NaVi takes down Heroic with 2-1 victory
The CIS machine is continuing to mow down every opponent in its way
BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021 is well underway and we are currently on the second day of the event. With nothing but tier-one teams fighting against each other at the event, it is sure to be intense and exciting all the way throughout. The first Bo3-series on the second day of the event saw the Danish Heroic roster face Natus Vincere. Whilst the Danes have done more than enough to prove themselves as a real contender, their opponents in Natus Vincere seem almost unbeatable at this moment of time. Whilst “cadiaN” and his troops fought a brave battle and forced all three maps to come into play, it was not enough to beat an in-form NaVi roster. With “s1mple” leading his team as always, it was Natus Vincere to take home the victory in an otherwise close and intense Bo3-series and add another victory to their current 8 win-streak.
The first map was the choice of Heroic and saw the Bo3-series start on Inferno. Whilst Inferno is a map that NaVi are more than familiar with it is also a map that often facilitates close matches, something that Heroic needed to have happened. After losing the pistol-round, Heroic quickly bounced back and posted a strong 3-1 start to Inferno. This, however, didn’t last for long as Natus Vincere were quick to regain control. At 8-3, it seemed as if Heroic had thrown away their T-side on Inferno. Managing to regain momentum the Danes threw together a couple of rounds and made the scoreline somewhat respectable at halftime at 9-6, favoring NaVi. The second half carried on as the first had played out. It wasn’t a one-sided affair by any means; however, it was clear that NaVi had the slight edge. Never allowing the victory to run away from them it was the CIS giants of NaVi to close out Inferno at 16-11.
The second map of the series was to be played on Mirage and was, of course, picked by NaVi. With a win rate of 80% in the past three months (10 matches), it seemed a daunting thought for Heroic to face NaVi on the soil of Mirage. Once the map of Mirage had begun, however, a completely different story began to unfold. The Danes seemed fired up from the get-go and left little room for NaVi to find their footing on their T-side of Mirage. At the impressive scoreline of 10-5, all Heroic had to do was to finish what they had started. At first, this looked like an easy task for the Danes. Stringing together five rounds they found themselves on map-point at 15-5. Perhaps taking the victory on Mirage for granted, suddenly the Danes found themselves in a world of hurt. NaVi began to assemble an incredible comeback and won 9 rounds in a row. In the final round of regulation time, however, Heroic managed to best NaVi and take home Mirage at the intense scoreline of 16-14.
With both teams now fired up and eager to win it was only fitting that the third and final map was to be played on Overpass - a map that both teams are phenomenal on. Whether it would be Heroic with their quick and dreaded rotations or NaVi with their calculated executes to take home the victory only time could tell. It was Heroic to start the strongest securing the first three rounds of Overpass. Not long after, however, the NaVi machine woke up and began to secure round after round. At 10-5, it seemed a tall task for the Heroic boys to overcome their opponent. Starting, once again, with confidence and intent, the Danes refused to give up and began nullifying NaVi’s lead. Ultimately, the close and intense battle on Overpass was won by “s1mple” and his troops. At 16-12, they were able to walk away with a 2-1 victory against Heroic and keep their win-streak alive.
Highlight of the BO3-series
Natus Vincere – Heroic (2-0) | BLAST Fall Final 2021 (Upper Bracket)
16-11 (Inferno) | 
16-14 (Mirage) |
16-12 (Overpass) |
MVP:
