One gets away, he hits himself with no scope, and that bombs out in the open. Wonderful task!
I'm going to need a replay of that as soon as humanly possible because my God, talk about resilience, talk about fortitude, absolutely no question of that for Wonderful, clutching it out to push us to a third map.
What the flying duck happened right there? Wonderful coming in and pulling up and an insane one, we get to see right here, no scope on rubs and the flick towards...
TAPS THE BOMB!
He removes Kerrigan!
I don't even want to blame Kerrigan for anything!
He's doing the right thing!
He found the timing!
Wonderful move towards the bomb!
And then he's hitting a wonderful...
So what the hell?!
I've lost words!
I'm speechless!
It was like, wonderful this as well!
That was insane, Seagal!
He stoned overtime!
They were supposed to be overtime!
Yeah, definitely.
The clutch that is going to maybe hunt
FaZe back, but, well...
Kerrigan did what he had to do.
He had options, but he decided to peek.
He decided to peek, he decided to play into the crowd as well when he's sticking the bomb
and he is kind of having to look at the bomb, he cannot fire back, but he hit insane shot,
Kerrigan missed first few bullets, so it's how it is.
I mean, I can't blame him for peeking in that situation, you know?
No, that is a shot that you're not meant to hit if you're wonderful, but oh my god,
he does it!
That was in here!
You're the first one who rubs, you know, you're not supposed to hit that one.
I know Rubs is doing it perfectly, he gets the trade frag on towards the player on
side, then removes himself, reposition and wonderful knows that he's in that area
Somewhere the fact that he goes for the no scope is pretty got them cool and the fact that they just say yes
Even cooler wow wonderful depth that shot on Kerrigan that is so insane
Can we just talk about like the context of that round as well? Obviously, you know
overtime
Molotovs are throwing out. They're just raining fire. It's insane
I was just about to call our producer and say save this round because I want to see this round and this
Execute from face cam. We didn't see anything like it brought the entire half in the T side
No creativity walking around getting picked apart to do the perfect a execute the mullet of they spam the sides what mullet of
All five being used on the a bomb side and then wonderful coming in doing
I don't even know what he's doing that that no scope is nice the shot towards care against you go the skill
It takes to move your vision from the bomb in towards donor on towards care again back to the bomb Wow
I want to point out as well the placement of the motors perfectly perfectly countering image position behind the double stack box
And you know, this is not position that the open mollusks usually just clearly they were just straight it out
But somehow face had inch that you know someone might be done
Obviously we're focusing a lot of attention on the last round of this game for good reason
But let's look at the wider context of this map of ancient because for phase
I mean they had a decent lead particularly coming into the second half when they won the pistol in the second half
They were up 94. I thought to myself this is it this game over and we spoke about it
It's not Navi not being the best team.
It's not Navi not having the best shape or the best players right now.
It becomes a mental game when Navi checked out a little bit.
Couldn't really get it going.
And then they find it in themselves to show that resilience,
to fight their way back into the game, to string together.
What's it? Six or seven round?
We'll see. Eight rounds in a row.
Eight rounds. There we go.
Even I'm tired and wrong. Eight rounds in a row.
And that is just amazing from Navi.
It was a 10-4 lead for face then.
And listen, we said it on the fair.
No, Navi fumbled. So did face right here.
Yeah, and we have to look as well as on individuals.
Bit having really quite started 0-5-1-6 at some point when it comes to KD,
but on that seating side, he was spearheading that comeback eventually.
Where did you see him like coming the most alive?
When were you like, okay, he's back in action clearly on this entry?
He had a couple of eco-fracks to be honest with him,
but you know, he was hitting what he had to do,
starting with the pistol round, then he was eventually going to get a lot of
three kills towards this B-side because honestly, Navi were losing this B-side a lot, but they
were doing a lot of damage through the smokes with the utility, so it was kind of easy cleanup
for Pete most of the time. I guess he's a great example of that we're sitting in
his broke about, you know, off to a bad start, off to a horrible start, couldn't get anything
going, then slowly but surely they worked their way into the game, and gotta be honest,
you know, the Navi that we saw on that CT side, they were destroying face-climbing. As I said
said yesterday when Facebook, they were walking around, they were trying to find openings. I
think we saw Kerrigan a couple of times walk through a smoke, hoping there was no one on
the other side. Navi had them written like a book for the best media of that season.
And he saw that in the graphic as well. He's getting 17 kills I believe and just something
around 55 ADR just shows you that he was kind of like finishing off the kills a lot,
but it was enough and it was what made the combat really possible.
Just insane stuff from Navi. We were questioning, you know, particularly after an elongated
tech pause really fumbling the bag on that first map and some of those rounds
fair play to Narvig keeping a high school yeah and fair play to Kerrigan as
well and this is almost a little bit sad in a way Ferrigan finally has a game
where he finds an awful lot of impact a lot of productivity on the server he
was dominating this position he had so many
multi kills so many good timing so many times when you push out find players
jumping around left right center the pistol round he came in with a bit of
impact as well. Kerrigan had a really, really, really good game and yet that still wasn't
enough for Faze to win. So it just completely opened up this series. We've seen Na'Vi fumble,
we've seen Faze fumble a little bit, we've seen Kerrigan play well, which he normally
does not do and yet they're still loose. So everything you're supposed to see him,
everything you're supposed to, I guess, analyse from this game and retract from this
game is just not happening right now.
I feel like we're in the upside down right now. This has turned everything on its head.
Where do you think FaZe's heads are going to be at, or not, Stuka?
Right now, FaZe basically need to address the issue and the elephant in the room that they maybe should have had this one.
And again, they were better team for the majority of that second map.
And obviously, you have to think about it, look at it again, having good individual form,
kind of translating it to fumbling that these side not having able to put up consecutive calls that are kind of getting them over that punch.
But I still believe that the third map is the playground where it kind of makes sense.
It's fitting that it's going to end on the third map as well.
The cynic in me will also be like, if you're new or if you're carrying right now,
you've got to remember your members that would probably shoot in a one-inferno, right?
We obviously did well for ourselves to come back into the game, but we got it low-key gifted in a way.
So maybe we didn't do too well here in the game.
Maybe we should have closed it out 2-0, but we're still in the game.
We still have a 50-50 shot at winning the game.
You know, one is going to win, one is going to lose.
that's 50% chance of winning so we're still in it.
Man, mathematician as well as an analyst, Jacob.
Is there anything you can't do?
I tell you what you can't do.
You can't replicate Brookes' form.
Try as you might.
Even considering FaZe losing out this map,
shout out to Broke for showing up.
Yeah, again, he's just been so consistent here at Copenhagen.
