by G2 Esports has been crowned champions of the 2024 BLAST Premier Fall Final, defeating Natus Vincere (NaVi) 3-1 in an intense title-deciding series.
This victory broke G2’s longstanding 0-9 losing streak against NaVi, a team led by Aleksi “?Aleksib?” Virolainen, and earned G2 their second trophy of the year.
G2’s lineup, featuring Janusz “?Snax?” Pogorzelski and Mario “?malbsMd?” Samayoa, finally came together to lift their first trophy with these players.
It marked an important moment for Snax, who hadn’t won a major LAN event since ESL One New York in 2018, and for malbsMd, who became the first Guatemalan player ever to win a Counter-Strike trophy.
?? @G2CSGO ARE YOUR FALL FINAL CHAMPIONS! ?? #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/cfkFk41Rjz
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) September 29, 2024
G2’s victory comes after a successful year, which also saw them win IEM Dallas with Jake “?Stewie2K?” Yip standing in during an inspiring Cinderella run.
NaVi had held a dominant 9-0 record over G2 since going international in July 2023, including a group-stage victory over G2 in the Fall Final.
However, as G2’s Nemanja “?huNter-?” Kova? famously said after lifting the trophy, “Nobody beats G2 10 times in a row.”
The grand final saw G2 perform at their peak, with standout performances across the board.
Ilya “?m0NESY?” Osipov was instrumental, delivering a 1.42 series rating and clutching six rounds across the first three maps.
In stark contrast, NaVi’s Ihor “?w0nderful?” Zhdanov struggled, ending with a 0.87 rating, a performance that hindered NaVi’s efforts.
The first map, Ancient, saw G2 take an early lead, with malbsMd delivering a crucial double knife kill and NiKo leading a strong offensive push to close the map 13-9.
NaVi bounced back on Dust2, but G2’s resilience, particularly through m0NESY and malbsMd’s multi-kill performances, helped them secure another 13-11 victory.
Mirage was a turning point for NaVi, who capitalised on G2’s mistakes to win 13-11.
However, G2 regrouped and dominated Inferno.
malbsMd, m0NESY, and huNter- led the charge, crushing NaVi’s defence and closing out the map 13-7, sealing their victory in the series.
m0NESY’s brilliant showing throughout the tournament earned him his second MVP award of 2024, making a strong case for Player of the Year.
He ended the event with a +75 kill differential and a 1.39 rating in G2’s map wins.
MVP ?? @G2m0NESY pic.twitter.com/lQ45pkw3IL
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) September 29, 2024
Snax, whose form and leadership had been questioned, proved his doubters wrong by guiding G2 to a significant victory, while malbsMd’s performance highlighted him as one of the brightest new talents in the CS2 scene.
With this win, G2 now heads into the final stages of the year with momentum, raising expectations as they aim for the coveted Shanghai Major.
Their triumph in the BLAST Premier Fall Final marks them as serious contenders, with m0NESY and NiKo showcasing why they are one of the best duos in the game.
As NaVi reflects on a hard-fought run, fatigue from their deep tournament performances may be catching up to them.
They’ll need time to regroup before the upcoming IEM Rio 2024 and BLAST Premier World Final.
But for now, G2 celebrates a much-deserved victory that has been months in the making.
YOUR FINAL FALL FINAL CHAMPIONS, @G2CSGO ?? #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/Cuco5hh3KB
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) September 29, 2024
