The final Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike event of 2024 has come to a close. Navi won IEM Rio after besting MOUZ 3-1 in the grand finals. This victory is a sweet one for Navi, but especially so for IGL Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen who got to lift his first ever IEM trophy after playing in 7 IEM grand finals during his career.
Said trophy is going right into Navi’s extensive 2024 cabinet. They’ve now won four S Tier events this year and have made the Grand Final of the past six S tier tournaments. Sure, they’ve got their haters but no team in the world is hotter than Navi right now. They show no signs of slowing down as the BLAST World Final and Shanghai Major draw nearer.
A Dream for NAVI
IEM has been something of thorn in the side of Aleksib going back over the years. Despite 6 second place finishes, there are plenty of others where he struggled to get above 9th place. After such a long career, why did it take so long to lift this particular trophy?
Navi had some fairly smooth sailing through this tournament, silencing those who have called their success a fluke over the past few months. After holding their place in the upper bracket during groups, they knocked out Virtus.Pro and Heroic on their way to the finals.
The finals started off well but things started to slip in map 3 before looking truly dire in the first half of map 4. Through it all, IGL Aleksib kept the team calm and even when it looked like MOUZ were primed for a reverse sweep on Ancient, telling the team how MOUZ were simply getting lucky.
"They're getting f*cking lucky guys, but we can f*cking bring it back"
The speech that turned the tides#IEM @AleksibCSGO pic.twitter.com/uGh4iC4hLu
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
Never rest on your laurels
Navi’s map pick was Dust2. The last time these teams played the map against each other at the Esports World Cup, MOUZ embarrassed Navi 13-1. This time, Navi returned the favor. MOUZ stood no chance as NAVI broke the door down over and over on offense. The half ended 10-2, and even that painted a generous picture. NAVI swept their CT side with a quick 3-0, ending Dust2 13-2 and putting Navi on Championship Point.
Perhaps it was over confidence from Navi or determination from MOUZ but it really came down to the last few rounds on map 4 (Ancient) for Navi to make the ultimate comeback and take the final W.
A true IGL at IEM Rio
Aleksib has always been more of a leader than a player and he really showed his skills in this final. He revealed on X after the finals that he was struggling with grief after losing someone close to him. He apologized to fans for not attending the signing session, understandable considering the circumstances.
Mental fortitude is the sign of a strong leader in CS and this certainly goes a long way to explain Aleksi’s uncharacteristically emotional response to the win. The Aleksi we saw win the PGL Copenhagen Major was very different to the one who lifted the IEM Rio trophy.
