Na`Vi top ESL Pro League S11 Group B; fnatic, forZe to play

Natus Vincere topped Group B of EPL after a slow start to the competition, while fnatic and FORZE claimed the two spots which lead to the play-in.

Going into the last round of group B matches in ESL Pro League, fnatic was top of the table with three wins and one loss (1-2 to BIG), four teams were right behind them with two wins each, and Complexity was sitting at the bottom with just one - but a small chance to make the second group stage nonetheless.

Na`Vi turned around their group stage after a comeback against forZe

Complexity managed a quick and straightforward win over North, starting the series with a strong T side on Mirage. Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer led his men not only by calling, but also fragging as he posted a 1.86 rating (31K-12D) in a 16-10 victory. On their own map pick, Nuke, North found their footing early (4-1), but fell flat after that initial success. Complexity won 14 out of the next 15 rounds, and eventually closed out the map thanks to North attempting to retake the wrong bombsite in the final round.

With the victory in the bag, Complexity and co. still needed fnatic and FORZE to win their matches in order to secure one of the top three spots in the group, while North were out of the race.

ESL Pro League Season 11 EuropeBest of 3 NorthMatchpage 0 2 24th March 2020 Complexity 10Mirage 16 8Nuke 16

North	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Markus 'Kjaerbye' KjærbyeKjaerbye	36 - 42	-6	80.3	0.94
Nicklas 'gade' Gadegade	28 - 38	-10	66.8	0.89
Mathias 'MSL' LauridsenMSL	26 - 36	-10	64.3	0.85
René 'cajunb' Borgcajunb	27 - 34	-7	58.5	0.83
Philip 'aizy' Aistrupaizy	28 - 40	-12	60.9	0.69

Complexity	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Benjamin 'blameF' BremerblameF	52 - 22	+30	105.8	1.67
Valentin 'poizon' Vasilevpoizon	45 - 28	+17	95.7	1.44
Kristian 'k0nfig' Wieneckek0nfig	37 - 35	+2	80.5	1.13
William 'RUSH' WierzbaRUSH	31 - 31	0	70.8	1.08
Owen 'oBo' SchlatteroBo	25 - 29	-4	50.8	0.82

The two favorites for the group squared off in the final round of matches, starting off on Overpass, the pick of the Swedes. Natus Vincere were the team with more to play for and that reflected in the match as they went up 5-0 on the defensive side of the first map. Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin was fnatic's standout player as they fought back to a 9-6 half, but the CIS side overwhelmed them after switching to the offense, 16-10.

Unsurprisingly, Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev was the standout player on Overpass and he continued that form on Dust2 where fnatic were again slow to start. With Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov as his reliable sidekick and some big plays from Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov, Natus Vincere powered to a 16-11 win to take the 2-0 for the series. The result guaranteed them a spot among the top 3, and ended Complexity's chances of advancing.

ESL Pro League Season 11 EuropeBest of 3 Natus VincereMatchpage 2 0 24th March 2020 fnatic 16Overpass 10 16Dust2 11

Natus Vincere	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostylievs1mple	45 - 26	+19	86.6	1.38
Denis 'electroNic' SharipovelectroNic	41 - 34	+7	85.3	1.23
Kirill 'Boombl4' MikhailovBoombl4	42 - 35	+7	78.6	1.19
Ilya 'Perfecto' ZalutskiyPerfecto	32 - 34	-2	71.7	1.04
Egor 'flamie' Vasilyevflamie	35 - 33	+2	67.9	1.00

fnatic	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Ludvig 'Brollan' BrolinBrollan	46 - 35	+11	87.6	1.26
Freddy 'KRIMZ' JohanssonKRIMZ	35 - 39	-4	87.5	1.00
Jesper 'JW' WecksellJW	30 - 39	-9	67.2	0.86
Robin 'flusha' Rönnquistflusha	28 - 42	-14	69.6	0.81
Maikil 'Golden' SelimGolden	23 - 42	-19	47.6	0.66

The match that went the longest in Group B was the one between FORZE and BIG, two underdogs that did well but needed one more win to avoid group stage elimination. Interestingly, BIG secured wins against fnatic and Natus Vincere, but losses to North and Complexity meant that the last game was crucial.

