RESULTS: Fnatic Claim IEM Katowice 2018 Championship

FaZe made their way to today's grand final with a 2-0 victory over Astralis in the semifinals. Fnatic made their way to the grand final with a 2-0 semifinal victory over Team Liquid. With the championship crown and $250,000 grand prize on the line, Fnatic was looking to prove to the world that they were back to their championship form, while FaZe was out to show everyone that they have the ability to close out a championship run. Here is a short breakdown of how the match went. 

Cache was the first map of the grand final, and it was not a good showing for Fnatic. FaZe playing on the terrorist side was able to take a 11-4 lead in the first half, which put Fnatic in a very deep hole heading into the second half. Switching to the counter terrorist side would not cool down the hot streak that FaZe was on, as the talented roster would collect a win in five of six rounds to clinch the 16-5 victory on Cache and a 1-0 lead in the grand final. Håvard "rain" Nygaard (23 kills, 111.7 average damage per round and a 1.83 overall rating) and Nikola "NiKo" Kovač (22 kills, 101.4 average damage per round and a 1.63 overall rating) were the standout performers for FaZe on Cache. Jesper "JW" Wecksell was the only player on Fnatic to have a positive kill to death ratio on the first map of the grand final.

Inferno was the following map. FaZe would jump out to a strong lead to begin the first half on the counter terrorist side, but Fnatic was able to fight back at the end to close the gap to 9-6 at the end of the first half. It would be a complete switch from the first half, as Fnatic was able to take advantage of the counter terrorist side and collect a win in nine of the 15 rounds. This would result in a 15-15 tie at the end of regulation, which meant both teams would have to decide the winner in overtime. Fnatic would gain the early advantage in overtime to force match point multiple times against Faze. However, FaZe would deliver clutch plays in back to back rounds to force a second overtime with the score at 18-18. Fnatic would continue their strong play to take a 21-19 lead to begin the second overtime period, but FaZe would secure the next round to cut Fnatic's lead to 21-20. A triple kill by Maikil "Golden" Selim in the final round of double overtime would seal the 22-20 victory on Inferno for Fnatic and tie the grand final with the score at 1-1. Robin "flusha" Rönnquist was the driving force for Fnatic's win with 36 kills, 91.9 average damage per round and a 1.34 overall rating.

Overpass was the the 3rd map of the match and saw a very close first half between the two teams. The score would be 8-7 in Fnatic's favor going into the second half. The highlight of the first half was an ace by Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács in the 9th round that saw the star AWP player all by himself against all five members of Fnatic. Pulling off one amazing shot after another, GuardiaN was able to clutch a round that had all but looked lost. This heroic play would not be enough, as Fnatic would win eight straight rounds to begin the second half to secure the 16-7 victory on Overpass. No player on FaZe would end Overpass with a positive kill to death ratio, while flusha would put together a second straight performance with 25 kills, 107.1 average damage per round and a 1.72 overall rating.

Mirage was the 4th map of the grand final and had FaZe wih their backs against the wall, while Fnatic were looking to secure the IEM Katowice 2018 championship. FaZe would respond to the pressure very well to begin the map, as they would dominate the first half 11-4 on the counter terrorist side. Fnatic would make a valiant effort for a comeback in the second half, as they would collect seven round wins. Unfortunately for Fnatic, FaZe would win the necessary five rounds they needed to capture the 16-11 win on Mirage. This would force a championship deciding map five. NiKo was be at the forefront of FaZe's win with 29 kills, 101.6 average damage per round and a 1.55 overall rating. 

It all came down to the 5th map of the grand final, as Fnatic and FaZe decided the champion of IEM Katowice 2018 on Train. The first half was as close as it could be, as FaZe would hold a 8-7 lead going into the second half. In a mirror image of the first half, Fnatic would take the 8-7 advantage. This had both teams tied at 15-15 at the end of regulation. A stunning ace by flusha in the 30th round was the saving grace for Fnatic, as it allowed them to force overtime. Fnatic would take that momentum and secure a win in four of the six overtime rounds to secure the 19-17 win on Train. This resulted in the 3-2 grand final victory for Fnatic. Another amazing performance from flusha (38 kills, 103.4 average damage per round and a 1.67 overall rating) would be the difference in Fnatic's victory over FaZe.

With the win, Fnatic became the first ever three time Intel Extreme Masters champion, while the loss prevented FaZe from claiming the IEM Katowice championship for a second year in a row. 

(cover photo courtesy of tech2.org)