ENCE knock G2 out of ESL Pro League in two maps

The IEM Katowice champions have been upset in the second round of playoffs.

ENCE have taken their first big scalp since adding Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz after sweeping G2 2-0 in the round of 12 at ESL Pro League Season 17. The European mix featuring their newcomer handed Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen and company their second defeat in 2023, eliminating them from the LAN in Malta.

The new arrival has revitalized ENCE with additional firepower; the Israeli sits atop the ratings chart for his team at this event with a 1.25. NertZ also led the charge against G2 with a 1.49 rating on Ancient (16-14) and a 1.30 rating on Vertigo (16-10), outshining the likes of Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač an dIlya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov with ease.

The loss puts an end to G2's hopes for a third consecutive trophy and a potential second notch in their Intel Grand Slam belt. Their elimination will be welcomed by other title contenders such as HEROIC, who won't have to challenge the No. 1 ranked team in the world later in the playoffs.

The series got started on G2's pick of Ancient, a map in which both teams had an unbeaten record ahead of the match. HooXi's men came out firing on all cylinders early on with a few fast-paced offensive rounds that initially threw off the defenders, claiming an early 3-0 lead. Eetu "⁠sAw⁠" Saha's team quickly adapted and as Paweł "⁠dycha⁠" Dycha and NertZ began to take over the server, the CTs stole a narrow 8-7 lead going into the break.

The Israeli rifler kept punishing G2 even after swapping sides and led the line for ENCE on the T side. Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer's men had to once again recover from a pistol round early in the half, and managed to claim seven of the last ten rounds on their way to a narrow 16-14 victory. A few instances of CT aggression late in the half seemingly put the game in G2's hands, but ENCE maintained their cool and successfully took the last two rounds to close the map. NertZ finished it at the top of the scoreboard with a 1.49 rating and a 27-20 K-D.

G2 moved onto Vertigo and claimed their third pistol round of the series before an ENCE force buy push on the B site quickly gave Snappi's men the early momentum. m0NESY briefly held the ramp position, masterfully locking away the offense from the A site for four consecutive rounds. It took a while for ENCE to get past the Russian marksman, but they took full advantage once they did, going unbeaten all the way to halftime with a 10-5 scoreline.

HooXi and company threatened a comeback following their switch to the T side and claimed yet another pistol round and reduced the deficit to just 9-11 before the defense was able to find their stride. The situation quickly fell apart for G2 as dycha began to come online, powering the CTs to a 16-10 victory with a 1.64 rating in the second half.

ENCE prepare to take on Vitality in the quarter-final, facing the Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire-led squad and their ex-teammate Lotan "⁠Spinx⁠" Giladi on Friday at 19:00 . It will only be the second time these two squads face each other since the 22-year-old's transfer, with the first resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Finnish organization.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 17
23/03/2023	Vitality 20:30 ENCE	Match