NAVI’s Run as PGL Stockholm Major’s Champion

Time Stamp: November 9, 2021 1:22 AM

With a major sweep over G2 Esports in the Grand Finals, Natus Vincere secured the PGL Stockholm Major 2021 title with a flawless run.

After being present in every CS:GO esports event to date, the Ukrainian organization finally savored its first-ever Major win. With this victory, NAVI cemented itself as the best team in the world right now, winning no less than a million dollars in prize money. In addition, the team also got a direct invite to compete at the BLAST Premier Global Finals in December.

NAVI Wins PGL Stockholm Major 2021

Even though Natus Vincere swept G2 Esports in the Grand Finals, it does not tell the whole story. G2’s choice of Ancient was meant to surprise NAVI, but made nearly no difference. Natus Vincere was able to win Map 1 with consistency, overpowering G2 throughout their final T-side rounds.

Going into Nuke, G2 Esports surprised fans. While most expected a one-sided showdown on NAVI’s map pick, the situation backfired quite a bit. G2’s CT side was exceptionally strong, getting them a 10-5 lead at halftime. However, on the verge of defeat being led 7-14, NAVI’s players showed their resilience and made a comeback.

With their relentless aggression, momentum started to shift towards Natus Vincere. G2 got close to a deciding game after taking the score to 15-11. A few rounds later, Nikola “NiKo” Kovač could have sealed the deal but missed the opportunity to conclude, allowing NAVI to win the PGL Stockholm Major 2021 Grand Finals.

With a 1.51 rating, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s performance catapulted Natus Vincere to victory. The MVP amassed 72 frags and just 41 deaths between Ancient and Nuke. Close behind him was Denis “electronic” Sharipov with a 1.21 rating and 53 kills. Meanwhile, NiKo was by far the most important player for G2 esports, topping the scoreboard with 52 kills.

Viewership Records

Over 2.7 million CS:GO esports fans tuned in to watch NAVI lift its first Major trophy. Furthermore, the two Eleague Major records in 2017 and 2018 had already been broken before that. Natus Vincere’s performance had a huge impact on the CIS region, adding even more hype to Team Spirit’s win at The International 10.

PGL Stockholm Major - NAVI vs G2 Esports - Stats

PGL Stockholm Major 2021 also set a new record in the Hours Watched category with 71,269,601 hours watched across the various CS:GO esports streams. The FaceIT London Major 2018 held the previous record for most hours watched with 61,030,688 hours. Of course, the five best matches in terms of peak viewership were all from the Champions Stage.

Written by Rohan Samal

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