He's fun to watch, isn't he?
Yeah, definitely he is.
And look at it this way.
Have we had the map where Broke wasn't really impactful
throughout the tournament?
I feel like we're always watching his highlights,
his package of highlights here.
And this is ancient, this is where sometimes some
Hopers are going to struggle, especially on the T side, but he was showing no signs of...
Yeah, he picked up AK here and there, and he was putting up those entries to place into that big site,
but overall huge performance.
To be completely honest, I feel like we got a bit of that duel that we requested,
that we saw coming into the game. Wonderful versus Brokey.
Obviously, the last round from Wonderful was nothing but Stella, nothing but insane.
Same could be said for Brokey.
I still feel those two are two of the main candidates to be in the TV for the entire tournament for the respective teams
Regardless of who's gonna win that and go into the final broke you right now having one of the best tournaments
He said in a while wonderful is stepping up to become what is supposed to be the star player of Navi and especially with a class like that
That is just pure filth pure impact. We will be finding a winner
But not before we had things to a quick break making sure you join us back after it because anubis is about to go down
to be able to do that. I'm
going to be real with some of
the numbers for Navi. This has
been a pretty stellar map as
of late five winds on the
trot looking for a six here
versus phase. The phase. Maybe
characteristically looking at
this year. It's been a little
bit complicated because I'm
looking at some of the results
that has lost a sangle in
there. There's the most
recent loss to complexity in
the last few years, but
I'm going to go ahead and
go ahead and go ahead and
lost a complexity in there. It's been very up and down in terms of the calibre of opposition
they've been facing and unfortunately losing to. Yeah, I feel like we're back to square one as we
preface coming into the game. If Faze wanted a chance of making this game competitive they had to
win inferno. They got the job done, maybe with a bit of luck, maybe with a bit of Na'Vi getting
into their own head. Ancient, much, much closer than I think we would have expected but at
the end of the day we knew that with this map pool and Nupius being the decider it was going
to fade Navi quite a bit.
Yes, statistically speaking, this is Navi's playground to win this Best of 3.
However, we have to think about it that the stats that we're looking at are of phase
that we're not looking that great yet, just as a blade, basically.
And they are playing different constructs, they're playing much more better individually,
they're putting the performance just one level up.
And therefore we have to think about it that, yes, it's a new base,
Navi's playground, but phase might surpass it.
It's also a known fact now that Robs have had two games in a row where he's actually
showed up.
I know he hasn't been as impactful as he was yesterday, but I think so far in this series
versus Navi, he's had enough rounds, enough impact and enough moments where he's been
playing well, up to the standout of Robs, up to where it's okay for him.
So I still think on paper, statistically speaking, Navi, the cohesion, the way the
player knew was obviously the favorite.
But I agree.
I will buy into your point that the version of face we're seeing right now is not
a version that's going to lose to Sankel or Complex.
No, they've turned up for the stage in a big way, particularly in that game versus Liquid yesterday.
We'll be knifing for sides on this third and final decider.
If you're the crowd right now, Jacob, because you are the most akin, you know, you come from the same country,
what are you hoping for Carraghan and Co?
What kind of start do you want to see from them when we're kind of arguing they're not exactly favored in this map?
It's a good question, isn't it? Because we had the same conversation earlier.
Do you want to start CT side? Do you want to start T side?
You start on the CT side, you start on the rough side.
If you get off to a good start, you get four, five, six, maybe even seven rounds,
you put yourself in prime position.
And even if you only get away with three or four, the T side,
it's easier to mount a comeback.
And if anything, we know about Fayscan is the ability to come back into game.
So I don't even care to be completely honest, whether you start CT side, T side,
I think Kerrigan and Fays will find a way to make the game competitive.
We got this.
I'm going to give you the answer anyway, even if you don't can't, Jacob.
Fayscan, we're starting on the CT side of the equation now on the T side.
I think we should check in with the odds as well
to see exactly how they're stacking up as we await this third and final up.
Heavily favouring Navi, does that make sense, Jusiko?
It does, it does. I'm going to be honest, well, probably everyone is looking at those statistics
that we're mentioning and bringing up all the time, and yes, those are favouring Navi,
they should be winning this map as well, bringing momentum from that ancient...
Winning the map, that was eventually lost at some point, it fell down the webcams,
like some people were already like checked out, but then suddenly, second breath.
Here's another reason why I think Navi is going to win. Wonderful, we spoke about him. He's one of the MVP candidates so far.
He's had a fantastic tournament. I think prior to this tournament, prior to the status of him being one of the biggest difference makers for Navi,
one of the few maps he always showed up for, one of the few maps he's statistically the best at is Anubis, right?
So it's his playground. It's him feeling comfortable. It's him having one of the best tournaments we've seen in a while.
I think Wonderful is going to come in and finally match, if not out to do Broke in the server.
Sell the Danes please or the Soul Dane I guess because Kerrigan hasn't had much luck in front of his home crowd
Are we looking at that slipping away from him again this time in a semi-final?
I mean, I'll never say never you know knowing face clan and and I think there is a world where face can still use some of that momentum
Still used to crowd but I feel like the chance was an ancient when you're up 10 to 4
You gotta close that and I think even for team like face mentally speaking
We know they are mentality monsters. We know they've been through a lot together
I still think it's going to be tough, sorry, to go up against the best team in the world and take them down.
On the flip side, I'm throwing the ball to Broke here, because for that CT side start, this is going to be incredibly impactful how he performed so far.
Still are CT sides by him.
One final match to decide who progresses onwards to that grand final. Let's dive into anew this.
Welcome to the final game of today.
And it feels like that was never going to happen.
We went through everything.
Niko's bloody fist to that victory,
to a potential upset from FaZe Clan after map two.
It was looking incredible for a second for FaZe,
but maybe not anymore.
One final map on a semi-final Saturday.
Barb, what do you got left?
I'll take it.
Let's go.
You guys are easy breathing
and living counter strike today, I tell ya.
100%, I mean, you've seen it all.
If it's your first time watching a match like this or a day like this,
it's obviously been a treat.
Incredible scenes here, you know, look around through everybody left in this room.
You're the real troopers.
And now phase up to do kind of what they did on inferno.
Let's beat the odds to take down Navi on a new business.
An incredibly tall task.
The desk just before we came into game,
unanimously agreed that this was.
Probably going to be an unlikely situation for face to win.
I still believe it's possible, of course.
They almost won Agent 2.
Right, it feels like, you know,
let's throw numbers out the window,
to hell with an analyst desk.
Yeah, they used to be,
they used to be the best team at Anubis.
They were the team that everyone was learning from at one point.
But not in this round.
