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Natus Vincere bags IEM Cologne 2021 title

Mohd Laraib
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0
Natus Vincere bags IEM Cologne 2021 title

Natus Vincere, the CIS pride led by Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, have beat G2 Esports 3-0 in a best of five grand finals at IEM Cologne 2021.

The team to win the last LAN event before the pandemic becomes the team to win the first LAN event back, after 500 days to regain supremacy as they defeat G2 esports in just 3 maps in a Best of 5 Grand Final here in Cologne.

A supposed NAVI era that was cut short when the world went to a halt was reinvigorated today, more than a year and a half later in Cologne no less, the Cathedral of Counter-Strike as the world watched NAVI lift the most coveted trophy in CS:GO, second only to a major.

Fresh off a tournament win in the CIS RMR, defeating their domestic rivals Gambit esports, NAVI hit the ground running in Cologne, not dropping a single series in the group stage, and then not dropping a SINGLE MAP once they reached the playoffs.

They made short work of G2, in a rematch of the IEM Katowice 2020 final, needing only 3 maps just like last time, albeit today’s affair was much closer than what we had back in Poland a year and a half ago.

G2 fought well on every map, and the CIS giants were tested to their absolute core but ‘s1mple’s excellence was too much for them to deal with on Dust2 and Mirage, whereas a team effort on Nuke left them helpless as NAVI took the map from right under their noses.

MAP VETO

  • Natus Vincere removed Vertigo
  • G2 removed Overpass
  • Natus Vincere picked Dust2
  • G2 picked Mirage
  • Natus Vincere picked Nuke
  • G2 picked Inferno
  • Ancient was left over

The veto for a BO5 was as predictable as one would think, with NAVI banning Vertigo and G2 getting rid of Overpass.

The Russians picked into Dust2 and Nuke, while G2 went for Mirage and Inferno with the latest addition, Ancient, leftover as the decider if needed. It looked to be in NAVI’s favour from the get-go, as they had had convincing performances on all the maps throughout the tournament.

MAP 1: DUST 2 (Picked by: Natus Vincere, Won by: Natus Vincere, Final Score: 16:11)

Going into their map picks first, NAVi looked as comfortable as ever, notching up 5 T rounds as the ‘s1mple’ show already began. But ‘huNter-‘ and ‘JaCkz‘s B site holds held NAVI at bay, preventing them from running G2 over as they traded rounds back and forth to finish the half at 8:7 in NAVI’s favour.

Coincidentally, this scoreline at halftime would feature in all 3 maps of the series, highlighting how close of a series this really was.

Onto the CT side, NAVI had little trouble in pushing G2 aside, as ‘s1mple‘ copped up his 4th ACE of the tournament, the most by anyone at an S-tier event, EVER in CS:GO.

This allowed them to take over the remaining rounds, not letting G2 have any consecutive T rounds, as they ended the map 16:11. ‘s1mple’ posted a rating of 1.80 at the end of the first map.

MAP 2: MIRAGE (Picked by: G2 esports, Won by: Natus Vincere, Final Score: 16:14)

The new G2 would not back down so easily, after a close loss they moved to their own pick of Mirage, to test NAVI’s steel.

A slow start was quickly turned into a respectable T side by the International roster thanks to ‘NiKo‘s entries in both bombsites to quickly turn the tide, again ending the half at 8:7 in the CIS teams favour. Continuing their form, G2 went on a 4 round streak to take the lead with the score at 11:8. But that is where the new boy Valeriy ‘B1T‘ Vakhovskiy stepped up.

His first foray into the upper echelons of Counter Strike was one to remember as he matched ‘s1mple’ stride for stride in kills, and even more so in terms of impact.

NAVI went on a blistering 5 round streak, and despite NiKo’s deagle heroics, it was too little too late as they took yet another map off G2, this time 16:14.

MAP 3: NUKE (Picked by: Natus Vincere, Won by: Natus Vincere, Final Score: 16:13)

Coming to the business end of things, NAVI couldn’t have had it any better as they played a map they had an 88% win rate on, with their last loss on it more than 2 months old.

They again looked fiery as they put 5 on the board to G2’s 0 but insane defences from ‘NiKo’ and ‘JaCkz’ helped G2 finally win out half in this BO5 as they managed 8 rounds on the CT side.

They came in looking to take us to a 4th map at the minimum but eco wins from NAVI completely shifted the momentum, and also put G2 under immense pressure, under which they crumbled. Losing to time, and to pistols was a big factor in tilting them as they could only manage 3 rounds on the T side after the pistol win.

