G2 and Na’Vi to Meet in IEM Katowice Grand Finals

G2 won their fourth pistol round in a row, extending their lead to six. Fnatic’s defense came out on top in the A site to close the gap. G2 then rushed B countless times to earn the 15-8 match point. Fnatic were still not ready to die as they pulled back four in a row. In round 28, Fnatic was looking to retake the B site and defuse the bomb. HuNter– denied it just in time to steal the round and end the series with a 16-12 win.

Astralis 0 – 2 Natus Vincere

Na’Vi picked Dust2 to start the second IEM semifinal matchup. They earned a 3-0 lead on the T side before Astralis took the first gun round. With economies on the line in round four, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev started to heat up with a 3K.

From there, Na’Vi unleashed their full power against Astralis. Every single round left in the half went the way of Na’Vi. All of their players were on point, hitting their entries without fail. Leading them was s1mple who amassed a 25-11 KDA, 123.5 ADR, and a 2.09 HLTV rating. A 14-1 score line was the result.

Na’Vi even took the second pistol round to earn match point. Astralis stalled for four rounds before Denis “electronic” Sharipov ended the game with a Catwalk hold. Dust2 went to Na’Vi 16-5.

Astralis chose their iconic Nuke to try and push the series further. While they did barely win the pistol round, Na’Vi’s CT force buy stole the second round. The first Astralis full buy was erased immediately as Egor “flamie” Vasilev gunned down all five members in Ramp.

Na’Vi’s dominance continued on Nuke, every duel going in their favor. Astralis were utterly embarrassed as Na’Vi took a 13-2 half time lead.

Astralis won the first three rounds, but then gave up a save round as Na’Vi slowly played the B bombsite. Two rounds later, Na’Vi completed the 2-0 thrashing of the world’s best team by taking Nuke 16-5.

Finals Preview

The stage is set for the IEM Katowice Grand Finals. On one side is G2, a team who has hit their stride, as of late. Their storied players like kennyS have turned back the clock, while their younger players like nexa have come into their own. On the other side is Na’Vi, a squad who have finally found consistency. Led by the best player in the world, s1mple, the rest of the team has raised their level to match him. This matchup will ignite the (empty) Spodek at 7:00 a.m. PST, you won’t want to miss it.