Yeah, we're tapping into that knobby prowess.
Some clean headshots all across the board, essentially.
Into that ace site.
No time.
Bomb plant that comes with it.
is a sweep of the face clan and Navi. Quick start to this T side. Yeah, the night for
sides and this is the threatening side for Navi to play T side of Anubis and wonderful
having the map that he's had is going to be very important. I think on the CT side
it's going to be honestly I want to say it could be very important that Robs as
an anchor is going to deliver just like on Inferno like his form could dictate
whether or not they went a lot of rounds.
We know Navi like to pull off a lot of camera splits towards the A site.
It's off of those Alexi B midlurks that allow them to do that.
In big games, he somehow finds this gap all the time.
And of course, it'll be rain here in the E box, looking for fights all the time.
JL slips in between the util rain never saw that coming.
This was the flood down into him, but not today.
Nah, JL is not going to leave the slack on the table, trade frag immediate, B site under question.
Robson's Desert Eagle far too little to do anything, so Navi off to, as all should expect, right, the expectations.
So clearly said that Navi are at the very least, I'd argue, could have set a...
Oh, finally we're meeting expectations.
They're going to set a dent in phase out of the game. That's my thought.
Yeah.
If we're going to get a phase win on map three, I think it's going to be somewhere in the middle ground,
somewhere in the middle of this map, where they end up coming alive and being able to tap into that magic.
There's Navi feeling hot after ancient are going to swing at them the same way phase sort of started off ancient that well
They're gonna less learn a lesson or two on the way. That's for sure
So here comes the guns here for phase clan
No off on either side
Let's see what style of game they want to play here
And I really want to know how they're gonna deal with Alexi on mid and if that's even gonna be a problem
First run around and nobody wants to be that initial death. No risks thrown out from FaZe.
Can't help but feel like Wonderful is going to multi-frag a lot from this position when he gets an AWP or a rightful based on what we've seen so far in the series.
It doesn't look like he's doing the best off of the server until the final round of Ancient.
Unreal.
He got the last word.
Jump over past the window and Alexi!
How does he get away with this slippery snake Alexi B?
That's one kill at the very least, but to be honest, in a 4v4, still taking the T side, CTs who will be more comfortable right now.
Makes the absolute most of the Mach 10, of course.
Now it's going to be Eme to try to move forward and get something going.
Robson trade frag, initially down to 56 points of health, and Eme's not alone.
Doesn't even need the support.
Instant headshot on Robson of the Galil.
That's the bomb as well, right? With Eme.
So options open to no other defense towards this A site.
What remains here a phase is very much preoccupied on a bomb site. It's just got JL about to prod at it. Oh, or
Maybe no, I don't know if you got spotted
It doesn't seem like it. What a bit of nice punish here for the saving players, especially when you make a decision this early
Nothing feels worse
But they'll get away. It looks like with these guns for now. I don't know
Now be probably gonna wait some time just to make sure
There's no fishy business flashbang there to kill Kerrigan in the corner
An instant headshot as E-man taps into his mechanical abilities.
Crazy to go for that re-clear.
And here, they're securing the perimeter as they enclose on Phases' positions in the save,
but it doesn't look like they'll be able to find a fight.
It'll be a decent buy coming up.
Phase knew that. It was going to be hard today.
Hopefully they don't feel like they missed their window.
That would be, I think it's the lack of hope that would kill them in the end.
They still owe us an OT.
Yeah, I thought we were really going to get it.
Yeah, wonderful man
That second map just comes to such an abrupt end because it felt like it was coming through
So close to no cigar
Who goes up and smoke?
And Jail has been fishing for contact as he peeks bottom stairs, but so far phase really not running those kinds of risks
Not really poking their opponents
Karrigan positions the MP9. Oh, how does he keep getting away with it then?
And Alexi B, tip of the spear once again inside of middle.
And there is invisible support here, right?
There are nades from behind.
We have flashbangs to help this push.
But at the end of the day, it's him and his crosshair.
He sticks around looking for more, right?
Confident.
He'll see this as well.
He has good reason to be confident.
His CT play on ancient was awesome to watch.
And he knows there's still one close door.
And Robbs thinks that he's going
to be able to slink by this.
He'll go around, but he'll still get pinned to the wall.
goes jumping into it. Absolutely. Post your eyes gives Alexi that extra chance that we
get that need support to EMA from his teammate to help them. I mean, this, this is abruptly.
I really don't think Alexi gets enough credit in this position. There's so many good players
on this map and this is such a strong map from Navi overall. But the way that he has
to lurk alone almost every round and getting rifle kills because what happens when he
He does that, and he can pull aggro from the A player to come into mid, and they literally
have to pull the goalie to make them not feel more alive on other parts, then it allows
the extremities to weaken up, and then we saw JL have the nade on the smoke to get a free
kill.
The rotation's just become massively difficult, and Kerrigan understands right now that first
of all, Alex is going to do this, he's going to grow confidence if you let him
through, and he knows how to be very slippery about this position, so he need to punish
Merley, but he's not getting away with that part of the commissioning right now
And before you know it the hassle already gone for here straight for Navi not just for straight before
incredibly convincing rounds
There was a tone in that pistol
As they slice through the AT fence like butter now wonderful softened by the Nade
It's a slight advantage that phase will have working
Towards their favor broke he plays forward on a site
and there it is. An advantage established. Something to work with early on.
I'm still sitting top stairs though, so no over commitments can be made here from Novi.
We've got moving pieces across the map. We've got Util coming out,
and that's going to cause face to question the intended target.
Oh, you may have been finding contact. This frozen walks into the crosshair,
and oh man, Rain's unable to punish this. Rain finally gets there. He had to kill him.
Yeah, it didn't feel like you could find him.
Brain gives that death away, my god.
The flash, the swing back was so egregious,
just to tuck into the corner.
And wait, OK, 3v5, Navi.
How are you going to pull this one out?
Shirley phase locked this round up.
Brokey's on the nice and safe angle.
Alexi on that lurk again.
Please don't let it be.
Oh, another kill.
Is Brokey turned?
The utility's coming at him.
He has to go towards camera.
Nice flash.
Rom's actually comes out to help from him.
They both died.
Bomb can be planted, sure enough.
And as the continuation of the rotation comes out,
we get wonderful putting his hands on that nasty big green.
We've already seen what he can do.
And with two players coming out of him,
he ain't going to miss a chance to strike one down.
Two kills to Wonderful's name.
Frozen pushes out to the camera.
They got shot down.
Chewed up and spat out.
Crazy.
And it comes again.
Because of that Alexi lurk, he gets to kill.
Inside of middle.
