fnatic send 5yclone to Last Chance bracket

The black and orange are now one victory away from securing a spot in the playoffs.

fnatic beat 5yclone 2-0 in the ESL Pro League Season 18 Group C lower bracket semi-final, setting themselves up for a playoff qualification if they can win the lower bracket final.

fnatic, the favorites going into the match, started the series out on the right foot by going up 3-0 on Inferno. 5yclone briefly showed a glimpse of why they have a 63.6% win rate against top 30 teams on the map and hit back with six straight rounds on the defense. In the end, the first half evened out with Andrew "⁠kaze⁠" Khong and company only up by one.

The second half remained even as both teams stayed neck and neck after 5yclone brought an 8-12 deficit to a 13-13 tie on the attack. Down to the wire, fnatic stabilized just in time with triple kills by Christopher "⁠dexter⁠" Nong and Aurélien "⁠afro⁠" Drapier in the final two defenses to push it over the line, 16-14.

The European-majority squad appeared much more comfortable on their Vertigo pick, which they started on the CT side. Freddy "⁠KRIMZ⁠" Johansson denied Yi "⁠JamYoung⁠" Yang an ace clutch with a ninja defuse in the 11th round, while up 7-3, to keep his team coasting to an 11-4 half.

5yclone got the first two after switching to the defense, but quickly unraveled as dexter and his men dismantled the Asian team’s defenses and ran off to a 16-7 victory. "It feels good to have a clean-ish game for once," William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman said after the game, which secured his team’s permanence in the group’s middle bracket while sending 5yclone to the last chance bracket.

Up next for fnatic will be either a rematch against Imperial, the team they beat in their opening series in Malta, or Apeks, who were knocked down to the lower bracket by Natus Vincere. 5yclone will play the loser of the Imperial vs. Apeks series in an elimination match.