Image via Ubisoft/@itsmeerror
It started slow, but DarkZero eventually pushed through a rough start for a 2-1 win over NAVI.
The first map was all about the UK-majority roster, however. NAVI raced out to a 4-2 lead on their defensive half, and then rattled off three attacking rounds in a row to take Bank in dominating fashion.
According to NAVI’s Rickard “Secretly” Olofsson, the European side got a little bit too comfortable after the massive win. “It’s mostly a case of us not controlling our emotions between the maps,” he said. “...Especially when we have such a strong finish on Bank, which is the opposite of what happened yesterday. We really fixed our mistakes in Bank … we probably got a bit too ahead of ourselves.”
Indeed, DarkZero would go on to win 14 of the next 20 rounds, taking over the final map with a blistering 5-1 attacking half on Kafe Dostoyevsky.
Statistically, Rob “Panbazou” Feliciano led the charge overall. The youngster notched 39 kills and went +5 in entry kill differential, followed closely by Nick “njr” Rapier with 35 kills and a +7 in entry kill differential.
“I think they got a little bit lucky on Bank, and we were not being thorough with our drones and our energy was kinda low,” said DarkZero’s Paul “Hyper” Kontopanagiotis. “Going into the second map we were a lot more energized.”
A four-round defensive half started DZ off on Oregon, and a three-round attacking half sealed it. On Kafe, though, the American side was particularly devastating. “Map two and map three attacks seemed twice as good,” said DarkZero head coach Brandon “BC” Carr. “We also got a lot of picks on attack, which helped. That’s something we didn’t get as often on Bank.”
Next up for DarkZero is a group-stage rematch with FURIA. The last meeting between the pair was decided by maximum overtime on round three. The loss eliminates NAVI from the tournament.