Complexity’s valiant attempt to turn a 0-2 start into a miraculous 3-2 finish at the Perfect World Shanghai Major fell short, as Berlin based org BIG Clan secured their place in the Elimination Stage with a 2-1 victory.
The win marks a significant milestone for the German squad, as they return to the second stage of a Major for the first time since IEM Rio 2022. For Complexity’s Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, the loss is particularly bitter, ending a streak of top-16 finishes at Majors that stretches back to PGL Major Krakow 2017.
BIG qualify for the Elimination Stage again!
BIG entered the tournament on a high, having cruised through the Europe RMR B with a flawless 3-0 record. This dominant performance initially seemed to secure Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz’s team a direct berth to the Elimination Stage. However, a mid-tournament adjustment based on Valve’s Regional Standings placed BIG in the Opening Stage, forcing them to fight harder for their Major aspirations.
The 2-2 decider began on Complexity’s pick of Anubis, where the North American side displayed dominance. Led by standout performances from EliGE and Håkon "hallzerk" Fjærli, Complexity comfortably claimed the map 13-5.
BIG regrouped on Ancient, their map pick. After losing the first half 5-7, Rigon "rigoN" Gashi kickstarted their CT-side campaign with a nice pistol round:
rigoN's USP shines with perfect timing, picking up an incredible 4k! #ShanghaiMajor2024More Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/kJC4fMnICt
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) December 3, 2024
Jon "JDC" De Castro and tabseN made sure Complexity's T-side would not cause any further setbacks for their quest of the Elimination Stage.
They can't stop us now! pic.twitter.com/8mCV5IPGan
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) December 3, 2024
BIG closed out Ancient 13-9 and forced a deciding third map.
The showdown moved to Dust2, where BIG fell to FURIA on the previous day, winning just three rounds. Following a competitive first half, BIG wrestled control of the decider on their T-side, ultimately closing the map 13-9 to clinch the series.
Karim "Krimbo" Moussa once again underlined his status as Germany’s top CS2 talent, leading his team with a 21-kill performance that demonstrated his clutch prowess and calm under pressure.
KRIMBO!!! pic.twitter.com/hKuJ1i1ZC0
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) December 3, 2024
This victory comes as a relief for German fans, who endured heartbreak the previous day when BIG fell to FURIA. The team’s resurgence today reaffirmed their reputation as one of the best Dust2 squads in the scene, with a cohesive effort that justified their high expectations.
With everything on the line, tabseN especially deserves a lot of credit, for keeping his cool and calling a stellar T-side on Dust 2.
BIG are back where they and quite frankly the top of German CS do belong, within the last 16 teams of the Shanghai Major.
WE DID IT! - TWICE! WE'VE REACHED THE ELIMINATION STAGE! - AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/HAZxyXX6oy
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) December 3, 2024
As the dust settles, we now await confirmation of the first matches in the Elimination Stage, set to kick off this Thursday. If the seeding remains intact, BIG should take on HEROIC in their first BO1 game there.
Can this BIG squad make the Major playoffs for the first time in six years? Fans will be eagerly watching to see if tabseN and his team can take the next step on the grandest stage.