Team Liquid is moving on to the Grand Finals of IEM Chicago, after rolling over FaZe Clan in the semifinals.
.@TeamLiquid melt @FaZeClan on Cache 16-4 to end the series in front of the home crowd
They take the series 2:1 and take the second seat in the #IEM Chicago Grand Finals 💪 pic.twitter.com/xFZrfQEFQI
— Intel®ExtremeMasters (@IEM) November 11, 2018
Team Liquid was actually pretty dominant at IEM Chicago, taking down both Luminosity and Mousesports in groups. They would eventually lose to Fnatic in the playoff position deciding match. Even still, they were a strong favorite to reach the Finals of the event, especially in front of the home crowd. Their explosive trio of Keith “NAF” Markovic, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski would help push them towards the playoffs.
Meanwhile, FaZe Clan were looking even stronger heading into this semifinals matchup. They would dominate through their group, taking down Team LDLC, MIBR and even Astralis to win a bye for the semifinals. Nikola “NiKo” Kovač is still considered one of the best players in the world, and he has shown it throughout IEM Chicago. However, they would need the collective power of the whole team to overcome North America’s number one representative.
FaZe takes Inferno with ease
Their first map, Inferno, would start off pretty well for Team Liquid. The Americans would manage to secure themselves a 5-2 lead, looking to ruin the economy of FaZe Clan. However, NiKo would come up huge with a full eco quadra kill. This would set in motion an unstoppable FaZe Clan win streak, which would carry to the half.
HE SHOWS UP WHEN YOU NEED HIM MOST 💪 @fazeniko turns a USP into an AK and wins the round #IEM https://t.co/JCaCtOvQYi pic.twitter.com/us9fZk8EeM
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) November 11, 2018
Team Liquid would only find one round win in the second half, as FaZe would completely run over their opponents. NiKo would lead the way with an incredible 27 frags and 114.3 ADR. It was looking like FaZe Clan were heading to the Grand Finals. However, many people would jump the gun on the fate of Team Liquid. No one would have expected the next two games to turn out the way they did.
Team Liquid destroys FaZe Clan
The last two games wouldn’t even be close. First, we would have Mirage, where Team Liquid would take control early. They would go on a 6-0 win streak before NiKo would clutch another 1v1 to win them a round. However, Liquid would end up resetting their money as their CT side would go unopposed. There was literally nothing that the European’s could do, as even a 3v5 situation would be won by Team Liquid. The Americans would take Mirage easily, 16-1.
Take notes, @TeamLiquid is showing you how to shut down a round in mere seconds 💪 #IEM https://t.co/JCaCtOvQYi pic.twitter.com/QPgEWYl9L1
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) November 11, 2018
Their last map, Cache, would bring more of the same to IEM Chicago. After resetting FaZe Clan in the fifth round, Team Liquid would march straight to a 9-1 lead. NiKo and company would only manage to scrounge up two more wins in the half, and only four throughout the map. Liquid would end up styling on their European counterparts, as they would ease their way to a 16-4 victory. It would actually be their in-game leader, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella, who would lead the way with an uncharacteristically solid fragging performance.
Looking Forward
There isn’t much to say for FaZe Clan, who bow out of IEM Chicago in disappointing fashion. It is another exit that they must put under their belt. If you are to look at their recent results, it is pretty lackluster for a team such as FaZe, with the talent they have. Not to point any fingers, but FaZe Clan hasn’t been able to find much success ever since Olofmeister returned to the lineup. We are not sure what is wrong though since the lineup is chockful of talented individuals.
If Team Liquid can stay consistent with their play, they will be dangerous come the Grand Finals. Astralis is looking vulnerable as ever, especially with their performance against Fnatic. Their entire team was firing on all cylinders today. They were finding firepower in unexpected places, and they should have an advantage with the North American crowd behind them!
What are your thoughts on Team Liquid’s lopsided win against FaZe? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more IEM Chicago coverage, check us out here!
