Ghost haunted by Na`Vi; eliminated from Stockholm
The elimination match of Group B here at DreamHack Stockholm saw the surprising squad of Ghost take on second in the world Na`Vi in a rematch game. The winner of this game would continue on in the competition, with the loser headed home. The teams would play on Mirage, Nuke and Inferno.
Mirage began with a strong display from Na`Vi, where they secured six of the starting seven rounds of the game on their T-side. Ghost weren't looking to be sent down as they reversed the deficit to go narrowly ahead by the end of the half. Although it was Na`Vi's Denis "electronic" Sharipov who was leading the game, with a 1.50 rating, Ghost were the stronger side in a relatively close second half. After the pistol round, Ghost were in charge, taking a dominant position in the game as they raced to match point, eventually claiming a 16-11 win.
Nuke was up next, and Ghost started off strong with the first three rounds, but it was Na`Vi who was narrowly in control in that first half, as they overturned the start to go 8-7 ahead. The second half was another strong start for Ghost, but from there it was Na`Vi who took control of the map to go for the win. A magnificent 1v3 clutch from Matthew "Wardell" Bowman staved off the inevitable for a brief period, but Na`Vi tied up the series with a 16-12 score.
Inferno was the decider, and like the second map Na`Vi were in control from the start. Although Ghost secured the pistol round, the Ukrainians came back on an eco round and started a run. Joshua "steel" Nissan's men were able to even the game up, even going so far to take a one round lead at a certain point, but Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev started to wake up as he wished to avoid being knocked out of the competition at the group stage for a 9-6 lead. The second half was all Na`Vi, as they secured seven rounds in a row for a 16-6 win.
This means Ghost have been eliminated from DreamHack Stockholm in third place of their group, with Na`Vi heading to the playoffs starting tomorrow. This leaves MIBR as the only North American representatives at the competition in the Swedish capital.