NRG sweep Gambit; move on to grand final

NRG defeat Gambit 2-0 (16-8 on Train and 16-3 on Overpass) and will face TYLOO in the IEM Shanghai 2018 final.

The semi-final kicked off on Gambit's map pick, Train, where the T-side quickly planted on B, but a swift triple-kill retake from Tsvetelin "⁠CeRq⁠" Dimitrov secured the pistol for NRG. A quad-kill from Jacob "⁠FugLy⁠" Medina in the following round made it 2-0, but Dauren "⁠AdreN⁠" Kystaubayev's triple-entry on A pulled the deficit back, winning Gambit's first of the half.

The Kazakh-Russian side then picked up their second, but NRG kept their defenses tight, locking down five in a row on the CT-side, before Gambit finally snapped the streak, making it 3-7. Gambit then began to spread the NRG defense thin, winning three of the next five rounds, before NRG settled the half with a 9-6 score at halftime.

The second half saw NRG come out of the gates red-hot securing the T pistol and marching on to win the following anti-ecos. It wasn't until a lopsided round that granted Gambit their first in the second half. However, Gambits' defense played rather loose in the following round, which allowed NRG to pounce, winning four straight to secure the 16-8 map victory.

The series then moved on to Overpass, NRG's pick, where the Kazakh-Russian side nearly secured the CT pistol, but without kits, the round went to NRG. The North American side went on to secure the following anti-ecos, but a firm hold from Gambit granted their first of the half.

NRG got back in the thick of things, with FugLy's triple-kill to earn their fourth of the half, which then led the T-side to rack up eight in a row for an 11-1 lead. It wasn't until the 13th round when Gambit were able to secure their second of the half, but in the end, NRG made it a 12-3 half in their favor.

In the second half, Ethan "⁠Ethan⁠" Arnold held the line on A with a quad-kill to secure the CT pistol, before FugLy came up with a quad-kill of his own in the following anti-eco to make it 14-3. NRG went on to reach match point, where they eventually went on to secure the 16-3 victory and the 2-0 series to book their spot in the grand final.