Na`Vi move past FaZe into EPICENTER semi-finals

Natus Vincere are the first team through to the semi-finals of EPICENTER 2018 after defeating FaZe in a two-map series in Group A's winners' match.

The first winners' match of the tournament began on Train, Na`Vi's map pick, with the Ukrainians looking well off the pace at the start of the game as they found themselves trailing their opponents by seven rounds. Things were starting to look grim for the Ukrainian side, but then they found a lifeline after winning three rounds in a row, with the half ending with a competitive 9-6 scoreline in FaZe's favour.

A trio of kills by Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov in the second pistol allowed Na`Vi to cut the deficit to just two rounds. FaZe tried to respond in the third round with a full buy but were shut down by Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev on the inner site, with Na`Vi taking that chance to grab the lead for the first time since the start of the game.

After getting their economy back on track, FaZe regained control of proceedings and retook the lead, but then they gifted Na`Vi a way back into the game in the 23rd round, when they lost an anti-eco round after allowing electroNic to come out on top of a 1v3 situation. FaZe responded in the next round by overcoming a two-man disadvantage, but the Ukrainian side were unimpressed and went on a five-round streak to take the map at 16-13.

FaZe entered Overpass looking to secure their map pick and won the pistol round, but things quickly soured for them. Na`Vi responded immediately on a force buy and went on a massive run, hitting double digits without losing any more rounds as FaZe looked incapable of finding a way through the CTs. Down 10-1, the European mixture dug deep to try to salvage something from this half, but they only got two more rounds before switching sides.

The second half began in the same vein, with FaZe winning the pistol round, only to lose the next round. Na`Vi rode that momentum and quickly hit match point, and though FaZe still tried to respond, it was simply too little, too late, as the CIS giants would wrap things up in the 21st round.

Following this defeat, FaZe will fight for their tournament lives in the first round of the playoffs, against Ninjas in Pyjamas, on Saturday at 16:00 . As for Danylo "⁠Zeus⁠" Teslenkos' men, they will take on the winner of the match between HellRaisers and the runner-up of Group B in the first semi-final bout, only on Sunday.