Natus Vincere vs Avangar – Epicenter 2018 CSGO – Semi-finals

Eight Counter-Strike teams: Global Offensive (CS: GO) compete for the EPICENTER 2018 title between October 23 and 28. The tournament takes place in Moscow, Russia, and has a prize pool of $ 295,000.

Four teams were invited by the championship leadership: FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pajamas, and Team Liquid. ENCE eSports and AVANGAR won regional qualifiers and also qualified. The last slots were secured by HellRaisers and Swole Patrol just before the competition.

Current leaders of the HLTV ranking, the Danish Astralis decided not to participate in the tournament.

The teams were divided into two groups of four and played in a best of three (BO3) series in the first stage. There was a possibility of extra matches in case of a tie-break. The leaders of each group qualified directly to the semifinals, while the second and third placed advanced to the quarterfinals. All knockout matches will also be played in the best of three (BO3).

The reason why we have picked this match for you is the fact that it is the battle of the favorites to win the title against the team that is known to cause upsets. Na’Vi is a phenomenal team. They have won almost every title there is in the competitive scene and is a force to be reckoned with. While Avangar is not a very popular team but has the ability to beat the best team on their day. So, will they beat Na’Vi and kill off the favorites of this competition or will they fall to prey to one of the best teams in the world?

Origin of Natus Vincere

The Natus Vincere CS:GO team was founded in Ukraine in 2009 by Alexander Kokhanovskyy alias ZeroGravity and has since set a steep track record: seven first places in numerous competitions, several second places, and even more top rankings. Manager of the team is Evgeniy “Ugin” Erofeev. The team rightly bears his name: this comes from Latin and means “born to win”.

Natus Vincere had very good results since 2016, and the team has certainly been one of the best teams throughout the years. But sometimes, they don’t really manage to finish the job when it was necessary, except at ESL One New York. New York has shown that the current line-up can accomplish things, with the new superstar aboard. But in the FACEIT Major, Na’Vi was completely outplayed by Astralis.

Since 2016 NaVi has won everything. If they keep this roster and manage to fix the few remaining problems, they have a bright future ahead of them. Na’Vi has the talent and they have proven their worth against many best teams in the world. They also have a big fan base to reassure, so they could really become the best team in the world if they just stick to their original game plans.

Player: Alexander “S1mple” Kostylev Team: NaVi Country: Ukraine Age: 21 years

In the list of CS:GO top players, the top-rated player in the world is an ordinary guy from Ukraine. Alexander Kostylev practiced a lot and became an incredible star that he is today. He started his competitive career with HellRaisers, then moved to FlipSid3 Tactics. But Alexander received real fame when he moved to America to play for Team Liquid. Several incredible tournaments with amazing clutches and the MVP of countless majors showed that Alexander was not just a good player, but the best. This is recognized by his colleagues, and Kostylev himself does not very modestly agree with this. After a successful career in America, Alexander returned to his homeland and now plays for NaVi.

Player: Denis “electronic” Sharipov Team: NaVi Country: Russia Age: 20 years

It’s not easy to become a star when you have Simple in your team. But the last major in London proved that Denis Sharipov really plays at an incredible level. He came to Natus Vincere less than a year ago from FlipSid3 Tactics, but at times it has been exhibited that “Born to Win” core of the new line-up would not have been nothing without electronic. Denis has a decent understanding with his teammates. He can sense his opponent’s movements and haul on several maps. Denis is famous for his amazing shooting that can win incredible clutches with automatic weapons.

Avangar

In contrast to Na’Vi, Avangar is not amongst the best. They are a tier 2 team that very rarely wins anything. In the Epicenter 2018, they have been performing very well. They even played against Na’Vi in the group stage but lost 2-1.

Avangar have been exceptional in the competition. They were predicted by many to be eliminated in the group stage. However, the team rose from the ashes. In the first match against NiP, they won 2-0. NiP had a fairytale run in the FACEIT Major. Although the difference of ranking between Avangar and NIP was almost 30, it didn’t stop Avangar to become dominant. By defying all the odds, they didn’t drop a single game against NiP. In their next game against Liquid, Avangar were pushed back to reality when Liquid beat them 2-0.

Playing against all the odds

Nonetheless, the team made its way to the quarterfinals where they were up against Hellraisers, a team ranked 20 places above Avangar. But in the game Avangar completely dominated woxic and his teammates winning 2-0. Avangar pulled out ahead on the map choice by HellRaisers which further boosted their morale for the second game of the series. Now they will face Na’Vi in the semi-finals of Epicenter 2018.

Final verdict

In the tournament, Avangar have shown signs of weaknesses which is not good when facing a team like Na’Vi. Avangar doesn’t have many impressive stats since they hardly won any important clutch situations. Moreover, they have the worst win-rate in the pistol rounds of the competition. So, these stats might haunt them against one of the best teams in the world.

Natus Vincere 2 – 0 Avangar

Odds on bookmakers

Bookmakers	Natus Vincere Odds		Avangar Odds
	European	American	European	American
EGB.com	1.14	-714	4.00	+300.00
Betway	1.22	-454	3.80	+280.00
Loot.bet	1.23	-434	4.20	+320.00
GG.bet	1.22	-454	4.20	+320.00
Bet365	1.25	-400	3.75	+275.00