2020 has brought with it an incredible surge in global gaming. Consumers everywhere are now engaged in some form of gaming activity, making it the world’s most popular form of at-home entertainment. 

With gaming app downloads hitting tens of millions, cloud gaming services making gaming-on-demand a possibility, and brand new next-generation consoles selling out within minutes after launching, there’s no denying the world’s monstrous appetite for play while enjoying a cosy home environment.

This year has been one of the best yet for the global gaming industry, let’s take a look at some of the key trends that have defined it.  

Mobile Gaming cements its dominance 

Mobile gaming has stepped into a brand-new era. It’s now the most popular gaming segment across the globe, growing faster than gaming consoles and PCs, and even beating the humble television as the most popular media platform. 2020 has brought with it an unprecedented surge in mobile gaming activity, transforming it from a niche gaming sector to a major mainstream force.  

This year, both the iOS App Store and Google’s Play store saw downloads increase by the millions, with 35% and 38% growth, respectively. It means that almost 130 billion mobile gaming apps have been downloaded over the last 11 months alone – little wonder, then, that experts predict the sector will be worth almost $100 billion in just four years.  

iGaming continues to rise  

Playing remote games for real money prizes has been a strong trend in the industry for several years now, but it’s still emerged as one of the most popular in 2020. Bonuses offering rewards like starburst free spins regularly attract new players to platforms, while immersive gaming experiences incorporating VR ensure long term players are never bored with what’s on offer.  

The sector will no doubt undergo even further growth during 2021. According to Yahoo Finance, the global iGaming industry (incorporating remote casino, poker, and sports betting) will be worth substantially more than the land-based gaming sector. With over 50% of the world’s population currently playing online real money games regularly, the market is expected to be worth over $127 billion by 2027.  

Developing markets take centre stage 

While consumers throughout China, Europe, and the US have initiated record new levels of gaming activity in 2020, developing markets like India have been able to take centre stage. This year, India’s remote gaming sector grew significantly, making it one of the fastest emerging markets in the global industry.  

According to Google and KPMG, India now stands as the fifth-largest gaming market in the world for mobile gaming, generating an annual total of three billion gaming app downloads. Mobile gaming is so popular in the region that three out of the five highest-growing apps in the country belong to the gaming category. 

Gaming platforms within the region saw an average user growth of between 60-70% during Q1, while the average time spent gaming also increased by 50-70% during the same period.  

The record development has not gone unnoticed by the wider gaming world, either, as India has become a development hub for major gaming brands like Tencent and Ubisoft.  

As you can see, online gaming is already a powerful force all around the world and things will become even more exciting in the next year.

Mainstream media has led us to believe that platinum is more valuable than gold. Take the music record industry, for example. Once an album has sold 500,000 copies, it’s certified as gold. However, if the sales exceed 1,000,000, it’s certified platinum. This gives the impression that platinum is better than gold. When it comes to investing, however, it’s not as clear cut. The question of whether to buy platinum or gold as the better investment is more complicated. Let’s examine the factors that go into determining the investment value of platinum and gold to figure out which investment is better:

Rarity

Platinum is rarer than gold. This is because the amount of gold available exceeds that of platinum. The reason for this is that gold is mined more worldwide than platinum. Moreover, gold mining has been going on for thousands of years, whereas platinum mining only began in earnest a few hundred years ago. Gold also tends to be cared for and kept safe, meaning that a large portion of mined gold is still around today. As a result, there is much more gold in the world than platinum.

Cost

In general, gold tends to be less expensive than platinum most of the time. This is mainly due to mining. Platinum mining is done mostly in South Africa. By contrast, gold mining is done all over the world. This means that if something were to happen in South Africa that disrupted platinum mining, the cost would increase. However, with gold, a supply disruption in one mine would have much less of an impact on prices as there are tons of other mines to get supplies from.

