ENCE advance to IEM Chicago playoffs at expense of Heroic

ENCE have successfully ensured their spot in the IEM Chicago playoffs after securing victories on Overpass (16-12) and Nuke (16-14) over HEROIC.

Group B's winners' match kicked off to a stellar performance from Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen, who dismantled three members of the Danish offense in the first pistol round of Overpass. A three-round lead was consolidated by a triple kill from Aleksi "⁠allu⁠" Jalli, but retaliation came swift from HEROIC, who closed the round discrepancy immediately. The teams maintained a level score in the following two rounds, after which Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer secured his team their first lead of the half at 5-4. The back-and-forth dynamic persisted in the ensuing six rounds, with allu ensuring an 8-7 lead for ENCE by securing an AWP triple kill.

Contrary to the turbulent nature of the first half, the latter saw a lop-sided performance from both teams. Off the back of a successful consecutive pistol round victory, ENCE were able to consistently shut down the Danish defence, leaving HEROIC no space for retaliation all the way to map point. An immense individual performance from blameF kept the defensive upbeat and focused on a comeback, amassing five consecutive rounds of their own, but the inspiration did not yield overtime, as ENCE closed out 16-12, witnessing a Krieg triple kill for Aleksib in the map's concluding round.

Having lost their map pick, HEROIC commenced Nuke on a positive note, securing the initial pistol round. The Danes proceeded with an additional victory, but were upset by a pistol buy from ENCE, who secured a momentum snatch at a pivotal moment. The offense confidently converted the six following rounds, with triple kills secured by Aleksib and Sami "⁠xseveN⁠" Laasanen in the process. Faced with a worsening deficit, HEROIC reworked their approach last-minute, which accommodated for a lessened round difference come half time at 6-9.

ENCE extended their lead by two rounds after switching to the defence, very nearly conceding the latter in a 2v3 situation, salvaged by Aleksib and xseveN. A triple kill from Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund put HEROIC on the board in the latter half and allowed the Danes to assume the driver seat in three of the following four rounds. HEROIC's outstanding form in preceding rounds proved insufficient in stalling the Finns, as ENCE went on to assume map and series point shortly after, placing the Danes in a tricky situation. In a last-ditch effort, the HEROIC squad was able to tap into the individual potential of each roster member, pushing Nuke to round 30, but ENCE denied the Danes overtime, closing the map 16-14 instead.