It was an intense match between NAVI and Heroic in the IEM Rio Semifinal where both teams were fighting for a chance to compete in the Grand Finals. Though the teams had different routes to the semifinals, every team understood that a loss would mean that they are out of the competition. NAVI came into the match as strong favorites, but Heroic had the chance to show that they could compete with the best teams in the world.
NAVI vs Heroic: A High-Stakes Showdown
NAVI, one of the giants of Counter-Strike, came to this series on the back of a Group A upper bracket run. They dismantled teams such as Imperial Esports, Team Liquid, and FURIA, winning 2-0, including a spectacular win against FURIA that proved that they are back in business. In the quarterfinals, NAVI played against Virtus.Pro, which they easily defeated to advance to the semifinals.
NAVI has a strong roster of players, but jL has been one of the most impactful players in the tournament. He has been very aggressive in his play style and this has been very crucial in making his teammates take strategic positions on the map, thus giving NAVI a big advantage.
On the other side, the journey of Heroic has not been as smooth as the one of the other companies. The team recently signed Degster in May and has been trying to assimilate him into the team. But their performances have been poor; they have been unable to qualify for top eight in major events most of the time, a far cry from the Heroic team that used to compete with the best teams. This event, however, saw a spark of their old form of play, and they were able to create some chances which they failed to capitalize on.
Heroic had a good run through the Group B upper bracket, they were unbeaten after defeating MongolZ and Team Vitality. One of the most notable wins was 2-0 against Vitality, while TeSeS had 41 kills in total for the two maps. Heroic qualified for the semifinals on the back of a string of victories, but the question was whether they could beat NAVI.
The Semifinal Series: A Battle to the Wire
The series began with a surprise as Heroic took the first map, Ancient. Beginning the CT side, Heroic quickly went 7-1 on NAVI, constantly putting pressure on the CIS team. Even though NAVI tried to level the score in the later stages of the match, Heroic was too strong in the beginning, and they won Ancient 13-9, which gave them a significant lead in the series.
But NAVI were far from out of it. The second map was Dust 2 and it was a very close one. Heroic began to dominate again and took a 9-3 lead on the T-side, thanks to some great plays from NertZ. But NAVI did not surrender to the pressure. They fought back to level the game to 12-12 and thus the game went into overtime. In the additional maps, NAVI showed their experience and endurance, taking Dust 2 from Heroic and bringing the series to a 1-1 tie.
Having gained the momentum, NAVI went to the final map, Mirage, with confidence. Historically one of NAVI’s best maps, they didn’t lose any time in showing their supremacy. Even though Heroic tried their best, they were unable to keep up with the speed and accuracy of NAVI. NAVI dictated the pace from beginning to end, winning the series 2-1 and earning their spot in the IEM Rio Major Finals.
NAVI’s Road to the Grand Finals
Thus, NAVI won a very tense match and move on to the Grand Finals where they will play with the winner of FURIA and MOUZ. They have been impressive throughout the tournament and are now the favorites to win, but the Grand Finals will be the true measure of their form.
This will be a bitter pill to swallow for Heroic, but their performance against NAVI proves that they can compete with the best teams in the world. They may have been knocked out in the semifinals, but they are taking home some experience and a little light at the end of the tunnel.
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