Extraction difficulty is another factor in pricing. Gold mining is much easier to undertake than platinum mining. Some gold prospectors have extracted gold from a river using their bare hands and a few tools. Platinum, on the other hand, is mostly found in deep underground mines as a byproduct. Extracting this metal from hard rock is a costly process involving expensive machinery.

Demand

Even though platinum is a precious metal, it’s used most often like industrial metal. For instance, the most extensive use of platinum is in catalytic converters for cars. Furthermore, the global movement for a cleaner environment and stricter emissions standards has increased platinum demand. 

There is less demand for heavy machines and vehicles powered by engines containing platinum in a poor economy. By contrast, a good economy usually means that there will be a high demand for platinum. This means that the fortunes of platinum are tied to global economic conditions.

When it comes to the demand for gold, it is much less likely to experience the chaotic swings in demand that platinum does. This is because gold is mainly used to store a person’s wealth, whether in jewelry or investment. For these reasons, the price and demand for platinum tend to fluctuate more than that of gold.

Which is the Better Investment?

Gold is well known throughout the world. Platinum, on the other hand, isn’t as recognized. For example, you can go almost anywhere, and gold is exchangeable for goods or services. The same cannot be said for platinum. Furthermore, gold is a stable investment. It is mined throughout the world, limiting supply disruptions, and it has a relatively fixed cost, and the demand is constant.

Economic fluctuations mean that there are instances when platinum is cheaper to buy than gold. If you take advantage of the economic downturn and purchase platinum, you will profit when the prices go back up. However, there is a significant drawback. You are at the mercy of the economy. Prices may stay low or drop even lower than the cost of gold. It could be years before you see an upturn.

In the end, the answer to the question of which is the better investment depends on the level of risk you want to undertake. Gold is less risky and should be the choice for most people. Platinum can be a great opportunity if you can get it at the right price, but earning a profit depends on market fluctuations, making it a more risky investment.

Photo by Nick Fewings

The mobile revolution has been well underway for more than a decade now. And new things are still coming to our fingertips. Whether in the form of new functionalities on the phone itself, or new apps being rolled out by small, dynamic start-ups, it seems like every day our tiny phones become more and more powerful.   

Thanks to the creative genius of techies around the world, we can enjoy an increasingly convenient lifestyle, freeing up more and more time to do what we love most, and spend time with our friends and families. Let’s take a look at the things we are most grateful for and surprised about being able to do on the go. 

Follow Odds for Your Favourite Teams

Sports fans can now keep a closer eye on upcoming matches. The world of sports moves so quickly, we have long needed apps to helps us keep up. Check out one of the best new apps for sports betting to make sure your odds update regularly with the latest news.

Having this ability on the go is especially important when money is on the line. Like Wall Street traders, things can change quickly, so being able to make a decision whenever you need to is a big advantage. 

Find Retro Looks 

For a long time now we have been able to stay up to date on trends in fashion and accessories. Whether directly from retailers’ websites or from online stores such as Amazon, we have been able to browse and buy the latest in clothing.

However, something newer is the used clothing market in the form of smartphone applications. Now you can sort, see, and savor retro looks all from your phone. Which apps are available will change depending on your country of residence. In the United Kingdom, check out the Gumtree app, or Vinted, for finding the best looks at the best prices. 

Do Your Grocery Shopping

Between working full time, keeping up our homes, and finding a moment to relax with family, we do not always have as much time to go grocery shopping as we would like. Luckily there are now plenty of apps available so you can grocery shop on your morning commute. Best of all, they’ll deliver it to your home, saving you even more time.

The best of all is that each app tends to offer new user bonuses. You can even shop at local, independent grocery stores. Browse through and pick your favourite, or sign up at multiple apps to stay up to date on the best deals.

Protect the Environment

The digital revolution has the potential to be a big environmental protector. As music moves to streaming, rather than plastic CD’s, and stores require less space for customers to browse physically, the green impact is apparent. 

Another way to take a notch out of your carbon footprint is with Too Good To Go. Once you download this app from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store, you can start picking up food that would otherwise go to the dump. 

