NRG Claim CS: GO IEM Shanghai Trophy

The plucky North American squad from NRG have managed to dominate the opposition at IEM Shanghai, claiming the ultimate prize and lifting the trophy high. Despite some misgivings about the relative strength of the competition, NRG’s performance proved they are a team to watch out for.

NRG faced off against 5Power Gaming for their first match of the event, ultimately winning 16-10 in their single map battle on Inferno. The next challenge was HellRaisers in a three-map series that saw HellRaisers win the first map 16-9 on Mirage, before NRG could regain control and claim Overpass 16-10 and Train 16-11.

☠ @The_nahtE gets all FIVE on pistol ♤♤♤♤♤#IEM https://t.co/JCaCtOvQYi pic.twitter.com/Mskr61qm95

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 5, 2018

The next hurdle came in the playoffs, where NRG squared up against Gambit Esports, though this match did not prove to be as difficult as many had thought. NRG dominated the matchup, taking down Gambit 16-8 on Train, then following that up 16-3 on Overpass to book their spot in the grand final.

Facing off against TyLoo in the grand final, NRG again put forth a dominant performance, taking down TyLoo 16-9 on Overpass, then following that up 16-2 on Mirage to seal the match and claim their title.

S P R A Y D O W N ? Those poor T's didn't stand a chance against @The_nahtE ?#IEM https://t.co/JCaCtOvQYi pic.twitter.com/dRCWBuikZq

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 6, 2018

It remains to be seen how NRG stacks up against the other top teams from North America, such as Team Liquid and Cloud9, however their showing here proves that they definitely have the skill to get the job done when needed. For more CS: GO news, check out the full launch of the Panorama UI and Horizon Weapon Cases, here.