BIG are the third team to go from Challengers to Legends
After a scary game against Evil Geniuses yesterday, 9z was able to get through to the qualification games in Round 4 of the IEM Rio Major. Against them would be BIG, as the Germans were able to dominate Grayhound the round prior. This would be the first BO3 for both teams, and the first time BIG would step on the big stage in front of the electric Brazilian crowd.
The map veto saw 9z again playing Nuke, picked by themselves, then BIG picked their 45.5% win rate Dust2. The series would be decided on Mirage if needed.
Nuke started off worse than yesterday for 9z, as they lost the first five rounds. In round six, with a low buy, 9z was able to finally get on the board. The crowd was starting to get rowdier as the South American team started to show signs of life, in hopes of helping them get through the bad form they were showing during their T-side on Nuke. BIG was able to go back to winning ways, even getting to the cursed 7-1 score against the South Americans in Brazil. Despite the fans' non-stop chants, 9z was only able to get two more rounds before the half, switching sides with a 12-3 deficit.
BIG got the CT-side pistol, getting their 13th-round win on the map. Things were looking dire for 9z as they lost the following round on a force buy and the next after that on an eco. On the first chance to close the map, BIG wasn't able to win it. The map ended only after a triple kill from Fragadelphia 17 runner-up Elias "s1n" Stein, with only a P250. 16-3 was the final score in Nuke.
Map two continued the trend of BIG winning the pistol rounds. The following two rounds also went BIG's way before 9z got their first on a full buy round for both teams. The next round had the Germans being late to the plant gifting another round to the South Americans. With a great opener on Long A, 9z was able to get into a 3v1 situation that they cashed in, tying the game up. The next round was an eco from BIG and 9z was finally in the lead for the first time in the whole series. Another 3v1, another round for the home team, another eco round the following one. This economic round was a bit scary for 9z, as the team found itself in a 1v1 situation. Fortunately for them, Lucas "nqz" Soares was able to win it.
The next two rounds had BIG coming back to the game and destroying 9z's economy. BIG tied the game up 6-6 thanks to a low buy from the South Americans. Back on full buys and the Germans were looking crisp on their pick, giving no chance to their opposition. It was now five in a row for BIG and the round prior to the half had the Europeans get the 6th straight and end the first 15 rounds with a 9-6 lead.
BIG got their fourth pistol round, this time on CT-side Dust2. The following round went the same way, given that 9z didn't buy many weapons. The third round of the half saw 9z getting their first T-side win, on a full buy. The score was now 11-7 for BIG when Maximiliano "max" Gonzalez finally entered the server and got two beautiful opening kills. Experience was proving to be a major factor in this series, as the Germans' calm head played a huge part in winning the next round, and getting one step closer to the win. But the talent of the youngster from 9z was also notorious, as they executed a delightful round. The next one was an eco from BIG that 9z put away quickly, getting closer with a 12-10 score. The crowd was getting louder and louder and after a 1v1 win for Franco "dgt" Garcia the fans went hysterical. They were sensing a shift in energy as that win left BIG broken.
9z won the eco round to tie the game up 12-12. During a timeout before round 25, the crowd booed the Germans and Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz was caught smiling and laughing, certainly, the veteran was enjoying playing in front of all the Brazilian fans. BIG's timeout proved worth it as they won round 25 to get the 13-12 lead. Despite winning the round, the Germans were low on cash making things harder in the following one. It came down to a 2v2 that 9z wasn't able to close out, with s1n getting the final kill and defuse. 9z's opportunities were running out as BIG won another to make it 15-12. 9z showed signs of life, getting back on the game and winning two rounds in a row, making it 15-14. Once again BIG called a timeout but this time it didn't work in their favor and the game headed to overtime. Once in overtime, the Germans found it in them to quickly close out the match, sweeping four rounds in a row to take the map 19-15 to secure their Legends spot.
BIG9z| BIG |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Florian 'syrsoN' Rische |
43 - 24 | +19 | 87.4 | 85.2% | 1.55 |
| Johannes 'tabseN' Wodarz |
36 - 29 | +7 | 81.4 | 77.8% | 1.24 |
| Nils 'k1to' Gruhne |
45 - 35 | +10 | 83.4 | 74.1% | 1.22 |
| Karim 'Krimbo' Moussa |
36 - 30 | +6 | 79.7 | 81.5% | 1.16 |
| Elias 's1n' Stein |
38 - 28 | +10 | 65.6 | 83.3% | 1.15 |
| 9z |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lucas 'nqz' Soares |
36 - 36 | +0 | 69.0 | 72.2% | 1.08 |
 Franco 'dgt' Garcia |
32 - 38 | -6 | 63.1 | 70.4% | 0.87 |
| Maximiliano 'max' Gonzalez |
30 - 43 | -13 | 66.6 | 51.9% | 0.82 |
 David 'dav1deuS' Tapia Maldonado |
26 - 40 | -14 | 59.1 | 70.4% | 0.77 |
 Nicolás 'buda' Kramer |
21 - 41 | -20 | 56.4 | 61.1% | 0.70 |
BIG are now waiting to see who joins them, MOUZ and Bad News Eagles on the Legends Stage from the Challengers Stage. 9z are still alive in the Major, as they will either qualify or go home tomorrow in their last BO3 of the Challengers Stage.
