Na`Vi beat NiP to win StarSeries IX

Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund scored three kills on the opening pistol round to start the grand final, but Danilo "Zeus" Teslenko's one-on-one secured Na`Vi yet another pistol round.

Alesund's Scout kill led to Na`Vi getting picked apart and NiP won round two, forcing Na`Vi on a save. The CIS-based team quickly tied the game with a mid-to-B hit, though allowing three NiP players to save.

Two AWP kills by Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson put NiP up 3-2, but the home team once more replied by taking out NiP's B defense. Next  round saw Alesund best Sergey "starix" Ischuk in a one-on-one.

Then Adam "friberg" Friberg and Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg mowed down Na`Vi's predictable mid-to-B hit, and after one more win NiP were up 6-3. Then problems struck, as Na`Vi won a CZ75 save round.

friberg had some big rounds helping NiP go up 6-3 

NiP were forced to save, and their A defense was then split from long and catwalk to tie the game with Ioann "Edward" Sukhariev getting two kills. Next round followed the same path, and Na`Vi went into the lead.

Despite Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács' pick early on, NiP tied the game with Richard "Xizt" Landström's triple, and went up 8-7 thanks to a pair of kills from both Landström and Alesund.

The Swedes once more went for their quick A attack pistol round, and after a scare on round two, that saw Johansson get three kills to secure NiP the round, they were up 11-7.

Natus Vincere then stopped NiP in A, and Sukhariev's triple in a retake got them within two. Next two rounds went to Sukhariev's side as well, with him scoring two kills to tie it at eleven.

Edward woke up just in time to help Na`Vi come back on de_dust2 

NiP lost one more round in a row before Johansson and Friberg overcame Denis "seized" Kostin's double to tie it up once more. Then Ischuk's lower B push, and one kill later on, gave Na`Vi control.

The Ninjas had to save, and despite getting three frags were trailing 12-14. Kostin's triple, in a round that saw Na`Vi stack A with five players, saw them gain map point on de_dust2.

NiP survived the first one thanks to Johansson's two kills in a two-on-two at A, but the home team secured a two-on-two situation in their favor in B the next round to win the map 16-13.

Sukhariev and Ischuk combined for five kills to win the terrorist pistol round of de_inferno. Na`Vi went up 3-0, and Kovács' two AK kills in A quickly made it 5-0, despite Friberg's two save round kills in banana.

GeT_RiGhT couldn't turn this game around for his team 

The Swedes won a three-on-three after plant in B to get on the board, and Friberg's important kills in B the next round gave them a second round. Then Kostin took over for the next rounds.

The young Russian first got a quad kill in A to make it 6-2, and then his two entries, with three late round kills from Kovács put Na`Vi up 7-2, forcing NiP on a save round and effectively making it 8-2.

Alesund's triple kill in banana started NiP's comeback, and Friberg's one-on-one beat Ischuk's triple right after. Landström then scored three AWP kills, bringing his side within two.

The Ninjas' defense seemed inpenetrable, as Johansson scored three M4A4 kills in lane and the half ended with NiP stopping another Na`Vi A attack, winning their fifth round in a row.

seized won Na`Vi the most important rounds on the deciding map 

Only trailing 7-8, NiP wasted no time in rushing the A bombsite to start the second half, with Lindberg and Landström winning them the pistol. Tied at eight, it seemed NiP were once again in control.

That illusion faded quickly, with Kostin stepping up and scoring three huge MAG-7 kills in B to give Na`Vi the lead. NiP's force buy was stopped by doubles from Kovács and Ischuk, and they were forced to save.

Aggressive play in halls and B got Na`Vi two entries, and Kostin's two kills in the middle secured his team their twelfth round. After a save, NiP found themselves trailing 8-14 in front of the loud Ukrainian crowd.

The Swedes got the entries into A, but Sukhariev and Ischuk cleaned up the site in a retake, giving them round fourteen. Sukhariev's big kills gave them game point, and one round later NiP were stopped for good, 16-8 and 2-0 overall.

SLTV StarSeries IX Finals final standings:

1. Natus Vincere - $14,000
2. NiP - $7,000
3. Titan - $5,000
4. Virtus.pro - $4,000

This concludes our SLTV StarSeries IX Finals coverage, but you can look forward to some post-event articles in the next two weeks to wrap up the event for good.