Movistar Riders knock out BIG and qualify for ESL Pro League S17 Playoffs

That’s it! The second week of the ESL Pro League S17 has ended, and that only means that we already know the other four qualifiers for the playoffs: Heroic, MOUZ, FURIA Esports, and Movistar Riders.

It was five days of intense battles inside the servers between the eight teams of group B, where we had only one surprise regarding qualified teams, Movistar Riders. The Spaniards gave a hard blow to BIG in the Lower Bracket Final match and achieved a dream qualification to the playoffs.

Movistar Riders beat BIG and qualify for the next phase of the EPL S17

The waiting time, many regrettable defeats, and many hours of preparation finally get their reward. Movistar Riders boys beat BIG 2-1 in the final of the Lower Bracket or, as we know it now, the Last Chance of Group B.

Movistar Riders prove that the level they have shown in the CCT Central Europe has not been a coincidence. In this ESL Pro League S17, they left in the way great rivals like Complexity, SAW, and BIG, as mentioned earlier. This victory and this classification turned around the situation of the team that came to this tournament after several months of bad results. There is no doubt that Antonio “Martinez” Martinez has demonstrated once again that his level of play on the international scene is spectacular.

Movistar Riders vs. BIG – Grand Final Recap

The series was played in Vertigo (Movistar Riders), Nuke (BIG), and Ancient (Decisive).

Movistar Riders started Vertigo the way they have played every match in this EPL S17, with a spectacular T side winning nine rounds to go ahead in the first half. However, their CT side again showed many flaws in the match, and BIG turned the score around to take the victory 16-11.

Karim “Krimbo” Moussa gave a master class on this map, which ended with a K-D of 29-14, 115 ADR, and a 1.71 Rating.

In Nuke, BIG’s Mappick, Movistar Riders felt destined to be the same as in Vertigo for some time. However, the Spaniards were able to turn the situation around and show their best version of the T-side again. As we know, Nuke is a map that favors CTs a bit more, and the Riders lost the first half 7-8.

In the change of sides, BIG had a fragile defense, which the Spaniards took advantage of to go all the way home and take a 16-12 victory.

Ancient was the icing on the cake for the Spaniards

Movistar Riders fans know how complicated Ancient has been for the team in recent months, so they dreamed that the team could win 5 or 6 rounds on the CT side and play them on the T side. However, the Spaniards surprised everyone and managed to win the first half with a crushing 12-3, thanks to a spectacular performance by Martinez, who finished with a 2.03 Rating and 99.5 ADR.

In the second map, the Germans were severely beaten by the beating received and managed to win only six rounds to make up the final score to 16-9.

Heroic secured first place in Group B

Heroic proved that their level of play is still intact and that their only goal is to lift the champion’s trophy in this ESL Pro League S17. Although the Danes lost a map to BIG in the Upper Bracket semifinals, there is no doubt that they have been superior to all the opponents they have faced.

In the Upper Bracket Grand Final against MOUZ, Heroic cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory on Nuke (16-12) and Inferno (16-14) to advance to the quarterfinals of the ESL Pro League S17 playoffs.

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