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Astralis came in as the favorites to win the 2022 Rainbow Six Berlin Major with moneyline odds of +600 on BetOnline. Unfortunately, their time in Berlin has come to an end as they failed to advance past Group D.
The North America-based team has had an exceptional 2022 so far. They won the NAL Stage 1 and 2, and were finalists in the Charlotte Major, losing the grand final 3-2 to DarkZero Esports.
However, after six games in Group D, they mustered only one overtime victory. Among the 16 teams that participated in group stage action, Astralis had the worst record (0-1-1-4) with only three points.
Meanwhile, eight teams have advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The remaining eight have been eliminated from the competition.
Elevate were the first team to qualify for the playoffs. They had a blazing start in Group D, winning their first three games comfortably while the fourth was in overtime. However, they lost both matches on the final playday to lose their top spot in the group.
FURIA Esports closed the group stage with a bang, decimating Elevate and Astralis on playday 3. They finished top of the group with 13 points.
In Group A, XSET had a dominant showing, recording only one loss throughout the group stage action. With 15 points, they sealed their spot in the playoffs and will be accompanied by Rogue who finished with 11 points.
G2 Esports and FaZe Clan are the teams that advanced from Group B. SANDBOX Gaming and surprise entrants Soniqs crashed out of the group.
W7m esports recorded the best record in the Berlin Major group stage, with only one overtime loss at the hands of Wolves Esports. They finished with 16 points and will be representing Group C alongside Wolves.
Action will resume on August 19 for the quarterfinals matchups. w7m will commence proceedings against Elevate, while XSET will square off against Wolves shortly after.
The remaining quarterfinals matchups will see G2 and Rogue slug it out. The last fixture will see two Brazilian heavyweights FaZe and FURIA go against each other.
The remaining teams will be fighting for the top prize of $200,000 and 375 Six Invitational points. FaZe looks the favorite to win following Astralis’ departure.
Although they failed to qualify for the Charlotte Major, they won the 2021 Sweden Major. They also finished third in the 2022 Invitational and came into the Berlin Major as the stage 2 Copa Elite Six champions.
With the event following a single-elimination format, whoever loses their quarterfinals match will be out of the competition.
All but one APAC team crashed out during the group stage, with the NA teams suffering the same fate. The playoffs are dominated by European and Brazilian teams, who each have three representatives in the tournament.