It was 3v5 and then they fall like dominoes as soon as Broke has to take a shot on camera
And Rops has to show himself in heaven
Then the a attack comes into full effect from the riflers
And it all falls apart once again. Yeah, these are morale busting round way coming out from Navi early each situation more unlikely than the last
Each situation more frustrating than the last the first good t-side so far for Navi true
But you'd come to expect it. The numbers don't lie at least so far on Anubis.
It almost felt like getting that game back under control on ancient was-Navi
surviving FaZe's test. Now they're locked in with a confident Novi, a cage you don't
want to be in. And wonderful simply not missing at the moment. The moment he
swapped over to that AWP, it felt locked in. MP9's come forward from FaZe as
they try to seat that first round win.
Now Alexi has Kerrigan in his pocket.
He was getting the cave kills on ancients.
Now he's getting the midler kills off on him.
Now he's bringing the friends along.
As if Navi need the support, guys.
Where the face fans at?
Jail's not giving anything to shoot at.
CT's keeping their bodies pressed against the wall.
Oh, Miss Eagle's on.
Kerrigan could have had him for a moment there,
but Jail slips through.
And now all of a sudden pressure is on two MP9s
Both of them sitting back and allowing noggin to get ever closer
We have 40 seconds and the Molotov doesn't quite land where it needs to
That shot comes through from JL. It looks good. Oh great. Looks great swaps to the USP and falters
And that was JL to double back towards temple. You can go for the cross
Smokes up to cover big pillar fit cover. No chance to stop the plant JL
He's got blood in the water, but the Deagle will eventually find him and that's a party to get for Broke
You can take that AK and leave brother. That's all I do. Novi take this round. Yeah another one and that's actually care again
I mean, this is a different player coming at him, but he had a great shot right there and oh really?
I'm gonna give this a shot, Broke. Oh
I want to get into the action. I want to get a little weird just wants to keep him in the site
Maybe you see they make a mistake nothing today. Yeah, you ain't got to keep
It's not his not his for the taking. Yeah
The AK departs, Navi go up 6-0.
Karrigan had that deagle, now it's not even Alexi, it's whoever comes into the base.
He's been fully fed.
No denying that Navi have found themselves here on map 3.
Four deagle shots.
JL just walks right through it.
Karrigan knows.
Wonderful yet to die, six rounds in.
Frozen yet to frag.
The obstacle. Wonderful eats a flash, but gets back into smoke and rocks unable to capitalize.
Nice counter. Good, but a good chance.
Ali, at least now Faye's trying to make those moves, right?
In contrast to their opening gun rounds, they're trying to find a fight.
Trying to knock Navi down a peg as they come out of spawn.
Yeah, I think they might know that it's a 3A setup right now, but...
It just really depends how much space Alexi will give them here, and if...
They can juggle the rotations to get them to move heavily over towards B.
Well, actually, Willy win again. Yes, he will.
Oh my God.
At least Kerrigan trades this time.
Double backs, scoops up the smoke.
You can tilt to work with it, a rotation towards B, but the whole pack's ready to go for an obvious side.
This is what happens. You get to push and to pull, and then suddenly you're not playing committed sites on the spots in the site.
It jails in E-box now.
They've inched over at the right time.
Faze at least throwing Kerrigan into the mix, but he's Molotoved out of the action.
We've already got Teesback planned.
No chance for Rain to snap that shot over to a second.
Kerrigan gets an angle towards Jail, misses his chance, and faves the fight.
Signs up for a gunfight.
He can't come out on top of, and there's still time, so no stress, wonderful.
Just waits, and he will re-attempt the plant.
Coverage towards Dark not needed, but they don't know it.
Brokey announces his approach, and working with Robs behind him, let's see if
face can make it happen from the man disadvantage. Oh, he takes one with him and that sets Robs
up for the trade frag. We've got a clutch and we've got Ena locked in ready to go. He's
been spotted and Robs you are. Okay, those are on the board. Somehow they pulled that
out. That one did not look possible. Brokey had a clasp in his hands for that deagle
shot and Robs comes through with a clutch. This Brokey kill is in like the last nanosecond.
I mean, this is I don't even think they even go for around like this if they weren't losing so badly
Also plenty of shots there for Ema to get that kill
See four or five bullets whiz by yeah
Robston seemed to have any armor, right crosshairs just a little off the mark there for Ema
He drops a chance to strike one down and keep that flawless T side
Let's take the pay for it. We've seen all these comebacks happen in this game
But what are you gonna do get frustrated to the six one lead?
Give this the chance to just shut phase down send them back to the economic dumps
Ooh, dangerous.
That whole smoke gets blown open.
Emef fully exposed.
And a couple of times, Emef has to land on the opposite side of it
to help JL with the push.
Oh, my God!
Oh, they both combine.
It's beautiful. No flash comes in in time.
Brokey gets one, but doesn't stay alive.
Karrigan's able to win the mid-fight versus his counterpart,
so be it.
It's that B site under wraps with a bomb plant,
and FaZe know that they have to just tuck their tail
and walk away.
It's a great tactic right there, and then they have everything
I don't know who blows this smoke open in Maine or if they if the smoke expired
And he got a chance to see through it that might have just been doubly
Good timing or I'm lucky depending on how you want to look at oh
And dying in the post plan trying to save
The ropes isn't guaranteed anything here. There's JL on for the chase although team all it's off
I'm gonna have to wait it out a second.
Yeah, but he sticks around.
Yeah, they're gonna keep the pressure up.
Robbs, can you hang on to it?
First shot's good, but the great, immediate Novi.
They're gonna sweep him away, so sure, you win one.
Back to the drawing board.
Oh, god.
This, this is a Novi.
Right here.
OK.
Steps forward to grand finals.
It's a matter of the replenished smoke on main
was too late.
And that one minor mistake cost him the whole round.
Of course, the Molotov helps assist JL take over E-Box, but that's what will come up, gets two people killed.
You gotta be on top of your game.
Every second of the map here on the Nubis.
This was never going to be an easy run for FaZe.
And we got a secret agent.
There's been a lot of praise going around from Frozen lately.
I mean, he's the one I felt the most bad for in this, you know, their second place era, because he was the guy that fought for me.
Tournament in and out it's just charging them down man. There's majority pistols. Oh my god. Let him breathe
You could already see them scrambling with that USP what hold on wait a second
Broke against a bit drag with just the USP and they could actually win this round not just that shouldn't lose it
Can they punish there's one yeah, they've got a player stuffing they've seen another one spotted. Yeah
We're gonna wait
They're not sure if there's anybody else, but they'll clear it together
and there's no other CT that can throw something out there.
So right now defense split and the T side could have played together,
but they also go to other directions.
