Fluxo, HEROIC, and M80 have become the latest teams to be knocked out of ESL Pro League Season 22.
The trio of teams lost their round three matches, ending Stage 1 with a win-to-loss record of 1-3.
Fluxo Bested By G2 Esports
After starting Stage 1 with two defeats to Astralis and FURIA, Fluxo managed to keep its qualification hopes alive with a 2-0 sweep of NRG to set up a clash with G2 Esports. The Brazilians began with a shock 13-11 win on Ancient to move within one map of sending the BLAST Open London champions home.
However, G2 responded in full force, taking Inferno 13-2 and Mirage 13-4 to complete the reverse sweep and advance to the final day of Stage 1.
Astralis Outlasts HEROIC
With crucial Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points on the line for HEROIC, victory against Astralis would keep the team in touching distance of the top 32 and a chance of earning more points if it can advance to Stage 2.
The Danes struck first with a 13-10 win on Mirage before HEROIC answered back on Inferno with a dominant defence to force a deciding Nuke.
Nuke had proven problematic for Astralis in its two previous matches, failing to win a single attacking round. However, Astralis recorded its best result of the series. The second pistol round would be the first attacking round that Astralis won on Nuke, before Jakob ‘Jabbi’ Nygaard rounded off the series with an ace, taking the series 2-1 for Astralis in an emphatic 13-2 win..
As a result of the loss, HEROIC is out of contention for November’s StarLadder Budapest Major.
M80’s Journey Ends
FISSURE Playground 2 champions FURIA headed into Pro League with an opportunity to cement its place among the best teams in the world. However, two defeats to HOTU and Legacy put the Brazilian organisation on the verge of elimination, requiring a victory over M80 to advance to the fifth round.
FURIA began on the front foot with a 13-8 victory on Overpass before continuing the momentum on Inferno, winning 13-7 to secure the sweep and move on for another shot at Stage 2 qualification.
Which Teams Advanced?
While Fluxo, HEROIC, and M80 head home, three more teams have secured a place in the second stage.
3DMAX defeated ENCE in its round four match to advance, while GamerLegion continued to show supreme strategic prowess with a 2-0 sweep of B8. Despite being a last-minute addition, Gentle Mates has continued its impressive run of form, beating Legacy 2-0 to secure an unexpected Stage 2 appearance.
What’s Next?
Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 22 concludes today (October 2nd), with the round five matches determining the final three teams advancing to the next stage.
The eight teams from Stage 1 will join the likes of Team Vitality, The MongolZ, and Aurora Gaming in Stage 2 and will compete in another five-round Swiss stage to determine the Playoff places.
