Endpoint hand NaVi their biggest loss since the addition of B1t as their Israeli star Nertz dominates.
Endpoint is the CSGO gift that keeps on giving. The talent scout that gave us gems like flameZ and mezii, have now shown what their new roster is truly capable of. Powered by Guy 'Nertz' Iluz, Endpoint ruined Denis 'electroNic' Sharipov's birthday, and beat NaVi their biggest loss since the addition of Valeriy 'b1t' Vakhovskiy in early 2021.
The afformentioned 19-year-old himself struggled in the series, managing only 20 kills across the two maps. A scoreline we expect from him every map. Ilya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy was the only NaVi member to outfrag someone on Endpoint, with even the might Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev falling flat with countless missed shots.
Ancient: A Surreal Experience
26-year-old Kia 'Surreal' Man, has been part of the supportive structure of Endpoint, helping develop the talent they get through the doors. Usually averaging a below 1.00 rating, he isn't supposed to be a star. But today the British player decided to buck the trend. With a 1.51 rating on Ancient, he ran NaVi out of the server.
For context, Surreal's last game that went over a 1.50 rating was in March, when the team dismantled UK squad "FAMBIT" 16-4. With all the stars of NaVi underperforming, and Surreal pulling out his career best game, Ancient was quick in and quick out, with NaVi unable to mantain a foothold in the match. Endpoint beat NaVi 16-7, a scoreline you generally receive from NaVi not the other way around.
Nertz and Cruc1al shut it down on Dust 2
NaVi started off Dust2, finally leading in a map 3-1. But immediately Endpoint got guns out and took the lead with supreme retakes and map control. With Nertz and Cruc1al shutting down Mid and Short, NaVi had no avenue of attack. The Ukranian side scraped together just 5 rounds in the first half. And Endpoint continued dominance into the second half. Smashing through NaVi's defense and clinching match point at 15-6, they looked set to beat NaVi in record time.
Finally up against match point, NaVi showed some signs of life. Winning 4 rounds in a row, including an insane botched bomb plant by Endpoint. But with such a massive deficit, and Nertz having a brilliant game, NaVi was just delaying the inevitable. Endpoint finally beat NaVi 16-10, handing them a loss for the history books.
Time to sound the alarm for NaVi?
While the loss is disheartening and worrying, NaVi fans need not loose hope so soon. Not only did S1mple, electroNic and b1t all have a disastrous game, Endpoint was playing the best CS they had ever played. The result, while great, isn't a sign of NaVi's performance. The team has been struggling to perform at their best, but that is largely attributed to the lack of practice.
S1mple's break, followed by an immediate EPL Group meeant that NaVi haven't been able to get a lot of practice under their belt. And being the number 2 team in the world, every team is analysing their games day in and day out. NaVi is likely to still make it through to the playoffs of this event, but with Vitality and NIP up next, they will have to show their true form to get there.
For Endpoint, ever since Rejin's speech mid-game against Spirit, they have looked like a real team. MIGHTYMAX is doing an able job leading them, and their stars are keeping up. With a shaky NIP, and a still unknown Fnatic up next for them, they have a chance to cause a true upset and make it to the playoffs, thought the odds for that are still slim.
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