ESL Impact League Season 3 FinalsNigma Galaxy win fifth ESL Impact LAN title
The majority-Russian squad did not drop a single map on the way to securing the Season 3 Finals trophy.
Nigma Galaxy have secured a fifth back-to-back ESL Impact trophy by winning the Season 3 Finals over NAVI Javelins 2-0, winning Inferno 16-13 and Ancient 16-6.
It was a tough fight between the two grand finalists on Inferno, with Karolina "Liina" Kasprzyk impressing as the highest-rated player on the server, but Nigma Galaxy’s prowess in clutch situations saw them through. It was a far more one-sided affair on Ancient as Nigma Galaxy ran over NAVI Javelins with little trouble, as emphasized by the 14:8 score in first kills or the 1.32 team rating compared to 0.79.
There was little doubt, but with this tournament triumph Nigma Galaxy have once again cemented their status as the best team in the women’s circuit. They strolled through the competition without dropping a single map, four of their players finished in the top 10 for rating over the event, and they had the highest round win percentage on both sides of the map. It seems it still may take some time for someone to overthrow the undisputed Queens of the Impact circuit.
With consecutive finals appearances at ESL Impact events, NAVI Javelins have emerged as the most legitimate contenders for Nigma Galaxy’s throne, taking that spot from FURIA fe. They did not drop a map until the final and completely dismantled FlyQuest RED in the semi-finals, although B4 fe did run them close on Nuke in the group stage. The Poles even managed to make Nigma Galaxy sweat in the first map of the final.
The individual level the Javelins showed was impressive, as AWPer Wiktoria "vicu" Janicka was the second-highest rated player in the event and Liina also registered some standout performances, whilst the other three members were rated 1.08 or better. Many eyes will be focused on this team moving forward.
 Nigma Galaxy |
K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 - 29 | +9 | 86.1 | 1.26 | |
| 37 - 26 | +11 | 76.4 | 1.20 | |
| 40 - 34 | +6 | 82.2 | 1.18 | |
| 33 - 22 | +11 | 60.1 | 1.18 | |
| 37 - 36 | +1 | 86.1 | 1.16 |
 NAVI Javelins |
K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 - 37 | +2 | 88.6 | 1.25 | |
| 35 - 33 | +2 | 64.9 | 1.00 | |
| 36 - 35 | +1 | 63.1 | 0.94 | |
| 20 - 37 | -17 | 53.7 | 0.67 | |
| 16 - 44 | -28 | 58.9 | 0.65 |
Elsewhere in the tournament, runner-up for 2022’s Women’s Player of the Year Olga "Olga" Rodrigues made her LAN debut with her new squad, HSG fe, after she made the shocking move away from FURIA fe earlier this year. It was a complete disaster for the Brazilian as her team exited the competition with three straight losses, failing to make it to a double-digit score on any of the maps played. It was also a thoroughly disappointing event for the player individually, as she finished as the fourth-lowest rated player in the event.
FlyQuest RED made it to the semi-finals of their first tournament under their new organization, having competed at ESL Impact Katowice as CLG Red previously. Mounira "GooseBreeder" Dobie was the standout player for the North American squad, posting a 1.20 rating over seven maps.
The final standings for ESL Impact Season 3 Finals were:
1.
Nigma Galaxy - $50,000
2.
NAVI Javelins - $25,000
3-4.
FlyQuest RED - $13,000
3-4.B4 fe - $13,000
5-6.
5-6.
Vivienne 'BiBiAhn' Quach
Coline 'Kaoday' Le Floc'h
Viktor 'flashie' Tamás Bea
SinMan 'Hazel' Fong
DongMei 'KARMY' Fang
Ramona 'gfi' Azween Binti Zaharuddin
Reinis 'hyskeee' Grīnbergs
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