The coach and players of Natus Vincere were seriously tested at ESL Pro League S20. Many of the opponents they faced are among the world’s best CS2 teams. But in the end, after a 3 – 2 Grand Final against Eternal Fire, they claimed their third S-tier trophy in 2024.
Group Stage Results
In the group stage of ESL Pro League S20, Na’Vi started with a rough match against Lynn Vision Gaming, who nearly won map 1. The score on Dust II was 14 – 16. After that, the battle was easy to win.
Ninjas in Pyjamas didn’t put up much of a fight and were quickly defeated: 6 – 13 on Ancient, 9 – 13 on Dust II.
The upper bracket Final was another tough match, played against the same team that would challenge Na’Vi in the Grand Final: Eternal Fire. The scores, 20 – 22 on Anubis and 5 – 13 on Mirage, speak for themselves. EF had a great opportunity to take the lead but lost it, and then couldn’t focus on the second map.
Playoffs
Thanks to winning group A of EPL S20, Na’Vi advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they waited for their next opponent. In the end, Team Spirit won their first two playoffs matches and looked perfectly capable of beating Na’Vi again.
The two teams had faced each other four times in 2024 and Spirit won every match. But this time it was different. With Danil “donk” Kryshkovets slightly out of shape and Na’Vi’s players playing at nearly maximum capacity, the fight quickly turned in Na’Vi’s favor: 13 – 5 on Dust II, 13 – 9 on Mirage.
In the semifinals, G2 Esports tried for the 8th consecutive time to defeat their nemesis but failed again. Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov did a good job but his team did not provide him with enough support. The scores were 8 – 13 on Inferno, 13 – 11 on Nuke, and 6 – 13 on Ancient.
In the Grand Final, Eternal Fire made a second attempt at beating Na’Vi at this tournament and it was a bit too close for comfort. But in the end, they failed again: 13 – 8 on Nuke, 11 – 13 on Anubis, 11 – 13 on Ancient, 13 – 4 on Inferno, and 10 – 13 on Dust II.
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius was named the MVP of the tournament.
