Fnatic knocked out in MLG Columbus quarterfinals
Fnatic, the top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, suffered a surprising defeat in the quarterfinals of MLG Columbus 2016. They lost 2-0 to Danish team Astralis, showing their dominance in the competition.
Astralis, considered a top-four team, looked extremely comfortable in the best-of-three series against Fnatic. They secured a 16-10 victory on Overpass and then went on to win 16-5 on Cache, bagging themselves 13 match points.
A disastrous tournament for Fnatic
Fnatic had a dreadful tournament overall. They were defeated by Team Liquid in the group stage and had to overcome FaZe Clan to reach the quarterfinals against Astralis. Olof “Olofmeister” Kajbjer, Fnatic’s star player, mentioned in an interview that he was struggling with a wrist injury, which could explain his poor performance.
This is the second time in a row that Fnatic has been eliminated in the quarterfinals of a Valve major. In the previous Dreamhack Cluj, they were defeated by EnVyUs, who failed to qualify for this tournament. Before MLG Columbus, Fnatic had won five consecutive events, but their winning streak has now come to an end.
Astralis emerges as a tournament favorite
With their victory over Fnatic, Astralis has advanced to the semifinals and is now considered one of the favorites to win the entire competition. They will be facing Na`Vi and Luminosity Gaming in the semifinals. The remaining quarterfinal match will be between Counter Logic Gaming and Team Liquid. While neither of these teams is expected to win, the absence of Fnatic leaves room for a surprise contender to emerge.
Photo by Rob Paul