What to expect from Complexity v. Imperial

The last time that these two met in an elimination match, it was Imperial denying Complexity a chance to attend the IEM Rio Major as they defeated them 2-1 in the Americas RMR. It was a crushing defeat for the American side as they needed the win to continue what was shaping up to be a bounce-back season, but for Imperial, it was everything as Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo was playing in front of his home crowd in the biggest event ever in Brazil. Now? Well, it's not only a time of revenge for Complexity but also a time to prove that Katowice was not a fluke. For Imperial, they need to show that this is a different team with enhanced firepower.

Complexity needs some help

An underwhelming performance from the Americans reached its apex during the match against Movistar Riders when they made history by becoming the first team to lose a 10-0 lead on the T-side of Ancient. The monumental collapse was uncharacteristic of a squad that has shown strength against some of the top teams in the world at IEM Katowice, so for this squad to be crumbling at crucial moments is worrying.

• FaNg underperforming, posting a 0.95 rating and 0.97 impact rating

• hallzerk carrying team with 1.14 rating and 0.61 DPR

• Grim has 61.5% success on T-side opening kills

• JT flashes super effective - 2.23s on average

Imperial marching on

Imperial wasn't expected to come in and be dominant in Pro League, but losing to a team like SAW, especially with a revamped lineup featuring Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes, was unprecedented. Losing to FURIA is an acceptable result, but their 2-1 loss to SAW has got to hurt. Now, they find themselves having to face a Complexity team that is coming off a stunning Katowice and they are now fighting for their lives after an embarrassing defeat to Movistar Riders. If there was ever a time for Imperial to dig deep and find strength from within, now is that time.

• Overpass game is strong, but is also Complexity's best map.

• chelo underperforming with a 0.90 CT-side rating at EPL

• VINI crushing opening kills with a 61.5% success

Previous Matchups

The last and only time that these teams played one another is in the aforementioned IEM Rio Major Americas RMR elimination match that saw Complexity go home and Imperial go home, just to play in front of their crowd. It was a tough, drawn-out game with Overpass going deep into overtime while Inferno and Nuke nearly went the full distance. This game should be hotly contested with both sides having a passion-fueled game that will likely devolve into relying on individual plays rather than a conquest of tactics. Expect it to get sluggy, weird, and someone to be shouting a lot.

Likely Vetoes

These vetos are going to be wicked interesting, but I don't know if either side will choose Nuke or Overpass since both are comfortable on them. Instead of playing to their strengths, I could imagine each team trying to play to the other's weakness. There are so many probabilities and questions as to how this could play out, none of which appear straightforward. That said, here is how it might play out:

• Imperial ban Anubis, permaban

• Complexity ban Mirage, permaban

• Imperial pick Overpass, Play to your strengths.

• Complexity pick Ancient, Imperial played 2 times last three months

• Imperial ban Nuke, Complexity are strong

• Complexity ban Vertigo, pick Inferno as the decider

Grudge Match Special

This is, overall, a tough game for both sides. Imperial seem to be underperforming while Complexity are definitely losing to themselves. Complexity certainly want their revenge against Imperial for knocking them out of Major contention while Imperial need to show they're still one of the top dogs.