Gambit advance to their sixth straight finals – Does either Navi or G2 stand a chance?

Gambit once again bested their CIS counterparts to qualify for their latest finals appearance.

Gambit have made waves in their 2021 season thus far. Their victory over Natus Vincere has guaranteed them a sixth straight finals appearance and potential third tournament championship. Can either Navi or G2 step up to defeat the CIS powerhouse?

Natus Vincere puts up a fight

Gambit did not easily cruise into the finals. Though ultimately taking the series 2-1, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev put up a valiant effort. Finishing the game with the highest overall rating (1.28), total frags (58), and ADR (88.3), Navi still couldn’t finish the job. Gambit’s overall teamplay, led by the entry fragging combo of Abay “Hobbit” Khasenov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, led Gambit to decisive victories on both Dust2 (16-14) and Mirage (16-7).

Undoubtedly, Gambit have been a force to be reckoned with this tournament. In the knockout stage, Gambit has only sustained one map loss thus far, with both Hobbit and Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov landing the top 8 players. Individually, many players have been able to contest Gambit’s best fraggers, however teamplay wise, no one has stood a chance.

NIP have another disappointing finish

Ninjas in Pyjamas will not get a shot at the reigning CS:GO kings, as their road came to an end after a 1-2 finish against G2. Starting on Dust2, G2’s chances looked slim after 10-5 start. An impressive showing by Nikola “NiKo” Kovac however led to an a miraculous  11-1 CT-side that took the map 11-16. NIP were able to rebuttal on Nuke (16-13), this time turning G2’s marginal lead on them after the half.

G2 were ultimately able to close out the series in an OT match on Inferno (17-19). G2 will now move on to face Natus Vincere for a shot at Gambit in the finals.

Also read:

• Can anyone beat Gambit in the Blast Premier Spring Finals? 
• Olofmeister to return to FaZe Clan main lineup, says Twistzz
• What we’ve learned from IEM Summer 2021

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Image Credit: G2