‘Perfecto’, ‘electronic’ and ‘s1mple’ put up 21 frags each to win the map, series and tournament for NAVI 16:13 and 3:0.

INTEL EXTREME MASTERS COLOGNE CHAMPIONS – NAVI

Desperately awaiting their chance to establish an era, NAVI did just that – winning another IEM tournament, versus the same rivals, on LAN, only after a break of 500 days. It doesn’t get any better than this.

They take home $400,000 in prize money, 1800 ESL Pro Tour points and the IEM COLOGNE 2021 trophy to boot as they head into the player break, having fully established their dominance and class.

G2 finish 2nd and win $180,000 as the promising new roster has a bright future ahead, which we shall surely see soon.

How to register for Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021?

Divyesh Moghe
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0
How to register for Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021?

The registration for Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021 has started and players in India have a chance to compete against the best teams in India and win a lion’s share of the ₹1 Crore prize pool. Here is a simple guide to help you to register for BMIS 2021.

Krafton recently released Battlegrounds Mobile India in the country as a replacement to PUBG Mobile and even though this game is only available for android users, its popularity has skyrocketed. The old player base is returning back and the competitive community is riled up to fight against each other once again.

PUBG Mobile esports was a huge hit in India and the region produced some of the best teams in the world. Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021 is the first step in reviving the competitive community in India once again.

This tournament is open-for-all and hence, any player with a BGMI ID can register for this tournament. Players will have to pass in-game qualifiers and online qualifiers to move to further stages and ultimately, the final 16 teams will fight for glory.

Players can register for this tournament in three simple stages. It is also important to note that only a single player can register for an entire team and hence, you do not need to register separately for every player.

Click here to visit the official website of Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021 and click on register. Follow these three steps to successfully participate:

  • Enter Team Details: Select a team name and enter relevant details in this section.
  • Enter Captain Details: Fill the form with your in-game ID, name, and ID proof. Players can select from multiple options to verify their real ID.
  • Player Details: In this section, fill the necessary information about each player and then click on submit.

After completing these steps, you will be successfully enrolled in the tournament. Make sure to check the dates for in-game qualifiers to play accordingly and have a chance at winning in the first-ever BGMI tournament.

Also Read | 7SEA ESPORTS ANNOUNCES BGMI LINEUP

Genshin Impact 2.0 Inazuma Update Maintenance Time & Schedule

Sonu Banerjee
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Genshin Impact 2.0 Inazuma Update Maintenance Time & Schedule

The highly anticipated Genshin Impact 2.0 update is nearly here, and fans are excited to know more about the maintenance times across regions when the update finally lands. The 2.0 update is set to introduce a bunch of new content to the open-world RPG including new characters, weapons, events, and much more! 

If you’re a Genshin Impact fan who’s looking to know more about the update times and the maintenance schedule, we have you covered. 

MiHoYo is generally seen shipping their updates at 06:00:00 (UTC+8), with the following maintenance lasting for about five hours. The Genshin Impact 2.0 Inazuma update will be no exception to this either, as the developers have confirmed in a Tweet recently. 

The Genshin Impact 2.0 update will hit the live servers at 06:00:00 (UTC+8) on July 21, 2021. The maintenance time is expected to be around five hours and will conclude at about 11:00:00 (UTC +8) on the same date. 

It is recommended for players to pre-install the update’s contents to spare themselves the hassle of updating their game once the 2.0 update lands. The pre-installation will start from July 19th, 11:00 AM (UTC+8).

To pre-install the update, players can check out our guide here. 

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Shroud to play with Relyks, Laski, ShawnBM, and iiTzTimmy at VCT Qualifiers

Bharat Kotwani
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Shroud to play with Relyks, Laski, ShawnBM, and iiTzTimmy at VCT Qualifiers

The former Cloud9 CSGO professional is set to compete in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 3 Challengers 2 Open Qualifier.

Reports have surfaced on Twitter that Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has assembled a Valorant squad, majoritively comprising Twitch Streamers and content creators. Leonardo “Laski” Arroyo, Skyler “Relyks” Weaver, ShawnBM, and iiTzTimmy are the names among his team and will compete in the forthcoming Open Qualifier event of VCTs Stage 3 Challengers 2. 

Shroud earlier had confirmed about forming a Valorant team on his stream which now has been confirmed by the players themselves. 

The open qualifier event would be Shroud’s first-ever competitive outing after he stepped down from the Cloud9 CSGO division in a bid to transition to full-time streaming on Twitch.tv under the Organization itself. Shroud undoubtedly has been known in the community for his mechanical aim and his presence of mind for any PvP game out there in the scene. During his time at Cloud9, he gave North America their first ESL Pro League championship at Sao Paulo in Brazil and helped the team finish under top 3 at a plethora of events.  

