BIG and GamerLegion qualify for EPL S19 playoffs

Just two playoff spots remain up for grabs in Malta.

Another day of action at ESL Pro League Season 19 has concluded, with GamerLegion and BIG securing playoff spots in Malta.

GamerLegion did so by besting ENCE in a two-map affair (Nuke 13-5, Overpass 13-10) in the Group C lower bracket final. New additions Henrich "⁠sl3nd⁠" Hevesi (1.54 rating) and Andreas "⁠aNdu⁠" Maasing (1.40) were both terrific in the series as ENCE couldn't match the duo's firepower.

In the Group D lower bracket final, it was BIG who beat HEROIC in three maps (Nuke 5-13, Vertigo 16-13, Ancient 13-5).

"It was a rollercoaster for sure, but we are mentally very strong," said Johannes "⁠tabseN⁠" Wodarz about bouncing back from losing the first map. "We thought Nuke is one of our better maps, but we got a big reality check that we need to work on it a bit more."

"We can do some damage against some better teams, we showed it against NAVI. I'm just loving the vibes, we are enjoying the road as a team together. This is why I believe we can be one of the top teams," added the German captain.

BIG vs. HEROIC began on Nuke, where the Damjan "⁠kyxsan⁠" Stoilkovski-led squad steamrolled past the Germans. A quick upper-site hit gave them the pistol and they never let off the gas after that, only dropping four rounds in their entire offensive half —one of them to Karim "⁠Krimbo⁠" Moussa's stellar Ramp defense.

The second half was even more straightforward for HEROIC, who closed out a dominant 13-5 victory and moved the series to BIG's pick of Vertigo.

BIG's pick went much better for the German squad, who looked like a more cohesive unit on the map. They tied up the score at six at the half despite losing the pistol, with the duo of Florian "⁠syrsoN⁠" Rische and tabseN finally waking up and fragging.

BIG started the second half well, too, as syrsoN's AWP proved crucial in his team taking A-ramp control. With one part of the map locked down, the German squad secured four map points in regulation but needed overtime to finally get the win with the help of syrsoN's 1vs2 clutch in the final round.

BIG came out of the gates swinging on the Ancient decider and bullied the A hold time and time again to post eight rounds on the T side. A crisp Krimbo triple on the Dual Berettas got the German squad the second-half pistol, which they converted to a 13-5 victory without much hassle to secure a spot in the EPL S19 playoffs.

Earlier in the day, GamerLegion began their progression series fantastically, winning the first ten rounds of Nuke and eventually taking the first half 10-2. ENCE then won the second-half pistol to make the scoreline slightly closer, but still petered out in a 5-13 loss on their map pick. aNdu had a great performance on Nuke and put up 25 kills, 139 ADR, and a 2.04 rating.

Overpass was a much closer affair, with the first half finishing 6-6 after a few back-and-forth rounds. ENCE then ran away to a 10-6 lead that put them in the driver's seat, but GamerLegion rallied and won seven rounds in a row to win the map 13-10. Isak "⁠isak⁠" Fahlén provided the European combine with the map-turning moment, as he stuck the defuse in a 1vs2 situation.