Food waste has a huge carbon footprint. By some measures, it is even larger than animal husbandry. Do your part by saving fruits, vegetables, bread, and even longer-lasting shelf items such as olive oils from going to waste. 

Of course, it’s never bad to save a few Pounds. The food you buy here will be discounted by 50% or more. 

Learn a Language

Expanding your horizons has never been easier. In our increasingly globalized world, it is easy to connect with someone on the other side of the planet. Trips to places where they speak other languages are fast and accessible. 

Luckily, our ability to learn languages has kept up the pace. Wherever you are, you can plug in your earphones and practice a foreign language. Duolingo and Roseetta Stone are the most popular but definitely not the only language-learning apps. Most languages even have specific apps just for that language. 

Plus, many language teachers have moved to online classes. Shop around and find a native speaker who can teach you one-on-one. All in the comfort of your own home. 

Small businesses have access to developed technology, which is not only advanced but also affordable. This has allowed areas of the business to gain efficiency and operate at a higher standard, enabling the business as a whole to punch above its weight, so to speak. They are working on a tighter budget but eking every bit of value out of the pennies. Additionally, some of the technology they are utilizing is scalable, meaning it’ll be able to maintain its use as the business grows. Here are a few areas in which it boosts a business.

Privacy and Security

Over the last decade due to major and minor breaches and hacks on businesses, which has resulted in their customer’s data being stolen and sold or leaked, national institutions and global associations have sought to implement and improve data rights and privacy laws, to protect citizens. The US is looking at creating a federal data protection agency to pass and enforce similar laws to the EU. As such, a small business must now comply with relevant laws when handling and/or storing customer’s data, with different policies if it’s paper or digital. 

Small businesses can utilise third-party software for automatic billing or customer relations management, for example. This means the data is inputted and shared with another business. All going well, nothing bad happens. However, if it does, the small business must ensure that the security and data practice of the software is up to standard as the customers have agreed to share their data with you. General liability insurance – which supplies coverage for your employees and your property – will help cover legal fees should customers claim negligence. 

Administration

After briefly touching on third-party software, it is worth expanding on. These software options – like the aforementioned billing system and customer relations management, but, also, bookkeeping, cloud storage, and project management – can become invaluable administrative tools. One of the key benefits of this software is that it can be accessed from multiple devices: there doesn’t need to be a central terminal. This allows multiple employees to complete tasks via one software from different devices without the chance of working with out-of-date data or losing data.

Also, this software has automated actions. For instance, if a customer emails the company, a contact profile will be automatically created, which means that all their correspondences will be kept within that customer’s contact. Another example is automated billing software, which does exactly what it sounds like it does: issues receipts and invoices after an order is confirmed.

Not only this, but the software of this kind is designed to be user friendly. While it will be capable of more complicated actions, businesses can function without utilizing them. 

Marketing

Two words: social media. It’s as good a marketing tool as any in history, but more efficient. It is just a platform, which allows for a variety of marketing approaches to generate new leads. Due to the different platforms available, each one has different user demographics and different content standards (long or short posts, stories, live streams, tweets), meaning each business can target their desired customers. Businesses sponsor influencers to promote their products, adapt the latest meme trends to attract attention, and act as personalities. The chance to go viral, and be seen by thousands and thousands, without spending a lot of money, if anything, is highly appealing. 

Photo by Alexandre Debiève

A residential proxy works as a gateway between the user and the rest of the internet. IP addresses of residential proxies come from internet service providers (ISP). They are powerful tools that hide your location and protect anonymity online.

Why we use residential proxies

When using a residential proxy, you will have access to localized and geo-blocked content in a chosen country. Using proxies with powerful tools like web scrapers greatly enhance their data collection capabilities. Extracting public information can lead to an IP address getting blocked. Residential proxy networks help us avoid blocks and ensure uninterrupted data scraping. For this purpose, we use residential IPs because datacenter IPs are not unique and far more likely to be banned.

