Natus Vincere are the new champions of IEM Katowice. They were merciless in the playoffs and took all seven maps they played at the Spodek Arena.
Natus Vincere had everyone’s number at IEM Katowice
Na’Vi’s playoff run started against Team Liquid on Friday. The CIS side seemed comfortable from the get-go in the empty Spodek Arena. Though Liquid would turn out to be Na’Vi’s greatest challenge on their way to the title, the North Americans were still far away from winning a map. Liquid attempted a comeback on Mirage, but their late run stopped at four rounds and they ultimately fell 13-16, losing the entire game in the process.
Then came the defending champions Astralis in the semi-finals. Always posing a threat, the Danes were nowhere to be seen on the day. Natus Vincere were the only team doing anything on the server and ran away with a 16:5 score on both maps. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if we say this is the most impressive win for this Na’Vi lineup so far.
The team’s concentration did not falter at all for the big game. Oleksandr ”s1mple” Kostyliev and co. kept their foot on the gas vs. G2 and left the French nothing to smile about. A competitive Dust2 was sandwiched between a couple of blowouts on Nuke and Mirage that put a harsh end to a positive week for G2 and crowned Na’Vi as the IEM Katowice 2020 champions.
S1mple grabbed the MVP award as his team went home with a well-deserved $250,000 prize. All Na’Vi need to do now is start showing the same intensity regularly when there’s a crowd in the arena.
