Fnatic regain composure and win week 4 of eLeague to secure themselves a much deserved spot in the playoffs.
Tuesday, June 14th - Round robin
Fnatic vs. 
Team SoloMid – 11:4, 5:9 (16:13); 14:1, 2:2 (16:3)
Winner: Fnatic
Maps: de_Cache, de_Mirage
MVP: Dennis "dennis" Edman
Match one of group D started with Cache, an eager Team SoloMid and a revitalized Fnatic after one of their star players (Olofmeister) has just re-joined their roster after a few months hiatus due to a wrist injury. At the start rounds were traded back and forth. In round 5 TSM's Sick managed to get 4 quick kills to save what appeared to be a bleak round as they were down two players early on. Despite their best efforts Fnatic went on an 8 round winning streak and closed out the half at 11:4. TSM put on an impressive second half CT side winning 9 of the first 12 rounds, however Fnatic's skill was just too much and they closed out the game at 16:13
Mirage was home to the second match of Fnatic vs. TSM and it wasn't TSM's finest hour. Considering how close they'd gotten on the first game you would have expected a little more from them, but Fnatic seemed to be playing at a completely higher level closing out the half at 14:1. Most notable moment was in round 14 Krimz managed to ninja defuse the bomb (on B bombsite) whilst being the only remaining Fnatic member whereas all of TSM's players were alive. This match was closed quickly thereafter at 16:3.
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FaZe Clan vs. 
Team Dignitas – 10:5, 6:0 (16:5); 9:6, 7:0 (16:6)
Winners: ? FaZe Clan
Maps: de_Cobblestone, de_Mirage
MVP: ? Philip "aizy" Aistrup
The third match of the day was Cobblestone and it seemed like we were up for a very even match with Dignitas starting out very strong. But in round 5 Faze's aizy managed a 1v3 clutch to defuse the bomb with just under a second left. This started a chain of wins for Faze and even after Dignitas taking the first 3 rounds, Faze closed out the half at 10:5. Faze had an extremely impressive, coordinated and downright dominating T side that Dignitas simply couldn't cope with as they pushed the last 6 rounds their way in succession closing out the map at 16:5. Side note: aizy went 31 kills with only 6 deaths.
Mirage showed another promising start from the Denmark team which led to a pinball of round wins without either team able to build much of a stable economy. Although Faze clan managed to close out the half at 9:6 it appeared much closer with many rounds coming down to 1 or 2 people, sadly Dignitas were unable to get the high impact, clutch kills necessary to pull down stable round wins. And an echo of the first game with Faze on T side they won all the rounds necessary to close out the win in a row leaving the match at 16:6.
? Fnatic vs. FaZe Clan – 15:0, 1:0 (16:0); 5:10, 3:6 (8:16)
Winners: ? Fnatic, Faze
Maps: de_Cobblestone, de_Mirage
MVP: Dennis "dennis" Edman
"Don't play Fnatic on Cobblestone" was echoing on Twitch as this match went underway and the audience couldn't have been more correct. Fnatic went on a tear and completely shut-out Faze 16:0. Round 8 Krimz and Dennis clutch a 2 vs. 4 on the B bombsite, shattering yet again the Faze economy. Also in round 15 Dennis clutched a 1 v 3 with two extremely quick 1 taps and a pick on the A bombsite. The opening rounds were extremely close, with Faze coming near to defeating Fnatic on many occasions, but after a bit it seemed as though there fire had burnt out and Fnatic were able to walk all over them with little contest.
Amazingly Faze was able to recover mentally after the first game and made Mirage a completely different story. In the first half Fnatic was able to chain just 3 rounds together but despite their amazing skill Faze closed out the half at 10:5. In round 13 Faze had an amazing eco win against the Swedish team without losing a single member. Fnatic had started their CT side very strongly with two quick wins yet Faze was dominant from then on winning 6 of the last 7 rounds. On a second occasion in round 18 Faze managed to, yet again, win an amazing eco round. Faze closed out the match at 16:8.
Wednesday, June 15th - Round robin
? FaZe Clan vs. Team SoloMid – 11:4, 5:9 (16:13); 9:6, 7:6 (16:12)
Winners: FaZe Clan
Maps: de_Cobblestone, de_Train
MVP: 
Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad
The first match of the day was Cobblestone and it was expected that Faze would win but the game turned out to be quite close. Faze had an impressive and forceful B push nearly every round of the first half and managed to win numerous close ranged battles allowing them to hold very strong angles and get quick bomb plants. The half closed at 11:4 in favour of Faze. TSM managed to push back on their T side and bring the match very close but was stopped by a 25th round eco win for Faze. Eventually, after some rounds going back and forth Faze closed out the first match of the day at 16:13.