Individual users also find many benefits from using a residential proxy. Tracking prices of airplane and hotel tickets from a local point of view can help you find a better deal. Airlines and online shops can change prices and even discounts once you change the location of your IP address. A safer browsing experience and access to a geo-blocked part of the internet are important to residential proxy users. Manipulating anonymity and localized content are also useful for managing foreign social media accounts, ad verification, digital marketing, and many other applications.

Smartproxy

With a fair deal for every user, Smartproxy offers great deals that both individuals and businesses can appreciate. Excellent customer support, usage guides, and comfortable tools make it a superb choice for inexperienced users. With the main features taken into account, Smartproxy has a good IP pool for a very affordable price. This practical and reliable residential proxy provider cares about the experience of a user. The cost of services starts at $75/5 GB with a choice of a 3-day refund.

Smartproxy is a balanced provider with valuable strengths and few weaknesses. A lack of SOCKS5 protocol with the limited city and location choices are the main drawbacks of this supplier.

Pros:

• 40 million peer-to-peer residential IPs
• Fast and reliable proxy performance
• HTTP & HTTPS protocols 
• Impeccable customer support
• Fair, affordable prices

Cons:

• No SOCKS5 protocol
• Limited targeting options
• No carrier and ASN targeting

Oxylabs

With the best premium residential proxies on our list, Oxylabs strive to contribute to the success of businesses with the most reliable proxy solutions. A large residential proxy pool of static and rotating IPs covers the majority of cities in every country. Plenty of targeting options and supreme performance are the factors prioritized by Oxylabs. The best rotational proxies are perfect for scrapping high-value public data with minimal blocks.

Because Oxylabs’ clientele is made up of businesses, it is rarely a good choice for an individual user. The pricing starts from $300, but it scales if you buy up.

Pros:

• Best performance
• 70 million peer-to-peer residential IPs
• A lot of targeting options
• Flexible proxy controls
• Great customer service and user documentation

Cons:

• High prices
• Best for larger tasks

NetNut

NetNut is a rather peculiar provider – it specializes in static residential proxies. Being the biggest provider of these specific IP addresses, it offers stability for particular proxy solutions.

Web scraping benefits from rotational proxies for efficient extraction of public data. Avoiding blocks and collecting information is a popular reason to use a proxy. There are, however, unique but very beneficial ways to use a residential proxy in other areas. In cases where IP rotation is unwelcome.

Static residential IPs are fast, stable, and emphasize the benefits of location manipulation. Speed is useful for analyzing localized and geo-blocked content. NetNut is a great residential proxy provider for managing social media accounts. For a better user experience, NetNut organizes IP pools for specific usage that offer fast and reliable performance.

When compared with market leaders, we can see that NetNut has some important letdowns. Some features are only unlocked with expensive plans, and geo-targeting options are far from perfect. Prices start at $300/20 GB, but potential clients can use a 7-day free trial.

Pros:

• 5M static residential IPs
• Fast and stable performance
• Flexible proxy controls
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

• Locked features for cheaper plans
• Poor targeting options
• Hard to use

Luminati

Luminati is the biggest proxy provider with many customizable tools. A gigantic pool of both static and residential IPs is available for business-oriented clients. Luminati proxies show great performance and create the necessary circumstances for the customer to succeed. Powerful proxy managers, browser extensions, and control tools give clients a firm grasp on their system.

Great proxy controls might is a great benefit for many companies, but it comes with a higher price and a complex setup. Luminati is a powerful proxy provider, but High and confusing prices make it a bad choice for beginners. Pricing starts from $500/40GB, with a 7-day trial for businesses and a 3-day refund for independent users.

Pros:

• 72M peer-to-peer residential IPs
• Good performance
• Great, customizable features
• Reliable proxy controls
• Great targeting options
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

• Expensive
• Confusing pricing
• Hard to use and set up

The presented residential proxy providers offer services for any digital business solutions. To get an objective evaluation of every provider, check out The Best Residential Proxies Listing on Proxyway website. Analyzing collected data will help you find the best provider for the market of your choice.

