BIG to focus on CT after FISSURE Playground exit

BIG were eliminated last at FISSURE Playground 3 in China after a 2-0 loss to BETBOOM on Sept. 8 and a 2-1 defeat to G2 on Sept. 9. The German side exited the event without a meaningful result and now has fewer opportunities to add VRS points ahead of the PGL Major in Singapore.

Coach Sebastian ‘xenn’ Hoch called out the team’s CT performance as the main issue. ‘Our CT sides were not good today. Our communication was not good enough. We had the good reads, but we couldn’t get it over the line,’ he said, while noting their T-side play held up better, with Cache playing well and a late comeback on Ancient providing some positives.

Hoch pointed to inconsistent communications and unexpected in-game situations that did not appear in practice. The staff and players plan to rewatch problem rounds to identify fixes and will concentrate training on CT structure and coordination in the next practice block. After a short break, BIG will take two weeks of practice ahead of the Stake Ranked series, which the team views as its main path to collect VRS points.

BIG currently sit 10th in Europe with roughly a 100-point cushion above the qualifying cut, though several teams below them still have LAN results available that could affect the standings. This summer the roster finished 5-8th at the XSE Pro League and advanced through a difficult EWC play-in to the main event, where they faced opponents including G2 and Spirit.

Hoch recalled the team had limited prep after the player break — ‘we had, after the player break, six or seven practice days’ — and said that the immediate plan is to correct CT and communication issues rather than change the roster. BIG will use the upcoming Stake Ranked events to try to regain momentum in the Major qualification race.