The Russian Team Rolled Over Fnatic 2-0
As expected from the moment the quarterfinals matchups were decided, the squad led by Jame prevailed over Fnatic in a commanding display in the semi-finals, with a 16-11 win on Inferno and a 16-8 win on Mirage. Outsiders made easy work of their opponents powered by FL1T’s 1.41 rating.
Outsiders dominated right out of the gates on Inferno, winning the pistol round with fame racking up three kills. In a minor setback the Russians didn’t capitalize on their early momentum, they allowed Fnatic to walk onto B site in the third round, giving up one kill before saving but allowing their opposition to establish a foothold in the game. A mezii 1vs2 clutch kept Fnatic’s dream of a competitive match alive but fame continued to be the savior for Outsiders, then they kept their foot on the gas and closed out the first half 10-5.
To keep things interesting, Fnatic went on to find success in the next five rounds in a row to bring the game to 10-10. With the game tied up, Fnatic faltered, as they allowed Outsiders take go ahead, 14-10, despite the Russian’s shaky T-side start. The notorious slow-paced T side of Outsiders was too much for fnatic to handle as fame’s 23 kills led his team to a 16-11 victory.
Now looking at the second map, Mirage, Fnatic didn’t find success in the early stages (unlike Inferno) of the second half despite winning a force buy to bring the game to 10-7. They made the rounds close, losing a 1vs1 and a 1vs2 in consecutive rounds but regardless of how close they made it, Fnatic could not close out rounds. FL1T and n0rb3r7 shut down Fnatic’s attacks, only conceding two CT rounds as they combined for 41 kills to win the game 16-8.
MOUZ, From Academy to Major Semifinals
The majority of the MOUZ squad came up from the MOUZ academy roster and have now made it to a semi-final of a major, all within a year of progressing to the main team. The up-and-comers have now reached new heights, showing that experience might not be a prerequisite to make it to the top.
The ex-academy team came in as the underdogs, taking down one of the favorites in the tournament 2-1. Each member of the young-gun MOUZ roster performed well throughout each map with no real standouts in the series. No longer was Cloud9 the youngsters in a series as the undeniably less experienced MOUZ squad held their own against the CIS IEM Dallas 2022 winners.
MOUZ’s map pick, Inferno, went the way of the CIS C9 roster. HObbit breezed past the international roster, with the Kazakstanian player helping C9 take the first map. The second map, Overpass, saw frozen wake up and carry his roster across the line. C9 almost mounted a comeback on the CT side, but MOUZ halted them in their tracks. Frozen guaranteed MOUZ the win, topping the leaderboard with 25 kills to 16 deaths, with an incredibly dangerous 97.3 ADR.
MOUZ’s CT side was too strong for the CIS roster on Ancient. C9 struggled to get past one round on the T side, with the rag-tag youngsters of the MOUZ roster holding strong until they came through on the very last round of the series. The European team is now looking to score their 2nd upset of the IEM Rio Major against Outsiders, though it’s safe to say that it’ll be a much tougher challenge.
Outsiders vs MOUZ Match Information
- Game: Outsiders vs MOUZ
- Date: Saturday, November 12th
- Time: 12:00pm ET
- Outsiders vs MOUZ Live Stream: Twitch.tv
Outsiders vs MOUZ Picks & Prediction
MOUZ have shown a few flashes of brilliance on their journey so far, but it will be difficult to translate their recent performances the deeper they move towards the finals. The core has only twice reached Big Event playoffs in 2022 and they failed to win their elimination match both times, unfortunately for them, they’ll be going up against an Outsiders team that is looking stronger and stronger, and I don’t think they’ll have what it takes to move on to the finals.
The IEM Rio Major Playoffs have been incredibly exciting so far, and there’s still plenty to go. Make sure to stay tuned as we’ll be sharing our esports picks with you! Don’t forget to bet on esports at BetUS Sportsbook & Casino. We’ve plenty of CSGO odds for you to consider.
