Gambit Back at the Top After BLAST Victory

Ever since DreamHack Masters Spring, there was a potential for Natus Vincere to overtake Gambit. After all, they managed to post a decisive 3-0 victory in the Grand Finals and added a victory at the EPIC RMR event on top. But after the Grand Finals of the BLAST Premier: Spring Finals, it’s clear as day: Gambit are the uncontested #1!

The event kicked off with a few exciting maps. BIG surprisingly move past G2 and FaZe almost threw NaVi off the event. But in the end, both teams had to exit in the Lower Bracket, whereas Natus Vincere made their way to the Upper Bracket Finals. There, they faced Gambit.

In the meanwhile, that team had already mounted victories over Evil Geniuses and Complexity. EG were definitely happy with their overtime on the first map, but eventually they stood no chance versus Abay “Hobbit” Khassenov and his men, who won on a 2-0 scoreline. Complexity were also not strong enough to take them down. They bombed out on 12-16 and 13-16 maps, entering the Lower Bracket and eventually losing to G2 Esports.

The Ninjas in Pyjamas managed to go a little farther, but still suffered a loss to G2 at the end. Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and his troops then faced Natus Vincere, who had arrived in the Lower Bracket after a defeat to Gambit in the Upper Bracket. The match arrived on a third map, where NaVi ended things on a 16-13 scoreline.

GAMBIT VS. NATUS VINCERE… TAKE TWO!

Just one day after their first encounter at BLAST, the NaVi and Gambit players faced off again. Fans and analysts were unsure whether anything could have changed in the meantime. After all, Hobbit and his men had posted a solid performance. So how much could Natus Vincere improve within 24 hours?

Not a lot, as it turned out. The Grand Finals were a one-sided affair, in which Gambit clearly had the upper hand. They were even stronger than before! This time around, they didn’t let Ancient go through and avoided a third map. Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s troops fell on two straight maps.

So it’s decided again. No G2, no Heroic, no Natus Vincere can contend with Gambit Esports. Even if they lose a match from time to time, they are back on their feet almost immediately, with so much newfound knowledge and skill that they outright shatter their opponents.

GAMBIT ARE #1

So the question isn’t whether Gambit are the best team in the world, but how long it will stay that way. The Ninjas in Pyjamas are on the advance. The same holds true for Natus Vincere and G2, who are inching closer piece by piece. Astralis are slowly stabilizing with their new squad, even FaZe Clan came within touching distance of a victory over NaVi.

But still, Hobbit and his men constantly enter the server on fire. We have last seen this kind of dominance from Astralis, who are obviously miles away from their “era”. Gambit are here in full force. Their hunger for victories and trophies won’t let them stop. However, the tournament calendar is forcing them to take a break. There won’t be any big events until IEM Cologne, so the scene gets a two weeks breather.

This is enough time for NaVi to learn from their mistakes. The winners of Flashpoint, mousesports, can grow even stronger. We’re also revisiting Team Liquid, who will be unpredictable after their stay in the United States. The pressure is mounting on the Gambit squad, but if we know them right, they’ll still be fighting for the trophy in the end.