ESL Pro League S17: BIG, Heroic, FURIA and MOUZ prevail in first Group B matches

The Group B of the ESL Pro League Season 17 kicked off yesterday with four exciting matches and also some surprising results, so let’s take a look at how Day 1 went down. 

A hard-fought three-map series, BIG earned their first win of ESL Pro League Season 17 after defeating Complexity, sending the North American team to the lower bracket of the triple-elimination bracket. Meanwhile, Heroic beat Movistar Riders 2-0 and will next meet BIG in the upper bracket semifinal.

MOUZ too marched through Group B with the 2-0 win against SAW, and will next meet FURI, who were able to assert themselves 2-0 against Imperial Esports in the Brazilian derby.

BIG defeat Complexity

BIG got off to a good start in the pistol round with a 1v3 clutch from Karim “Krimbo” Moussa on their own map pick Ancient. However, Complexity put up a good fight in the first half and were able to build up a lead. It was 5:10 for BIG after the first half, and they also got off to a good start in the pistol round. In the end, Complexity regained control of the second half and won the map 16:8.

On Complexity’s map pick Nuke, the Germans found their way into the first half and secured 10 rounds while only giving away five. Consistently showing good performance also in the second half, BIG won the map 16:12.

Things got really close on the decider map Vertigo. In the first half, BIG were down 6:9 and neither team could win more than three rounds in a row. But things got more exciting after the change. Above all, BIG’s Marcel “⁠hyped⁠” Köhn showed incredible performance and turned his team’s deficit into an 11:9 lead. Finally, the German squad got close, but deserved victory with a score of 16:14! They next meet Heroic at 7:30 PM CET today.

Heroic get a win against Movistar Riders

As the clear favorite in Group B, Heroic once again proved their worth in their first group stage series against Movistar Riders. The battle started on Riders’ map pick Ancient, where they couldn’t do much against their Danish opponents, getting behind 3:12. There was little hope for them in the second half either, where they only managed to win three rounds again before Hepoic closed things off with a dominant score of 16:6.

Things looked even worse for the Spanish squad on Overpass, where they only managed to win a single round in the first half. It’s Heroic’s best map and they’ve demonstrated that here. After the change, Riders could still get some rounds, but Heroic only needed two to win the map. With a 16:5 scoreline, the Danes showed why they are considered favorites and we’ll see if BIG can hold up well against them at 7:30 PM CET today.

MOUZ dominate against SAW

MOUZ look very strong so far, which was also seen in their match against SAW. Similar to Heroic, they hardly gave their opponents a chance to play on their own map pick Vertigo. MOUZ ended the first half 12:3 and didn’t lose a single round even after the change. With a score of 16:3, it was a clear win for them.

MOUZ didn’t show any weakness on the second map Ancient either. This time, SAW were able to defend a little better and got five rounds in the first half. However, MOUZ was simply the stronger team, and with 10 rounds won, got into a significant lead before the sides were switched. In the second half, SAW couldn’t start a comeback and only won four more rounds. With a score of 16:9, the map went to MOUZ, who will play against FURIA in the other upper bracket semifinal at 4 PM CET today.

FURIA overcome Imperial

The Brazilian series between FURIA and Imperial was much tighter and more balanced.

FURIA were a bit stronger on Imperial’s map pick Inferno and took the 9:6 lead before the change of sides. Then, things got it got more exciting as both teams were able to win seven more rounds. The first map ended up with a close 16:13 win for FURIA.

The series continued on Mirage, where the tables turned in the first half. Imperial first gained a 9:6 lead, but after switching sides, FURIA managed to win nine rounds and put the map into overtime. Here, FURIA had the upper hand again and won the map 19:16.

Header: ESL