IEM Beijing EU: G2, NaVi, Complexity and Vitality to Semis

NiKo managed to set himself on top of his old team, Natus Vincere got past Astralis and Complexity are looking sharp following their 2-0 over BIG. Vitality managed to win their Quarter Finals match over Heroic, a victory they have worked towards for quite a long time.

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač had to face FaZe Clan, with whom he had still competed just a few weeks back. For him, this was all about proving that the transfer to G2 Esports had been a smart move. As it stands, he appears to be quite right in his decision.

Not only did G2 put up a great show, they did so without a monster performance from NiKo. On Dust2, things got a little too close for comfort and the teams headed to overtime. There, G2 survived despite the heroics of Håvard “rain” Nygaard, who reeled in 34 kills all by himself. On Mirage, they finally delivered a one-sided result. FaZe broke in completely, whereas Kenny “KennyS” Schrub carried the match practically all alone on a 1.74 rating.

FaZe desperately have to find a fifth man for their roster. If the rumors are true and Finn “karrigan” Andersen is on his way back to the clan, then they actually stand a chance. For years now, they have looked for a suitable in-game-leader, one who can frag and think at the same time.

NATUS VINCERE STUN ASTRALIS

The Danes surely wish to get Patrick “es3tag” Hansen back. Alongside this player, they were almost unbeatable and finally secured trophies again – albeit online. Following his return to active duty, Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth seems to be revitalized and manages to top the scoreboard, but the team doesn’t really click. The rest of the roster fails to keep up and appears to be somewhat disjointed.

Maybe this will change once they have had more practice together. In the meantime, however, they had to suffer a crushing 0-2 defeat at the hands of Natus Vincere. On two 16-9 maps, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and his colleagues pulled through to the Semi Finals. Aside from Egor “flamie” Vasilyev, all the NaVi players managed to secure positive ratings. In the case of Denis “electronic” Sharipov, even a 110 ADR was in store.

COMPLEXITY ARE BACK AGAIN

Following the departure of Owen “oBo” Schlatter, they managed to find a great temporary replacement in the form of Niels Christian “NaToSaphiX” Silassen, but they took quite some time to find a permament fifth man. As soon as the 100 Thieves had announced their dissolution, Justin “jks” Savage went over to Complexity – and what a great individual he is! The team can now finally look upwards again, as the Aussie seems to be worth his salt.

On Nuke, he pulled off a 1.61 rating against BIG and was only surpassed by Benjamin “blameF” Bremer, who secured a phenomenal 2.21 rating on 30 kills. This map only took 22 rounds, yet the Dane achieved such ridiculous figures! The Germans finally managed to post some resistance on Overpass, but Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke helped Complexity to a 16-14 win there.

VITALITY BEAT THEIR NEMESIS

The French team has been out for revenge for a while now, after Heroic had stunned them during the ESL One Cologne 2020 Grand Finals. So far, they have been unsuccessful in this endeavor and the Danes managed to win every important encounter.

On Overpass, Vitality shocked their opponents on a 16-7 scoreline. Cédric “RpK” Guipouy was the star of the map and delivered 28 kills for a 1.87 rating. The tank has still got it and led his team into the fight on Nuke as well. But there, they were less successful, as Heroic managed to tie the overall score with an overtime victory. Casper “CadiaN” Møller put up a great show and helped to mitigate the meager output of Martin “stavn” Lund.

But on the third map, cadiaN was overthrown as well. He and stavn were the only solid performers on the Heroic camp and had to watch as the rounds dwindled away. Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom, who was brought in just for this last map, took over this match. At one point, he boasted 15 kills and just three deaths. On the CT side, Heroic managed to start a comeback and got dangerously close to overtime. But Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut eventually secured Inferno with a 1v2 clutch, sending his team into the Semi Finals.

WHO CAN MAKE THE GRAND FINALS?

Only four teams remain and the Semis certainly promise to deliver some great CS:GO action. G2 Esports have got a huge challenge at their hands in the form of Natus Vincere. Both teams have claimed victory over the Astralis roster in recent time. But Natus Vincere boast more experience and have a more stable foundation overall. Nemanja “nexa” Isaković needs a comprehensive plan if he wants to overtake s1mple and his men.

The same holds true for Complexity, who are now facing Vitality. The Frenchmen are fired up after their victory over Heroic. With their sixth man, they play some really unpredictable Counter-Strike. Even the uber-performances courtesy of blameF might not be enough to secure victory for his team – but this wouldn’t be the first upset win for the Complexity boys.