case battle

The Portuguese squad doubled up on the Russians to win the online event.

SAW defeated tournament favorites Spirit to come out victorious in the grand final of ESL Challenger League Season 43 Europe. Christopher "⁠MUTiRiS⁠" Fernandes' men took home the top prize of $20,000 with only two maps losses across the tournament and twice defeating a squad 36 spots higher than them in the rankings.

The ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference spot available for the champions was awarded to Spirit as SAW had already qualified for the event thanks to their victory at ESL Masters Spain Season 12 Finals in Madrid earlier in December.

MUTiRiS' men ended the event undefeated on Nuke, Inferno, and Vertigo

ESL Challenger League Season 43 was the competition's first edition to implement a new format which combined regular season and playoffs into one large double-elimination bracket.

Spirit came into the event ranked #12 in the world after a quarter-final finish at the IEM Rio Major, which made them tournament favorites, although their performance against Tricked in CCT South Europe Series 1 a few days prior put doubts on their ability to dispatch lower-ranked opposition.

Read more ESL Challenger League Season 43 set to begin

Leonid "⁠chopper⁠" Vishnyakov's team began their campaign in the round of 16 and defeated HEET in a match featuring a Dust2 that went to five sets of extra time. They also played fixtures against Sprout and FTW. Meanwhile, MUTiRiS and company rode the bracket all the way to the upper final, in which they avenged their compatriots from FTW and handed Spirit their first defeat at the event.

SAW's run to the final included triumphs over other higher-ranked opposition, including the new Vladislav "⁠Krad⁠" Kravchenko-powered FORZE and IESF World Championship winners BLUEJAYS, as well as a win over ex-Finest and a default victory against Eternal Fire.

Read more SAW defeat Case to earn ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference berth

Spirit didn't have to wait and got their chance for revenge over the Portuguese quintet as Sprout forfeited the consolidation final, gifting the Russian squad a ticket to the last match.

The grand final played out in a best-of-five format with a one-map advantage for SAW as a reward for their undefeated run through the upper bracket. The Portuguese squad extended their series advantage to 2-0 after edging out Spirit on Nuke 16-14, securing their 100% win rate on the map at the event.

SAW started off terribly on the CT side and conceded a 5-10 scoreline before the break, but the offense proved more successful and MUTiRiS led the way on the T side with a 1.59 rating to push his team over the line. Overpass then went the way of Spirit as Robert "⁠Patsi⁠" Isyanov, Ihor "⁠w0nderful⁠" Zhdanov, and Boris "⁠magixx⁠" Vorobiev powered a near-flawless CT half to claim the 16-12 victory in favor of the Russian core.

The series was decided on Vertigo, a map characterized by two dominant 11-4 offensive halves from both squads which led to the first overtime of the series, which SAW secured 19-17 in extra time. Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto was a key element for his team with a 1.16 rating and an impressive eight opening frags.

The two teams will fly to Malta in February 2023 to compete at ESL Conference Season 17, where six ESL Pro League spots will be up for grabs.

ESL Challenger League Season 43 EuropeBest of 5 SAWMatchpage 3 1 19th December 2022 Spirit 1Default 0 16Nuke 14 12Overpass 16 19Vertigo 17

SAW	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Michel 'ewjerkz' Pintoewjerkz	66 - 69	-3	79.4	1.11
Christopher 'MUTiRiS' FernandesMUTiRiS	63 - 56	+7	77.0	1.10
Tiago 'JUST' MouraJUST	62 - 56	+6	66.6	1.04
Ricardo 'roman' Oliveiraroman	53 - 66	-13	66.5	0.90
João 'story' Vieirastory	44 - 60	-16	53.3	0.86

Spirit	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Boris 'magixx' Vorobievmagixx	68 - 54	+14	83.3	1.26
Pavel 'S1ren' OgloblinS1ren	76 - 58	+18	82.4	1.23
Leonid 'chopper' Vishnyakovchopper	58 - 56	+2	66.1	1.00
Robert 'Patsi' IsyanovPatsi	63 - 71	-8	76.1	0.98
Ihor 'w0nderful' Zhdanovw0nderful	40 - 53	-13	46.8	0.87

The ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference team list is as follows:

Falcons
Rare Atom
Imperial
9INE
Lynn Vision
Genk
Grayhound
Endpoint
Permitta
IHC
Babos
Spirit paiN
Movistar Riders
Outsiders
ATK
HEET
Partizan
Rooster
SAW
00NATION
Sprout
Eternal Fire
MIBR

The final placements for ESL Challenger League S43 Europe are:

1. SAW - $20,000
2. Spirit - $11,500 + EPL Confrence S17 spot
3. Sprout - $7,000
4. FORZE - $4,000
5-6. FTW - $2,500
5-6. BLUEJAYS - $2,500
7-8. Sangal - $1,250
7-8. Endpoint - $1.250
9-12 9INE
9-12 Movistar Riders
9-12 fnatic Rising
9-12 Permitta
13-16 Bad News Eagles
13-16 ex-Finest
13-16 ECSTATIC
13-16 K23
17-24 HEET - Relegation S43
17-24 EPG Family - Relegation S43
17-24 AGO - Relegation S43
17-24 1WIN - Relegation S43
17-24 Falcons - Relegation S43
17-24 UNGENTIUM - Relegation S43
17-24 SINNERS - Relegation S43
17-24 Eternal Fire - Relegation S43

Endpoint #44 Max 'MiGHTYMAX' HeathKia 'Surreal' ManGuy 'NertZ' IluzMiłosz 'mhL' KnasiakNikita 'HeavyGod' Martynenko Allan 'Rejin' Petersen SAW #26 Christopher 'MUTiRiS' FernandesRicardo 'roman' OliveiraTiago 'JUST' MouraJoão 'story' VieiraMichel 'ewjerkz' Pinto Omar 'arki' Chakkor 9INE #46 Wiktor 'mynio' KrukKrzysztof 'Goofy' GórskiKamil 'KEi' PietkunKacper 'Kylar' Walukiewicz Piotr 'nawrot' Nawrocki Boris 'magixx' Vorobiev Age: 19 Team: Spirit Rating 1.0: 1.00 Maps played: 689 KPR: 0.65 DPR: 0.63 Rooster #131 Michael 'chelleos' HawkinsAkram 'ADK' SmidaCorey 'nettik' BrowneTyson 'asap' PatersonTynan 'TjP' Purtell UNGENTIUM #84 Dominik 'GruBy' SwiderskiPatryk 'ponczek' WitesPatryk 'Sidney' KorabMateusz 'm4tthi' SzambelanWojciech 'Prism' Zięba Maciek 'Luz' Bugaj EPG Family fnatic Rising #101 Adam 'WolfY' AnderssonMikkel 'Maze' SparvathSebastian 'volt' MaloșMatias 'Banjo' Kivistö SAW #26 Christopher 'MUTiRiS' FernandesRicardo 'roman' OliveiraTiago 'JUST' MouraJoão 'story' VieiraMichel 'ewjerkz' Pinto IHC #28 Bat-Enkh 'kabal' BatbayarTengis 'sk0R' BatjargalTuvshintugs 'Annihilation' NyamdorjGaridmagnai 'bLitz' ByambasurenSodbayar 'Techno' Munkhbold Erdenedalai 'maaRaa' Bayanbat Tricked #45 Magnus 'Nodios' OlsenOliver 'kwezz' RasmussenPhilip 'Lucky' EwaldOliver 'IceBerg' BergMathias 'PR1mE' Carlsen Philippe 'Winspai' Mølgaard Ouabaid Ihor 'w0nderful' Zhdanov Age: 18 Team: Spirit Rating 1.0: 1.18 Maps played: 241 KPR: 0.77 DPR: 0.58 Babos Fatih 'reezk' GordaNiko 'ruloN' Mylonas Leonid 'chopper' Vishnyakov Age: 25 Team: Spirit Rating 1.0: 0.97 Maps played: 1154 KPR: 0.65 DPR: 0.66 ECSTATIC #93 Jonas 'Queenix' DideriksenMarcus 