The ICE Challenge Playoffs have reached their peak. After receiving the first-round byes from Group Stage, Mousesports and Natus Vincere have advanced to the Grand Finals. While this result was expected, the path to this point was full of surprises.
S1mple and Na’Vi advance to face mousesports in the ICE Challenge Finals.(Photo courtesy HLTV)
Quarterfinals
The first quarterfinal matchup was slated to be a close one. Both MAD Lions and OG came in trying to prove themselves as an upper level squad. Once the match started however, it was clear which team was superior. MAD Lions were able to take both Nuke and Train with 16-12 score lines. They looked to be firing on all cylinders as every player chimed in for this performance.
In the only true upset of the Playoffs, a GODSENT squad, who wasn’t even supposed to make it out of Groups, won their Quarterfinals match. Virtus.pro was on the receiving end of a 2-0 on Dust II and Vertigo. GODSENT’s strong performance can be attributed to Pavle “Maden” Bošković and Martin “STYKO” Styk. Both players dropped 40 frags in the match.
Semifinals
The tournament favorites mousesports had a much more difficult time then anticipated. A supposedly easy matchup turned into the only three map series in Playoffs so far. MAD Lions pulled out a pocket Vertigo pick which mousesports weren’t as familiar with. The result was a 16-13 win spearheaded by Rasmus “Sjuush” Beck.
Mousesports quickly brought the series back to even after dominating their Dust II pick 16-4. The tiebreaker map would be Nuke. Mousesports started off on the favored CT side and only managed nine rounds. MAD Lions were on the path to victory after going up 11-10 in the second half. That was until mousesports launched an all-out attack to win six of the final seven rounds and the series.
