Four of the best teams in the world met on the international stage in Moscow, Russia to fight for their share of the Wargaming.net League Champions Rumble US$160,000 prize pool and an automatic berth into the Grand Finals 2017! It was an incredible event, and in case you missed it or want to relive the best moments, we have all the highlights below. If you want to go back and watch the event, you can do so here.
NA’VI VS KAZNA KRU
Na’Vi were the favored team going into this match. With a CIS season championship under their belt already in 2016, most assumed that TORNADO would be the only team that had a chance to stop them. Kazna Kru were coming off a second place finish at the Challenger Rumble but that was not enough to stop the advance of Na’Vi. Kazna were only able to win one game in the unlikely scenario of Murovanka attack. They were able to defeat Na’Vi with smart positioning and a well-timed push. However, in the rest of the matches, Na’Vi clearly showcased their dominance over Kazna Kru with a 7-1 victory in order to advance into the finals.
. @NaVi_WoT wins 7:1 against @KaznaKru. Let's see what happens in the next semi-final in few minutes pic.twitter.com/P28hjzY5UG
— Wargaming League EU (@wgleu) December 17, 2016
TORNADO VS DING
TORNADO were favored over DiNG with a second place CIS Finals finish and a Grand Finals win in their pedigree this year, but DiNG were determined to give them a run for their money. This match started relatively even as TORNADO won both sides of cliff, but DiNG countered by winning both sides of Murovanka to tie the score 2-2. Murovanka must have been an off-map for TORNADO as they went on to win the next four straight on Mines and Ruinberg before eventually finishing DiNG off with a win on Prokhorovka. The final score ended up at 7-3 in favor of TORNADO, but DiNG were definitely in the match the whole time.
NA’VI VS TORNADO
The finals match ended in the clash of titans that everyone expected, a rematch of the Grand Finals 2016 and the latest CIS season finals. Na’Vi may have won both of those encounters, but TORNADO have always been nipping at their heels. TORNADO jumped out to an early lead after taking both sides of Himmelsdorf to make it a 3-1 lead. Na’Vi weren’t about to roll over and let TORNADO roll away with the series and they struck back to even the score at 4-4 with excellent performances on Cliff and Mines. With a the match tied, no one was sure who would walk away with the first place US$80,000 prize and a Grand Finals 2017 berth.
@Dave_Ehlers @WGLNA @MeatheadMilitia They are on break for the moment. 5-5 tied right now. Funny moment just now. https://t.co/O8VZ3uNAdp
— BTed72 (@BTed72) December 17, 2016
Ghost Town was once again a split map making the score 5-5, but TORNADO may have had an opportunity to win both sides had not applew0w done what applew0w does best and get suck on the terrain. Na’Vi and TORNADO were in a close 2v2 fight when applew0w got stuck costing TORNADO the game in a manner eerily similar to when they lost the Grand Finals 2016 to Na’Vi. This mistake may have somehow motivated TORNADO however, as they went on to win both sides of Ruinberg to take the match 7-5 winning US$80,000 and an automatic entry into the Grand Finals 2017!
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