BIG shock Heroic to qualify for EPL playoffs

The German squad almost squandered a big lead on the first map, but recovered with aplomb.

BIG have qualified for the ESL Pro League playoffs thanks to a shock 2-0 victory over world No. 2 HEROIC, grabbing wins on Ancient (25-23) and Inferno (16-13).

The Germans nearly threw away an 14-4 lead on Ancient but recovered admirably to get things over the line in triple-overtime, and then were good value for their win on Inferno, despite the close scoreline.

Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller spoke to HLTV prior to the event and voiced his concerns over HEROIC’s recent form, and this result confirms the Danes are struggling to find their way currently. As for BIG, they have quietly built a solid resume for themselves with their new lineup, and this win suggests they are ready to challenge the teams in the upper echelons of the world rankings.

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BIG can now look forward to an upper bracket matchup for playoff seeding against the winner of ENCE vs MIBR, whilst HEROIC will fight against the winner of MOUZ vs Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 18
08/09/2023	HEROIC 20:00 MOUZ	Match
10/09/2023	BIG 17:30 ENCE	Match

The series opened on Ancient, and BIG set about proving their prowess on the map from the off. The Germans’ T side was built upon excellent fundamentals, their trading and spacing on bombsite hits being particularly effective, and they grabbed an 11-4 lead heading into the second period.

A pistol victory and conversion for BIG on defense seemed to herald a quick end to the map, but HEROIC woke up and began to build their way back into the game, largely off the back of great work from Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard and Rasmus "⁠sjuush⁠" Beck, and eventually the Danes forced overtime.

The extra rounds were a back-and-forth affair, both teams had adjusted their approach on each side to counter their opponent, but a Karim "⁠Krimbo⁠" Moussa-powered BIG eventually triumphed down the stretch, securing a 25-25 win.

Inferno started far more brightly for HEROIC, and they ran out to a 5-1 lead on their offensive half, only for BIG to opt for a more proactive CT approach and recover for an 8-7 lead at halftime.

As the sides switched BIG brought the scores back close before a back-and-forth battle ensued, with many late-round situations deciding the rounds. David "⁠prosus⁠" Hesse was incredibly effective for BIG, and the edge he provided helped his team grind their way to a 16-13 victory to close the series in two.