NAVI Claims First CS2 Trophy of the Season at Esports World Cup

CS2 at the Esports World Cup has come to a close. NAVI pulled off a reverse sweep in the Grand Finals against G2 Esports to earn the title. This win marks NAVI’s second trophy of 2024, casting aside much of the doubt that surrounded them after their surprise Copenhagen Major victory.

IT'S @natusvincere WHO LIFT THE #EsportsWorldCup #CS2 TROPHY 🏆🏆

Congratulations, you've earned it! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nvWa8Kg3GV

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 21, 2024

The Gauntlet Run Begins

After taking down FURIA 2-0 in their Opening Stage match, NAVI found themselves on the brutal side of the Esports World Cup bracket. They had FaZe Clan first up.

NAVI found a reliable map in Mirage, and though it came down to the wire, they would take it 13-10. On FaZe’s home ground of Nuke, they found a strong five rounds on the T side. With the momentum up for grabs in the second pistol, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy clutched up 1v2 to extend NAVI’s lead.

That play would be crucial as Nuke made its way to Overtime. Once there, though, it was all NAVI. Four rounds in a row clinched the map 16-12 as NAVI flew past FaZe. Already, we were seeing peak form out of b1t. His 1.36 rating topped the server by a large margin.

The road didn’t get any easier for NAVI with MOUZ up next. The young squad looked to be getting over their Arena jitters at EWC. Map one of Dust 2 was a total steamroll. NAVI only got one round, despite it being their map pick, as MOUZ speedran to a 13-1 victory.

Though alarm bells were ringing, NAVI didn’t lose composure. On MOUZ’s Nuke pick, NAVI kept it close on defense. On offense, Mihai “iM” Ivan and Justinas “jL” Lekavicius tore through MOUZ, amassing 10 and 11 kills, respectively, in just nine rounds. Suddenly, NAVI had taken MOUZ’s map 13-8 and sent the series to a tiebreaker.

Mirage was the last map and one that NAVI had confidence in. Their CT side was stalwart, allowing only three rounds for MOUZ. A short stint on T was all NAVI needed to close out 13-5 and book a spot in the Esports World Cup Grand Finals.

Changed Squad vs. Same Squad

The Grand Finals matchup featured NAVI, a team that made no changes going into the player break, and G2 Esports, a team that changed almost half of its roster. Seeing how this new look G2 would do was one of the biggest attractions at this EWC tournament, and the result was as good as anyone could have hoped for.

With the trophy on the line, the teams took to the server. First up was Ancient, courtesy of G2. Despite a hot start on the T side for them, NAVI put up a similar score on their attempt. Back-to-back 8-4 halves required an overtime already. Sure enough, it was G2’s playmakers who got them over the line. A flawless B rush from Mario followed Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov’s stunning 1v3 clutch “malbsMd” Samayoa to claim the map 16-14.

ANOTHER MASTERCLASS FROM @G2m0NESY 💯#CS2 #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/c3pjPoSVpl

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 21, 2024

With their backs against the wall, NAVI headed to Nuke. Their wins over FaZe and MOUZ on the map gave them confidence, which they rode out. Despite the usual G2 stars making a few waves, NAVI responded with overwhelming team play and consistency. B1t topped the server with 17 kills and jL wasn’t far behind at 15. No NAVI player went negative as they convincingly took Nuke 13-6.

The Day Belongs to NAVI

With the momentum now on NAVI’s side, the teams headed to Inferno for the final map of the Esports World Cup. Despite losing the opening pistol, G2 forced up on the CT side and took the second round. Unfortunately for them, that was the end of their celebrations.

NAVI’s T side counter force, without bomb plant money to boot, was enough to overwhelm G2 and turn the tides right back in their favor. When G2 lost the next round as well, they had lost the force buy war and been set back quite far. The next time that G2 sniffed the scoreboard was in round 10.

As NAVI’s players rose to higher highs, G2’s were crushed under the pressure. M0NESY was firmly contained, and Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač was having one of his worst maps since CS2 came out. There was simply no response, as NAVI put this one in.

With a final score of 13-6 on Inferno, NAVI completed the reverse sweep to claim the Esports World Cup trophy for CS2.

The moment in which history was written! 📜

CONGRATULATIONS @natusvincere #CS2 #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/AIhqFNMCTr

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 21, 2024

This win is significant for NAVI as a team. Just a few months ago, their Major victory was called into question as a fluke. They seemingly couldn’t replicate the same level of success at any of the following events. Well, now they have. Every one of the top seven teams in the world was here, and NAVI took down half themselves.

Additionally, NAVI has now moved into the top three in the race for the Esports World Cup Club Championship. They still have teams in multiple games remaining, so it’s very likely that they’ll end up in the top eight guaranteed, or even higher, and snatch up a nice bonus check. Stay tuned to Hotspawn for more Esports World Cup coverage.