 The Benefits of Using Smart Light Bulbs in Buildings

Smart lighting has completely changed how lighting is controlled in buildings. With smart lighting, property owners can improve security and conserve energy using simple voice commands over a smart home connection. If you are looking for a smart way to conserve energy in your home, smart lighting bulbs and other lighting systems are effective strategies.

Types of smart lighting

Smart lighting can come as Wi-Fi-enabled bulbs or Bluetooth enabled bulbs. They also include smart switches and smart bulb sockets. The type of smart bulb that can work best for you depends on your individual needs, the hub utilized by your smart home fixtures, and your willingness to alter the existing lighting system.

Smart light bulbs are reliable LED lighting devices that can be customized and controlled remotely through voice command smart technology. This smart lighting can be connected to Google Assistant, Alexa, or other smart home assistants. Here are the benefits of using a smart building lighting system.

Benefits of smart lighting 

Most people are hesitant about using smart light bulbs because of the initial installation cost. However, these lighting systems offer so much more to the user in the end than normal lighting solutions. Smart lighting solutions can help with energy conservation and improving security around your premise, among other benefits.

Low energy consumption

Smart lighting systems use LED or CFL bulbs as opposed to incandescent bulbs. This reduces the amount of electricity required to light smart bulbs, thus making them more affordable. For instance, a certified smart bulb can use 70 to 90 percent less energy compared to a traditional bulb. If you are looking for a way to lower your electricity bill, smart bulbs are the way to go.

Increased life span

Incandescent light bulbs are known to have an average life span of 2000 hours at most. This means that homeowners spend more money replacing these types of bulbs every few months. On the other hand, a smart light bulb has a life span of 35,000 to 50,000 hours. This makes smart building lighting systems the best choice for anyone looking to spend less on bulb changes.

Improved security

Smart bulbs are so much more than just lighting fixtures. They can also be used to improve security around the home. Most smart home lighting fixtures are made with motion-detection capabilities. This way, the bulbs turn on and off whenever there is activity in the room or outdoor space.

You can program this security feature to include alerts went to your mobile device whenever there is an unexpected activity inside and outside your premises.

Easy light customization

Whether you are installing smart lighting in a private residence or commercial building, you probably need different lighting for different times of the day. Smart bulbs come with the customization possibility that allows you to set customizes lighting for different home or office areas.

You can set the bulbs to come fully on when you get home from work and dim-down as it gets darker outside. You can also set them to turn off at given times. The restaurant industry is especially famous for the use of smart bulbs for aesthetic purposes.

A smart lighting system comes with sensors that monitor how much daylight is entering a building. It automatically turns off on bright days and regulates light on days with low natural lighting.

Smart lighting systems are easy to upgrade

When running renovations on traditional lighting systems, it can take days or weeks before the process completes. Smart lighting systems are relatively easy to upgrade. This is because most installations do not require rewiring since they can be connected to other smart systems through a Wi-Fi network.

With smart lighting, it is possible to install sensors with existing light fixtures. This eliminates the need for a complete overhaul of your lighting system connection.

Smart lighting is fun.

Smart lighting solutions are fun and functional. You can set your bulbs to change color based on the mood in a room, with settings ranging from efficient, bright light to dim and romantic ideal for relaxing.

The Pros of Robots in The Workplace

• Business
• News

Dima Levin

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With the grand sweep of technology advancement that is being witnessed, people are moving from their traditional way of doing things, and are embracing modern technologies and digitalization.

With artificial intelligence (AI), we have seen a surge in the incorporation of robots in industries and various workplaces. Although many people have been concerned with the possibility of these machines taking up their jobs, we cannot ignore the many benefits that these machines have introduced in the workplace.

In this article, we are going to look at some of the advantages of robots in the workplace.

