Windigo upset MIBR, join fnatic and AGO in WESG 2018 semi-finals

Windigo sucessfully upset MIBR in the third quarter-final of WESG 2018, securing a placement in the last-four stage alongside fnatic and AGO.

A colossal upset was witnessed in the third quarter-final series, where Windigo managed to best the fifth strongest roster in the world, MIBR. Map one, Dust 2, commenced with a solid showing from the Brazilian offense. The first pistol went the way of the Bulgarian defence, succeeded by a string of three rounds as soon as rifles were seen on the Brazilian squad. While the momentum was on MIBR's side, Windigo were still able to fend off the Ts, even resetting the Brazilians on occasion. This proceeded to be the case over the first half, concluding at 8-7, ever so slightly in favour of MIBR.

A second pistol victory was followed by an ace from Viktor "⁠v1c7oR⁠" Dyankov, setting the pace for the Bulgarian squad's T half. The Brazilian defence was utterly unable to produce any resemblance of an answer to the onslaught, leading to a whopping nine consecutive rounds falling in favour of Windigo, who ran out 16-8 winners.

Train followed, where MIBR found some footing after a difficult loss on Dust2. The Brazilian squad commenced on the offense, where they were able to develop early momentum off the back of a successful pistol, extending their lead to 5-0. Windigo obliged with an occasional couple of rounds, however no significant momentum was obtained on the defence, leading to a 9-6 surplus for MIBR.

The CT half was even more fruitful for the favourites, as a conceded pistol round was followed-up with an upset, once more shifting the momentum into MIBR's hands. Windigo were simply unable to recover from the financial ruin they were faced with off the back of early struggles. An AUG 4k from Fernando "⁠fer⁠" Alvarenga concluded Train in 16-8 fashion, pushing the series onto map three.

The final map witnessed extremely heated affairs, particularly in the prior half of Overpass. Windigo kicked off on the defence, accruing the pistol, only to be upset in the following to rounds, similar to ongoings in the latter half of Train. This time, however, the Bulgarian squad was able to pick themselves up, preventing the loss of rounds off the back of a financial reset. Instead, the squad proceeded to pummel the Brazilian offense in unrelenting fashion, shutting down 11 of the remaining rounds to MIBR's one, placing the favourites in a 3-12 predicament.

A consecutive pistol for Windigo exacerbated the Brazilians' situation, as it allowed the Bulgarian squad to skip to a 14-3 scoreline, just two round victories away from a semi-final placement. MIBR exercised a stoic mindset, unfazed by the apparently dire state of affairs, attempting to bring themselves back into the series off the back of a financial reset for Windigo. An anti-pistol 3K in round 20 from fer gave the Brazilians a confidence boost, but rifles in the following round for Windigo meant series point for the Bulgarians at 15-8. In what was setting up to be a massive comeback, MIBR managed to produce a further five rounds, very nearly closing the round disparity, but a B hit from Windigo proved to be the nail in the Brazilians' coffin, concluding the map 16-13 in the Bulgarian squad's favour.

The first quarter-final had seen a series between OpTic and fnatic, where a total of two maps were played out, both of which went in favour of the Swedish quintet. Mirage witnessed a very close performance from both teams, as the sides both struggled to produce outstanding performances on the T side of affairs. In succession, fnatic managed to make up for this on their CT side, converting a 15-14 map point into a victory.

Overpass saw more of a comprehensive victory for the Swedes, as an initial 10-5 CT half set the roster up for success. OpTic did their utmost to bring the series back, but consecutive economic resets in the latter stages of the half meant for a bitter 0-2 loss at 11-16.

The second series of the day saw Valiance face off against AGO, with the Polish roster walking away with a 2-1 victory. The Serbian squad saw a great start on Train, where a 16-13 victory was accrued, but AGO responded in convincing fashion, picking up a 16-12 victory on Inferno to level the series.

Concluding the match was Dust2, a map that was the most lopsided of the series. Valiance secured the first pistol, but they still found themselves trailing their opponents 4-11 come the end of the half. Luka "⁠emi⁠" Vuković & co still tried to get back in the game but their efforts were fruitless as AGO concluded affairs at 16-6.