Next up was Train in which both teams performed very well. The spread was very even in the first half of the map but TSM's T side was just slightly out-performed and the half was set at 9:6 Faze. Neither team pulled too far ahead in the second half and TSM managed even to tie the match on two separate occasions. But late in the game things started to fall apart for their CT side and with Faze's aggressive pushes led by Rain's entry kills the game was set, another loss for TSM at 16:12.
? Fnatic vs. Team Dignitas – 11:4, 5:5 (16:9); 10:5, 6:1 (16:6)
Winners: Fnatic
Maps: de_Cobblestone, de_Dust2
MVP: Robin "flusha" Rönnquist
The first map of the match-up was Cobblestone and Fnatic started out in typical fashion going 8 straight rounds before taking a close loss to Dignitas. Round 6 Krimz had an unbelievable clutch 1v2 against Dignitas which ended in a VAC style intuitive spray against stables killing Rubino on the A bombsite. And again Krimz on the 15th round had four kills and a 1v2 clutch to close out the half at 11:4. Dignitas came alive in this second half but the deficit was just too much to overcome and the match came to a close at 16:9 Fnatic.
For the first time this week we got to see de_Dust2 come into the fray. Team Dignitas continued their habit of starting matches out very strongly pulling 3 quick wins on their T side against Fnatic, but in the 4th round a fired up Flusha managed an amazing ace that sparked a 10 round winning streak from the Swedish side. The CT side for Fnatic was too powerful for Dignitas and they won 7 of the last 6 rounds to seal the match at 16:6.
Team Dignitas vs. Team SoloMid – 8:7, 8:5 (16:12); 13:2, 3:9 (16:11)
Winner: Team Dignitas
Maps: de_Mirage, de_Dust2
MVP: Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke
Mirage was the first map of the series and this was an extremely close game. Dignitas came out strong as usual winning the first 7 rounds, however TSM answered back winning the next 6 and this half was closed at 8:7 slightly favouring Dignitas. The next half was an all-out battle as neither team was able to string more than 2 rounds in a row nor build up a suitable economy they could be comfortable with. However after lot's of scrappy fights and clutch endings Dignitas were able to pull ahead with the victory 16:12
1 HP and a dream, Rubino was able to clutch out a 1v2 on round 2 of the 2nd match (de_Dust2) against TSM. Dignitas then went on to win the next 9 rounds unanswered and the half closed out greatly in their favour at 13:2. TSM showed that they too have an impressive CT side and won 9 of 12 rounds, each 3 rounds broken up by 1 win from the Dignitas side. Despite their best efforts though the deficit was just too much to overcome and dignitas were able to secure a victory at 16:11.
Thursday, June 16th - Weekly semi-finals, Bo3
? Fnatic vs. Team SoloMid – 9:6, 7:6 (16:12); 4:11, 7:5 (11:16); 14:1, 2:5 (16:6)
Winner: ? Fnatic
Maps: de_Cache, de_Mirage, de_Cobblestone
MVP: Robin "flusha" Rönnquist
Semi-finals, game one, de_Cache and Fnatic came out ready to play with 4 quick wins from their CT side. Yet TSM showed that they were able to hold their own against one of the best teams in the world and managed to trade wins back and forth. On many occasions they were able to distract the entirety of the Fnatic team and have a lurker flank on opposite sides and pick up a frag or two with little contest. It was these clever plays that kept them close as the half wrapped up at 9:6. Round 18, with TSM gaining momentum, Olofmeister demonstrated that he is still one of the top players in the world by getting a 4k with the deagle and securing an eco win for Fnatic. Late in the game TSM were able to string together 4 wins but soon fell to the favoured, stronger Swedish team and game one was set at 16:12.
The second match (Mirage) was an all-out shock and awe campaign coming from TSM's CT side as they won 9 of the first 10 rounds. Semphis and FNS had amazing halves and utterly shut down Fnatic's T side. Premature rushes and sloppy plays led to Fnatic being 1 or 2 players down early on in many rounds and they weren't able to come away from those in their typical fashion. The first half was locked in at 11:4 heavily favouring the North Americans. The second half was an even split with key rounds going back and forth. In the 26th round Autimatic came away with a 1v2 clutch holding down the B bombsite. To everyone's surprise, TSM managed to pull away with the victory at 16:11.