Accuracy

Since robots are usually programmed to perform precise and repetitive tasks, making mistakes is very unlikely. This is because; robots possess minor and useful moving parts that help them execute errands with more precision. 

As compared to humans, robots do not shake or tremble, and this guarantees quality and perfect product every time. 

Safety

Safety is among the top benefits of robots. This is mainly because; with robots, workers do not get to perform dangerous tasks such as; moving heavy machinery, operating machines that run on very high temperatures, and even coming into contact with sharp objects that could harm them.

By incorporating robots in the workplace, such risks can be easily eliminated as the robots will perform these dangerous tasks leaving human workers to perform less hazardous jobs.

Productivity

As discussed above, it is evident that robots produce more precise and high-quality work since they are not prone to making mistakes. Since robots have more precision than human workers, they can produce a greater quantity of product quickly.

This is because; robots work at a constant speed without taking any breaks. Also, the fact that robots take up some of the work that could have taken human workers more time to accomplish, the human workers can be assigned to other areas where they can be more productive such as; brand and marketing, selling the products, answering emails and even talking to consumers.

Cost Effectiveness

Although the investment cost of robots is usually high, it takes only a relatively short period of time to recover. Once the investment cost is recovered, production can be increased at very low costs thereby increasing the profits for the company in the long run.

In addition, proper maintenance of the robot can guarantee many years of service without them breaking down.   

Happier Employees

Last but not least, it is hard to talk about robot advantage without mentioning how employees working alongside these machines feel. 

It is human nature to get bored of repeating the same tasks over and over again. With robots, human workers do not get to do jobs such as; repetitive tasks, menial jobs and dangerous jobs. 

This leads to much happier employees as they get the chance to focus on more engaging tasks without necessarily draining themselves. Happy employees will end up loving their jobs hence increasing their level of productivity.

Job Creation

Contrary to the usual belief that robots will take away jobs, the truth is that robots merely change the existing jobs. This is because; robots cannot be able to work on their own. They need supervision and monitoring. 

Training of employees to be able to work alongside these robots is vital. This is because; they will feel motivated to keep their positions in the company. It should be kept in mind that the more robots are needed in the workplace, the more people will be required to build and operate them.

Helping your employees acquire a new set of engineering or technical related skills, can assist them in smoothly making the transition when the advancements are made.

Conclusion

Although we still have a way to go before robots can fully be incorporated into the workplace, some of the robotic abilities that many companies are presently applying have demonstrated to be the greatest inventions of our time.

Why a Packed Gaming Market Place Needs Comparison Sites

• News

Jennifer Peterson

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With so many new games rolling off the development conveyor belt it is sometimes hard for avid gamers to keep up. This is especially true when it comes to trying to find the best offers and deals that can keep gaming costs down. That is where comparison websites come in handy. Here are some of the ways they can help you.

Online gamers do not have time to go trawling for deals, so it makes sense to have someone else do the legwork for them

Uncovering New Gaming Platforms

One of the best things about comparison websites is that not only do they feature the well-established gaming platforms and companies in the industry, but they also shine a light on those which are up and coming, many of which are only too willing to give away amazing deals to attract new customers.

One area of gaming where this is certainly the case is casino gaming. There are so many providers from all over the world that only a comparison website, such as oddschecker, has the wherewithal to collate all the relevant information, including where the bonuses with the least strings attached are to be found.

Most people need a bit of help when they are weighing up which is the best deal for them

Making Sense of the Small Print

Sometimes deals in the sphere of gaming are not always quite what they seem, with reams of terms and conditions attached to them.

Thankfully, comparison sites take this into account, picking out the most pertinent parts of each deal and breaking them down into clear and precise English for their users.

This means that no one need ever be caught out again by that sneaky fixed-term contract or time-limited deal.

Rating the Competition So You Don’t Have To

Another key aspect of any comparison website is its experts providing ratings. This means that rather than reading pages of reviews, gamers can see in one quick glimpse which platforms they should be heading to for the best gaming experience.