I guess Emma's just trying to bait them into coming there.
Yeah, it's just they have they have canals control.
So he's just trying to throw some kind of bait.
Emma still around as well to take contact and he'll spot and get a kill.
Rob says, I mean, no choice but to respect this unless he's already thinking about saving
or hoping that it's some kind of play like this.
It comes down to if Navi want to play this carefully they didn't on inferno
And that was the moment that they let phase back into the game
But Navi are a little bit more careful this time. They're gonna join hands before they go into the site
Well done there for E-Meh recovering with three kills. We see his first duel happen top middle smoke fades finds him
Kerrigan caught in no man's land
I mean I still have questions
How does that USP feel come through?
They're shooting lasers while James Bond's on the board doesn't end up being enough because
Frozen did find his first kill of the map with that MP9 elsewhere as we watch the A-hit
come through.
What are you thinking, Robs?
No chance in hell.
That's the walk away from this one and Navi go up 8-1.
First time they're going up against each other on a Nubis.
Yeah, that was the whole thing, right?
We've had this head-to-head frequently as a play, but here in the forum we got a
new treat.
Chartered territory here on Anubis.
Okay, Alexi.
How'd he know I was gonna do that?
Yeah.
All right.
And Siphi hasn't just been that.
Like, he's been creating nightmares for them,
pushing every single round.
He's already done his job, man.
Like, at this point, he just,
he can start to push through smokes
because even if they catch him, it doesn't matter.
The moment that they don't,
the moment they regret it,
which means there's a guaranteed resource
tied up for them every round.
He's rent-free in their heads.
That could be the time of misutility.
Curtal defense here.
And FaZe, when they first started playing in Nubis,
they expanded quickly.
They would take canals control and CT side very often.
We're not seeing any of those plays here
with the use of Rain, with Broke, with Robs as well,
on the other side of the map.
And that activity, I think they're stunted
because they've lost him mid so often.
I think they just don't have confidence right now.
It was not too far off.
Right now, Alexis starts to sniff out mid control again.
Oh, the pressure's good!
Frozen comes in very, very tough spot to get the fire and the smoke and this beat defense looking great!
Alexi not able to get the double down as Robs comes out camera to help.
There is this sprint still from Nobby as they're just going to try to smash into the A site off the smoke cover.
Oh, they've got it!
It's a strong rough smoke bit, keeps the overtop of it, putter his Robs.
It's going to pull the CTs, but they have to be careful.
They have to be shrewd.
If they come over too quickly...
Oh, okay. They layer on top of each other. They sit in fight. They don't freak out. They have all put in housing on site now
They move they think it's a ruse. Oh
That's not ideal
They hear the smoke pop you got a plant you got a plant now if you want it or else you're about to get swarmed
I mean you just don't think that is possible of course
This weird smoke in sight made possible by a mistake or is it really just a blessing?
I'm gonna try to plant within it. They're all gonna go for the attack wonderful your time is limited here
There's no chance in hell
Rain's gonna catch him he gets his bomb plant and we've got face clan in with a second win. Okay, okay
Don't pick that one up. That's nice
Feels like it's still someone close
But it's nice and it's a pro activity here
Get in the face of the extremities not letting him take control of the map like he has been
Even though it likes to get some push-off they still at least trade them out right away
They have their rotations in right away
The hardest half of this map is CT side and the hardest part about it is finding ways to be aggressive safely
I think they're still missing a ton of activity around canals
I don't know if they're up for it at this point, but they should be bringing it more to
They should be using Broke on on
Mid to bring in more to Alexi to try to catch him
They should be trying to take rain out into canals out of e-box to get the first kill
Not letting themselves get surrounded on the perimeter then getting punished
on one side and then the other or through middle now they've got a full-buy full
kitty utility coming off this win one of their last chances to show us what they
got but if they sit in sites like this and wait on a quiet map with lots of
utility sitting on their belts you better believe that Navi are gonna know
what to do with the space they have wonderful sitting here as a turret
covering three different positions atop of bridge the smoke on e-box and
And ultimately the A push if they need it but none of that is coming and the first 30 or so seconds of these rounds are dedicated
To holding those pushes because that's what phase could be looking for
And maybe what care again is starting to clue into that utility out of it
They can't just burn this utility set against sites. I'm not gonna sit back
You gotta have a little more like you're saying pressure behind it. They literally still have four molotovs
No, I can just watching face squirm at the moment
know. And there comes the late Lexi.
Who has been an absolute monster in middle.
Now we start to get trying to make a move, but he must ready.
They've been waiting. They've been holding back in anticipation.
And they get the fight before. Look at this movement here from a Lexi.
Look what he's onto. Look at the split that's coming in from three different
sides. Could they possibly hold this?
They've been smoking this off. Rokey on long and Lexi, they don't know
about him. So he's going to get a free one on Pacplot.
Got this guy go. Rokey's right here.
just trying to run for the hills trying to get away in desperation made with his
name on it. Alexi will hunt you down like a dog but Karrigan's got an answer!
Two and a half frags. Alexi, one health, one single point of HP puts down his
counterpart and the bomb will be safely planted. Rob tries to work in for the
clutch. There's the pillar peek. Gale's gonna put an end to this one. It goes back and forth.
Nice effort there from Kerrigan, but you already let Alexi get into the depths.
They let him get into the depths on his late timing. They used all their smokes, bowing to no pressure from anyone on Navi.
Were they pushing anywhere? Were they fighting E-Box? Were they pressing up against anything? No.
Did they take any peeks? No, absolutely not. They let this happen.
And then they went through with the first piece of meta to ever grace this map, which is a B site flash.
They're sitting back in the regular default way for that to happen
These aren't showing heart right now
They better have a hell of a T side in their back pocket and a little more of that phase clan magic
This shot for Brokey
We talked about a Navi who had had to stand the test of BO5s and with that comes slowly improving map pool every step of the way
New territory between these teams walks can't get out of it
The pressure is thick from A main, missed shot again from Brokey and leaving that gap in contrast to what wonderful his offer might cost him.
He will finally connect with one Karrigan stuck into the gunfight and it goes man advantage.
Navi in the post plant, JL with a little more wiggle room before the cavalry arrives.
Navi with a master class of a T side or more so FaZe just not giving us enough to stop them.
Frozen, one final Hail Mary was at 1.07 trying to research back here into Mastery
trying to keep FaZe's hopes alive but down he goes because Alexei has been a
master on Anubis.
Left off, good luck.
I have one from side.
Careful to charge, nothing wrong.
I like jumping.
I did it.
Ramp.
Smoke, smoke.
What the f**k is this smoke?
I don't see ramp.
