SAW defeat BetBoom to conclude Atlanta groups

SAW pulled off a comeback from a 5-11 deficit in the last map of the series to reach playoffs.

The ESL Challenger Atlanta playoffs have been set following the conclusion of Group A's decider match, where Portuguese squad SAW eked out a win over BetBoom that included an impressive final-map comeback to lay claim to the last spot up for grabs in the playoffs.

With this result, Christopher "⁠MUTiRiS⁠" Fernandes and company are now set to face off against BIG in the semi-finals, while FlyQuest and Wildcard tussle on the opposite side of the bracket for a place in the grand final.

Date	Matches
ESL Challenger Atlanta 2024
06/10/2024	FlyQuest 16:00 Wildcard	Match
06/10/2024	BIG 19:30 SAW	Match

SAW entered the American event the favorites to hoist the trophy as the only top-ten team in attendance, while also riding the tailwind of an impressive semi-final showing at IEM Cologne in their last LAN outing.

After SAW bagged a quick and easy win over Rooster in their opening match, FlyQuest secured revenge for their compatriots with a 13-9 victory in Group A's winner's match, sending the Portuguese side to a decider series against Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov's BetBoom.

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FlyQuest, BIG qualify for ESLC Atlanta playoffs

Group A's final series kicked off on BetBoom's pick of Anubis, where SAW recovered from an early 2-5 deficit on the offense by laying claim to ten rounds in a row to earn them map point outright. This streak was briefly interrupted by BetBoom, but SAW countered that with another round to steal away Anubis 13-6.

SAW looked to close things out on their pick of Nuke, but encountered far more resistance than on Anubis. The first half proved to be more competitive, as the two sides found themselves in a 6-6 gridlock following a force-buy win from BetBoom to cap off the half.

A pistol round win from SAW allowed the Portuguese to break away from BetBoom momentarily, but the Russians soon wrested control of the lead thanks to a stellar T-side from Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin, whose 1.84 rating on the offense fueled his team to a 13-10 win on Nuke.

Although SAW snagged the opening pistol on the Ancient decider, it was BetBoom who were in control of the first half, riding the momentum from Nuke to an 8-4 half, further extended to an 11-5 lead thanks to the second pistol round.

SAW clawed back by winning eight rounds in a row despite the daunting scoreline staring them down to scrape past BetBoom 13-11 without the need for overtime.