'maNkz' KjeldsenCasper 'Cabbi' JensenTobias 'kraghen' Kragh JensenJason 'salazar' Salazar Eternal Fire #37 Engin 'MAJ3R' KüpeliIsmailcan 'XANTARES' DörtkardeşBuğra 'Calyx' ArkınÖmer 'imoRR' KarataşYasin 'xfl0ud' Koç Sezgin 'Fabre' Kalaycı ex-Finest #52 Janusz 'Snax' PogorzelskiSimon 'twist' EliassonNiclas 'PlesseN' PlessenOlek 'hades' MiskiewiczKristjan 'shokz' Jakobson Jędrzej 'Bogdan' Rokita Sprout #19 Ismail 'refrezh' AliFritz 'slaxz-' DietrichRasmus 'Zyphon' NordfossVictor 'Staehr' StaehrLaurențiu 'lauNX' Țârlea Danny 'BERRY' Krüger Falcons #71 Kenny 'kennyS' SchrubNathan 'NBK-' SchmittAli 'hAdji' HaïnoussKévin 'misutaaa' RabierJordan 'Python' Munck-Foehrle Steeve 'Ozstrik3r' Flavigni Permitta #49 Rafał 'iso' TyncMariusz 'casey' JarząbDawid 'Layner' FalczyńskiPatryk 'olimp' WoźniakRafał 'sNx' Snopek Mikołaj 'turtle' Dziedzic K23 #64 Rassim 'Jyo' ValijevArtem 'iDISBALANCE' EgorovDaniil 'X5G7V' MaryshevKonstantin 'Raijin' Trubarov Aset 'Solaar' Sembiyev Sangal #51 Robin 'ScrunK' RöpkeKornél 'kory' SzedlárLove 'phzy' SmidebrantCan 'kyuubii' AliCaner 'soulfly' Kesici Tugay 'TuGuX' Keskin 00NATION #36 Marcelo 'coldzera' DavidEpitacio 'TACO' de MeloEduardo 'dumau' WolkmerBruno 'latto' RebelattoSantino 'try' Rigal Olavo 'chucky' Napoleão Genk #176 Nils 'ReFuZR' GrootMilan 'CrePoW' LibbrechtJacob 'Rezst' HemmingGytis 'ryu' GlušauskasAlan 'yoom' Groot 9INE #46 Wiktor 'mynio' KrukKrzysztof 'Goofy' GórskiKamil 'KEi' PietkunKacper 'Kylar' Walukiewicz Spirit #13 Leonid 'chopper' VishnyakovBoris 'magixx' VorobievPavel 'S1ren' OgloblinRobert 'Patsi' IsyanovIhor 'w0nderful' Zhdanov Sergey 'hally' Shavaev Imperial #33 Gabriel 'FalleN' ToledoFernando 'fer' AlvarengaRicardo 'boltz' PrassMarcelo 'chelo' CespedesVinicius 'VINI' Figueiredo SINNERS #54 Tomáš 'oskar' ŠťastnýPatrik 'Zero' ŽúdelJindřich 'ZEDKO' ChybaSebastian 'beastik' DaňoMax 'SHOCK' Kvapil Tomáš 'Tomkeejs' Tomka ATK #41 Rhys 'Fadey' ArmstrongJonathan 'djay' DallalJonathan 'b0denmaster' BodenmalmMichael 'Swisher' SchmidGareth 'MisteM' Ries MIBR #32 Henrique 'HEN1' TelesRaphael 'exit' LacerdaMatheus 'Tuurtle' AnhaiaJhonatan 'JOTA' WillianBreno 'brnz4n' Poletto Bruno 'BIT' Fukuda Lima Falcons #71 Kenny 'kennyS' SchrubNathan 'NBK-' SchmittAli 'hAdji' HaïnoussKévin 'misutaaa' RabierJordan 'Python' Munck-Foehrle BLUEJAYS #38 Pavle 'stYleEeZ' StojanovskiDaniel 'dan1' GligorovAleksandar 'CacaNito' KjulukoskiDamjan 'kyxsan' StoilkovskiJane 'aidKiT' Apostoloski Antonio 'Cr0n0s' Soriano FORZE #40 Vladislav 'Krad' KravchenkoAndrey 'Jerry' MekhryakovAleksandr 