Maybe come to take cover.
Yes, yes, yes.
You can see through smoke.
I'm shooting.
Two ramps on the car.
No, he's not this.
There is no car in this game.
Double go.
How to play this game?
F**king shit.
But how can you see through smoke?
Is it shooting or what?
I don't know.
It's always like this?
Yes.
Oh.
I'll do the same stuff here.
Bullets.
I'm peeking already.
You have Diggle?
Sure.
Ram?
I'm cashing too.
Ram?
Ram from home.
Flash me now.
Oh.
I'm going to fall over.
Wait, how are you going to play in this game?
I don't know.
It's amazing game actually.
It feels so simple.
Where is my mollo?
I'm too long out.
I'm going to put it.
You have to be rolled out the house.
Too long, too long.
Oh my god.
You have to reload us round.
Let's go, let's go.
Wait, two, two, two, two, two.
Oh my god.
One more, one more, one more.
It's a bit hard, it's a bit hard.
What?
Oh, yeah.
Ah.
Okay.
I see this guy jumping in here.
He's in the hatch.
What the f**k?
What a boost. Oh my god, did you?
At your pace.
What? How's it there?
You boosted, you boosted.
No, speedrun.
Let's see how the big one works there.
Sh**.
Oh, sh**.
Wait, I have no bullets.
Nice!
Nice!
Good, good, good
Nice game
I'm doing this for you
Experience, experience
Boom, no scope
He's hitting me
Yeah, you're very dead
Mine gained
Nooo
Oh, fun kill to him. Easy.
Oy-oy-oy.
There is no denying that FaZe brought fight tonight, but unfortunately for them it feels as though it has come to a quick end here on Anubis.
We didn't know what this map in a head-to-head would deliver, and who delivered?
Alexi.
Alexi B, master class there.
He's on 11 and 7, but every single one of those kills was of supreme quality.
That's where I can go. We've been in those situations, and we've been winning those as well.
And it's fucking focused round by round.
Not going to lie, he's had it so tired.
He's not wrong though.
But you know what, that's the last, I know I blast pulled that because last time that they got to listen in,
it was rain before they made that comeback happen.
Every team can say we can think this happened, but FaZe actually have the accolades to back it up.
So, we wrote them off at the start of this series.
Maybe fools to do it again.
This pistol's got a lot of weight behind it,
and it's an all-in attempt out from long-aimed bombs.
It's been dropped.
Ah, God, the brick wall back again.
Alexi can't manage it to resurgence.
Led by Karrick.
Get the wonderful taps away at the head,
and Brokey trying to scoop up bomb,
and a 1v3 gets away with it.
Can he truly keep FaZe in this?
All right, make him work for it.
It's going for the fast rotation.
out. They wanted to see him leave. They've got to now think,
is he sticking around? Are they going to push? They need to go
get the kid actually so they've got an incentive to stay. This
means Broke has a lot of time bought as he gets this plan in.
This is actually huge for oil tap. He thinks they're close
by and he doesn't get the 1v2. They still know though that
he's planting because he's so far away. All right Broke,
what's the move? His odds go drastically up as he takes
his deeper position. Bombs planted for him, but he's
He's also got a Glock with the time. He's trying to catch somebody. This is a crazy
wrap because planted for long, it's going to create that question for Navias to whether
he peaks upper or lower on long when in reality, temple's also an option. They'll know that
but as they get into the site that you indeed have that kid. If he thinks there's no kick,
he might not peak down to a second. Listen, that's the best he can do. It was a 3v5
already yeah that's ridiculous but that post plant really just turns into more
the same out of Navi which is just absolute killer instincts and a clean
execution in the pistol the night broke any heroics yeah they're frying now in
a head-to-head that means so much at a series that gave us a back-and-forth
nobody wanted a flat third map but this is the depth of Navi yeah this is
The saving for potentially, you know, best of five win versus the highest ranked team now, that they played against in this situation.
And it's even they normally bit, but under new circumstances, they need to prove to themselves that they're in good enough form to deal with that.
We saw that the heights that Niko reached earlier, that Monici did here and there.
They're going to have to bring it so much util for the tee approach.
At this point, I don't think Navi are going to be too nervous.
JL starting to get his as well, dominant here in map 3.
And E-Met unleashed on Long, we'll find one in the corner.
That's one of the better weapons down and a map 10 revealed at a distance, but still again,
another volley of utility to come out to try and keep this long player busy.
And as long as Wonderful's here, it's a bomb spotted, so...
It's just JL as well in this site.
He's got eyes on dark.
We've got a 1v1 queued up here, and two players looking to push up through canals.
Alexi drops!
And that's a door reopened!
Yeah, it is.
Now that they pushed through, so they know they can't actually take B this quickly,
but the thing is, now Navi know that they're gonna go A, 30 seconds, and they're smart
enough not to simply do it.
They've got Rain stuck back here.
Wonderful as well.
Trued in this position, waiting patiently.
Goes unchecked, and will be rewarded.
Oh, wonderful.
Can't get a second queues on Shale!
to damn near perfection, but Broke finds himself in a back-to-back clutch as he goes for the long play.
It's the long crash! And it's Novi, map match, and grand finals point.
Insane. They're trying to get some extra sleep tonight.
Navi speedrunning this third map. Not just insane Mohan, but rather world class.
It's a level that we've come to expect out of Navi.
It's crazy seeing this happen to a team-like phase. It just really speaks to
Exactly how good Noppy have become and of course the third map was
Or the first map excuse me was obviously a worry sign and at some point
It felt like phase are simply gonna win this entire series
About exactly a map and a half ago
Less considering we haven't even played the 24 rounds here
Do or die every single step of the way and I don't know about you
But I haven't seen that phase have shown us that they're in it's that they've got their heads in it
But they have their hearts in it here on a new bus and maybe it is a matter of not having the depth even to stand
To Navi and the brilliance that they've shown
Consistently yes throughout the second half of this year. Yeah, I think brilliance is the perfect word
Really starting to earn that number one and
again in this fashion
This masterclass that is the combined brain power of Blade and Alexi
And this Anubis map of testament to the depth now that the number one ranked team in the world brings to the table
It was such an awesome treat to get the face clan that just owned liquid yesterday
A glimpse of the greatness we know face clan offer
And now that greatness falls on the shoulders of rops and broke II guns between them and
elimination his fans gather towards the stage
I can start to feel that the end may be imminent here for FaZe Clan, three deagles.
It's not a sign of opulence here for the attacking team.
It's going to be that first line with Robs trying to be the entry.
It's the two better weapons ready for this fight.
