Complexity clinch final playoff spot from Group C; MOUZ claim top seed

00:01 Heroic deny Astralis EPL playoff berth after intense Nuke affair; Complexity claim final spot

Complexity are through to the playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 16 thanks in part to Heroic, who put an end to Astralis‘ hopes of a top three finish in Group C after edging out a 16-13 victory on Nuke. Lukas “⁠gla1ve⁠” Rossander‘s side were on the brink of claiming victory after they shut down Heroic in a crucial round at 13-14, and even killed Casper “⁠cadiaN⁠” Møller after time had expired leaving him with no money on the T side.

Despite having just a P250 in hand, cadiaN completely turned the tides in the ensuing round by grabbing a triple kill, with Jakob “⁠jabbi⁠” Nygaard converting a 1vs2 clutch to give Heroic match point before they closed things out to claim victory.

In the meantime, MOUZ secured victory over HEET to lock in a first place finish in the group, the final standings for which you can find below.

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22:27 Heroic, MOUZ force series deciders

Heroic have closed out Inferno over Astralis to tie the series at 1-1 and force a Nuke decider in the series that will decide the final team that heads to the ESL Pro League playoffs. If Astralis emerge victorious on the final map, they will qualify, but if Heroic can claim victory then Complexity will be through.

MOUZ also secured a win on Inferno against HEET, setting up a Vertigo decider. The match makes little difference for HEET, who were out of contention before the day got started, but could guarantee Christopher “⁠dexter⁠” Nong and company a first place finish in the group and a direct berth to the playoff quarter-finals.

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22:02 Complexity sweep ENCE 2-0 after halting comeback

Complexity have beaten ENCE 2-0 after putting a stop to their comeback effort on Nuke. The Johnny “⁠JT⁠” Theodosiou-led side had a masterful performance on the CT side of the map following a stellar performance from Michael “⁠Grim⁠” Wince, but struggled to convert a 13-3 lead in the second half as ENCE won eleven rounds in a row. At the final hurdle though, Complexity prevailed, just barely edging out a 16-14 win to take the series and put themselves in contention for the last playoff spot.

The win against ENCE was one of the two requirements for Complexity to make it through, with their fate now entirely in the hands of Heroic. cadiaN‘s side need to beat Astralis in order for Complexity to advance to the playoffs, but will first need to even the series score by winning Inferno where they currently lead 12-9.

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21:08 gla1ve’s side are just one map away from confirming a spot in playoffs

After a short but tense overtime affair on Overpass, Astralis have taken a 1-0 lead in their series versus Heroic, with play now moving on to Inferno. Yelling across the player area only served to heat things up in the domestic matchup, one where cadiaN‘s side have little on the line other than denying their countrymen a spot in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, HEET managed to close out Ancient in overtime, recovering from an immense 7-15 deficit to secure victory 19-16 on their own map pick.

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20:48 Astralis take Heroic to overtime; HEET comeback to force OT versus MOUZ

It seemed as if all three series would wrap up their first maps at the same time, but two of the matches have been pushed to overtime. Complexity were the only ones to close things out in regulation as the won Overpass 16-11 against ENCE, while HEET completed a comeback from a 7-15 deficit to force a set of extra rounds.

The Danish derby meanwhile has been a back-and-forth brawl, an initial lead from Astralis dwindling as Heroic managed to push back and claim match point first before gla1ve‘s side won round 30 to move into OT.

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19:38 Overpass will be the battleground for Astralis-Heroic and Complexity-ENCE

The vetoes are in and play is already underway on the final day! Heroic have elected to start off the Danish derby against Astralis on Overpass, and Complexity have picked the same battleground versus ENCE. HEET, meanwhile, have taken MOUZ to Ancient. Check out the vetoes below!

1. HEET removed Mirage
2. MOUZ removed Dust2
3. HEET picked Ancient
4. MOUZ picked Inferno
5. HEET removed Overpass
6. MOUZ removed Nuke
7. Vertigo was left over

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18:30 Astralis, Complexity lead the charge for final playoff spot in Group C; ENCE in danger

Two teams have already locked in playoff berths heading into the final day of Group C at ESL Pro League Season 16, leaving just one spot up for grabs between a trio of teams.

The overall standings will still shift depending on results of today’s matches, but regardless of the outcome, Heroic and MOUZ have confirmed top three finishes for themselves while HEET are completely out of contention, residing at the bottom of the group with a 1-3 record.

MOUZ: 3W-1L
Heroic: 3W-1L
Astralis: 2W-2L
Complexity: 2W-2L
ENCE: 1W-3L
HEET: 1W-3L

Complexity, Astralis, and ENCE all have a chance to snag the final spot in the playoffs, the former two teams coming into the final day of play with 2-2 records, and Marco “⁠Snappi⁠” Pfeiffer‘s side entering the fray with a 1-3 record.

As a result, ENCE‘s odds look by far the most grim, with just one scenario out of eight allowing them to advance to the playoffs.

ENCE require three specific results today, including HEET taking down MOUZ

The only way ENCE can advance is if they beat Complexity, Heroic beat Astralis, and HEET manage to upset MOUZ. Any other scenario or result in any of the given matches would guarantee ENCE are eliminated.

Complexity are also on shaky ground, and need to score a win over ENCE to have a shot at making the playoffs. On top of that, they would need Heroic to take down Astralis, which would guarantee JT‘s side a third place finish in the group.

The most volatile of the trio are Astralis, who can finish anywhere from first to sixth depending on how the matches play out today; however, they are also the only team out of the three who have their fate solely in their hands.

Astralis simply need to beat Heroic to ensure themselves a top three finish

If Astralis win their match, they would ensure themselves a playoff spot, and in two scenarios — if HEET beat MOUZ — they could even top the group.

Even with a loss though, Astralis can still advance: if ENCE beat Complexity and MOUZ defeat HEET, gla1ve’s side would win out in tiebreaker scenarios. If HEET manage the upset in that scenario though, then ENCE would steal away the spot and knock Astralis out of contention.

MOUZ are also in pole position to lock in a first place finish in Group C, requiring a win with any scoreline over HEET. To stay up to date with how the final round of matches are unfolding, you can check back in with our live post throughout the day.