SK Gaming

After day 1 of the Intel Challenge Super Cup 7 LAN finals finished up with all of the six teams having played their five matches the four teams progressing on to tomorrow, and the playoffs, were

Natus Vincere ,

Frag eXecutors ,

DTS and

KerchNET .

ICC semi-final pairings:
10am

Frag eXecutors vs.

DTS
2pm

Natus Vincere vs.

KerchNET

Na`Vi and FX were both massive favourites to progress from the group but neither did so without failing to a lesser opponent at least once. It was KerchNET who were able to get the better of both of the IEM V World Championship finalists, beating FX early on 22:8 on tuscan and then Na`Vi on inferno 16:14 in both teams' last game. When the repeat of the IEM finals took place it ended in a mildly underwhelming draw, though which once again proved how effect FX's play style is against Na`Vi's strong train game.

Despite taking down both titans of the group Kerchnet actually finished up in fourth place and the only other team they beat were Iron Will, DTS and USSR managing to show that KerchNET were not quite the dominating force their upsets might have suggested. It's worth considering that FX lost on tuscan, the map they threw out at IEM, and that Na`Vi have lost in the past multiple times on inferno to the next best Ukrainian teams. It will be interesting to see how the underdogs fare in a Bo3 against the world champions in the playoffs.

DTS, widely considered to be the second best Ukrainian team, came out in third thanks to solid play from the four ex-ARENA/spraynpray players. They will now face an FX team who beat them 18:12 on train in the last match of the group.

Most will of course be looking for a repeat of the IEM V World Championship final in the final of this tournament with FX and Na`Vi both favoured to win their semi-finals and do it all once again for this title.

Elsewhere in the group the two Russian teams had their problems, though Iron Will much moreso than USSR. Iron Will took along a classic Virtus.Pro lineup only to get crushed with five straight losses. USSR, with their new school talent headed up by hooch, actually had their chances to get into the playoffs but the crucial game proved to be a four round loss to DTS on inferno and thus they found themselves a win short of the playoffs.

Source: HLTV.org

Thorin

@Thooorin on twitter.
http://www.facebook.com/Thooorin

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