MIBR win ESEA Advanced Season 39 to qualify for ESL Challenger League Season 40
The playoff portion of the ESEA Advanced season has drawn to a close, with MIBR reigning supreme to secure their place in ESL Challenger League Season 40. The three remaining Advanced teams will be fighting through ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation in a bid to claim their promotion to the newly rebranded league.
The lower final matchup initially pitted X13 against Valors, with the series being taken to X13’s pick of Nuke. The two teams traded blows in the first half, with neither team able to string more than three rounds together, culminating in a narrow one round victory in favor of Valors by the time the two sides swapped. Nonetheless, a magnificent individual showing by Saad "Pluto" Siraj would prove to be X13’s kryptonite, helping carry his team to a 16-8 victory on the first map following a 1.79 rating which saw Valors dominate on their T-side, winning eight of the nine rounds on offer.
The second map of the series took the two teams to Overpass, where X13 were looking to bounce back and send the series to a full three maps. Starting on the CT-side, X13's defense soon became near impregnable, seeing Max "Makzwell" Sparrey and company utterly deconstruct their foes to win the half 13-2. Heading into the second half, Valors' victory in the pistol round allowed the team to put three consecutive rounds on the board, but these would all be for nothing as X13 soon responded in kind, winning three rounds of their own to secure map two in dominating fashion at 16-5.
Looking to build on the momentum from map two, X13 managed to win nine of the first ten rounds of the half on their CT-side. However, spurred on thanks to another strong performance from Pluto, Valors were able to claw back the remaining five rounds of the half to keep the series competitive, with a half-time scoreline of 9-6 in favor of X13. The second half proved to be a closer affair, with no team able to fully build momentum. Even though Valors were able to break the deadlock first with four round wins of their own, it would be X13 who would eventually clinch the series 2-1 following a 16-12 victory on the final map, seeing the squad advance to the consolidation final.
X13Valors| X13 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paul 'aris' Wilson |
61 - 49 | +12 | 90.6 | 79.5% | 1.30 |
 Brennan 'Lemonz' Lentz |
56 - 47 | +9 | 80.2 | 74.0% | 1.20 |
| Max 'Makzwell' Sparrey |
53 - 45 | +8 | 78.8 | 71.2% | 1.14 |
| Marshall 'Jonesy' Jones |
52 - 50 | +2 | 79.7 | 72.6% | 1.10 |
| Matthew 'scar' Bruni |
39 - 53 | -14 | 60.8 | 69.9% | 0.87 |
| Valors |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saad 'Pluto' Siraj |
68 - 50 | +18 | 96.2 | 71.2% | 1.31 |
| Jake 'WOOHOO' J. |
47 - 52 | -5 | 71.6 | 71.2% | 0.99 |
| Damian 'EMIYA' Boulware |
40 - 50 | -10 | 68.2 | 68.5% | 0.93 |
| Robert 'robby' Brown |
46 - 53 | -7 | 63.0 | 60.3% | 0.83 |
 Dwight 'Calix' Nguyen |
43 - 57 | -14 | 67.4 | 58.9% | 0.82 |
The upper bracket final saw Third Impact take on MIBR and despite beginning the series on Third Impact’s pick of Inferno, it would be Adriano "WOOD7" Cerato and company who would get off on the better foot. Starting on the CT-side, the Brazilians were able to secure ten rounds, due in part to Jhonatan "JOTA" Willian posting an impressive 104 ADR and 1.49 rating in the first half. Although Third Impact managed to take the pistol round and subsequent anti-eco, MIBR were quick to respond, stealing five consecutive rounds off of the American side to secure map point. Despite Third Impact answering back with two consolation rounds of their own, MIBR soon closed the map 16-9 to go up 1-0 in the series.
Map two proved to be another one-sided affair in favor of MIBR. In spite of losing the first and second rounds of the map, the Brazilians were able to take ten rounds from Third Impact on their T-side, spearheaded by Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes who had a stellar individual performance, displaying a 1.92 rating by the end of the half, enabling MIBR to head into their CT-side with a 10-5 scoreline. Any hopes of a comeback by Noah "insane" Eheart’s men were quickly dashed, as a lone round win in the second half would be Third Impact’s only positive takeaway with MIBR soon mirroring their five round win streak from map one to seal the map 16-6 and win the series 2-0, securing their place in the grand final.
MIBRThird Impact| MIBR |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marcelo 'chelo' Cespedes |
48 - 23 | +25 | 91.7 | 76.6% | 1.55 |
| Matheus 'Tuurtle' Anhaia |
40 - 25 | +15 | 79.6 | 78.7% | 1.33 |
| Raphael 'exit' Lacerda |
35 - 28 | +7 | 81.6 | 87.2% | 1.31 |
| Jhonatan 'JOTA' Willian |
34 - 26 | +8 | 86.9 | 72.3% | 1.29 |
| Adriano 'WOOD7' Cerato |
25 - 34 | -9 | 76.4 | 76.6% | 0.94 |
| Third Impact |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah 'insane' Eheart |
31 - 33 | -2 | 71.3 | 68.1% | 0.90 |
| Kyle 'Wolffe' Greenfield |
26 - 34 | -8 | 67.3 | 61.7% | 0.89 |
| Keanu 'Danejoris' Reyes |
28 - 40 | -12 | 70.4 | 70.2% | 0.87 |
| Josiah 'JoJo' Jimenez |
29 - 39 | -10 | 57.6 | 59.6% | 0.79 |
| Austin 'AJaxz' Janocha |
20 - 39 | -19 | 56.3 | 57.4% | 0.59 |
The consolidation final saw X13 square up against Third Impact with the sole remaining place in the grand final up for grabs. Although originally going into X13’s pick of Overpass, it would be Third Impact who would be the ones to get off to a flying start, cruising to an 11-4 scoreline on their CT-side. Refusing to let the series become a one-sided affair, X13 quickly composed themselves, winning an impressive eight rounds on the bounce to bring the scoreline to 14-13. Third Impact’s one round reply thereafter would be immediately shut down, as X13 completed the comeback to turn an 11-4 deficit into a 16-14 victory to claim map one.
