Complexity through to IEM Beijing-Haidian playoffs over NAVI

Natus Vincere will have another chance at making the IEM Beijing-Haidian playoffs in the lower bracket semi-finals, which they will play against the winner of OG vs. Spirit.

Natus Vincere and Complexity won each other’s map pick 16-10 with the CIS squad taking Nuke and the Europeans winning Overpass, but it was finally Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer and company who were able to prevail on Mirage, a back-and-forth map fraught with forcebuys, to claim victory in the upper bracket semi-final series and secure a berth in the IEM Beijing-Haidian playoffs.

Despite the loss, Natus Vincere will still have a chance at making the tournament’s playoffs by winning the lower bracket semi-final, where they will meet the winner of OG vs. Spirit—the former having beaten Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev and company twice recently during the BLAST Premier Fall Series and the latter being a regional rival and the only other CIS squad at the event.

Complexity won the first pistol round of the series on the attacking side of Nuke, but unable to double up against a forcebuy, it was Natus Vincere who set the pace early on, winning five rounds in a row uncontested. Despite the slow start, the European squad tied it up by the twelfth round, 6-6, but a triple by Egor "⁠flamie⁠" Vasilyev kept his team ahead as they went on to win the half 8-7.

NAVI started to put some distance back in the scoreboard, winning the second pistol round, following it up against pistols and then also taking the first gun round. Down 7-12 Complexity stopped a late A execute to tally their first round of the half, but were unable to build an economy and ended up crumbling right after hitting double digits, 10-16.

On Overpass it was Complexity who were able to turn a lost pistol round around in the forcebuy, where four kills by Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke paved the way for the European team to take the lead and start building up an economy on the CT side. It wasn’t until the ninth round that NAVI were able to break the defenses for the first time since the pistol round, but good mid-round aggression kept blameF and company in the driver’s seat. Natus Vincere finally picked up the pace late in the half, but only to reach five rounds before switching sides.

Complexity continued to increase the distance between themselves and NAVI after the second pistol round. Methodical play kept Complexity from giving up the rounds against forcebuys before Valentin "⁠poizon⁠" Vasilev won a 1vs1 last-second clutch against Ilya "⁠Perfecto⁠" Zalutskiy to put 14-5 on the scoreboard. NAVI put together two successful B defenses, which broke Complexity’s economy, going all the way to 10-14, but three entry kills by William "⁠RUSH⁠" Wierzba on the A site finally put his team on map point, which they were able to convert the following round.

Complexity planted the bomb on B in the first round of Mirage, but were unable to hold off Natus Vincere’s retake. Wild rounds ensued as both teams won forcebuys, and although NAVI found a momentary lead, Complexity bridged the gap, 4-4, as both teams stayed neck-and-neck. Up 6-5 flamie got a triple-kill to give NAVI some breathing room, but Complexity won the last three rounds of the half, the last with an ace by k0nfig, to go ahead by one at the half.

Complexity won the second pistol round, but the ensuing rounds were traded back-and-forth, forcebuy after forcebuy, nine times, until a triple by blameF gave his team two in a row to make it 14-11. NAVI retaliated, forcing Complexity to save their guns, but just momentarily as they were finally able to close the chaotic map 16-12 to win the match and secure a spot in the IEM Beijing-Haidian playoffs.