Natus Vincere and Cloud 9 will be competing in a best-of-five showdown tonight for at least $25,000 and the Dota 2 Champions League Title. Their match will start at at 19:00 CET.
After a little over two months, we have finally reached the grand finals of the Dota 2 Championship League's second season. A lot is at stake in this match-up. Both teams are trying to establish momentum as they prepare in their upcoming tournaments. Aside from the pride and honor which are always at stake, this match would also spell the prize difference of at least $10,000 for the teams.
Natus Vincere is entering the finals as the favorite. After topping their group in this tournament, the Ukranian team battled a feisty Alliance team in a 3-2 thriller semi-finals match. Among the teams that Na`Vi has bested in the group stage is Cloud 9 itself, winning their match last February in the score of 2-1.
Cloud 9, as mentioned above, didn't have as beautiful start in this tournament as their opponents had. They had a mediocre 6-4 record, just barely enough for a third place finish in their group. However, they have come alive in the playoffs, as they defeated both Fnatic and the streaking Empire in the scores of 3-1 in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Cloud 9 is also trying to better their result from the first season, wherein they (then known as Speed Gaming) finished second.
Wins-Losses-Draws : 294-99-11 (74%) - matches
Last 20 matches : 22 - 10 (68.5%) - maps
Common :
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Wins-Losses-Draws : 155-70-8 (68%) - matches
Last 20 matches : 18 - 13 (58%) - maps
Common :
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Both teams are part of highly competitive western tournaments, which is why after considering the opposition, their recent performance is actually better than what it seems. The Ukranian team is not far off their average, and they have actually won for out of their last five matches. C9, despite experiencing a big drop in their winning percentage, is running in high spirits after clinching a spot in the WPC-ACE's LAN playoffs behind back-to-back victories versus Team Dog and Fnatic.
Aside from their match in this tournament's group stage, these teams had also faced one another twice in recent memory. Both of those matches were held just this April, with Na`Vi winning the first encounter and C9 taking the second. The aggregate score of those two matches is an equal two matches apiece for both sides. The teams are seemingly in equal footing and with their exciting playstyles, tihs should make another thrilling best-of-five championship series.
The best-of-fiive finals is scheduled at 19:00 CET today. There will be an English and a Russian cast. You can find the match page, together with the bets, stream and picks, here.