The second map of the series on Vertigo would again prove to be another gruelling matchup which would eventually need to be settled in overtime. The first half saw both sides have their own runs of form, with Third Impact winning the initial five rounds before X13 replied with seven of their own. A short exchange of rounds in the final stages of the half saw a 9-6 lead for X13 heading into their T-side. There, the hard-fought nature of the matchup would continue, with both teams posting small win-streaks of their own. Reaching match point first, it seemed likely that X13 would be able to close the map and series within the thirty round allowance, but Third Impact managed to claw back the final four rounds of the map to send the match to overtime. A strong showing by X13 in overtime allowed the side to narrowly clinch the map 19-17, sending Third Impact packing and securing themselves a grand final showing versus MIBR.
Third ImpactX13| Third Impact |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keanu 'Danejoris' Reyes |
51 - 43 | +8 | 83.9 | 69.7% | 1.13 |
| Josiah 'JoJo' Jimenez |
44 - 44 | +0 | 73.9 | 66.7% | 1.09 |
| Kyle 'Wolffe' Greenfield |
46 - 43 | +3 | 78.2 | 63.6% | 1.01 |
| Noah 'insane' Eheart |
40 - 51 | -11 | 70.4 | 66.7% | 0.89 |
| Austin 'AJaxz' Janocha |
39 - 50 | -11 | 62.4 | 60.6% | 0.85 |
| X13 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brennan 'Lemonz' Lentz |
46 - 36 | +10 | 73.6 | 80.3% | 1.17 |
| Paul 'aris' Wilson |
49 - 48 | +1 | 85.0 | 69.7% | 1.14 |
| Matthew 'scar' Bruni |
51 - 46 | +5 | 77.1 | 68.2% | 1.14 |
| Max 'Makzwell' Sparrey |
43 - 45 | -2 | 72.0 | 66.7% | 1.01 |
| Marshall 'Jonesy' Jones |
42 - 46 | -4 | 70.5 | 62.1% | 0.95 |
The final matchup of the ESEA Advanced Season 39 playoffs would pit MIBR versus the aforementioned X13 in a best-of-five series, with the Brazilian squad having a one map advantage as they came via the upper bracket. The series began on X13’s pick of Overpass where the first half would be a back-and-forth affair, continuing to trade three and four rounds apiece to grant MIBR a one round lead heading into the second half. There, Raphael "exit" Lacerda and co. would get off to the better start on the offensive side, responding to X13’s pistol round victory with five rounds of their own. Although X13 did reply in kind with their own strong showing, the Brazilians were able to secure the final three rounds to edge out X13 16-14 on map one.
In what would ultimately be a quick and anticlimactic end to the series, map three took the two finalists to Ancient, where strong performances from the previously mentioned chelo and exit saw a thirteen round demolition on the T-side to all but seal the ESL Challenger League spot for MIBR. A short-lived two round reply by X13 at the end of the first half would be the only positive showing for the American side, as a quick three round victory by MIBR at the turn of the half soon dashed any chance of the reverse sweep, seeing X13 be quickly dispatched of 16-2, and allowing MIBR to close the series 3-0.
MIBRX13| MIBR |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcelo 'chelo' Cespedes |
45 - 26 | +19 | 92.6 | 77.1% | 1.54 |
| Raphael 'exit' Lacerda |
43 - 21 | +22 | 89.7 | 91.7% | 1.50 |
| Adriano 'WOOD7' Cerato |
40 - 31 | +9 | 95.8 | 77.1% | 1.36 |
| Matheus 'Tuurtle' Anhaia |
35 - 24 | +11 | 69.1 | 79.2% | 1.22 |
| Jhonatan 'JOTA' Willian |
30 - 26 | +4 | 66.7 | 77.1% | 1.11 |
| X13 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul 'aris' Wilson |
30 - 42 | -12 | 84.4 | 72.9% | 0.91 |
| Brennan 'Lemonz' Lentz |
22 - 31 | -9 | 63.5 | 66.7% | 0.89 |
| Marshall 'Jonesy' Jones |
28 - 41 | -13 | 73.3 | 54.2% | 0.74 |
| Max 'Makzwell' Sparrey |
27 - 40 | -13 | 55.5 | 58.3% | 0.69 |
| Matthew 'scar' Bruni |
20 - 39 | -19 | 45.2 | 50.0% | 0.53 |
X13, Third Impact and Valors will be joined by fellow ESEA Advanced team Brazen, as well as Premier sides Detonate, Northern Forces, voLante and Strife in ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation where two more spots for ESL Challenger League Season 40 will be up for grabs.
Following MIBR's victory, the ESEA Advanced Season 39 standings look as follows:
1. MIBR - $7,000 + ESL Challenger League Season 40
2. X13 - $4,000 + ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation
3. Third Impact - $3,000 + ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation
4. Valors - $2,000 + ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation
5. Brazen - ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation
6. Kinship
7-8. 
YeniCherry
7-8. Coldest Riders
9-12. Levitate
9-12. Davenport University
9-12. Omega
9-12. Touch Point
ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation is set to commence at 8PM EST and will feature:
| voLante |
vs. Brazen |
| Detonate |
vs. X13 |
| Northern Forces |
vs. Third Impact |
| Strife |
vs. Valors |