They've got to get the opening, but in the meantime, Kerrigan just gets set back and
down dead, and now the pressure out from Rifle is already being dispatched.
They're barely going to get this opening, but sure enough, Broke comes out, still
softened up.
And it gives JL a great chance to just end it here and to end it now and to end it fast at that.
They try to cross over to the fountain. Support comes down from camera, but they just can't get in.
They can't sweep away any player with ease.
While Frozen keeps the fight up, he goes down and that's the end of that fantastic series.
Between Novin and FaZe, an eclipse of the greatness that both these teams bring to the table.
Action-packed counter strike until it all falls flat.
And unfortunately now for Kerrigan,
it is the curse of Copenhagen that will always
be his elusive trophy lift.
Oh, without knowing when the next chance may be.
Yeah, that's an incredible finish here for Navi.
And surely, breed some confidence
into coming into this best of five grand final
versus G2 tomorrow.
And Faze were so close.
One wonderful whiff away from an overtime potential victory
on Ancient in the last map to having their hopes swept away at a chance of
recovering what has been poor form and the ability to beat what is a top five
team let alone a top one team yes but they lose that opportunity and we'll
have to think about that tonight. To be number one is the biggest question at
2024 CS2 has just been a back-and-forth affair with so many different
champions but now five consecutive grand finals coming out from this
Nobby can anybody step back up into consistency the biggest of questions
It seems like they made but G2 stand in their way and there is a certain
Ferociousness that the likes of Nico and co are looking to bring to this head-to-head tomorrow. No easy games
And if anybody learned a lesson in Copenhagen in the past that would have been phased at the major
Nobby cannot make that mistake tomorrow one more match between them and another trophy lift
Well, Na'Vi managed to stand strong through it all, but it was not an easy fight.
Coburn Hagen made some noise for Na'Vi.
It's been welcomed to Wonderland all event long, and this is your best performance ever
to Na'Vi so far.
This has looked incredible for you, and that clutch on the end map there.
What did that feel like when you came off the stage and you'd done that and you were
with your team?
What did I feel?
Yeah.
I feel like we're just gonna win them on the next map because like after rounds like this, you understand what you are doing to some match, I don't know.
We just destroy them on the next map and we destroy them on the next map, so...
It definitely was some magic and you were full of confidence after that, you just dominate them here.
Do you feel like you're in your best shape right now?
I don't feel like I'm in the best shape for sure, but like I'm just growing up.
I can say like this, from step by step, going better and better in this game.
You definitely are, you're looking real good while doing it.
You, Alexi, we got to talk about how this went across the game in general, right?
It looked like you had a chance to come back into Inferno.
Then a couple of very misplayed rounds did not go your way.
What the hell went wrong?
Because it didn't look like the Na'Vi we normally see.
Definitely not.
I think Blade summed up the game good for us back there outside.
We were kind of laughing about it because we lost,
I think four advantageous situations. We went back and forth, we had miscommunication, we thought no one was A, Brockey is in Boiler, and you know one and two against Rain, and two and two on B side.
There's a lot of runs we could have won, and we break their money almost instantly. But sometimes CS goes like that, and that's good when you have your own match pick next, and we just had confidence that we can make it happen, and then we had a no-biz third.
Were you starting to worry at all on ancient though, especially after how the first half went?
Or did you really think like, yeah, we can pull this in because it looked a bit like you were on the ropes?
Yeah, it was a bit of trolling on T side as well.
But, you know, 10-4, I believe it was at some point.
And as soon as we won the first come round, I just felt like we know what to do.
And I think we just kept rushing them over and over and, you know,
Igor closed it out with a sick one and two, so.
It was insane. Now tomorrow it's G2 once again. You've broken your best of five
curse but you face G2 a familiar foe. How confident do you feel for that game
especially after what you just did here? We're really confident. I mean we have
two weeks now. We won EPL. We came here with you know trying our best to
figure out all the mistakes we did in EPL and just trying to improve. And now
in the finals again I think the team is they want to play tomorrow they want to
win tomorrow then we're gonna have a couple days off so a couple of well
deserved days off for sure wonderful finally for you how much do you want
that trophy tomorrow so much so much very few words but he's gonna show his
big form on the server guys the last team to the grand final facing G2
tomorrow. It's Narvi! Narvi burning the midnight oil but simultaneously burning
phase out of this third map. The fifth grand final in a row for this Narvi
squad and they well deserved it Jacob after that performance on map 3. Yeah
what a way to do it to be completely honest you almost stand back here with
a feeling of did we just go through all of that on Inferno all of that on
the engine just to watch Narvi unfold themselves on the third deciding
I don't want to blame face for not showing up because I do think now we played world-class Counter-Strike
But it does feel me with a bittersweet, you know taste in my mouth
Cuz I felt the game in the series was so good bottom to this point when I'm we just showcased to beat by father better team
yeah, and I am kind of
Speechless because I'm replaying that whole best of three in my mind right now
I'm kind of reflecting on what really happened and I found myself
I'm gonna be honest I found myself on ancient almost like this is over like there's no way
and then, one hour later, they were having match point on the third map and having it done in such a convincing fashion is just, wow.
Props to the mental fond shoots coming out of Navi as well. We got some words from Alexi on the situation. Back on that inferno, James posed the question,
how did you feel after those moments where you fumbled the back? Alexi says, I mean, honest or not, him going outside, laughing about them, brushing them off, putting them under the rug, probably,
because I guess that's all you can do in those moments.
That is all you can do and it sounds so easy to say that let's just forget about it, let's just focus on ancient.
Let's not make it play a big role in our minds that we did fumble the back, that we did fumble a couple of rounds,
but to do it, you know, to actually practice it in order to go into the server and then come back on ancient as well.
As you said, Stukko, base were leading 10-4.
You think to yourself the game is over, face got away with a steal on Inferno, they were playing great on ancient.
The game is supposed to be over, Keregan is supposed to head into the grand final, but Navi found a way to fight back
and I guess it's beautiful summarized with that wonderful clutch heading into the final round.
Beautiful, multiple resets, mental resets for Navi throughout the whole best of three.
And you know, I have to say, and give credit and props as well to the psychological aspect of Navi
because they're clearly working with probably one of the best that they can have in the field
and props to the whole staff behind Na'Vi who are responsible for this thing
because they time and time again show that mental part of CS is actually the most huge.
Definitely, but the FaZe does unfortunately mean the end of the line.
And once again, for Karrigan, Denmark will indeed want him.
So let's get a few defining words courtesy of him and Banks.
FaZe Clan aren't able to get it over the road when it comes to Na'Vi this time.
And Karrigan, for you, I think this might hurt a bit more
because it seems to be like Copenhagen is cursed for you at this point, mate.
