Vitality defeated NAVI in the 1:0 Swiss group and remained unbeaten after two rounds of ESL Pro League Season 24. Robin “ropz” Kool and William “mezii” Merriman both finished with a 1.33 Rating 3.0 as Vitality recovered from a loss on Nuke to close the series on Mirage.
Tournament context
Vitality and NAVI entered the second round with 1:0 records after winning their opening matches. Vitality defeated 1win, while NAVI started their tournament with a victory over G2.
The Group Play stage uses a Swiss Bo3 format. Three victories secure a playoff spot, while three defeats eliminate a team from the tournament. The winner of this series would move to 2:0 and play for a playoff place in the next round, while the loser would continue at 1:1.
How the match unfolded — Vitality vs NAVI
Series score: 2:1 in favor of Vitality
- Anubis (pick NAVI) — 13:5 in favor of Vitality
Vitality took control of NAVI’s map pick with an 8:4 opening half. They allowed only one round after the side switch and closed Anubis 13:5 to take the lead in the series. - Nuke (pick Vitality) — 13:5 in favor of NAVI
NAVI responded immediately on the opponent’s pick, building a 9:3 advantage in the first half. Vitality managed only two more rounds after the break as NAVI closed Nuke 13:5 and forced a deciding map. - Mirage (decider) — 13:4 in favor of Vitality
Vitality regained control on Mirage and entered halftime with an 8:4 lead. NAVI did not win a single round after the side switch, allowing Vitality to take five straight and finish the series.
Player of the Match — Robin “ropz” Kool (Vitality)
- K–D: 42–31
- ADR: 73.0
- Rating 3.0: 1.33
Key contribution: ropz finished with the joint-highest Rating 3.0 in the series and recorded a +11 kill differential across the three maps.
William “mezii” Merriman also finished with a 1.33 Rating 3.0, recording a 39–30 K–D and 82.5 ADR. Shahar “flameZ” Shushan followed at 1.25, while Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut finished with 43 kills and a 1.22 rating.
Drin “makazze” Shaqiri was NAVI’s highest-rated player at 1.03. The remaining four NAVI players all finished below a 1.00 Rating 3.0.
VRS results
- Vitality — +5 pt → 1,929 pt, #2 → #2
Vitality gained five VRS points from the victory and remained second in the global ranking. - Natus Vincere — -3 pt → 1,503 pt, #20 → #20
NAVI lost three points and remained in 20th place.
What’s next?
Vitality move to the 2:0 group of ESL Pro League Season 24. One more victory will secure their place in the playoffs.
NAVI drop to 1:1 after suffering their first defeat of the tournament. They now need two more victories to advance, while two further losses would eliminate them from the Swiss Stage.
Match summary
Vitality controlled NAVI’s Anubis pick before suffering a similarly one-sided defeat on Nuke. The deciding Mirage went firmly in Vitality’s favor, with the team winning the entire second half to close the series.
ropz and mezii shared the highest Rating 3.0 at 1.33, while Vitality gained five VRS points and moved to a 2:0 Swiss record. NAVI continue the tournament at 1:1.
