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Flashpoint 2 Grand Final Preview: A Guide to the Final Three Teams – ft. Stats, Analysis and Predictions

vacant 2020-12-06 12:47:59

It's here.

Three teams. Two matches. One Winner. After three weeks of epic Counter-Strike it’s all come down to this. In a tournament filled to the brim with epic multikills, insane flicks, crisp one-taps and even an embarrassed Cloud9, it’s time for the Grand Finals where we’re about to find out who will be crowned the champions of Flashpoint 2 and walk away with the $500,000 top prize.  (Courtesy of Flashpoint)

Welcome to our in-depth Grand Final preview

We’ll guide you through the three teams that made it this far. There are two matches to be played: The first is the lower bracket final between Fnatic and OG, then Virtus.Pro awaits the winner in the Grand Final match.  Without further ado, let’s take a look at the teams:

Fnatic World Ranking: #14

Key Tournament Stats:

  • 7 Matches Played (5W 2L)
  • 12 Maps Won
  • 6 Maps Lost
  • Most Played Map: Overpass (5 games- 60% Win Rate)
  • Least Played Map: Dust2 (1 games - 100% Win Rate)
  • Best Player: Jesper “JW” Wecksell (1.19 Rating, Highest K/D difference in the tournament with +93)

Recent Results Against Final teams:

  • Virtus.Pro: 2-1 L
  • OG: 2-1 W (Dreamhack Open)

Vacant’s Analysis:

Fnatic started slowly in this tournament with a couple of lacklustre performances, but after getting their revenge against MAD Lions they went on an incredible run of form. Before their defeat to Virtus.Pro they were on a four-game winning streak and are ranked as the highest performing team with an average 1.12 rating. They can largely thank the performances of veterans Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson and Jesper "JW" Wecksell, who have 1.29 and 1.33 K/D respectively over the tournament, but the entire team has stepped up when needed too: Krimz and Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin are both in the top 5 rated players so far this tournament and JW has the highest K/D difference with +93. Fnatic’s best result and one that highlights their winning credentials has to be the game against MiBR on Overpass where, despite the Brazilian team’s best efforts to close out the game with multiple match point chances, Fnatic simply refused to give in and took the game to triple Overtime and won it in epic fashion, before wiping the floor with them on Vertigo. They’ve shown their championship experience in grinding teams down and staying composed and in my opinion it makes them unstoppable. 

Prediction

Fnatic have got the experience. They’ve got the talent. They’re in form and despite their wobble against Virtus.Pro you can’t count them out to make it back through the lower bracket to get their revenge and lift the trophy. I think they will learn their lessons and make it all the way.

Virtus.Pro World Ranking: #15

Key Tournament Stats:

  • 6 Matches Played (5W 1L)
  • 11 Maps Won
  • 6 Maps Lost
  • Most Played Map: Inferno and Overpass (4 Matches - 75% Win Rate)
  • Least Played Map: Dust2 (1 Match - 0% Win Rate)
  • Best player: Dzhami "Jame" Ali (1.10 Rating, 3rd highest for AWP kills with 191)

Recent Results Against Final Teams:

  • OG: 2-1 L
  • Fnatic: 2-1 W 

Vacant’s Analysis: 

Virtus.Pro have been outstanding throughout this tournament, but it had been the best teams in the tournament where they had struggled. It looked like it would go the same way after losing the first map against Fnatic and starting poorly on Overpass, but they came back to win and declared their claim to the throne with a place in the Grand Final.  Throughout the tournament Virtus.Pro have provided a complete team performance, playing as a solid unit. However two players stand out as key men that will be vital if they are to win the Grand Final: the dynamic duo of Dzhami "Jame" Ali and Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis. Jame's impact with his AWPing cannot be understated - he has a total of 191 AWP kills, the third highest in the tournament. He’s also won nine 1vX clutches this tournament, showing his ability to close out the rounds. If Jame closes the rounds, the perfect pairing to open them up has been YEKINDAR who has 70 opening kills - the 2nd highest in the tournament. Earlier in the playoffs the whole team showed real character to come from behind to win against MAD Lions after going a map down and needing overtime on Train. Their comeback against Fnatic confirmed they have great mental strength which will be vital in the Grand Final. The only concern for Virtus.Pro is the burden on Dzhami "Jame" Ali. As the In-Game Leader (IGL) and the AWPer he has a lot to do and it seemed like he struggled on Overpass when he only had 3 kills in 20 rounds. It could be that against the best teams he is having to focus more on strategy and it can become detrimental to his own play. Despite winning the map, it was incredibly close at 16-14.

Prediction:

I’d place Virtus.Pro as the underdog going into the finals against either Fnatic or OG. They played well against Fnatic in the previous game, but they won’t be able to get away with another poor start in a Grand Final. They’ll need to be on the very top of their game from the off.

OG World Ranking: #6

Key Tournament Stats:

  • 8 Matches Played (6W 2L)
  • 13 Maps Won
  • 6 Maps Lost
  • Most Played Map: Inferno (5 Matches - 80% Win Rate)
  • Least Played Map: Train (3 Matches - 66.7% Win Rate)
  • Best Player: Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså (1.23 Rating, 2nd Highest rated player in the tournament)

Recent Results Against Final Teams:

  • Virtus.Pro: 2-1 W
  • Fnatic: No previous game with this roster

Vacant’s Analysis

OG have had a great tournament, mostly led by the stellar performances of Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså who tops the tournament leaderboards in KAST and Success in Opening Duels. What was incredible about their victory against MiBR however, was that Valde was at the bottom of the team scoreboard over the series. He wasn’t a weak link though as he picked up 51 frags and the rating isn’t a reflection on his importance. He was the man taking the risks and making the big plays. The entire team stepped up around him and as a unit they made it over the line in a very tough game. The calling from Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen was fantastic too on Train as MiBR couldn’t handle their changes of pace, repeatedly catching them by surprise.  The only criticism for OG can be that when they lose, they lose heavily. Their last two map losses this tournament were 16-4 and 16-3. They can’t throw away maps like that in a Grand Final series. Ultimately, it’s all about the team depth for OG. The entire team has averaged over a positive overall rating and they have incredible talent in Valde and experience in Nathan "NBK” Schmitt that makes them a force to be reckoned with. If they can smooth out the wrinkles in their performances, they stand a chance.

Prediction

It’s going to be a very exciting match-up against Fnatic, but I think the Swedes will just about have the edge in that game. Fnatic are more experienced than MiBR were in this series and will be out with a vengeance after falling to Virtus.Pro in the way they did. 
Vacant’s final predictions: Fnatic 2-1 OG, Fnatic 2-1 Virtus.Pro
What are your predictions? Place your bets at Midnite.com!
If you enjoyed this piece, follow the author on Twitter at @JackHawkins99. Check out our CSGO Coverage Hub for more.
 

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