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Top Counter-Strike 2 isn't used to waiting long. One of the most International tournaments in October is the IEM Rio 2024, where 16 teams will play each other for a prize pool of $250,000 and a ticket to IEM Katowice 2025.
The fun starts with the group stage. We will be talking about Basket A, where we are waiting for match NaVi - Rare Atom.
We are trying to figure out if Rare Atom has a chance to surprise the best team in the world, or if the match will end betting tiry - a confident victory of Natus Vincere.
Let's go.
NaVi form
Let's open the NaVi vs Rare Atom match with the analysis of the form of the first team of the world. In this match Natus Vincere will play the first number one with odds to win at around 1.05.
At the Long Season, while still in the previous squad, had a series of good tournaments. In almost every one, they placed high.
They started with a top 6 at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023. Then top-3 at IEM Katowice 2023 and a similar result at ESL Pro League Season 17.
NaVi took BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR A without any problems and qualified for the Major in Paris. Before the only Major of the season, Natus Vincere took the top 4 at the IEM Masters Rio 2023.
The Paris tournament turned out to be a failure for NaVi. Top-11 is hardly a decent result for a team of Natus Vincere's status.
- NaVi roster: w0nderful, b1t, Aleksib, jL, iM.
Before the Long Conner IEM Cologne NaVi made a global Reshuffle, translating the roster into English. In addition to electroNic, Perfecto and npl who left, jL with Apeks, iM with GamerLegion and Aleksib, who previously played for Ninjas in Pyjamas, joined the team.
With the new lineup, NaVi made their debut at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. "Born to Win" managed to earn a place in the autumn finals by finishing in the top 4-6.
At IEM Cologne 2023 Natus Vincere played two matches. First, they lost to MOUZ with a score of 0-2, and then defeated OG in Bo3. At the end of the top championship NaVi reached the top 8, which is a good result for the then renewed roster.
Then there were a number of appearances at major events with very good results. NaVi entered the top 8 at Gamers8 and took the top 2 at ESL Pro Legue Season 18.
The key tournament of the season for "yellow-black" can be called IEM Sydney 2023. There NaVi for the first time in a long time played without their main headliner S1mple, whose place was temporarily taken by coach B1ad3. Andrew tried, but NaVi could not jump above the top-12.
After S1mple left the active roster, NaVi started the game with w0nderful. He made his debut for the Yellow-Blacks at BLAST Premier: World Final 2023. Natus Vincere played him very well, reaching the top 4. In the match for the Grand Final Ledgeili future tournament champions and the best team in the world Vitality.
The year 2024 started with high notes - they were the best at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European Qualifier A. However, further on, the performance slipped a bit and NaVi took the top-12 at ESL Pro League Season 19 and IEM Dallas 2024, as well as the top-2 at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024.
Esports World Cup 2024 NaVi Long Competed with a solid 2-0 win over FURIA. Entering the play-offs, the "born to win" fell to FaZe Clan in the first round. NaVi were again stronger than FaZe, but this time they won with the score 2-0. Then there was a rather difficult match against MOUZ, where NaVi lost on the first map with the score 1-13, but then they got together and made it to the grand final. In the final match they played against G2 Esports, where they won 2-1, thus winning their second prestigious tournament of the year.
At the BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024 NaVi Long Competed with a confident victory over BIG. But against Liquid "born to win" did not fare well, losing in a dramatic situation without defuse kits on the 3rd map. In the re-match with BIG they were stronger again, confidently shutting down the German club with a score of 2-0. However, they failed to move further into the top 6 at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024.
At the ESL Pro League Season 20 NAVI became the winners of Group A, passing Lynn Vision, NiP and Eternal Fire without any problems. NaVi started the ESL Pro League Season 20 playoffs with a victory over their principal rival - Team Spirit - and a confident 2-0 win. Next, they defeated G2 Esports (2-1) and defeated Eternal Fire in the EPL S20 final with a score of 3-2.
NaVi Mappool
NaVi's best map in 3 months is Inferno. The team played there 5 times with a winrate of 60 per cent.
On Mirage, Ancient. Nuker, Overpass and Anubis NaVi has 50% wins. On Ancient and Nuke the team played 4 matches each, on the others - 2.
Vertigo are not playing.
Rare Atom uniforms
We continue the match analysis with the analysis of Rare Atom's form. In this match they will play as number two with odds to win at around 7.6.
Rare Atom is one of the most famous representatives of the Asian Counter-Strike 2 scene, but not the top one. They can be called a "tough middle man" who is constantly looking for opportunities to break through to top tournaments like IEM Rio and so on.
They do manage to get into the top tournaments occasionally. So, the team was seen at ESL Pro League Season 17 in 2023, where the game failed to show: TOP-28 and ignominious departure from the championship. Next was an attempt to make it to BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 via BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: Asia-Pacific RMR, but The MongolZ intervened, knocking out Rare Atom at the Top-3 stage.
- Rare Atom line-up: somebody, Summer, ChildKing, L1haNg, kaze.
Rare Atom spent the 2024 season mostly in all kinds of qualifications and TIR-C, TIR-B tournaments. Some of their most successful performances include winning the 5E Arena Asia Cup Spring 2024, Asian Super League Season 3, and 5E Arena Asia Cup Fall 2024.
In August 2024, Rare Atom managed to qualify for IEM Rio 2024 and won the Perfect World Shanghai Majo 2024: Chinese Qualifier.
Rare Atom Mappool
Best RA map - Mirage. They played 12 matches and won 9 of them.
Next was Overpass with 8 matches and 5 wins. Nuke (7 matches, 4 wins), Inferno (9 matches, 5 wins). Worse is Ancient with 3 wins in 6 matches, and worst of all was Anubis. Played 7 times, and the winrate is 42%.
They do not play on Vertigo.
History of head-to-head meetings between NaVi and Rare Atom
Previously, the teams have not played each other in official matches.
Predicted result of Rare Atom vs NaVi at IEM Rio 2024
For Rare Atom, a trip to IEM Rio 2024 is a very necessary experience, but they can't dream of more. They can fight, especially knowing how NaVi like to charge for a long time, but they should not think about victory.
Bottom line: NaVi win.
