Complexity’s hopes of turning their 0-2 start into a 3-2 finish were dashed as BIG triumphed 2-1 to secure a place in the Elimination Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major. The German squad overcame a rough start to the series, bouncing back impressively after losing the opening map.
This victory marks BIG’s return to the second stage of a Major, their first since IEM Rio 2022 when their lineup included Nils “k1to” Gruhne, Elias “s1n” Stein, and Fatih “gob b”Dayik. For Complexity’s Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski, this defeat signifies his first failure to reach a Major’s top 16 since PGL Krakow 2017.
BIG’s journey to the Elimination Stage was not without its challenges. They impressed in the Europe RMR B with a flawless 3-0 record, seemingly securing a direct berth. However, a mid-tournament adjustment by Valve, prioritizing Regional Standings for invitations, forced BIG to start in the Opening Stage. Despite this setback, they fought their way through, defeating Passion UA and Virtus.pro, while also enduring losses to FlyQuest and FURIA before sealing their spot with a decisive win against Complexity.
The 2-2 match began on Anubis, Complexity’s map pick, where standout performances from EliGE and Håkon “hallzerk” Fjærli led the North Americans to a commanding 13-5 win.
BIG regained their footing on Ancient, their map pick, clinching a 13-9 victory by shutting down Complexity’s offense after a closely contested first half.
The series came down to Dust2, where the first half remained competitive before BIG took control on the T-side. Despite hallzerk’s exceptional performance, earning a remarkable 1.83 rating in a valiant effort to carry his team, Complexity couldn’t keep pace. BIG closed out Dust2 with a 13-9 scoreline, securing their place in the top 16 and ending Complexity’s tournament run.
