BIG reverse sweep G2 to win DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe

BIG came back from a 2-0 deficit in the grand final of DreamHack Masters Spring -Europe to win the tournament over G2, 3-2.

The two teams that topped their respective groups and faced off on Wednesday in the upper-bracket final crossed paths again in the grand final, with G2 having a one-map lead due to their earlier 2-1 victory. The French-Serbian squad defeated BIG convincingly on Vertigo to start the series, but Johannes "⁠tabseN⁠" Wodarz and co. turned things around on Nuke and tied the series score with a dominant showing on Dust2.

It all came down to Mirage which ended up being a nail-biter, with BIG coming back from a 10-1 deficit and claiming the victory in overtime, in large part thanks to Florian "⁠syrsoN⁠" Rische's heroics who finished with 41 kills. As BIG managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the series, they also completed the first BO5 reverse sweep in a match between top 30 teams in CS:GO.

tabseN and co. came back in the series and the final map to steal the title away from G2

G2 put up a strong defensive half on Vertigo thanks to Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković's hot start (15K-6D for the half) and Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub's consistent entry success (6-0 in entry duels), with only a few moments of individual brilliance from syrsoN and Nils "⁠k1to⁠" Gruhne allowing BIG to put rounds on the board.

The German side was limited to just five rounds on the T-side in the end, with Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač's 1v3 retake on B ending the half at 10-5. After claiming the pistol and mopping up the anti-ecos, G2 were just three rounds away from the map win, and completed the victory shortly, 16-6.

With a 3-0 start on the CT side of Nuke, the second map of the series, the possibility of a swift grand final was looming, but BIG ensured that was not the case. The Germans put up a masterful T side, winning 11 out of 12 rounds that followed, pulling rotations and finding gaps in G2's setups, with tabseN leading by example and topping the scoreboard.

The French-Serbian squad picked up the second pistol and looked to make a comeback, but Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş's highlight-worthy triple on B took all of the wind from G2's sails. With a huge round lead, the edge in the economy, and playing on the more favorable side of Nuke, BIG had no issues closing out the game, with syrsoN putting the final nail in the coffin with 1v2 clutch.

After being 2-0 up, G2 faltered to #24 ranked BIG

A 5-1 start to Dust2 saw BIG build momentum in the series, but following the early struggles, G2 found success on B to get on the edge of equalizing at 5-4. Still, the German defenses proved tough to crack for the rest of the half, as G2 managed to add only one more before switching to CT thanks to clutch from a huNter-.

Just like on Nuke, G2 picked up the pistol and hoped to bring the game back, but the A site crumbled to BIG's force buy, making the rest of Dust2 a massive uphill battle. Tizian "⁠tiziaN⁠" Feldbusch and co kept applying pressure and swiftly tied up the map at 16-6 with a perfect T-side, concluding another short map in the grand final series.

In the final map of the tournament, with their backs against the wall, G2 put into a higher gear and sprinted to a 7-0 lead following nexa's ace on the B defense. BIG got on the board soon, but only managed to really get into the groove of things at the end of the half, salvaging it with three out of the last four rounds won (11-4).

Swapping to the defense, BIG picked up the pistol and started pulling back as k1to and syrsoN aced their opponents, but losing to force buys twice got G2 back in the drivers' seat, reaching 14-8. The German team didn't let go, though, and powered by an inspired syrsoN clawed their way back into the game after a force buy win, forcing overtime. The pandemonium continued in the added rounds, but BIG managed complete the comeback and take the victory on Mirage, as well as the series.

DreamHack Masters Spring 2020 - EuropeBest of 5

G2

Matchpage

2

3

14th June 2020

BIG

1

Default

0

16

Vertigo

6

5

Nuke

16

6

Dust2

16

17

Mirage

19

G2	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating2.0
Nemanja 'huNter-' KovačhuNter-	64 - 68	-4	75.1	63.4%	1.00
Audric 'JACKZ' JugJACKZ	67 - 74	-7	65.4	63.4%	0.92
François 'amanek' Delaunayamanek	60 - 77	-17	75.7	66.3%	0.91
Kenny 'kennyS' SchrubkennyS	63 - 77	-14	68.1	58.4%	0.89
Nemanja 'nexa' Isakovićnexa	61 - 73	-12	65.1	59.4%	0.84

BIG	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating2.0
Florian 'syrsoN' RischesyrsoN	96 - 63	+33	90.8	75.2%	1.46
Johannes 'tabseN' WodarztabseN	74 - 61	+13	82.9	70.3%	1.18
Tizian 'tiziaN' FeldbuschtiziaN	66 - 60	+6	80.5	74.3%	1.11
Ismailcan 'XANTARES' DörtkardeşXANTARES	69 - 67	+2	76.1	70.3%	1.07
Nils 'k1to' Gruhnek1to	64 - 65	-1	64.3	67.3%	0.97

BIG's DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe win will not count towards the Intel Grand Slam, as ESL has put it on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the event yielded ESL Pro Tour points, which count towards qualification for ESL One Cologne, the event ESL is hoping will be played on LAN.

Final standings for DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe:

1. BIG - $54,000 + 400 ESL Pro Tour points
2. G2 - $28,000 + 265 ESL Pro Tour points
3. FaZe - $20,000 + 190 ESL Pro Tour points
4. Natus Vincere - $16,000 + 130 ESL Pro Tour points
5-6. Ninjas in Pyjamas - $10,000 + 85 ESL Pro Tour points
5-6. MAD Lions - $10,000 + 85 ESL Pro Tour points
7-8. fnatic - $5,000 + 65 ESL Pro Tour points
7-8. Vitality - $5,000 + 65 ESL Pro Tour points
9-12. Complexity - $3,000 + 45 ESL Pro Tour points
9-12. Astralis - $3,000 + 45 ESL Pro Tour points
9-12. Spirit - $3,000 + 45 ESL Pro Tour points
9-12. HEROIC - $3,000 + 45 ESL Pro Tour points
13-16. GODSENT
13-16. MOUZ
13-16. North
13-16. ENCE