CS2: BIG Clan drop to 0-2, now facing elimination in Shanghai Major

BIG Clan find themselves on the brink of elimination at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 after a disastrous opening day in the Elimination Stage.

BIG 0 2 start Shanghai Major
BIG Clan had no shot, versus a strong G2 side. | © PerfectWorld via Twitter/X

The German squad now sits at 0-2 and must win three consecutive best-of-threes to secure a playoff spot—a monumental task after their struggles on Day 1.

BIG is on the brink of elimination in Shanghai!

Their troubles began against HEROIC, where despite a promising 6-round T-side on Mirage, BIG fell 13-7. The early success faded quickly as HEROIC’s Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski orchestrated a clinical CT-side dismantling of BIG’s defensive setups. Unable to adjust, BIG succumbed to a loss that set the tone for a difficult day.

The situation worsened after G2 Esports suffered a surprise loss to The MongolZ, which paired BIG against the tournament favorites in their second match. Sticking to Mirage, BIG found themselves completely outclassed in a lopsided 13-5 defeat. They managed to claim the first three T-side rounds and the opening two on CT but failed to mount any further resistance.

Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz had an especially tough outing, posting just five kills in the second match. Meanwhile, G2's star AWPer, Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov, was in sensational form, ending the game with a 21-10 K/D and delivering clutch moments that left BIG scrambling for solutions. G2’s relentless aggression and pinpoint execution rendered BIG’s efforts futile at times, underscoring the gap between the two sides.

Now staring down elimination, BIG will face paiN tomorrow at 9:00 AM CET in the 0-2 pool. To stay alive, they must win not only this series but two additional BO3s in a row - a Herculean challenge given their current form. Should they manage the feat, it would mark their first Major playoff appearance since the FACEIT London Major in 2018.

For BIG Clan, the road ahead is unforgiving. If they are to extend their Shanghai campaign, they’ll need a complete turnaround and a near-perfect run, starting with paiN.

Florian Frick

Flo is studying Sports-journalism and combining his passion for writing and esports at EarlyGame. He is kind of addicted to CS. To say he can get emotional whilst watching his favorite teams would be an understatement....