Niku: "We Knew We Could Beat Any Team" - NAVI Junior Sweep Team Falcons For Playoff Berth
After starting their PGL Wallachia Season 4 run with a 0 - 2 record, the inexperienced NAVI Junior roster managed to turn things around, winning three matches in a row to punch a ticket to the Playoffs. They had the hardest route to the top eight, as they were met by Team Falcons in a do-or-die elimination match.
Coming into the 2 - 2 series against the MENA titans, NAVI Junior built up momentum by eliminating notable names such as Talon Esports and Nigma Galaxy. However, taking on Team Falcons might have been a tall ask. Still, the young squad did the unthinkable and swept the series.
In the first map, Team Falcons convincingly won the early game. Cr1t-'s support Tinker was extremely farmed and took over numerous core heroes in net worth. However, the game came down to a Roshan fight at the 22-minute mark.
NAVI Junior succeeded in their comeback fight, wiping Team Falcons to turn the game around. The Ukrainian squad maintained their advantage by playing a clean macro game, eventually ending the game in 40 minutes after Team Falcons ran out of damage.
Team Falcons outclassed NAVI Junior in the early game of the second map. Though the Falcons were heavily pressuring towers, they made the mistake of letting Gotthejuice's Templar Assassin find free farm.
In the first big teamfight, Niku and pma acted as meatshields, jumping into the fight while creating space for gotthejuice to hit enemy heroes for free. Falling behind in gold, Team Falcons had no way of reaching the Templar Assassin, and eventually ran out of steam.
With this victory, NAVI Junior secured a spot in the Playoffs in the biggest event they’ve played. The most consistent player on the team’s run is Niku, the mid-lane prodigy who is only 16. In a post-match interview, Niku mentioned he was very confident for the match.
"I guess we were really confident. We knew we could beat any team. Even when I saw that our matchup was against Team Falcons, I understood that, if we played good, they are going to lose. They are 2 - 2, and we are 2 - 2, so it's the same thing."
NAVI Junior’s PGL Wallachia Season 4 Playoff qualification comes at the cost of Team Falcons, who were surprisingly eliminated in 9th - 12th place. The MENA squad took two losses against PARIVISION and Tundra Esports before being dealt the final blow by NAVI Junior.