BLAST Premier: NaVi are the World Champions again!

NaVi has done it again! They are your consecutive BLAST World Champions. After an early upset, they made a creepily amazing run from the lower bracket to the Grand Finals. They toppled the mighty Gambit to get the crown they deserve.

Gambit had reached the Grand Finals by defeating Vitality 2-0 in the UB Final. That relegated the Frenchmen into the LB Final, where they had to face the ever-ferocious NaVi. How did NaVi manage to beat zywOo and then Gambit back to back? Here’s what happened!

NaVi vs Vitality

The final s1mple vs zywOo of 2021 was upon us, as both teams were ready to make a grand clash. I’d’ve predicted a close game, but NaVi had other plans.

The first map was NaVi’s map pick of Nuke. Vitality had thrashed NaVi on Nuke in Fall’s Grand Final. But as it was against Liquid, NaVi were fully prepared, as they fixed their issues. It didn’t start well for s1mple and co., as they fell to a 4-0 deficit. But after some strong rounds from s1mple, they took a 5-4 lead, and ended the half 8-7 in their favour.

Second half started well for NaVi’s CT side. Boomb14 was the star, as not only did he make some excellent reads, but his gun mechanics were scarily on point. He ended up overtaking s1mple in the frag count. They suppressed a Vitality attempt at a comeback, as they won the map 16-12.

Vitality had to recover on their map, Dust 2. But it wasn’t even close, as NaVi blew away the Frenchmen 16-5. Great aggressive plays, getting rid of the lurker, good long control, etc. were some of the tasty strats NaVi used to win the map. And of course, s1mple. They didn’t even need a bomb plant to win their T rounds, as they easily outplayed Vitality with a 6-0 second half win.

An extremely strong and terrifying performance from NaVi helped them book a juicy date with Gambit. Since NaVi won the match without being challenged too much, there was enough time for them to chill out and prepare themselves for the real match.

NaVi vs Gambit

The first map was NaVi’s Mirage. From pinpoint shots to extensive mind games, the level of CS being played was extremely high. Gambit’s positioning and trades were mind blowing. They won a lot of clean gun rounds, with 4 or 5 people alive. Gambit sometimes did some crazy things like giving up key map control, but everything had a reason. At the end of every round that Gambit won, I was shell shocked by this CS. NaVi were visibly outplayed. All the Ukrainians could rely upon was individual brilliance, which is never a good sign. The first half ended 9-6 in the favour of Gambit.

The T side of Gambit was another masterclass. Gambit defeated NaVi simply by positioning and timings. It was obvious that Gambit had rot learned every single timing and tendency of this NaVi side, and the boys in yellow had no answers. Dry peek after dry peek, and Gambit still came out on top most of the time. A genuine masterclass.

NaVi tried to adjust to this playstyle, but it was too little too late, as Gambit won NaVi’s map pick 16-11.

The second map was Gambit’s surprise pick of Ancient. This map was not picked or played even once for the entirety of Fall Finals and Global Finals, except now. Gambit’s strategy was clear. Anti-strat NaVi’s pick and shock with Ancient. G2 almost tried the same strategy in the Major Grand Finals. Needless to say, NaVi’s basics were too strong, and they won the map 16-11 with their superior firepower.

The match between these two giants had gone to the final map. NaVi started on the CT side on Inferno. The B defenders were out of their mind, as their dynamic movement was too much for Gambit to handle. s1mple’s A hold scared every Gambit player away, and Boomb14’s Banana heroics coupled with Perfecto’s perfect support meant B was almost impenetrable.

NaVi ended the half 11-4, a supreme victory for them. Going into the last half of 2021 competitive CS, Gambit were on the backfoot. It was clear that they had lost the mental battle against the Ukrainian side. That reflected in the scoreline, as NaVi easily took the second half and dominantly won Inferno 16-6.

NaVi has done it again

NaVi had completed their comeback, and as expected, they had been crowned BLAST’s World Champions. Every single player on this team put in the effort to reach where they are right now. NaVi proved that they are truly an era-defining team. Not only are their tactics well-balanced and powerful, their ability to adapt to the situation is extremely quick. Liquid, Vitality and Gambit, all played against NaVi with a different playstyle. Yet the Ukrainian team defeated all three within a span of 24 hours.

Their rockstrong basics coupled with their chameleon-like ability to mould into the situation and always be a threat is astonishing, and there’s no doubt that this team has cemented their place in CS:GO history. s1mple won the MVP for the tournament, deservedly so. Blad3 won Coach Of The Year award too by BLAST. can’t wait to see b1t’s HLTV ranking this year. Also, NaVi has won every single LAN they played this year (4/4). Cheers to the #navination!

BLAST World Final 2021 is a literal copypasta. I think the CS Gods were too lazy to create a new storyline. NaVi were relegated into the Lower Bracket by Liquid in their first match. NaVi defeated G2 in LB2. NaVi avenged their first defeat to Liquid in LB3. NaVi beat Vitality in the LB Final. NaVi went on to win the Grand Final. s1mple won the MVP award. Please work harder next time, Lord.

That closes the 2021 chapter for CS:GO. What a banger of a year. I feel like BLAST Global Final was better than Cologne and the Major but I might be biased. Either way, thanks for following along. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

 

 

Photo credit: BLASTPremier Twitter