A BANGER SERIES FOR NRG KIA!

In one of the wildest matches of the entire year in the LCS, NRG Kia were able to pull out a 2-0 series sweep of Shopify Rebellion in a much-needed victory for the team. 

Action at the Riot Arena on Sunday featured a pair of matches that went over the 45-minute mark both times with a total of five elder dragons slain. The series showcased more elder dragons captured than the previous 106 matches in the LCS combined, as most matches end well before that late-stage objective becomes available to capture. 

In Game 1, the sides traded blows with a near-even kill total that ultimately ended the way of NRG Kia by a 20-19 margin. Despite falling behind in the dragon objective count by a total of 4-1 against SR, the team was able to strategically trade dragon objectives for towers, leading 10-6 by the end of the 54-minute slugfest. A final teamfight win as the elder buff expired proved to be all the ammo needed to finally, once-and-for-all, close out the game. Four out of five players showcased double-digit assist totals, with Contractz leading the way with six total kills.

Looking to sweep the series, NRG Kia found themselves down throughout the mid stages of the game both in kills and in gold differential, but not in dragon objectives. Securing the needed objectives to keep the game afloat, it was a steal of the elder dragon at the 45-minute mark by Contractz that created the opportunity for NRG Kia to secure a Team Ace, march down the midlane, and end the game for the sweep. Despite being down in team kills 21-12, NRG Kia earned the 2-0 series victory with Contractz earning Series MVP.

NRG Kia moves to 2-2 on the Summer Split and sits solidly in 4th place in the overall standings. This weekend is a true test against the unbeaten Cloud9 on Saturday at 1 PM PT. We need your NRG as we keep up our climb to the top of the standings!

A WINNING WEEK FOR NEW LOOK NRG CS2!

NRG CS2 continued their hot start as a new quintet over the weekend, delivering a flawless Week 1 in the ESL Challenger Series and advancing all the way to the grand finals in the NA Revival Series to claim the runner-up spot. 

Rounding out last week’s strong performances in the ECL on Thursday, the team made quick work of the Brazilian side E-Xolos LAZER with a 13-5 and 13-10 pair of victories on Mirage and Inferno. It was the AWP-er oSee who really flexed his strengths, racking up a total of 37 kills across the two maps in the series to secure both wins.

In the NA Revival Series, NRG saw Vertigo picked against them for the first time as the new team against BOSS, and were able to use a strong, 8-3 attack side in the second half of the match to close out Map 1 with a 13-10 victory. Firmly in the driver’s seat for their map pick, Mirage, NRG CS2 routed BOSS with a 13-1 thrashing to earn the series sweep. It was the rifler Brehze that made it easy for NRG, earning 39 kills in the two games.

In the semifinals against Nouns, a side that had gotten the best of NRG in prior matchups, the team was determined to exact revenge by knocking them out of the bracket. On Map 1 Anubis, NRG found themselves down 4-8 in the game, but a series of strong and committed offense attacks led by nitr0 reversed the fortunes for NRG. With a 9-3 second-half scoreline, NRG closed out Anubis 13-11, avoiding overtime and earning the series lead heading into Map 2 Ancient.

Overtime proved to be inevitable, however, with how even both sides were playing heading into this series. On Ancient, NRG found themselves staring down map point for the opposition at a 10-12 deficit, but rallied with two strong attack rounds to force the game to OT. In extra rounds, a trio of defensive retakes on site proved to be the decider as NRG picked up the series with a 16-14 victory. It was the young gun HexT who proved to be the star, earning 48 kills in the series to book a trip to the finals.

With the experienced Wildcard set for our grand finals matchup, the luck of close matches didn’t fall our way in the finale. On Map 1 Ancient, despite our best comeback efforts of a 5-11 deficit to force OT, the final three rounds went the way of Wildcard who opened the series up with a 16-13 win. Map 2 Anubis was also anyone’s game, with a 6-6 half deadlocking the two sides, it was Wildcard’s last attempt at a win in regulation that earned them the 13-11 map win and secured the championship. 

Still, NRG CS2 showcased some serious firepower in their new lineup, winning 12-straight maps (with little-to-no practice time) before their first loss. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the Summer holds for them! We’ll be back in action at the end of this month to continue more ECL play, and as always, stay tuned to NRG Current for more updates!