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Flashpoint Season 2: Virtus.pro and Fnatic En Route to Grand Finals

Sitting in the Upper Bracket Finals, these two teams are just one step away from the Grand Finals. But... Fabio | 4. December 2020

Sitting in the Upper Bracket Finals, these two teams are just one step away from the Grand Finals. But obviously, only one of them can make it, the other team will have to fight either MIBR or OG in the Lower Bracket.

Team Envy almost kicked their playoffs journey off with a victory over BIG Clan. This has been their most competitive form so far, but the efforts of Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninic were still in vain. His old team threw him and his players into the Lower Bracket on a 1-2 scoreline, where they eventually succumbed to MAD Lions.

They are in joint last place with Dignitas. The Swedish team arrived in the Lower Bracket after a defeat to Fnatic. Following an upset loss, OG also descended, which made things difficult for Dignitas. OG really didn’t go easy on them, as they were fighting for their tournament lives. Even though Adam “friberg” Friberg and his men pulled off a very close Nuke map, OG finally wiped them off the server and the event on a 16-5 second map.

FNATIC EXPECTEDLY PULL THROUGH

Prior to the playoffs, we had identified the BIG, Fnatic and OG trio as tournament favorites. Well… one in three isn’t bad, right? So far, Fnatic have put up a solid show in this bracket. They won a 2-1 match over Dignitas, in which Jesper “JW” Wecksell and Luvdig “Brollan” Brolin pulled off great performances for their team. On the other side, Haris “HARR3” Hadzic was the only player to achieve a positive rating.

Going up against MIBR, however, the Fnatic boys had a much harder time. On Overpass, the teams went all the way to overtime, where the Swedes eventually came out on top on a 25-21 scoreline. This feature-length map had really demanded a lot of MIBR, so it came as no surprise when they conceded Vertigo on a 4-16 scoreline. The Swedes have now arrived at their Upper Bracket match against Virtus.pro. But how could this Eastern European team make it this far?

THE VIRTUS.PLOW TARGETS BIG

Their victory over MAD Lions was no surprise, given that the Danish team had only recently formed and only had posted one impressive victory over Fnatic so far. But when VP met BIG, the Germans were clear favorites. Nonetheless, Virtus.pro stood victorious after a three-map series. On the last map, the Kazakh duo, Alexey “quikert” Golubev and Timur “buster” Tulepov, secured enough kills to achieve a 16-11 scoreline.

So Virtus.pro made their way to the Upper Bracket Finals. But do they really stand a chance against Fnatic? Granted, they have managed to eliminate one of the favorites already. But the Swedes seem to be on a different level. After all, they’ve been much more consistent recently than the German roster. So Fnatic might finally be the team that breaks the plow here at Flashpoint.

OG NARROWLY SURVIVE VERSUS BIG

After their loss to Virtus.pro, BIG weren’t out of the tournament entirely just yet. The Lower Bracket was supposed to be their safety net and it almost might have worked – if only they hadn’t drawn OG as their opponents. After Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen and his boys had lost to MIBR in the Opening Match already, they had to start again in the Lower Bracket. There, they managed to secure a swift 2-0 over Dignitas, but BIG awaited them next.

On the first map, the Germans posed no challenge, as Valdemar “valde” Bjørn Vangså effortlessly posted a 2.0 KDR. With a fantastic 114 ADR, he dominated the entire sever. OG didn’t even need to activate a second star player, as valde quickly led them to a 16-10 victory.

On Dust2, however, BIG managed to acquire an early lead. But as OG slowly woke up, they still found seven round victories in the first half. After they switched sides, they reprised their performance – so much so that the two teams had to enter overtime. There, OG eventually ended the match on a 19-17 scoreline.

Even though this result is obviously great news for Aleksib and his men, more challenges are up ahead in the Lower Bracket. They will now face MIBR and have to pray that they are better prepared this time around. In this instance, there are no second chances. So if they lose this match, they will leave the tournament for good – and even if they manage to win, either Virtus.pro or Fnatic will stand in their way in the Lower Bracket Finals.

The last four teams that are still in the running should really not be underestimated. So far, Fnatic and OG had shown the best form, but Virtus.pro and MIBR have caught up a lot in the playoffs. They look more dangerous than ever and could turn this tournament upside down – if given the chance.