Looking further into this newly formed team, we have Relyks who previously played under the banner of Cloud9 Blue Valorant, took up Streaming and content creation after he decided to take a step back from competitive play. With this opportunity, we are about to witness him put on a blockbuster show at the Open qualifier. Alongside Skyler, there are Laski, iiTzTimmy, and ShawnBM in the team. Laski too is a retired CSGO professional. Having played previously for Mythic, he has played a multitude of different roles but never really found his place at the top end of the scene despite his willingness to succeed. iiTzTimmy and ShawnBM both stream Valorant while the former ventures into Apex Legends too. 

Shroud’s team hasn’t been named yet but we are about to witness a banger at the upcoming VCT Stage 3 Challengers 2 Open qualifier event. The latter is scheduled to start from July 29.

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GTA 6 leaks reveal location, map, storyline, gameplay, and more

Mohammed Sadiq
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GTA 6 leaks reveal location, map, storyline, gameplay, and more

Grand Theft Auto V came out eight years ago and has been re-released twice for eight-generation consoles and PC, and the enhanced version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X is on the horizon. Despite this, fans have been growing restless as the existence of the next Grand Theft Auto game is all but confirmed and Rockstar has remained silent on the matter.

Earlier this month, several new GTA 6 leaks surfaced online which revealed the game’s alleged setting, location, and plot details. According to leaks, the game is set in modern-day Vice City, and another location based on Puerto Rico with two playable protagonists with one of them being a female. Both protagonists will have their own set of missions which will apparently influence the in-game world which will evolve and change over the course of the game.

Cryptocurrency is apparently going to play a huge role as players can get paid in not only cash but in cryptocurrency as well. GTA 6 won’t be ready until 2024/25 as it is still in the early development stages. This ‘leak’ has been corroborated by both Tom Henderson and Jason Schreier who have confirmed that GTA 6 is still not ready for release anytime soon.

GTA 6’s map was also allegedly leaked online and if it’s to be believed, then the game truly is set in Florida/ Vice City. Reddit user u/ColonelPuffin compared the leaked map with GTA 5’s map to show how large GTA 6’s world is. GTA 6 will apparently feature swampy regions, forests, a theme park called Fred’s Fun World as well as small towns in between. 

gta 6 map

While Rockstar has neither confirmed nor denied these leaks, it is best to take these rumors with a grain of salt. Red Dead Redemption 2 had similar leaks prior to its announcement as the game’s map was leaked extensively. With GTA V Expanded and Enhanced, it is possible that we might see more elements from the next GTA title. 

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7SEA Esports announces BGMI Lineup

Divyesh Moghe
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7SEA Esports announces BGMI Lineup

7SEA Esports returned to the competitive PUBG community by hiring a powerful roster to compete in Battlegrounds Mobile India. The new roster is a blend of top players and upcoming stars, lead by a veteran player Prince.

The 7SEA Esports has hired Prince, Aladin, Sarang and SPRAYGOD to represent their organization in the upcoming Battlegrounds Mobile India tournaments. The role of in-game leader is appointed to Prince and since he has been in the community since the very start, this addition will certainly make a big impact on their playstyle.

Prince made his debut in Indian Tigers and has represented India on the international level. He has represented multiple teams in the last couple of years and now, he will be leading 7SEA Esports on a path to success.

Aladin is yet another star who has proved to be worthy in multiple situations. This duo will be joined by budding stars like Sarang and Spraygod to create a power-packed team.

Talking about this roster acquisition, the Founder and Managing Director of 7SEA Esports Santosh Pecheti stated, “The team has the calibre to dominate the scene. Our plans revolve around rapid expansion into the community through aggressive gameplay, bringing some exciting content around players and position as a top esports brand.”

Prince also commented on his new roster and their plans for the future. He said, “We are a balanced team. Aladdin and I played LAN events and understand the competition well, whereas Sarang and SPRAYGOD are both new and emerging players that can dominate the scene. The team works hard and winning with style is our
priority.”

Natus Vincere breeze past FaZe, to face G2 in IEM Cologne Grand Finale

Mohd Laraib
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0
Natus Vincere breeze past FaZe, to face G2 in IEM Cologne Grand Finale

NAVI BREEZE PAST FAZE CLAN TO JOIN G2 IN THE GRAND FINALS OF IEM COLOGNE

The CIS superstars made short work of Faze Clan in the second semi-final, to book a berth in the Grand Final of Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2021, the first LAN event in more than a year and a half.

