The first CS:GO tournament of the new season ended with a banger of a series that pit the finalists of the 2021 Stockholm Major against each other in a decider match in the BLAST Premier Fall Groups. Though much has changed in the intervening years, including the majority of the rosters on both squads, the stars remained in place, still shining: once more, it was s1mple versus NiKo, and yet again, it was the Ukrainian who came out on top in a close-fought series.
More than anything, this series was about a resurgent performance of the new-look NAVI’s original components, with the two Ukrainians, s1mple and b1t, carrying the team with a 1.35 and a 1.25 HLTV 2.0 rating, respectively, across the finish line. This was especially the case on Inferno, where NAVI seemed to drop the ball at first after amassing a 10-5 lead on the CT side but finding a new gear at 11-11 to close the map out in regulation.
The first half in Mirage was a more even affair, but it had a similar complexion, with the teams staying neck-and-neck until 11-11, courtesy of heroics by NiKo and huNter-, but once more, NAVI went on a tear to get three match points, the third of which they managed to convert.
Ultimately, NAVI fans were the ones who could breathe a sigh of relief and take solace in the words of s1mple in the post-match interview. The legendary player was full of praise for his teammates, saying, “I’m so proud of each of our players […] the whole team is cheering everyone up,” jokingly adding that “if I’m not going to be toxic, it’s going to be awesome.”
Read more: BLAST Premier Fall Groups CS:GO 2023: Scores, brackets, results
“They’re just better,” was NiKo’s succinct summary. “We just didn’t stand up when it mattered in the crucial rounds. It was chaotic on TeamSpeak, decisions were made poorly as well, and that cost us the game.” If this was a reference to G2’s long-doubted in-game leader, the stats certainly tell the same story: HooXi finished the series with a -15 K/D and a 0.77 HLTV 2.0 rating.
NAVI earned themselves a spot in the Fall Finals with this victory, consigning G2 to the shadows of the Showdown. With IEM Cologne just around the corner, neither team has a lot of time to iron out the kinks and figure out some much-needed improvements. At the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, you could afford to lose two series before the knockout bracket: the Cathedral of Counter-Strike is going to be much less forgiving.
