It’s typically tough to be a NAVI fan, as so often the team is carried by headliner s1mple in what seems to be a one-sided deathmatch for the player. Kirill ‘Boombl4’ Mikhailov had a tough time with NAVI at the start of BLAST Global Finals, and after dropping into the Lower Bracket on the first day, all looked lost for the IGL and his teammates.
However, things took a turn when five more games were played and they found themselves up against favorites Astralis in the Grand Final. While the spotlight of the BLAST Final continues to shine on MVP Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, Boombl4 turned into the frag-crazy IGL he was always poised to be, beating Astralis with undiminishing ease.
Hitting three headshots with lightning-fast precision, the player stopped discussion of his lack of tactical skill dead in its tracks. Sweeping in during the match and taking the opposition by surprise, it became clear that NAVI had done its research on how Astralis performed against Vitality in the Upper Bracket Final.
NAVI grabbing the event win surprised many, with the clock beating them on 9 T-rounds, but it just goes to show that one single match can still turn the tide of an event when it’s least expected.
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