#Fnatic began their ESL Pro League Season 17 Group A with a dominant 2-0 victory over #MIBR, following a confident 16-7 win on Ancient and a 16-12 performance on Overpass. This result sent the Brazilians to the bottom phase of the triple-elimination group.
For fnatic, who struggled at IEM Katowice, their first tournament of 2023, bowing out in 9-12th place after disappointing defeats to both Vitality and Complexity, the triumph will be a huge confidence builder. However, the team seemed much more in sync this time around, with Dion #FASHR Derksen’s form showing an especially notable improvement. The Dutchman finished IEM Katowice with a modest 0.83 rating across nine maps, but he begins fnatic’s journey through EPL Season 17 with a significantly better 1.28 rating, which is encouraging as the team strives to make the playoffs of ESL’s premier league for the second consecutive season.
Henrique #HEN1 Teles was unusually quiet, which severely hurt MIBR. The Brazilian marksman finished last in the standings with a dismal 21-38 K/D difference and 0.69 rating, and his failure to shine on Overpass AWP-heavy map cost him the chance to force a Vertigo finale. If the team wants to stand a chance against IHC in the lower division, they will need to fix their server-related issues.
Ancient
The first map that saw activity between two teams was Ancient, which MIBR chose and which fnatic had not yet played in the previous three months. The Brazilians got off to a strong start in the series thanks to Raphael #exit Lacerda, who served as the team’s in game captain and had 12 kills. However, they were unable to breach fnatic’s adaptable defensive line, which consistently kept the Brazilian squad one step clear.
Once it was their time to attack, fnatic maintained control thanks to flawlessly performed site takes and constant round-on-round impact from FASHR, which allowed the international mixture to fully run loose. Due to a triple kill round from Matheus #Tuurtle Anhaia midway through the first half, MIBR was able to add one round to their total, but they were otherwise outmatched repeatedly by a vastly superior fnatic, who went on to win the game 16-7 to advance the series to Overpass.
Overpass
Once Overpass began, MIBR’s chances of rejoining the contest were soon eliminated. Felipe #insani Yuji’s triple kill helped the Brazilians win the handgun round, but they were unable to stop fnatic’s Desert Eagles in the following round, which led to a 4-1 European advantage on the T-side. The rest of the half was a full-on brawl; although fnatic were the dominant power in the server, the Brazilians were able to stay right behind them. Even though William #mezii Merriman’s team ultimately prevailed and had a nine-round lead at the break, MIBR remained in the game thanks to exploits from insani, including an ace in round eight and a 1v2 clutch in round 14.
Beginning the second half, MIBR began their comeback, reversing fnatic’s pistol round win with a three round run to trail by just one round, 9-10. The Brazilian’s kept improving as they entered the final stretch, but fnatic’s victory in the environment round at 11-12 proved to be turning moment. Due to a firm hold of the B bombsite and a revitalized performance from Feddy #KRIMZ Johansson, the European team was able to string together five rounds in a row, stopping MIBR’s recovery effort in its tracks and winning the series 16-12 with one map remaining.