One thing to always keep in mind, though, is that some comparison sites are allied to certain brands and companies, so always keep an eye out for some services being given 5 stars a little too often.

Debunking the Jargon

Sometimes the promotional and marketing departments of games companies can get a touch carried away with themselves, meaning it can be hard to ascertain exactly what is being offered.

Comparison websites are well used to such technical lingo and so often dumb it down into a language you can understand, meaning all that’s left to do is play!

Natus Vincere Stun Astralis In CS:GO’s Clash Of Titans At IEM Beijing

• Gaming
• News

Mehmet Hatipoglu

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Four time world champions and the epitome of ruthless success within the hyper-competitive world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Danish org Astralis were left looking pretty red-faced by an onslaught of CT sides by Natus Vincere in what is becoming a pretty intense rivalry between the two biggest teams in the game.

With a fixture against G2 Esports in the semi-finals of IEM Beijing on the line, this fixture had every opportunity of being a worthy match up for the grand final. As it turned out, it was a bit of an anti-climax in reality.

Na’Vi recovered from losing the first four rounds on their map pick to pretty much dominate their Danish opponents on both Overpass and Inferno, racking up 183 kills to Astralis’ 127 over the course of the two maps. The marginal difference in Na’Vi’s 31 assists to Astralis’ 30 shows that there were plenty of moments of action for the Danes to haul themselves into, but ultimately it was a case of the shots landing better and the superstars turning up in more prolific ways for the CIS roster to win the race and book their passage into the next round.

Here’s how Natus Vincere stunned the CS:GO odds and took down the best side Counter-Strike has ever seen.

Overpass

With a map veto that had left Inferno and Nuke on the cards, there really was no overstating just how important it was for Natus Vincere to takeir map pick of Overpass. It was a map pick that seemed to suit Astralis just fine, with their win percentage of 67% dwarfing Na’Vi’s 50% and their wins in four of the first five rounds made it look like this was going to be just another stepping stone for the org in their quest to reclaim top spot in the world.

The warning signs began to illustrate themselves however when S1mple and Perfecto began to find themselves on the server and Na’Vi to edge out the half 7-8.

Na’Vi on the CT side is always a scary prospect no matter the map, but this was an especially potent rampage on the Astralis pick. The CIS core won the 8 points needed for victory in just 10 rounds, breaking the precarious Astralis economy time and time again through a variety of well co-ordinated fakes and purposefully slow ground-out wins.

The story was one of frustration for Astralis on their T side for their part. There was a real sense that they had grown irritated by Na’Vi’s slow dictation of play on their T side, which led to some pretty aggressive pushes into the bombsites that were probably born out of frustration more than being a tactical decision made by either Zonic, Magisk or Gla1ve.

Credit to Na’Vi for getting inside the head of some of the coolest heads in Counter-Strike normally.

Inferno

Moving onto the Astralis pick, Inferno has traditionally been a map over the past three months that the Danes are near unbeatable on. Their 74% win rate on the map is only bettered by Nuke, which is only a couple of percentage points above it, and was once again miles ahead of Na’Vi’s 55%, coming in as the CIS org’s third to worst map overall.

But again the scoreline was exactly the same at the half with Na’Vi playing the slow game and grinding their way to a one point lead at the half at 7-8. Again it was a story of Na’Vi really disrespecting the round timer and Astralis’ rotations by playing fakes and rotations to absolute perfection and really messing with the Danes’ heads.

Three Na’Vi players, S1mple, Electronic and Perfecto would finish the map and game on over 40 kills whereas none of the Astralis players managed to reach that tally. In fact, on the subject of positive kill tallies, no one in the Astralis camp managed to close out the game with a positive kill/death record; Xyp9x came the closest with a fairly disappointing -3, but seeing the two in game leaders of Astralis in Gla1ve and Magisk finishing up as the lowest players on the board with -22 and -15 respectively goes to show just how much of a romp this match up really was in favour of Na’Vi.