NAVI Narrowly Beat G2 and Gained 83 VRS Points

Natus Vincere won a tight contest against G2 in the opening match of the PGL Masters Bucharest tournament, taking both maps. They won 13-11 on Nuke and 22-19 on Dust2, finishing a match that stayed uncertain until the very end.

The win was a big relief for the team. NAVI had dropped to 33rd in the Valve Regional Standings. With this result they earned 83 points and climbed ten places. Based on the current table, they are expected to land just inside the PGL Major Singapore invite ranking.

The veto process played a major role in the chaotic match. G2 brought back Nuke, a map that had not been played for over a year. NAVI chose Dust2, which had not been played since last season. Both teams used their penalty picks.

Despite their inexperience, G2 put up a strong fight on the opening Nuke. Winning one of the pistol rounds could have changed the outcome, but early gaps prevented that. On Dust2, Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač and Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko tried to keep G2 afloat with several standout plays in a row. The team fell apart in the third overtime.

NAVI's path ahead also looks difficult. Entering the tournament as a low seed, they will face FURIA in the second round.