Almost like a fairytale, the last LAN event before the Pandemic disrupted the whole world, saw G2 and NAVI battle it out at IEM Katowice 2020. Fast forward 500 days later, the first LAN back sees the two match up AGAIN to continue where they left off and settle scores again.

Faze put up a good fight, but ‘s1mple’ was just a cut everybody else today as he has been all tournament. Faze did exceed everyone’s expectations – coming in ranked #37 in the world, fighting their way from the play-in all the way to the semi-finals, eliminating the #1 team in the world in the process was, something no one could have predicted. But they fall short of a Grand Final spot yet again.

Faze, wary of NAVI’s exploits on the map, got rid of Nuke, knowing Vertigo would be banned for them by the CIS squad (NAVI has never played Vertigo in an official). ‘karrigan’ picked into the tactic-heavy map of Inferno, still fresh from their win versus Gambit yesterday. NAVI went with the comfort pick of Mirage, letting Ancient float. Dust2 was chosen as the decider map for the second semi-final of the day.

MAP 1: Inferno (Picked by: Faze Clan, Won by: Natus Vincere, Final Score: 16:7)

A lost pistol round saw NAVI on the back foot, giving up the mandatory 3 rounds before they could come back in with a full-buy. From there on out, it was the ‘s1mple’ show. No matter how many times we say this, the Ukrainian prodigy shows us time after time after time, just what he’s made of. Today was no different as he sent Faze Clan’s T side packing, hitting shots left, right and center to rack up a mammoth 21 kills with just 6 deaths to give his side 10 CT rounds on their opponents map pick. The former world number one continued his tear on the T side, moving about fearlessly as he secured 30 kills in just 21 rounds of play to be a class above everyone else on the server. Good reads on the T side from Kirill ‘Boombl4’ Mikhailov allowed Faze just 2 CT rounds as NAVI closed out Inferno with a stomp, 16:7.

MAP 2: Mirage (Picked by: Natus Vincere, Won by: Natus Vincere, Final Score: 16:7)

A community favourite, Mirage was on the cards next, with NAVI on the T-side this time around. But T or CT, it seemed to matter little for the Russian/Ukrainian squad as they continued to wreak havoc on the server. The #2 team let the international roster have just 2 rounds of the first 12, as the duo of ‘s1mple’ and ‘electronic’ did not let up one bit after Inferno. Credit has to be given to IGL ‘Boombl4’ and coach ‘B1ad3’ for turning NAVI’s T sides into their strength as they secured 11 rounds to end the half at 11:4. With already very little room to play, Faze tried their best to turn things around on the T side, but multi–kills from the above mentioned dynamic duo would not have it. Faze managed 3 rounds on the T-side as NAVI secured yet another 16:7 win, to win the series 2:0.

A GRAND FINAL FOR THE AGES?

NAVI will play G2 esports in the Grand Finale of IEM Cologne 2021 in a Best of 5 series, to be crowned champions and take home $400,000 in prize money and 1800 ESL Pro Tour points.

Faze go home in 3-4th place, alongside Astralis, not at all disappointed with their finish as they look to polish this new, promising roster a little more for the events to come.

G2 takes down Astralis, secure grand finale spot at IEM Cologne 2021

Mohd Laraib
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0
G2 takes down Astralis, secure grand finale spot at IEM Cologne 2021

The international roster clinches a victory in the dying embers of a crazy series to secure their first Grand Final of 2021, after finishing in 3-4th place in the last 4 tournaments they played in.

The Danes showed immense grit and backbone throughout the tournament, after having been made to sweat in their last 2 games but it just wasn’t enough today.

Despite taking an absolute beating on their own map pick, they clawed back Dust2 and very nearly closed out Inferno, taking it to the full 30 rounds but the Kovac cousins, ‘NiKo’ and ‘huNter-‘ rose to the occasion to land them in their first Grand Final with this roster, after the benching of veteran AWPer Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub.

A pretty conventional veto from both the team’s perspectives ensued, with the perma bans going out first in the form of Mirage and Overpass, Astralis chose to go back to the ol’ reliable playground of Nuke, while G2 went with Dust2, not afraid of Astralis’ recent results on the map. Inferno was left over as the decision, almost becoming a default decider map for any series in CS:GO in recent times.

MAP 1: Nuke (Picked by: Astralis, Won by: G2, Final Score: 16:6)

There used to be a time once, a time when Astralis had a 31 map win streak on Nuke, such was their ferocity that teams used to ban the map first, instead of their own permaban just to save themselves from the trauma. But those days are long gone now, as put on display by G2 esports today.

