VP best SAW again to clinch Group A's last playoff spot

SAW's core are now 0-7 in maps against Jame and company.

Virtus.pro are into the ESL Pro League playoffs after running the last chance bracket successfully in 2-0 wins past both fnatic and SAW.

It's the core's fifth series win in a row over the Portuguese side, with Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev and Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali reaching 6-0 if you include Outsiders' heartbreaking defeat of SAW in Antwerp's RMR back in 2022.

With the two sides' new cores established, Virtus.pro have won the last seven maps and have only allowed double digits on two occasions, their 13-11 Vertigo win at the start of this Pro League season and Overpass (13-10) in this elimination bout.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 19
23/04/2024	Virtus.pro Finished 1:2 fnatic	Match
24/04/2024	SAW Finished 0:2 Virtus.pro	Match
25/04/2024	Virtus.pro Finished 0:2 FaZe	Match
27/04/2024	Virtus.pro Finished 2:0 fnatic	Match
28/04/2024	Virtus.pro Finished 2:0 SAW	Match

The overall result represents a recovery of sorts for Virtus.pro, who lost to fnatic on Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov's debut but are slowly integrating Russia's most decorated Global Offensive player into the side.

The firepower of their new man was hardly needed in their last two series, with traditional duo Petr "⁠fame⁠" Bolyshev and FL1T stealing the limelight, but electroNic was clear post-game that this is just the beginning of VP's new process:

"We still have to find this balance, how we're going to play in the future. When I see a gap I can call that we can go without any nades, for contact," he told the couch on stream post-match.

"But now, we play like we do, we pracced only for four days. I'm trying to bring this experience to the team, I've been an IGL, I can help Jame, we just need to find the best solution."

Vertigo is a part of that puzzle, a map electroNic has permabanned for so much of his career that he had only played it six times on LAN prior to this event. The map has featured in all five of the Russian side's series at EPL19 so far, taking his count to 11, with fnatic and SAW both picking it twice and FaZe electing to allow their usual ban through the veto to exploit a perceived weakness.

But, after going 2-2 on Vertigo so far this event pre-series, Virtus.pro have had plenty of reps in officials and it showed as they finally clicked into full flow on the 51st floor as the elimination series kicked off.

At 5-1 up, SAW's chances to recover were hurt by yet another crash, one that helped VP turn a 4v5 retake into a comfortable round. FL1T's rampage then resumed promptly, ending the map on 129 ADR and 2.55 Impact as VP ran away 13-3 winners.

Thus we moved onto Overpass with SAW ready to accept their fate, their bogey team ready to knock them down once again.

But some early clutches went their way, with Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto securing a 1v2 clutch without kevlar only to be outdone by João "⁠story⁠" Vieira in a 1v4 where he lost 98 HP in the first duel.

That, however, was when the Virtus.pro brick wall was erected. fame, on good form on map one, went up a level as the CT Toilets player on Overpass and SAW struggled not to give away man advantages in the defaults.

From 6-10 down, Virtus.pro won seven in a row to keep control on their home map and clinch Group A's last playoff berth.

For SAW, the result means another case of coming close but leaving without the cigar. Christopher "⁠MUTiRiS⁠" Fernandes' side came 9-11th at the Major's opening stage, just missing out on top 16, and now exit Pro League one step short of the next stage again.