BIG overpowered FORZE on the CT side of their map pick, Mirage (16-11), but FORZE bounced back on Inferno with an impeccable T side (13-2) and forced the decider despite some issues trying to close it out (16-11). It all came down to Nuke, where BIG were unable to secure a single opening kill on the T side, but still mustered five rounds before switching to CT. A scrappy second half followed, with FORZE being able to push ahead and claim the victory, 16-9.

ESL Pro League Season 11 EuropeBest of 3 BIGMatchpage 1 2 24th March 2020 FORZE 16Mirage 11 11Inferno 16 9Nuke 16

BIG	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Ismailcan 'XANTARES' DörtkardeşXANTARES	58 - 59	-1	75.7	0.96
Tizian 'tiziaN' FeldbuschtiziaN	45 - 55	-10	72.2	0.95
Nils 'k1to' Gruhnek1to	43 - 58	-15	60.9	0.82
Johannes 'tabseN' WodarztabseN	43 - 55	-12	62.6	0.81
Florian 'syrsoN' RischesyrsoN	42 - 61	-19	62.6	0.79

FORZE	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Bogdan 'xsepower' Chernikovxsepower	70 - 36	+34	80.7	1.41
Andrey 'Jerry' MekhryakovJerry	59 - 48	+11	91.0	1.28
Almaz 'almazer' Asadullinalmazer	57 - 43	+14	75.4	1.23
Evgenii 'FL1T' LebedevFL1T	53 - 48	+5	80.4	1.13
Dmitriy 'facecrack' Alekseyevfacecrack	49 - 56	-7	70.1	1.00

As all the matches have been played out, group B of ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe has been finalized. Natus Vincere secured the top spot and a place in the second group stage due to wins over both fnatic and FORZE, while the Swedish and Russian squad will have to fight for their spot through a play-in match against a runner-up from group A or C.

Final standings:

1. Natus Vincere (second group stage)
2. fnatic (play-in)
3. FORZE (play-in)
4. Complexity
5. North
6. BIG

Kirill 'Boombl4' Mikhailov Age: 21 Team: Natus Vincere Rating 1.0: 1.03 Maps played: 676 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.69 BIG #17 Johannes 'tabseN' WodarzTizian 'tiziaN' FeldbuschFlorian 'syrsoN' RischeIsmailcan 'XANTARES' DörtkardeşNils 'k1to' Gruhne fnatic #5 Robin 'flusha' RönnquistJesper 'JW' WecksellFreddy 'KRIMZ' JohanssonMaikil 'Golden' SelimLudvig 'Brollan' Brolin FORZE #22 Dmitriy 'facecrack' AlekseyevAlmaz 'almazer' AsadullinEvgenii 'FL1T' LebedevBogdan 'xsepower' ChernikovAndrey 'Jerry' Mekhryakov Ludvig 'Brollan' Brolin Age: 17 Team: fnatic Rating 1.0: 1.07 Maps played: 635 KPR: 0.73 DPR: 0.67 Natus Vincere #1 Egor 'flamie' VasilyevOleksandr 's1mple' KostylievDenis 'electroNic' SharipovKirill 'Boombl4' MikhailovIlya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy North #23 René 'cajunb' BorgMathias 'MSL' LauridsenPhilip 'aizy' AistrupMarkus 'Kjaerbye' KjærbyeNicklas 'gade' Gade Denis 'electroNic' Sharipov Age: 21 Team: Natus Vincere Rating 1.0: 1.11 Maps played: 876 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.66 Complexity #14 William 'RUSH' WierzbaKristian 'k0nfig' WieneckeValentin 'poizon' VasilevOwen 'oBo' SchlatterBenjamin 'blameF' Bremer Benjamin 'blameF' Bremer Age: 22 Team: Complexity Rating 1.0: 1.16 Maps played: 394 KPR: 0.78 DPR: 0.62 Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev Age: 22 Team: Natus Vincere Rating 1.0: 1.24 Maps played: 1129 KPR: 0.85 DPR: 0.65