There won't be another #FaZe triumph at IEM Katowice after #Liquid defeated the European team 2-1. After falling to FaZe 14-16 on Inferno, Nick #nitr0 Cannella and crew outlasted them 16-11 on Overpass and 16-13 on Mirage.
At BLAST Spring Groups, Liquid appeared to have reached a plateau in their development since the arrival of Mareks #YEKINDAR Gainskis, with a solitary series win and their inability to advance to the Spring Final signifying a big letdown.
Although the Latvian's poor performance contributed to some of that defeat, he was far better in this series and a key factor in Liquid's triumph. If the North American team hopes to advance far in the Katowice playoffs, Jonathan #EliGE Jablonowski must also regain his form.
The Match Recap
The first map to be played was Inferno, where FaZe dominated in their pick's CT half. After winning the pistol to start 3-0, Liquid found it difficult to overcome the defensive strength of Helvijs #broky Saukants and Hvard #rain Nygaard, partly because they were unable to secure early kills. In the middle of the half, Keith #NAF Markovic and YEKINDAR did locate some entrances on banana to gain two rounds for their team, but FaZe eventually rolled to a comfortable 10-5 victory.
Prior to an outstanding Josh #oSee Ohm hold on A winning them the first gun round, Liquid once again won the pistol round and converted to start the half. FaZe consistently applied pressure, constantly locating bomb factories and making the North American team scurry to recover despite the lead Liquid were producing. Eventually, FaZe did succeed in entering the A site unimpeded to win the opening round, and this allowed the European mix to prevail in four of the following five rounds.
Just when it looked like FaZe would cruise to win, Liquid righted the ship and began to pick up rounds, which promptly shattered their opponent's economy and brought the score to 14-14. FaZe pulled off a deft A split to put themselves on map point when they were up against it, and a quick B hit finished the game 16-14 in their favor.
The following match was Overpass, and to start things off, FaZe won their first pistol round of the series on the CT side. The majority of the second half was spent in a fiercely contested duel, with Liquid having the best success while aiming rain in restrooms and FaZe feeling most at ease when broky's AWP was accurate. Liquid took a 9-6 lead into halftime because to some up-tempo B executions, but it should have been more convincing given the opportunities they missed early in the half.
The Second Half
At the beginning of the second half, FaZe turned into a totally different animal. They put together a strong and precise attack that consistently defeated Liquid, winning seven rounds in a row. Nitr0 gave Liquid a crucial 3k when the score was 10–12, and they were able to grind out a couple more either side of a tense 1–2 to defeat FaZe and bring the score to 14–13. When it mattered most, oSee adopted an aggressive position in the underpass to secure an opening and FaZe broke down.
Liquid won 16-14 to defeat the defending Katowice winners.