'zorte' ZagodyrenkoAleksandr 'shalfey' Marenov Artem 'Fierce' Ivanov HEET #30 Audric 'JACKZ' JugAlexandre 'bodyy' PianaroThomas 'Djoko' PavoniPierre 'Ex3rcice' BulingeAurélien 'afro' Drapier Matthieu 'matHEND' Roquigny Movistar Riders #29 Alejandro 'alex' MasanetAlejandro 'mopoz' Fernández-Quejo CanoPere 'sausol' Solsona SaumellDavid 'dav1g' Granado BermudoAntonio 'MartinezSa' Martinez Galder 'bladE' Barcena Robert 'Patsi' Isyanov Age: 19 Team: Spirit Rating 1.0: 1.03 Maps played: 571 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.69 HEET #30 Audric 'JACKZ' JugAlexandre 'bodyy' PianaroThomas 'Djoko' PavoniPierre 'Ex3rcice' BulingeAurélien 'afro' Drapier Endpoint #44 Max 'MiGHTYMAX' HeathKia 'Surreal' ManGuy 'NertZ' IluzMiłosz 'mhL' KnasiakNikita 'HeavyGod' Martynenko paiN #27 Vinicios 'PKL' CoelhoWesley 'hardzao' LopesRodrigo 'biguzera' BittencourtFelipe 'skullz' MedeirosRomeu 'zevy' Rocco Movistar Riders #29 Alejandro 'alex' MasanetAlejandro 'mopoz' Fernández-Quejo CanoPere 'sausol' Solsona SaumellDavid 'dav1g' Granado BermudoAntonio 'MartinezSa' Martinez Partizan #79 Luka 'emi' VukovićLuka 'c0llins' ŽivanovićKalin 'KalubeR' ErenditsovViktor 'Duplicate' MitevMarin 'ROGA' Rogić Outsiders #2 Evgenii 'FL1T' LebedevAlexey 'Qikert' GolubevDzhami 'Jame' AliDavid 'n0rb3r7' DanielyanPetr 'fame' Bolyshev Rare Atom #111 Zhuo 'advent' LiangAndrew 'kaze' KhongYi 'JamYoung' YangJingxiang 'Mercury' WangQianhao 'Moseyuh' Chen Bad News Eagles #17 Rigon 'rigoN' GashiSener 'SENER1' MahmutiFlatron 'juanflatroo' HalimiDionis 'sinnopsyy' BudeciGenc 'gxx-' Kolgeci 1WIN #47 Egor 'flamie' VasilyevIgor 'lollipop21k' SolodkovAleksandr 'TRAVIS' TimkivAleksandr 'glowiing' MatsievichDenis 'deko' Zhukov Vadim 'MSE' Zimin Lynn Vision #57 Heng 'expro' YangZhe 'Westmelon' NiuSike 'z4kr' ZhangLizhi 'Starry' YeNiu 'Nelly' Zhe Michel 'ewjerkz' Pinto Age: 22 Team: SAW Rating 1.0: 1.05 Maps played: 208 KPR: 0.73 DPR: 0.69 FTW #68 Renato 'stadodo' GonçalvesDiogo 'DDias' DiasRafael 'arrozdoce' WingBruno 'suka' MeiraAndré 'Ag1l' Gil Rui 'vts' Soares Christopher 'MUTiRiS' Fernandes Age: 29 Team: SAW Rating 1.0: 0.99 Maps played: 1333 KPR: 0.69 DPR: 0.68 AGO #65 Damian 'Furlan' KislowskiEryk 'leman' KocębaMichał 'snatchie' RudzkiTomasz 'phr' WójcikGrzegorz 'jedqr' Jędras Mikołaj 'miNirox' Michałków Vladislav 'Krad' Kravchenko Age: 23 Team: FORZE Rating 1.0: 1.01 Maps played: 1277 KPR: 0.69 DPR: 0.68 Grayhound #31 Simon 'Sico' WilliamsJay 'Liazz' TregillgasAlistair 'aliStair' JohnstonJoshua 'INS' PotterDeclan 'Vexite' Portelli