Fnatic was down but never out in the IEM Katowice Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Grand Finals Saturday.
And now they’re champions.
Trailing 12-3 at the half in two of three maps, the all-Swedish club stormed back time and time again - winning twice in overtime - to defeat Brazilian squad Luminosity Gaming 3-0.
Luminosity set the tone for the series on the first map, Overpass, and jumped out to the aforementioned 12-3 lead at the half. But Fnatic had plenty left in the tank and surged back to send the game to OT, eventually emerging victorious by a score of 19-17.
The second map, Cache, was the complete opposite with Fnatic taking out Luminosity at will and cruising to their own 12-3 halftime lead. The difference in the second round was that the tide did not turn and the boys in black and orange crushed their opponents 16-3.
Luminosity jumped out to an early 5-0 lead on the third map, Inferno, en route to another 12-3 halftime lead but once again fell flat and succumbed to Fnatic’s pressure, losing the match 15-19 in overtime and the series.
Luminosity and Fnatic both went 4-1 and one in Group A play on the opening day of the tournament, but the head-to-head matchup went to the Brazilians and gave them a bye through the first round of the playoffs.
Fnatic dispatched of Virtus.Pro with two straight wins in the opening round of the playoffs and followed that up with a hard-fought 2-1 series win over Group B leaders Astralis to earn a spot in the Grand Finals.
Luminosity needed only to make it’s way through Natus Vincere, which they did by a score of 2-0, to set up the rematch with Fnatic.