fnatic win IEM Katowice 2016

 

Luminosity were off to a great start on the CT side of de_overpass, as the Brazilians were able to capitalize on the pistol round and follow it up winning six rounds in a row until fnatic were finally able to pick up their first.

A 1vs1 clutch in the eighth by Fernando "⁠fer⁠" Alvarenga gave Brazil the 7-1 advantage, putting fnatic on the back foot as their economic got reset. At 8-1, fnatic already called their first time out of the match to try and stop LG’s momentum. fnatic got a two man lead straight out of the timeout, but a triple by Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo allowed a 1vs1 to be played between Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo and Robin "⁠flusha⁠" Rönnquist, which the former eventually won to keep fnatic under water. 

IEM Katowice’s very own big ears

LG kept the brick wall up, and chained rounds together all the way up to 11-1, losing the 13th to a forceful push onto A by the Swedish side. Luminosity stiffled the comeback dream quickly, though, closing the half at 12-3 with an impressive no-scope AWP shot by FalleN to clutch, defuse, and pocket the last round.

An ace clutch in the pistol round by Lincoln "⁠fnx⁠" Lau absolutely shattered fnatic, but only momentarily as the Swedes were able to rally together and win the eco with a pistols and armor buy. fnatic, having nothing to lose, went on the offensive in the following rounds neutralizing Luminosity completely. 

Not being able to close on de_overpass cost Luminosity dearly

Grinding rounds out, fnatic were able to bring the match back to a 13-8, but a perfect entry on A by the Brazilians got them the 14th and the light at the end of the tunnel. The Swedish side wasn’t giving up, though, and forced Luminosity into a tactical pause at 14-10. Five rounds later, fnatic had the match point, but in a last ditch effort Luminosity won their third round of the half to bring it to overtime thanks to a great play by TACO.

The same player gave his team the first round of the overtime with some pinpoint aim, breaking the 30 frag barrier on the first round of overtime. Both teams then traded rounds and ended the half 17-16.

After two rounds as terrorists, fnatic found themselves once again on the match point, 17-18, a point they would go on to bag the following round.

The second map played in Katowice was de_cache, and LG flew through the pistol round with TACO opening with a double and fer slicing through flusha like butter. fnatic had enough for a buy on the third round, which they went on to take after an A execute which caught Luminosity out of position. 

fnatic had perfect composure during the match

The Swedish side was then able to carry that momentum forward winning five straight rounds until Luminosity were able to put another one up on the board. fnatic were able to take the next two rounds, though, and increase their lead casting doubts on LG’s ability to stop fnatic on this map.

Rounds kept being racked up by fnatic, as none of LG’s adjustments in mid were able to garner them control, something which the Swedish team used to punish their adversaries time and time again closing the side 12-3. A 4on4 retake by fnatic on A gave them the first round of the half, catapulting them to a 16-3 victory. 

Luminosity bagged the pistol round once again, this time as CTs on de_inferno. A 1on3 clutch from pit by fnx allowed the Brazilian team to keep the momentum in the first gun round. After losing the following eco, fnatic weren’t quite ready to let the game slip away, though, and they were able to get on the board in sixth. Their attempts were rendered futile on the next round, however, as the Brazilian team retook the B site to force fnatic back into an eco, and putting themselves ahead 7-1.

dennis was crucial to fnatic’s comeback on de_inferno

LG locked the map down denied fnatic over and over again, giving up only two more rounds before the half. flusha was able to clutch a 1v2 after plan on B in the pistol round to keep fnatic’s hopes alive on the CT side and try to mimic the outcome from Overpass.

Luminosity was able to stop fnatic's momentum after four rounds, tallying their 13th, but weren’t able to follow it up, having their economy reset and fnatic starting to get back into the game with eight rounds of their own. 

Luminosity won a Tec 9 push on B to take the 14th round, but couldn't seem to string two rounds together despite fnatic having a complicated financial situation, and the Swedes were able to get themselves within two, at 14-12. 

Luminosity's worst nightmares became true as fnatic just kept plowing through rounds, eventually taking the lead and the tournament point, 15-12, thanks to a swift triple by flusha. The match wouldn’t end quite yet as Luminosity kept the match alive by sheer willpower and taking it to overtime.

Will was not enough in the end and the Swedes showed why they're number one by winning the first three of overtime, and wrapping it up speedily in the fourth and final round take home the $100,000 prize allotted to the champion. 

IEM Katowice 2016 final standings:

1. fnatic - $104,000
2. Luminosity - $44,000
3-4. Astralis - $25,000
3-4. Null element Na`Vi - $23,000
5-6. Tempo Storm - $13,000
5-6. Virtus.pro - $13,000
7-8. FaZe - $7,000
7-8. mousesports - $7,000
9-10. NiP - $5,000
9-10. E-frag.net - $4,000
11-12. EnVyUs - $3,000
11-12. TheMongolz - $2,000