It all came down to de_Cobblestone and like it was said in an earlier game - "Don't play Fnatic on Cobblestone". The first half was a dismal performance from TSM and an unbelievable performance from Fnatic. On many occasions we saw Fnatic with a man disadvantage but still come away with the round. Most impressive play was Krimz 1v2 clutch in round 5 where he got a jumping tec-9 headshot to secure the round win. The half ended with an overwhelming 14:1 score favouring the Swedes. Despite losing the first pistol round TSM went on an impressive 5 round win streak, however it was too little too late, the score margin was too high in Fnatic's favour and they were able to pick up the win; granting them a spot in Friday's final.
? FaZe Clan vs. Team Dignitas – 12:3, 4:7 (16:10); 11:4, 3:12 (14:16); 7:8, 9:6 (16:14)
Winner: ?? FaZe Clan
Maps: de_Cache, de_Overpass, de_Mirage
MVP: Philip "aizy" Aistrup
Cache, the first map of this semi-final pitting Faze against Dignitas. Faze won the first 5 rounds in a row and went on a blistering command of this half only allowing Dignitas to win 3 rounds in total the last of which coming down to an extremely close 1v1 where Dignitas just barely managed to win. Aizy was the player to watch as he went 18 and 6 showing just how deadly his T side play is on this map. Dignitas showed some life coming into the second half but they had allowed Faze just a bit too many wins in the first half and despite amazing plays from Rubino and Cajunb they weren't able to close the margin. Map one ended 16:10 in favour of Faze.
Match 2 was Overpass; surprisingly it was the first appearance of the map in this weeks eLeague bracket and do or die for Team Dignitas. A disappointing start for the Danes (after winning 4 of the first 7 rounds) as they allow Faze too many clutch opportunities and an amazing ace coming in from Rain in the 8th round. This turned out to be the Aizy and Rain show, both players performing remarkably well as they have been this entire week. Rain specifically who put up an astounding 24 kills, 3 assists and 8 deaths in the first half alone. Faze walk away happy at the end of this half 11:4. It seemed as though Faze had this one wrapped up when they put the score to 14:12 in their favour, however Cajunb single handedly stopped a split A push onto the sight and Dignitas were able to win the round and subsequently the match, 16:14.
It all comes down to Mirage and neither side showed any signs of weakness, this was an extremely well-played game for both teams. Rounds went back and forth with neither team able to bank up a significant amount of money. Dignitas finally pushed Faze into an eco, only to have the round (14) stolen from them due to many amazing plays including a push up mid in which aizy was able to trade 2 for 1 frags. Again it looked as if Faze were going to close this game out early as the scoreboard hit 14:10 in their favour but Dignitas wasn't ready to give up that easy as they battled back to tie the game 14:14. Not enough though, Faze were ready to put this game away and that they did as they hit 16:14 and bought themselves a ticket to the finals against Fnatic.
Friday, June 17th - Weekly final, Bo3
? Fnatic vs. FaZe Clan – 10:5, 6:7 (16:12); 14:1, 2:4 (16:5)
Winner: ? Fnatic
Maps: de_Cache, de_Cobblestone
MVP: Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer
Cache, the first map of this Bo3 series and unfortunately Faze didn't seem to get into any sort of rhythm until it was almost too late. Fnatic won 8 of the first 9 rounds with JW on two seperate occasions during this CT side half managed to single-handedly decimate the enemy team with insanely quick 1 taps, and early SMG aggression. On top of the insane skill of Fnatic it seemed as if only a few players on Faze were playing at their best whilest 3 of them were sitting at 6 frags or less at the end of the half. Surprisingly though the scoreboard was 10:5 where it seemed like it should have been much worse. Fnatic's T side was a bit less refined (Faze won 6 rounds in a row) then their overpowering CT side and Faze was able to pull the match a bit closer at 13:11.
It all comes down to Cobblestone, the dominant map for Fnatic. The map they had beaten, slaughtered, every other team during this week at eLeague. The same map that they had shut-out Faze 16:0 on the day 1 round robin. Fnatic were relentless putting up the first 13 rounds with ease. On round 10 Flusha picked up an ace holding long A not allowing Faze to gain any forward progress. The half ended with a disparaging score of 14:1 favouring the former number 1 team in the world, Fnatic. Faze came out strong on their CT side and gave it everything they had however it wasn't enough. They brought the score-line a little closer but sadly for them Fnatic were able to pick up the win with little struggle at 16:5.
