Natus Vincere defeat fnatic; book playoff spot

Natus Vincere have secured their place in the FACEIT Major New Champions Stage after defeating fnatic 16-9 on Mirage.

The second match of the 2-1 pool between Natus Vincere and fnatic began on Mirage. The Swedes got things started by securing the chaotic T pistol, before locking down the following anti-eco. Although a lopsided round by fnatic gave Na`Vi the edge to secure their first, it paved the way for the CTs to lock down their second (2-2).

A change of pace from fnatic saw Richard "⁠Xizt⁠" Landström and co. secure two in a row, forcing Natus Vincere to save on both occasions. Eventually, Na`Vi would hold the line to pick up their third, but swiftly, fnatic fired back, winning three straight to make it 7-3.

With money in the bank, Natus Vincere picked up their fourth of the half and kept their wits together to lock down four rounds to edge the first half with an 8-7 scoreline.

In the second half, Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov got things started with a triple-kill, followed by a knife in the back from Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev to claim the T pistol. Na`Vi went on to secure the following anti-ecos, but the first gun round would favor the Swedes (11-8).

Natus Vincere got right back to it with a swift plant on A, forcing three fnatic members to save, which didn't pay off in the end as Na`Vi hounded on the CTs to win the next four out of five rounds to close the 16-9 map victory, and book their playoff spot in the New Champions Stage.