Heroic on the brink of EPL playoffs after beating HEET

Heroic are on the brink of playoffs at ESL Pro League Season 16 after grabbing a third victory in Group C. The Danes beat HEET in the fourth round after recovering from an opening loss on Vertigo to clinch the series 2-1, and are now sitting on a 3-1 record in the round robin.

Heroic can secure playoffs by the end of round 4

Heroic will have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs if MOUZ beat Complexity and/or ENCE beat Astralis

HEET stare down elimination

HEET would be eliminated from contention for playoffs if MOUZ beat Complexity, or if ENCE beat Astralis and MOUZ take a map off Complexity

An all-Danish derby awaits Heroic in the final round of the group, with Casper “⁠cadiaN⁠” Møller‘s team set to face off against Astralis on Sunday at 19:30 . A fourth victory would ensure them a place in the playoffs and a chance at securing first place in the group, but they could already be guaranteed to advance by the end of day four.

Sitting on a 1-3 record following the loss, HEET are now on the brink of being eliminated from contention for the playoffs, relying on several other results to go their way as well as the final round matchup against MOUZ.

Vertigo proved to be a punish pick from HEET in spite of the Frenchmen not being particularly known for their prowess on the map. From the start Heroic were having a difficult time preventing their opponents from finding picks all over the map in defaults, with Aurélien “⁠afro⁠” Drapier and company racking up a healthy lead to kick off the opener.

The early success gave HEET enough of a cushion to withstand the Danes’ response late into the first half, when Heroic stopped giving up openings and instead found picks and early damage themselves thanks to well-placed utility in the ramp and B lobby areas.

In the end, just one round separated the two teams when HEET switched over to the favored defense. There a couple of clutches from Pierre “⁠Ex3rcice⁠” Bulinge and afro stopped Heroic in their tracks in key moments at 9-9 and 11-11, tipping the scales in the underdogs’ favor.

In the same vein as HEET, Heroic opted for their opponents’ weakness rather than a home map when they picked Overpass. It worked wonders for the cadiaN-led squad, as they were in cruise control for most of the map with the AWPer topping the charts. Thomas “⁠Djoko⁠” Pavoni‘s ace in the first half and a flashy Deagle double early in the second prevented HEET from getting blown out of the map, but it turned out a comfortable victory for Heroic nonetheless, and the series moved to Nuke.

The decider was going along similar lines, with HEET looking out of their depth as they couldn’t find the same level of success on the Terrorist side that helped them upset Astralis on day three of the group. Bar a fumble in a 5v2 situation and a loss to just pistols, Heroic looked like they had everything under control.

Up 14-5, Heroic had victory at the tip of their fingers, but HEET still made them sweat for it after mounting an impressive comeback. Breaking through the French defense proved a challenge, one that at a point looked almost impossible when the Danes lost seven consecutive rounds barely finding any space to work with. Eventually, they found a weakness with a quick upper hit with just pistols and pulled themselves across the finish line thanks to the unlikely victory, securing the map 16-12 and the series 2-1.