Virtus.pro defeat BIG to secure Flashpoint 2 upper bracket final spot

The CIS team put in another strong display and are just one victory away from reaching the grand final of the $1 million league.

Virtus.pro are through to the upper bracket final in Flashpoint 2 following a 2-1 victory over BIG in the second round of the playoffs. Both teams came into the match willing to defy the script as they won each other's map picks by heavy scorelines, with support players Sanjar "⁠SANJI⁠" Kuliev and Tizian "⁠tiziaN⁠" Feldbusch putting in big numbers.

Virtus.pro were on their meddle from the start on the decider map, Overpass, and held off a late comeback attempt by BIG to set up a clash with the winner of the other upper-bracket semi-final, featuring fnatic and MIBR.

For BIG, the loss means that they will now have to fight for survival in the lower bracket. They will need to produce an improved showing when they face OG on Friday and will pin their hopes on Johannes "⁠tabseN⁠" Wodarz, who has finished his last six maps with below-average numbers, to come out on top of this high-pressure match between the two headliners of the tournament.

The first half of Mirage was a complete blowout. Starting out on the CT side, Virtus.pro took control of proceedings from the get-go and won the aim duels straight up as BIG looked off the pace and bereft of ideas, with only one opening duel going their way throughout the entire half.

Down 2-13, BIG kept their comeback hopes alive thanks to a 1v2 clutch by Florian "⁠syrsoN⁠" Rische, his second of the game, but their respite was short-lived: Virtus.pro fired back as soon as they had money to work with, and wrapped things up in the 25th round.

BIG came back swinging on Vertigo, a map they controlled from start to finish. With 22 frags and a 132 ADR to his name, tiziaN led the charge during the first half as BIG strolled to a 12-3 lead after shutting down any chances of Virtus.pro stringing rounds together. The CIS team still tried to work their way back into things as they put some rounds together after switching sides, but BIG responded with four rounds in a row to put the game away.

BIG were able to carry that momentum into Overpass as they got out to a 4-1 lead, but they were shut out by the Virtus.pro defense in the remainder of the half, with Aleksei "⁠Qikert⁠" Golubev topping the scoreboard with 17 frags.

Virtus.pro further added to their lead after switching to the T side as SANJI and Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis clutched a 2v4 situation in the pistol round, with the CIS team following that up with a trio of rounds, bringing their lead to 14-5. With no margin for error, BIG tightened up and managed to reach double-digits, but their comeback was halted by a mid-round restart — the pause was called before damage had been inflicted, but, according to Flashpoint, the players used the wrong command, causing a delay in the process. Virtus.pro kept their composure during the break and won two rounds in a row after play resumed to secure the map.