It's the final day of action from Espoo, Finland and the Elisa Masters Championship is on the line. Both teams have earned their place in this match and will be ready to showcase their skills.
Both teams had very different paths to this Grand Final. Fnatic showed their prowess by winning their Group and were also able to fend-off a stingy Astralis team in the semi-final round. As for BIG they were able to outlast Sprout in their semi-final match.
Which team wants it more? That question will be answered as soon as the teams begin the match as both feature key playmakers who are known for their offensive ability in CS: GO.
Both teams have all but given themselves a great opportunity to not only win a sizeable cash prize of $100,000 but also receive an automatic place in the play-in stage of IEM Katowice. There is nothing better than giving your organisation a chance to earn an automatic bid to a Major event.
Both teams have been pretty far from this kind of match for a while now, but it is good to see such well-respected organisations finding a way to get back in to Championship competition.
It's all on the line for both organisations, and this match-up shouldn't disappoint. Here is a look at the Elisa Masters Final.
Fnatic have all the value in the world
What: BIG vs. Fnatic, Elisa Masters Final
Where: Espoo, Finland
When: 12:00, Sunday 20th November 2022
How to watch: Elisa Esports Twitch
Odds: BIG +175, Fnatic -250
It's time to see who the best team left standing is. BIG Gaming were able to make a very late charge to reach this point and they hope to be hosting the trophy at the end of the day. It won't be an easy task for them as they must find a way to knock-off Fnatic.
Fnatic had a great run during this event as they were able to not only win their Group, but they also easily won their semi-final match. Fnatic went 4-1 in Group B, and then they easily took out Astralis in two maps. Fnatic opened that match with a 16-9 victory on Mirage.
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The scoring was led by a pair of players who both finished with over 22 kills apiece with Fredrik 'roeJ' Jorgensen leading the charge at 24 kills.
The second map played was Overpass, and that map wasn't so one-sided as Astralis responded with a tough fight forcing the map to overtime. Their run was for nothing though as Peppe "Peppzor" Borak closed the map out 19-16.
Looking at BIG they will need someone outside of Josef 'faveN' Baumann to deliver a big match. That player could be Johannes 'tabseN' Wodarz who delivered a clutch match in the semi-finals. Both players had a great match, finishing with over 70 kills apiece.
BIG didn't have an easy path to this Final, as they were the third-place team in the Group Stage. They also had to play a quarter-final match against 500. BIG needed three maps to upset the much-fancied Sprout team in the semi-finals.
BIG started that match with a 16-12 win on Overpass, before Sprout responded with a 16-12 win on Nuke. Then it all came down to a duel on Mirage and BIG found a way to get the job done. BIG took that map 16-11 to secure their place in the final.
BIG will be looking for a much better performance against a team they have had plenty of history with. Their last head-to-head meeting came at IEM Rio Major 2022. Neither team was able to advance to the Champions Stage at that event, but Fnatic had the last laugh by winning their head-to-head match.
Fnatic were able to win the first map 16-14 on Overpass. They then proceeded to get a very convincing close out 16-7 on Mirage. Freddy 'KRIMZ' Johansson was the key master on that victory leading the way with 48 kills. They will need another big match from him along with the rest of the line-up if they want to get their second-straight victory against BIG.
Fnatic's four-match win streak will be on the line. But they should have plenty of confidence to not only secure a Championship victory but do so convincingly. All the marbles are on the line, and both teams have a chance to showcase their skills at a level neither team has been at for some time. That being said, taking Fnatic to not only cover but win has all the value here.
