The second day of quarterfinals during EPICENTER 2018 saw teams move past into the semifinals with relative ease. This was quite surprising since many expected a better match between Na’Vi and Faze Clan. This match between former World No. 2 & 3 provided a lot of context into the teams’ movements in the World Rankings.
Na’Vi trounce Faze Clan, exert their dominance
The maps for this match were Train, Overpass and Mirage. The three maps present a very tactical approach to the game. Na’Vi was surprisingly good in their performance against Faze Clan, which is quite surprising since Faze has a star-studded lineup,
Train started with Na’Vi winning the first pistol round and the ensuing 2nd round. However, once Faze Clan started getting their buy in the game, they had a dominating CT half. Niko led the team by example as he was able to shut down Na’Vi repeatedly on the A bombsite. He used the architecture of the map to conceal his presence on the map. He would then pop out to take down multiple Natus Vincere members.
However, for Na’Vi, they seem to strive during the disadvantageous situations. The sheer talent on this team is so high that they can simply turn a round on its head. Na’Vi’s dominant CT side saw Faze Clan struggle for rounds. They did have a few rounds on their T side, but the story for the second half was Na’Vi shutting down Faze Clan repeatedly. Ultimately, Na’Vi secured the map with a 16-13 scoreline, somewhat less impressive that we would have thought. Regardless, it was a match against a formidable opponent and Na’Vi continue their streak on Train as one of their strongest maps.
The second map, Overpass saw only one team in the server. Faze had no clue on how to approach and dismantle the Na’Vi CT side. With a 12-3 scoreline at halftime, it was only a matter of time before Faze Clan bowed out of the race at EPICENTER 2018.
Team Liquid walk past Avangar
Team Liquid and Avangar was a thorough mismatch for many analysts. The battle between one of the best teams in the world and the rookie Avangar roster was never going to be anything but a Team Liquid victory.
All of Team Liquid performed exceedingly well against Avangar. Each player had over a +10 KDA at the end of the series, which shows how easy it was for the roster. Regardless, Avangar gained a lot of experience of playing on LAN especially against top tier teams. Their victory over NIP will be cherished by their fans and the players alike. In the future, they hope to secure better performances and deeper placements in such events. For now, Team Liquid looks extremely menacing and is bound to improve their performance even further.
They will play against the winner of Faze Clan and Ninjas in Pyjamas.