Backing themselves on this map, the Danes picked into it, and started off well with a pistol round and force buy win to follow. But nothing could’ve prepared them for what was in store. With brilliant calling and individual prowess coming into play, G2 taught Astralis a lesson on CT holds as they put up 12 rounds without reply, allowing the Danish side only 1 to end the half 12:3.

G2 almost sent us back to 2017, when Nuke used to be the CT side’s bread and butter, but it had changed or so we thought. The international roster had no problems closing it out as they ended the map swiftly 16:6.

MAP 2: Dust2 (Picked by: G2, Won by: Astralis, Final Score: 16:12)

Brushing aside their dismal start, Astralis moved to the CT side of Dust2. The ‘gla1ve’ led roster had a CT masterclass of their own in their back pocket as they racked up 11 rounds, never letting G2 put up 2 consecutive terrorist side rounds. Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen didn’t let them feel lost without an AWPer as he held down the fort with just a rifle, to comfortably end the half for Astralis at 11:4.

G2 bounced back again, as they looked to finish the day’s work in just 2 maps, putting up 4 on the trot. But Astralis’ experience and incredible resilience showed again as they put up 5 T rounds with ease,  finishing at 16:12, to take us to Inferno

MAP 3: Inferno (Decider, Won by: G2, Final Score: 16:14)

Inferno, almost a second home map for both the rosters was where the score would be settled. Starting on the T side, Astralis again looked hot to the touch, picking up 6 of the first 8 rounds. But a crucial 1v2 Clutch from ‘huNter-‘ seemed to reinvigorate the whole team as they mounted up 8 on the defense, keeping it as close as possible heading to the T side.

The second half was as brawly an affair as you’re ever gonna get, with both teams pulling out all the stops to get to a victory. Exchanging rounds back and forth throughout the half, Astralis were in the driving seat with the score at 14-13. It all came down to a 2v3 retake, with the Kovac cousins alive, but a measly 30 health between them, Astralis looked set for 15.

But proving family is above all, the cousins took down all three members to once again spark a huge comeback, eventually resulting in a hard-fought victory at 16:14.

CHANGES FOR ASTRALIS COMING?

G2 will face the winner of Navi vs Faze in the Grand Final of Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2021, to vie for the trophy. Astralis performed well above expectations but leave in 3-4th place with $80,000 in prize money.

Things will get interesting, whether they sign a permanent, dedicated AWPer remains to be seen.

Rumors hint Valorant might be introducing Battle Royale mode

Kanishka Thakur
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0
Rumors hint Valorant might be introducing Battle Royale mode

Valorant is known for bringing new changes in every patch and changing the meta very often. Recently ‘PlayerIGN’ one of the prominent PUBG leakers tweeted that Riot might be testing Valorant’s battle royale mode in China.

He tweeted this a year ago and now has replied to himself by attaching a video link. He says that how his sources in China claim PUBG players have been testing the new mode.

https://twitter.com/PlayerIGN/status/1411632197988077569

Battle mode will have players fighting each other and rather than instantly dying, they will enter a downed state from which they can be revived.

It will be quite interesting to see how the players and fans react to the new game mode and if they will relish it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4f5ZUjiX7Q

The video explains how the leaker is confirmed that his sources are correct and this mode might be a possibility in the future. 

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Dream accuse PewDiePie of using him as clickbait

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
Dream accuse PewDiePie of using him as clickbait

Popular Minecraft content creator Dream has accused the number one independent YouTuber PewDiePie to use his name as a clickbait for his videos.

In a video titled “Top 10 Streamers Caught Cheating” he goes through several cheating controversies that happened over the years, just like the title suggested. However, Dream was the only one who made it to the thumbnail of the video, which did not sit right with him.

Dream believes that PewDiePie purposely put his name and logo as the thumbnail for the video given how his cheating scandal is still talked about in the community and will serve as an easy way to pick up some views. He added that having used PewDiePie’s name as clickbait in his older videos, the Swedish YouTuber might be coming back at him.

The video is at around 3 million views under 24hours therefore it’s hard to tell whether Dream’s logo had any impact. Almost all his videos rack up views in millions hence even his name made difference, its hard to tell with an eye test.

Even if the title suggests that Dream would be a key talking point in the 12-minute long video, Felix doesn’t give him any special attention and quickly moves on to other scandals after saying that he believes that the Minecraft YouTuber’s incident wasn’t as bad as the other nine content creators mentioned in the video.

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