Do you start to think that?
Not really. I mean, there's some finals we could have won, maybe.
But in the end, we played a better team today.
And we tried to avoid some of their strengths and map pools,
that's why Nubis came in as third.
So yeah, I'm a little frustrated that I don't manage to bring
at least two overtime on Ancient. I feel I had that one-on-one.
It happens, so I don't really think about it anymore.
happened to many players before and it's also going to happen to me.
But I think we showed a strong resilience, especially on the first map.
So there's positive, but I'm very competitive so right now I'm pissed.
And in terms of being pissed right when it comes to that, how much does that sit with
Ancient and maybe not being able to show your game on Nubis?
Because like what we saw in this Ancient, you had such a good lead in it.
We know how good they can be on it. It is their pick as well.
But there was many moments where everyone was able to come together
and make the right calls and it must feel like that little bit more painful.
I mean, Anubis didn't think about it at all. It's probably unprofessional.
My thought was, we just did the same thing to them in Fernal. They did the same thing to us in Ancient, right?
So it's not on even maps. They managed to get really good grasp on Anubis and it's really hard to recover.
I think we did some more adeption, but in the end they had to big lead.
But obviously, Ancient, I feel like we had a chance, just like they had a chance on Inferno.
So I just think on the first two maps, two great teams played each other.
both teams showed very strong mentality today and in the end I think
mentality-wise they won and that's why Nubis was so hard to play in the end.
Let's talk about some positives though. We've seen better results now from Faze.
Are you happy with what you were able to show here in some development?
Yeah, I mean, his baby steps right. We have been deep down in Islam. For me it's
about seeing we can bring consistency to the next tournament. I had a small
dream about winning this tournament yesterday after the game we played against Liquid
And that's why I'm a little disappointed now.
If you ask me before the Liquid game, if you think you can win tournament, I would say small chance.
But obviously after Liquid I feel like we had something good going and sometimes a bit of momentum.
But we play the best team in the world and that's the reason why we are not at our best right now.
And that's why it's a hard game especially on the footmap.
Thank you for your time. Sorry to see you again, man.
Really appreciate the honesty coming out of Caraghan because a fair play to a myth.
to a myth. I was in that situation after the absolute dismantling that they handed to Liquid
just yesterday. I would be feeling myself, or I'd be feeling like I was back in that phase form
that we wanted them to be delivering here. Yeah, I think Kerrigan is being brutally honest right
here with us and himself for the fact of the matter is that one game doesn't change what
we've seen from Faze the past three or four months. I know what we got to see versus Liquid
yesterday was a positive sign. Rob's coming alive. And that's why we hyped up this game
as well and that's why they were close knocking out Navi. Let's be honest, 10-4 on ancient, but
it is not taking away from the struggles and the issues that FaZe have had over three or four
months. Those she just has removed by one game. Check in with the player bracket story, Suko,
to just see exactly how FaZe ended up in the situation and how we do indeed see the grand final
shaping up because it is indeed Navi versus G2. Best of five, that's going to be a crazy one,
Seco. Yeah best of five honestly Navi broke the curse finally at APL so you know beating that
Eternal Fire is going to be obviously great sign for them but G2 are making it maybe
a little bit deep into the tournament and some would predict best of five are they ready for it.
That is indeed the question you know what I've got another question for you Jacob I'll trade it
plays of the day what are we looking at here we're on our three options. I think we're
We're gonna look at the the Nico show because he was definitely the star of the day the first one right here is him going
Absolutely ballistic with the AK-47 honestly
What could have been play of the year play of maybe ever in CS 2 and a play that came so so close one bullet away from removing apex
Nicely done. What followed right after is the play of the day number two
Smash is kind of
Showing you how much it means to the G2 to play on the stage to perform in this kind of level and even
Little bleeding there, but at the same time Nico was able to put up a show later on
We're considering that over time and he was just honesty is that there was such a powerful punch to that table
And I guess that's option number three. Nico with the table
Walking away with a spot inside the grand final and his very own table
I don't know if he gets to bring it home. He gets to sign it as well
I know I just want to see him and I want to see the footage from him trying to check in the the table at the airport
You know so rumors out that the production right now are keeping track of it
But honestly give it to Nico and let him try to check it in
I'm sure there's many a fan that are keen to be getting their hands
We could or Nico could just take on put it on his wall and maybe have it as his greatest achievement of all time
Anyway, I'm talking of great achievements. We can check in with our GG bet predictions
Stiko, the killer this morning, absolutely murdering Anders, quite literally, zero lives
left, he's not in the game anymore, we're all pretty safe there, we were equally as bad
in the first game and then we were fine in the second game, so I think Han checks around
gentlemen, yeah, most of us go around, just no.
Yeah, I mean it was a bit of a surprise that T2 ended up winning against Vitality and
one could argue that they shouldn't have, again, Vitality had three match points
up, 12-9, couldn't get it done, but Niko, you wanted it differently.
We've got the three gentlemen on the left or on the right. Sorry. They're going to be stealing. So in the shuttle back, I advise you all to just be really nice.
Just be really nice to them. Yeah. Jacob, can you do that?
I can try.
Okay. MVP poll. That is what we're going to be talking about next. And if you're watching everyone on Blast TV, you can vote.
We've got six options for you to be voting for. We've got Emma Bitt, Wonderful, Mavs, Nico and Munna C. All players that we will be finding rather in our grand final tomorrow.
Any names sticking out for you, Jacob?
I think wonderful so far the fact that he booked the spot inside the final defect that he's had so much impact throughout the tournament
He's a pretty good candidate as of right now that clutch alone
I think gives him the crown for my money
But we're gonna have to see exactly how they do fair against G2 tomorrow
We take a look at tomorrow's schedule as it is the coveted grand final
We have all been waiting for a best of five banger starting off at 4 p.m.
Stiko this is gonna be this is gonna be amazing. Yeah best of five
We're not gonna see vertigo there. I'm pretty sure which always suggest a good series
And it's also the the contrast of teams. I just want to leave you guys with that one as well
I just want to give you a little tip in you know in order to tune in for tomorrow
You have the team play at the synergy you have the mastermind blade and LXB
Going up against the team that apex label as the least technical team that he's played in a long time
So for my money, it's in the visuals for the team tomorrow and we'll see who's the better one gentlemen
I want to say a heartfelt thank you for joining me uphill near to some house and bang and game steco
You've had a bit of a baptism by fire
I thank you so much for joining us in all those fill segments putting up with this man's
Shiz all day long and we've got one more day tomorrow
We're gonna be seeing you tomorrow 4 p.m. Local time for joining us in Europe for that grand final except the pin packer