After the dramatic semi-final match between FaZe and Spirit, NAVI defeated ENCE 2-0, 16-7 on Nuke, 16-12 on Dust2, to secure a berth in the Grand Final of the PGL Major Antwerp 2022.
ENCE used their recent great form to finish in the top four at this Major, but the Major playoff newcomers were eventually overpowered by NAVI’s experience and sheer skill. As a result, the final will include the top two rated teams in the world, as well as the two favorites entering the event.
First Map: Nuke
The series began with ENCE’s selection of Nuke, where they have an 80% victory percentage over the previous three months. NAVI took the pistol round quickly and were positioned for a solid CT side. Despite Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer preventing the second round conversion with a 1v3 clutch, the SMGs of Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov and Denis “electroNic” Sharipov maintained the CIS side on track to gain a solid lead. Boombl4 was an unstoppable force on defense, racking up multi-kill after multi-kill and absolutely halting ENCE in their tracks. Pawe “dycha” Dycha was eventually able to drive his squad to scavenge together four rounds via the side-switch and faced a difficult challenge staging a comeback against the Russian-Ukrainian powerhouse.
By winning the opening three rounds of the second half, ENCE set the tone for a tight battle. However, Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev actually awoke, securing three opening kills in the following five rounds, allowing Natus Vincere to clean out the rest of the map and win 16-7 on ENCE’s map selection.
NAVI’s Pick: Dust II
ENCE began with a swift 3-0 to secure themselves, determined to make Dust2 a different affair than Nuke. They seemed like they were going to win the first gun round as well, but Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy pulled off a stunning 1v3 clutch to put NAVI on the board. Natus Vincere continued to dominate in the opening kills department, as all members contributed to the team answering back and finally taking a 5-4 lead.
“Hades” Olek Miskiewicz scored his first series opening kill in round 10, allowing Pavle “Maden” Bokovi and dycha to clean up and maintain the score tied. ENCE reclaimed the lead and looked set to win round 12 with Natus Vincere on an eco, but two massive kills with the desert eagle from s1mple ended the international lineup’s hopes.
With the momentum shifting back to Natus Vincere, all of the CIS titans stepped up and took the remainder of the rounds in the half. The momentum continued into the second half, with s1mple demolishing the opposition early on, including an MP9 ace in round 18. Hades joined the fray with a couple more early kills, but ENCE couldn’t break through the Natus Vincere defense. Natus Vincere appeared to be on the verge of ending the semi-final when they hit match point at 15-7. The Danish IGL picked up a quad-kill and pushed ENCE into double digits thanks to some aggressive moves lead by the Snappi.
The European squad fought their way up to 12 rounds, edging closer to overtime. Unfortunately, winning eight rounds in a succession proved too difficult, as Natus Vincere finally took the map 16-12 and the series 2-0.
Read more: FaZe defeated Spirit to reach PGL Major Grand Final!
