The MongolZ, 9z drop down to Last Chance Stage

The Mongolian squad came agonizingly close to beating Spirit.

The MongolZ and 9z have been relegated to the Last Chance Stage of ESL Pro League S20 after losses to Spirit and 3DMAX in their respective group stage lower bracket semi-finals.

The MongolZ were given a tough matchup against Spirit after Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets and company were upset by MIBR on Thursday, and the Mongolian side can find several positive aspects in the loss. They took the series lead after a Usukhbayar "⁠910⁠" Banzragch masterclass on Ancient and took Spirit to the brink on the decider of Nuke, but ultimately fell just short of victory.

For 9z, however, the loss is a much more damning one. The South Americans, who had their breakthrough event at IEM Dallas, remain unable to reach their previous heights after exiting early at IEM Cologne and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade Season 2.

Their EPL campaign is following the same storyline, as losses to MIBR and 3DMAX mean the Maximiliano "⁠max⁠" Gonzalez-led team is down to their last tournament life.

3DMAX will now meet Spirit for a playoff spot later today, while 9z will fight The MongolZ for their tournament lives on Saturday.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 20
06/09/2024	3DMAX 19:30 Spirit	Match
07/09/2024	9z 13:30 The MongolZ	Match

The clash between Spirit and The MongolZ began on Ancient, where the Mongolian side went on an early-game rampage that ended with them taking a 7-2 lead. Spirit then stabilized and brought it back to 8-9 but couldn't keep up the momentum, and the Russian team was visibly frustrated after a 9-13 loss.

There was no sign of frustration on Anubis, though, as Spirit closed out a 13-4 win after Dmitry "⁠sh1ro⁠" Sokolov found his voice on and off the server.

That meant the Nuke decider was needed, and The MongolZ kept it close all until sh1ro's crucial 1v2 clutch at 8-8. That gave his team just enough momentum to close out a 13-11 win and send the Mongolian side to the Last Chance Stage.

Over on the B stream, 3DMAX met 9z in the other lower bracket semi-final. 9z were competitive in the first half of Inferno, their opponent's pick, but the French side secured overtime from 6-12 down to take the map 16-14.

The second map was a highly one-sided affair, as 3DMAX romped to an 11-1 CT half on Nuke, which proved more than enough for a 13-5 victory that helped the Frenchmen stay alive in the lower bracket.

The remainder of the action on Friday will see two last-place deciders and two qualification matches:

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 20
06/09/2024	FlyQuest 16:30 Lynn Vision	Match
06/09/2024	Sangal 16:45 FaZe	Match
06/09/2024	3DMAX 19:30 Spirit	Match
06/09/2024	KOI 20:05 Wildcard	Match