NaVi reverse sweep MOUZ – EWC 2024 Semi-Finals

NaVi and MOUZ battle it out in the EWC 2024 Semi-Finals to decide who will make it to the finals and get a chance to face G2 for the trophy. Both teams have their stars battling it out for the MVP award, but who will come out on top here?

NaVi and MOUZ are perhaps the most perplexing teams to place in the CS2 pantheon. The Ukrainian side has been underwhelming on the whole but won a major while losing more rounds than they won. Meanwhile, MOUZ looks like the bonafide #1 team in the world but falls flat when the pressure mounts up. That means in any match, these teams can win or lose 13-0. So far at EWC, both are lighting up the servers.

At the forefront are Valerij "b1t" Vakhovsjkyj and Jimi "Jimpphat" Salo. The Ukrainian rifler has been trying to get back to his 2021-2022 form for months now, and after a brief flash of brilliance in the Major final, he finally stepped up here. That will be crucial for NaVi in a game against MOUZ, who have an MVP candidate of their own. Jimpphat is matching b1t's 1.50+ ratings across the event, the two star anchors will be the difference makers here.

Which one of them can power their team to the finals?

Catch the stream for NaVi vs MOUZ live on EWC’s official Twitch channel, or you can watch it on the various co-streams running for the event, like ohnepixel or HeatoN. Or better yet, watch right here with the embedded stream below.

Check back in later to get a map-by-map recap of the semi-final match.

Right off the bat, Dust2 did not get started for NaVi at all. A pistol round allowed MOUZ to build a quick 3-0 lead. And even when NaVi managed to get into the B site on the first gun round, their retake was perfectly set up, and the streak continued. There was no traction under the NaVi wheels as they spun out on Dust2. MOUZ's defence held strong and the team mustered just a single round. Aleksib particularly struggled both individually and in his calling as he could find no way in. For the MOUZ side, Jimi's form was particularly promising, as the youngster once again topped the charts.

What could have easily been a blowout series turned into a competitive affair as NaVi reset well between maps. Starting with a pistol conversion, they did allow MOUZ to take the lead with four on the trot, starting with a Brollan opener. But NaVi's defense eventually held them off in round 7 and then went up to six rounds in the half. A final 2v3 from MOUZ tied the game up going into halftime. Whatever blad3 discussed in his half-time talk was the perfect dose of a miracle for NaVi.

The team took another pistol conversion, and this time, they locked in the gun rounds, too. The Dust2 roles were now reversed as NaVi stormed through the MOUZ defenses again and again. They did not let their foot off the pedals till they locked in the map point. MOUZ did manage to save face by picking up two more before the map fell from their grips.

The pistol round was a perfect first look into what Mirage was going to be like as w0nderful started off with a pistol triple. The Ukrainian sniper was absolutely feeling it, and he racked up 10 frags in the first 5 rounds alone. Even when NaVi looked on the back foot, he bailed them out with an incredible clutch from CT.

MOUZ were absolutely crushed as they were now at the receiving end of the stomp. siuhy's crew finally managed to shut w0nderful down, but jL and Aleksib stepped up to lock the round regardless. After Jimpphat gave MOUZ their first, xertioN stepped up alongside him to finally double their team's score. Still, with w0nderful's AWP hitting almost everything in its sights, they locked in a 9-3 scoreline at half time.

MOUZ was looking primed with a pistol win, but w0nderful decided that he could win rounds with just a Deagle. That put NaVi back in control, and they snatched up the match point. All 5 stayed alive, and they locked in the Grand Finals.

After such a stunning matchup, it is hard to underestimate NaVi's form going into the Grand Finals. b1t was already looking incredible, and now w0nderful is popping off alongside him. Even tactically, with blad3 in their corner, they will back themselves to outcall G2. Especially when the new roster is unlikely to have all their basics locked down this early on. With tough task up ahead for G2 and a potential trophy on the line for NaVi, EWC will have an incredibly closing match.

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Featured image via Michal Konkol and BLAST