#Heroic entered IEM Katowice following defeats to Evil Geniuses and #Vitality in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, where they did not perform at their peak but still managed to qualify for the Spring Final. They have since begun their campaign in Poland with a victory.
The 2-1 victory wasn’t quite clean for the favorites, whose captain and hype guy Casper #cadiaN Mller played despite being sick; they forfeited their Vertigo choice after snatching Inferno from Tiaan #T.c Coertzen’s team; but in the end, they found the fortitude to win on Overpass.
The Match Recap
The series got underway with Inferno, the underdogs’ selection, and Complexity quickly built a 3-0 lead until Heroic tied it up with strategic buys. The North Americans resisted early pressure and maintained a three-round lead at the break thanks in large part to an outstanding Ricky #floppy Kemery, who had 22 kills prior to the break.
Floppy earned a 1vs2 clutch retake with a last-second defuse to go on 27 kills and maintain his side ahead with an 11-10 advantage as the game evened out in the second half. Despite the setback, Heroic continued to press forward, and cadiaN eventually took the lead in the series after stealing the map after the Danes had clawed their way back from a 3vs5 in the previous round.
After a tight defeat on Inferno, Complexity entered Vertigo, Heroic’s selection, but their spirits remained unbroken and they quickly recovered. Heroic launched three successful attacks after a three-round defense in the opening pistol round before the Danes could muster a fourth round before switching sides. The Danes were now more closely resembling the team that struggled at the BLAST Spring Groups than the winners of the BLAST Fall Finals last year.
The tenacious North Americans proved Aleksandar #kassad Trifunovi, a broadcast commentator, incorrect when they hit back in the forcebuy after dropping their T-side pistol round to extend their journey to 16 rounds. Trifunovi had Heroic winning 2-0 after Complexity messed up on Inferno. The Danes made a valiant effort to make a comeback, winning 13 of the rounds, but ultimately fell short.
The Final Round
In the end, Vertigo’s valor couldn’t save Complexity because they faltered on offense in the first half of the Overpass championship match. The North American team’s butchers were cadiaN with 17 kills and 104 ADR and Rasmus #sjuush Beck with 22 kills and 134 ADR.
Hkon #hallzerk Hall and Michael #Grim When Heroic was behind 6-13, Fjaerli obtained a full house on a half-buy to prevent a 14th. However, Martin #stavn Lund and Jakob #jabbi Lund then took the game. Just two rounds later, Nygaard accomplished the identical feat with MAC-10s to put an end to any hopes of a comeback and win the map, 16-8, and the series.
Heroic, who already have a victory under their belt, will take on OG in the Group B upper bracket semifinals, while Complexity will square off against MOUZ for the chance to participate in the bottom bracket of the competition.
