APAC Finals Season 8: NORA-Rengo wins the final over Fnatic

It was APAC’s time to shine this weekend as eight of the best teams in the region went to Tokyo to duke it out at the Season 8 Pro League APAC Finals. Catch up on what happened in our quick summary of the event.

On Day 1, all matches except one ended with 2-1 scorelines. NORA-Rengo stood apart from the rest with their 2-0 win over New Life, while Aerowolf beat Athletico Esports, Xavier Esports upset mantisFPS, and Fnatic beat Sengoku Gaming Extasy. The first day’s results set up the semi-finals on Sunday, where NORA-Rengo took on Aerowolf, and Fnatic went up against Xavier Esports.

In their fifth-ever APAC LAN, it seemed that Aerowolf would have the quality to put NORA-Rengo to the sword. Playing the same maps that NR had the day before, Aerowolf would have looked to exploit any gaps identified from the Quarter-Final, but the Japanese were ready and waiting. While Aerowolf managed to stay in step on Bank for the majority of the map, NR eventually pulled ahead to take the map 6-4. The story was a little more one-sided on Coastline, where Aerowolf swiftly went 4-0 down. Demonstrating their fearsome strength, the home favourites would win 6-3 to secure qualification for the Season 8 Pro League Finals, and 2019 Six Invitational.

Next up, the definite underdogs of Xavier Esports faced off against the Season 7 APAC champions of Fnatic in what was billed to be a tight contest. Sure enough, the first map lived up to expectations as Fnatic took a significant risk by taking their Thai opponents to their strongest map of Coastline. It seemed that the risk was calculated at first as they surged to a quick lead, but Xavier kept their heads calm as per usual, and soon were on match-point; 5-4. The last round of regulation time came down to the wire, with ProducerBoom set to be the hero for his side, but Acez held strong to clutch things out, and eventually lead Fnatic to a 7-5 map victory. As practiced as Xavier had seemed on Coastline, it was clear that they had not been able to put in anywhere near the same amount of work on Consulate. This time it was Fnatic going up 4-0 and while Xavier managed to avoid a 6-0 with a round win before the roles swap, it was all they could get as they crashed to a 1-6 defeat. With that win, Fnatic made sure they would qualify for a second Pro League Finals in a row, and their fourth Major event.

And so, we got to our Grand Final -- NORA-Rengo, with the support of their home fans, up against the previous season’s regional champions, Fnatic. While many would have expected things to be close, the match would be the second-quickest affair all weekend. Going to Border first, a map Fnatic had historically been strong on, the Australians were swept aside in a stunning 6-1. Hyping up the home crowd, dancing in their seats, and smiling from ear-to-ear, NORA-Rengo smashed the event favourites on Coastline as well, with a 6-2 scoreline, to snag the first-place trophy, and be seeded first for the Pro League Finals.

Catch these two brilliant APAC teams next month in Rio de Janeiro, as they prepare to showcase just why the region is to be feared on the global stage.