Complexity's run in Elisa Masters Espoo set to begin

Fan-favorites Complexity are slated to participate in their last tournament of the year starting tomorrow in the Elisa Masters event in Espoo, Finland. After disastrous showings at the IEM Rio Americas RMR and the North American BLAST Premier Fall Showdown, a deep run at Elisa Masters could provide some light at the end of the tunnel for Complexity heading into 2023.

Since the end of the player break in August, the squad has struggled to replicate the potential they showcased in ESL Pro League Season 16, where they reached playoffs and very nearly took down top-dogs FaZe. These results looked promising as the team headed to the all-important IEM Rio Americas RMR, but Complexity were unable to replicate their Pro League showing as qualification to the Brazilian Major slipped from their grasp, as the squad went from 2-0 in the Swiss group stage to going out in the 3-2 tiebreaker against Imperial.

Complexity followed up this devastating result with a last-place exit in the North American BLAST Premier Showdown at the hands of Brazilian underdogs Sharks, depriving Complexity of a chance to compete in the Fall Final later this month. An invitation to the Elisa Masters Espoo has given Complexity a shot to recover from these blunders, but in order to do so they will first need to escape the event's round-robin group stage.

In their six-team group, only the top three will reach the playoffs, alongside Sprout, ENCE, and BIG, who secured their spots in playoffs earlier today. European mix fnatic are undoubtedly the favorite of the group, as the squad comes off a strong quarterfinal finish at IEM Rio. Alongside them is Astralis, who are still certainly a formidable foe even despite missing Nicolai "device" Reedtz from their starting lineup. The remaining three teams that Complexity will be sparring with are Bad News Eagles, SAW, and Bulgarian side 500.

Complexity certainly have a fair shot of making the playoffs; fnatic will be dealing with fatigue and jetlag, Astralis will be missing their star AWPer, and the remaining three squads generally lack the tier-one LAN experience that Complexity's members have. If Complexity want to make playoffs, they need to handily beat 500 and SAW, and then follow that up with the somewhat more daunting task of beating one of fnatic, Astralis, or Bad News Eagles. Considering that all the matches set to be played in the group stage are BO1s, it is entirely possible that Complexity could escape their group with four or even five wins.

It is a bit harder to gauge Complexity's chances once they reach playoffs, as only half the teams have been decided at this point. A quarterfinal against ENCE would prove to be a difficult task, while a quarterfinal against BIG, who are missing AWPer Florian "syrsoN" Rische, would be within the realm of possibility. If Complexity wish to make up for their unfortunate showings in October, a minimum semifinal finish should be the goal for the North Americans as they ready themselves to compete tomorrow.

Complexity's matches tomorrow are the following:

• Complexity vs 500 - 04:00AM

• Complexity vs fnatic - 07:00AM

• Complexity vs SAW - 08:30AM

• Complexity vs Bad News Eagles - 10:00AM

• Complexity vs Astralis - 01:00PM

Complexity's run in Elisa Masters Espoo begins bright and early tomorrow at 04:00AM with their opening match against 500.