The veto process began with Imperial Fe banning Anubis and NAVI removing Train. Imperial Fe chose Ancient as their map pick, while NAVI selected Mirage. Nuke and Dust2 were subsequently banned, leaving Inferno as the decider.
The opening map, Ancient, saw NAVI starting with a 4-0 lead. However, Imperial Fe quickly found their footing and won five consecutive rounds, taking a 5-4 lead and briefly turning the momentum in their favor. NAVI responded strongly, regaining control and ending the first half with a narrow 7-5 advantage. In the second half, NAVI allowed the Brazilian team little room for comeback with a dominant performance, closing out the map with a 13-7 victory.
The second map, Mirage, progressed in an almost similar manner, with NAVI starting strong at 4-0 before Imperial Fe staged a comeback to even the score. However, it was b1t’s destructive performance that proved to be the difference-maker in this match, as he led NAVI to wrap up the series with a 13-8 victory.
While NAVI claimed the win, all eyes were on Imperial Fe. Sailing in uncharted waters, the all-female team managed to keep the pressure on 2024’s Team of the Year. Zainab “zAAz” Turkie and Katarina “Kat” Vašková delivered notable performances that made a strong statement about the potential of the female CS2 scene.
What did Imperial Fe and NAVI say?
In a post-match interview, zAAz reflected on Imperial Fe’s performance, saying, “This is the first time we’re playing such a good team, like the best team in the world.” She also added, “We’re not used to practicing against these kinds of teams, so it’s very hard for us to know what to expect.”
Finally, she remarked, “If we get the chance to actually practice against these kinds of teams, we’ll be able to do much more than this.”
This sentiment was shared by NAVI’s Justinas "jL" Lekavičius, who praised Imperial Fe on X, stating, “If you still have doubts about Imperial Fe not belonging to the scene, you’re just a hater. They made us sweat, they shoot very strong.”
