The final day of action in the group stage of ESL Pro League has concluded with Natus Vincere, Heroic and Astralis advancing from Group D.
The Danish squad qualified for the ESL Pro League playoffs with a narrow victory over Complexity.
Astralis get the job done
Natus Vincere had already secured their spot in the playoffs but ended their group campaign in style, defeating Heroic in dominant fashion to go 5-0, dropping just one map from a possible 11.
Heroic themselves had also already qualified, which may account for their lacklustre performance against a Natus Vincere side in red-hot form.
Astralis needed to beat Complexity to secure their spot in Düsseldorf and scrambled their way home, resigning Complexity to 5th in the group.
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Astralis come from behind
The match kicked off on Complexity's pick of Dust2 and the North American's raced into a 1-0 series lead, with a strong defensive half helping them across the line at 16-13.
That was as good as things would get for Complexity, however, as Astralis quickly evened up the series with a 16-10 win on Nuke. The Danes are notorious for their strong defensive strategies and that was evidenced here, winning nine of the last 11 rounds of play.
Ancient was the venue for the decider and it went the full 30 rounds, with Complexity almost mounting a remarkable comeback.
Finding themselves 15-9 down, they rallied to win the next five rounds before Astralis fell over the line at the last available opportunity, winning 16-14.
With group play over, attention turns to Tuesday, where the playoffs will begin. Ninjas In Pyjamas, Movistar Riders, FURIA and Natus Vincere are the top seeds, but they will face stern competition from the likes of Heroic, ENCE, FaZe and Players.
