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The Perfect World Shanghai Major qualification journey came to a thrilling conclusion in Europe RMR A, with high-stakes matches determining the final teams to secure their spots.
BetBoom Team ousted SAW in a 2-0 series (13-9 on Vertigo, 13-9 on Ancient) in the 2-2 pool, denying the Portuguese squad their Major dreams.
#ShanghaiMajor2024 Europe RMR Group A 2-2 Bracket: BetBoom defeats SAW 2-0, eliminating SAW with a 2-3 record, while BetBoom's qualification is still pending the remaining matches.
More Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/LYLy5UGdSv
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) November 20, 2024
Despite their win, BetBoom’s journey wasn’t over, as their Buchholz score required them to fight for the seventh and final RMR spot at the Counter-Strike 2 Major later in the day.
SAW’s campaign was rocky, starting with a loss to SINNERS Esports before rebounding against UNiTY esports and Team Falcons.
However, back-to-back defeats to Natus Vincere and BetBoom ended their hopes.
Despite an earlier ESL Challenger Katowice triumph with newcomer André “Ag1l” Gil, SAW’s lack of defensive cohesion and tactical depth proved costly, particularly on Vertigo, where they failed to secure a single counter-terrorist round.
BetBoom showcased exceptional composure, with Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov leading the charge on Vertigo to secure a 10-round streak comeback, and Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin and zorte dominating on Ancient to seal the victory.
Fnatic narrowly qualified for the Major with a nail-biting 2-1 win over Dynamo Eclot (13-4 Ancient, 11-13 Inferno, 19-17 Nuke).
Benjamin “blameF” Bremer delivered a heroic performance, tallying 103.3 ADR, 12 opening duels without loss, and a 1.59 rating on Nuke.
Fnatic defeats ECLOT 2-1 in overtime, securing a spot at the #ShanghaiMajor2024 with a 3-2 record in Europe RMR Group A and the highest Buchholz score!
More Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/Rif3TwEOKP
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) November 20, 2024
The series was a rollercoaster.
Fnatic dominated on Ancient but stumbled on Inferno due to repeated defensive lapses.
Nuke, the decider, saw Eclot come within inches of victory, but Fnatic clawed back from a 12-15 deficit, surviving double overtime to secure their Major berth.
“From chokers to qualifiers,” said a relieved Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro, emphasising the mental toll and resilience it took to overcome the challenges.
GamerLegion claimed the final Shanghai Major spot after a 2-1 (12-16 on Ancient, 13-5 on Nuke and 13-9 on Mirage) victory over BetBoom in the seventh-place decider.
The young squad’s run, starting with a 0-2 record, culminated in a remarkable comeback with wins over UNiTY, Falcons, SINNERS, and finally BetBoom.
GamerLegion defeats BB 2-1 and qualifies for the #ShanghaiMajor2024!
Vitality, MOUZ, NAVI, FaZe, Cloud9, Fnatic, and GL have all secured their spots from Europe RMR Group A. Congratulations to all!🥳
Tomorrow at 12:00 PM, Europe RMR Group B will kick off. Stay tuned!More… pic.twitter.com/RDylWNF9QY
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) November 20, 2024
BetBoom took Ancient after GamerLegion squandered an 11-5 lead.
However, GamerLegion bounced back with a dominant Nuke showing and edged out BetBoom in a tense Mirage decider, thanks to Timur “FL4MUS” Marev’s aggression and key late-round plays.
For GamerLegion, this marked a milestone as four rookies—FL4MUS, Henrich “sl3nd” Hevesi, Sebastian “Tauson” Tauson, and Erik “ztr” Gustafsson—earned their first Major appearances.
“This is my life,” said an emotional ztr, reflecting on the team’s resilience and energy.
BetBoom’s loss was heartbreaking, particularly for nafany, who fell just short of Major qualification yet again, continuing a streak of near-misses from past campaigns.
The Perfect World Shanghai Major Europe B RMR kicks off on Thursday, November 21, with each of the 16 teams playing their first two best-of-one matches.
