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Vitality and The MongolZ have made history, becoming the first teams to secure their spots in the playoffs at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, each with impressive victories in the elimination stage.
For Vitality, the European Counter-Strike powerhouse has been unstoppable, continuing their undefeated run in the elimination stage after a dominant 2-0 victory over MIBR.
Meanwhile, The MongolZ made history as the first team from Asia to reach the playoffs of a Major, with an emotional 2-1 win over HEROIC to cap off their dream run.
Vitality entered the elimination stage in top form, securing their place in the playoffs with dominant wins over FURIA (16-13) and MIBR (13-3, 13-5).
The French squad, led by captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, delivered flawless performances across both maps, with every player stepping up in key moments.
#ShanghaiMajor2024 Vitality defeats MIBR 2-0, becoming the first team to advance to the playoffs!
More Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/H2JeAW0RUv
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) December 6, 2024
MIBR had no answer for Vitality’s cohesion and sharp decision-making, as they were crushed on Mirage, with Vitality only conceding a single gun round in a 13-3 domination.
Anubis proved to be just as one-sided, with MIBR unable to make any headway on either side of the map.
For Vitality, this victory secures them a spot in the playoffs, where they will look to continue their flawless form.
The major takeaway from their performance is their team synergy and individual brilliance, with players like Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and apEX showing why they are among the best in the world.
The MongolZ, who had already stunned many with their 3-0 run through the opening and elimination stages, secured their playoff berth with a hard-fought 2-1 win over HEROIC.
This victory is historic for Asian Counter-Strike, as The MongolZ become the first team from the region to reach the playoffs of a Major, a landmark achievement for the Asian scene.
#ShanghaiMajor2024 Elimination Stage 2-0 Bracket:
The MongolZ 2-1 Heroic, advancing to the Champions Stage with a flawless 3-0 record!More Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/ZZVSDtgPzs
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) December 6, 2024
The MongolZ have been a dominant force throughout the tournament, and their win against HEROIC was a testament to their skill and resilience.
After losing Mirage (13-8) to HEROIC, The MongolZ bounced back in the second map, Anubis, where they fought off a late surge from HEROIC to secure a 16-14 win.
Despite HEROIC’s best efforts to mount a comeback after a dreadful 11-3 start, The MongolZ held their nerve in overtime to win 19-16.
Finally, in the decider on Ancient, The MongolZ stormed to an 8-4 lead before closing it out in convincing fashion, winning 16-10.
This victory confirmed their status as a serious contender in the Major, and fans can now look forward to them in the playoff bracket.
Meanwhile, Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) are on the brink of elimination after a rough couple of days in Shanghai.
After an underwhelming start in the 1-1 pool, where they were handed a crushing defeat by Spirit, Na’Vi now find themselves needing two consecutive victories to qualify for the playoffs.
In other elimination matches, Liquid secured a crucial victory over FURIA to inch closer to the playoffs.
After a strong first half on Inferno, where they held off FURIA’s early momentum, Liquid took control of the game in the second half, aided by aggressive plays from Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis.
The Brazilians were able to equalize after a pistol round win, but Liquid’s superior economy and map control allowed them to take the series 2-0.
FaZe Clan and G2 Esports, both of whom had shaky starts to the elimination stage, also secured important victories.
FaZe faced off against MOUZ, who had an early advantage after a strong T-side performance, but FaZe’s seasoned roster showed their quality in the second half to secure a 13-10 win.
G2, after a rocky start in their opener against The MongolZ, rebounded with a solid performance against 3DMAX, securing a 13-8 win on Ancient thanks to crucial clutches from Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski.
Both teams are now just one series away from securing a playoff spot.
Wildcard’s fairytale run came to an end in a 2-1 loss to GamerLegion.
After a strong start to the elimination stage, where Wildcard upset Liquid and 9z, the pressure finally caught up with the North American squad.
#ShanghaiMajor2024 Elimination Stage 0-2 Bracket:
GamerLegion 2-1 WildcardMore Moments here: https://t.co/ng05IqwNa8 pic.twitter.com/SBsBXZUNY8
— CS_PerfectWorld (@CS_PerfectWorld) December 6, 2024
Skipper Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz admitted that his team struggled to handle the weight of the moment, especially in key rounds.
Wildcard can hold their heads high after their impressive run, but it wasn’t to be as they were eliminated from the tournament.
paiN Gaming also kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win over BIG in the 0-2 pool.
After losses to MOUZ and 3DMAX, paiN needed to win this series to stay in contention, and they did so in dramatic fashion. On Vertigo, paiN fought tooth and nail to edge out BIG 13-10, before falling short on Dust2 (13-15).
However, paiN rebounded on Mirage, dominating the map with a 13-6 victory to send BIG packing.
Despite sitting at a precarious 1-2 record, paiN will now have at least one more chance to continue their run in Shanghai.
Saturday’s elimination stage matches
- G2 Esports (-188.68) vs FaZe Clan (+137) @ 11am CST
- MOUZ (-400) vs 3DMAX (+275) @ 11am CST
- MIBR (+162) vs Team Liquid (-227.27) @ 2pm CST
- Natus Vincere (-833.33) vs GamerLegion (+450) @ 2pm CST
- FURIA Esports (-138.89) vs paiN Gaming (+100) @ 5pm CST
- Team Spirit (-227.27) vs HEROIC (+162) @ 5pm CST
