DreamHack Open Summer 2015: Titan Beats Natus Vincere for Grand Final Spot
After Fnatic beats NiP with a 2-0 scoreline in order to get the first grand final spot for DreamHack Open Summer 2015, it is now time for French giants Titan and Ukrainian veterans Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) to duke it out in the second semi-final of the tournament.
In the map picking phase, Titan went for Cobblestone and Natus Vincere got Overpass, with Inferno as the deciding map for this matchup.
Cobblestone: A Tactical Masterclass
There is nothing much to be said about this map other than the fact that it is extremely favorable for the Terrorist side, similar to how Nuke was for the Counter-Terrorist side before it was taken out of the competitive pool.
With some very good tactics from Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans, some sick sniper shots from Kenny “kennyS” Schrub and brilliant play by the French side overall, Titan locked down the rounds that they needed in order to win this map, 16-11.
Overpass: Down To The End
While Cobblestone was basically a T-side fest, Overpass was anybody’s game to take as Titan started on the favored CT side. With some very good teamwork and plays from Ex6TenZ, kennyS and Dan “apex” Madesclaire, they were able to get an eight-round streak before Na’Vi decided to go for a tactical pause.
All of a sudden, the Ukranian squad gets a lot of rounds into the board, just ripping the French team apart as they charge through their selected sites with smoke grenades and flashbangs.
Then, in the 13th round, Denis “seized” Kostin wins a clutch against three Titan players in the 13th round, making it 8-5. Na’Vi gets two more rounds before being shut down by kennyS in the last round of the first half, making it 9-6 for the French side.
In the second half of Overpass, Na’Vi get on their favorite CT side and this time around, the Ukrainian side gets five straight rounds for a 11-9 scoreline before the French take their first round on the T side to make it 11-10.
In a mind-blowing play, Ex6TenZ, who is generally known for his in-game calling rather than his aiming skills, took down three Na’Vi players in the 22nd round to make it 11-11. However, the Ukrainians did not let it go out of control as they took the next five rounds to take Overpass, 16-11.
Both teams are now tied at 1-1.
Inferno: Whose Hell Is It?
This time around, Na’Vi start on the slightly favored CT side and they immediately cruise off to a good start by taking the first pistol round as well as the succeeding anti-eco rounds.
However, in the first gun round, Titan take their first round on the board with a well-executed A site execute. Then, once again, kennyS and Cédric “RpK” Guipouy open up the A site with their respective entry frags and makes it 3-2.
Titan gets another round to break Na’Vi’s economy this time around; however, very good teamplay from the Ukrainian side won them an eco round in the 7th to make it 4-3. Then in the 8th round, Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács just wrecked the push by Titan on the A site by getting four kills with the AWP! On the 9th round, Titan charged towards the B site on an eco and win it with kennyS getting three frags!
The match has proved to be a back-and-forth affair as Na’Vi get the 10th round to make it 6-4. Just as the Ukrainians thought that they have the match in the bag, Titan charge again towards the A site to make it 6-5, followed by another lightning strike on the B site in the 12th round. At this point, the score has turned 6-6, with Titan getting a lot of rounds on the t side.
Seeing that things are slowly getting out of control, the Ukrainian squad decided to go for a tactical pause, however, kennyS just shows why he is considered to be the best sniper in the world by getting an ace in the 13th round. Finally, Natus Vincere claim the last two rounds for themselves and the first half ends at 8-7 in favor of Na’Vi.
With the situation looking dire for the Ukrainians, Na’Vi decided to step up their game and get the four consecutive rounds in the beginning of the second half and despite some close rounds by the French side, the Ukrainians manage to bring it to 14-7.
The next two rounds were rather uneventful as Na’Vi demonstrated very good map control and tactical finesse, winning it 16-7 and bringing back to a 2-1 win after losing the first map on Cobblestone.
After going the full distance, Natus Vincere gets to the Grand Final of Dreamhack Open Summer 2015 with a 2-1 win, where they will face Fnatic.
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