Imperial's run comes to a halt as Heroic best them to become the first final
The biggest surprise of BLAST Premier Spring Final has been the performances of Imperial. They took down Major champions on day one, pushed G2 close on day two, and advanced to the semi finals with a victory over Complexity on day three.
Their semi finals opponents, Heroic, have also been in stellar form thus far. After breezing past Complexity in their opening game they later annihilated FaZe to advance straight to semi finals.
Many would have expected this game to be a blowout of similar proportions, but in what could be FalleN's swansong appearance with Imperial, the legendary AWP IGL refused to go down without a fight.
A banger of a series, let's go over the action.
Imperial's impressive Overpass can't overcome Heroic
Imperial's strongest map at the event has been Overpass. They demolished Vitality on the map on day one, and a 16-6 drubbing of Complexity assured fans that the first win was no fluke.
They were similarly strong again today, with FalleN and JOTA both providing stellar performances as Imperial trailed at the half with a respectable 8-7 scoreline.
That meant Heroic would need to go one better to take the game in regulation, and they did so as the star trio of cadiaN, stavn, and jabbi all racked up 20 kills apiece.
A 16-13 final scoreline, Imperial might not have got the best of Heroic on their map pick, but they showed more than enough trouble the Danes going into map two.
sjuush looked happy with the performance on Overpass. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenImperial claw one back on Inferno
Having won Imperial's map pick in map one, the game could have easily been a very quick 2-0 for Heroic. A team with an impressive CT side, Heroic's proactive nature can be hard for teams to deal with.
However, as we saw against GamerLegion in Paris, things aren't always that easy.
cadiaN was strong again, as was his opposite number FalleN, but it was the performances of VINI that allowed the Brazilians to take an early lead on their T side.
A typically T sided map, Imperial allowed Heroic to claw their way back into the half and take the lead 8-7 at the half. VINI was having none of it though, continuing his one-man army performance as he amassed 32 kills to take the map 16-11.
VINI was a superstar on Inferno. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenHeroic almost choke Nuke
Considering what happened mere weeks ago in Paris at the BLAST.tv Major, Heroic were now likely fearful of a repeat.
Determined for that not to be the case, they began life on Nuke incredibly strongly by recording an 11-4 CT half. Imperial looked dead and buried, and at 15-7 down, it appeared as if their steam had finally run out.
There was still some room in the tank, however, and as boltz stepped up, Imperial came back in incredible fashion to tie the game and force OT.
A heroic run from Imperial, it was in overtime that it came to an end. Momentum may have been in their favour, especially as they won the opening two rounds, but as Heroic claimed their final T round, the pendulum swung back in the favour of the Danes. Winning all of their CT rounds, Heroic closed out the series and booked their spot in the final with a 19-17 scoreline.
A heart-breaking result for Imperial, we'll remember their performances here in D.C. for a long time.
Heroic celebrate making the final. Photo: Stephanie Lindgren