Natus Vincere has narrowly avoided a damning series loss in their victory today (July 8th) over Rune Eaters Esports in the DPC EEU 2021/2022 Tour 3: Division I. Their 2-1 win came after a 0-1 start to the match against Rune Eaters, and was down to the wire in the final game. In which at one point, the team was 3k gold down and looking set to lose the game.
The series would have had severe implications for Na’Vi had they lost. The top off the EEU DPC Div I league is locked in a tight four-way battle for the three Arlington Major slots. Losing a single series would likely have eliminated Na’Vi from contention, or have sent them into a single tie-breaker instead of a possible three or four-way tie.
In the series, Rune Eaters played with a stand-in, Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov. Funn1k stood in for Offlaner Alexander “Cloud” Zaharov, and was a highlight for the team. This was especially the case in the opening victory, in which the players’ Beastmaster helped turn the tide and secure the game one victory.
A close call for Na’Vi
With a 0-1 start, Na’Vi immediately had their backs against the wall for game two. But the team showed their experience, and held the upper hand for almost the entire game, mostly thanks to a dominant performance on Gyrocopter by Alik “V-Tune” Vorobey.
Sending the series to game three, something of a rarity in the EEU DPC, Na’Vi found themselves once again on the back foot. For the opening 20 minutes, it seemed like Rune Eaters were firmly in control. Especially at the 12 minute mark, where Rune Eaters wiped Na’Vi off the map in a dramatic team fight.
Na’Vi retreated and licked their wounds. Farming up for the next 15 minutes, the team exploded in a dramatic team fight at the 28-minute mark. Although the match would continue for another quarter-of-an-hour, this was really the point when Rune Eaters had lost control. Na’Vi scraped by and claimed victory.
The win against Rune Eaters pushed Na’Vi into the the top of the table of the EEU DPC Div 1, albeit only for the next few days. As one of the few teams that has already completed six matches, they will likely fall back into a tie for first soon enough.
Rune Eaters, on the other hand, are now almost certainly facing relegation to Division II. They’ll need bottom of the table rivals Mind Games to lose their final two matches to force a three-way tie. This will give Rune Eaters one last chance to avoid relegation. And they’ll be hoping Mind Games are forced into this tiebreaker, given they’re the only team Rune Eaters has beaten this season.
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