ATK and Rugratz secure final MSI MGA closed qualifier spots
The final MSI MGA qualifier has concluded with ATK and Rugratz securing the last two slots in the closed qualifier. A total of 50 teams participated in the last qualifier, with the second iteration fielding 47 teams and the first featuring 57.
Featuring a modified lineup with the addition of Ian "motm" Hardy, ATK had a flawless run through the bracket, denying any of their opponents double-digit rounds on their road to a spot in the top two. Final Feature met them in the semifinals, but found themselves unable to break through ATK's defense on Dust2 as the majority-South African side secured a 16-2 victory. Notably, ATK worked their way through opposing seeds in perfect order, first defeating the 32nd seeded team before going on to notch wins over seeds 16, 8, and 4.
Final FeatureATK| Final Feature |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Malick 'dangle' Abid |
9 - 16 | -7 | 64.0 | 50.0% | 0.74 |
| Brenden 'stellar' McGrath |
11 - 18 | -7 | 77.8 | 55.6% | 0.66 |
 Shawn 'Magowi' O'Malley |
7 - 16 | -9 | 61.6 | 55.6% | 0.56 |
| Austin 'RenZ' Dickman |
9 - 15 | -6 | 51.8 | 38.9% | 0.53 |
| Rahul 'curry' Nemani |
7 - 18 | -11 | 57.5 | 44.4% | 0.52 |
| ATK |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian 'motm' Hardy |
24 - 6 | +18 | 134.3 | 94.4% | 2.19 |
 Roberto 'blackpoisoN' Dall'Occo |
23 - 9 | +14 | 113.8 | 100.0% | 1.93 |
| Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou |
15 - 9 | +6 | 81.7 | 77.8% | 1.37 |
| Dominic 'Domsterr' Sampaio |
8 - 9 | -1 | 52.7 | 94.4% | 1.12 |
| Rhys 'Fadey' Armstrong |
12 - 10 | +2 | 79.3 | 77.8% | 1.12 |
On the opposite side of the bracket, second seed Bushido Boyz were not so lucky, initially notching wins over Cursed Ascension and Tiny Meat Gang to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. There, they met Alexander "zander" Diaz's Rugratz, who had been given a deceivingly low seed at 26, allowing them easy wins in their two opening matchups before they dispatched of Bushido Boyz 16-5 on Nuke to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Their opponents were none other than The Quest, featuring Matthew "mCe" Elmore as a stand-in for Gabe "Spongey" Greiner. The team had worked their way through the bracket by notching an early 16-2 victory over Good Game PR before defeating Man I Love Fragging 16-4. mCe and company's first true contention came in their quarterfinal matchup against Variance, with the team fighting back from a 6-9 opening half to edge out the victory 16-13.
The semifinal between Rugratz and The Quest proved to be nowhere near as close, with zander's side managing eight rounds on the T-side on Overpass before giving up just a single round following the side swap for a 16-8 victory. zander topped the board for his side with 23 frags, although a trio of his teammates in Joshua "Hunter" Madore, Erik "bul" Penny, and Paytyn "Junior" Johnson were not far behind with 19 to each of their names.
RugratzThe Quest| Rugratz |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paytyn 'junior' Johnson |
19 - 11 | +8 | 71.8 | 83.3% | 1.38 |
| Erik 'penny' Penny |
19 - 14 | +5 | 89.4 | 70.8% | 1.31 |
| Alexander 'zanz' Diaz |
23 - 18 | +5 | 90.2 | 54.2% | 1.29 |
| Joshua 'Hunter' Madore |
19 - 15 | +4 | 85.6 | 75.0% | 1.27 |
| David 'cynic' Polster |
9 - 16 | -7 | 55.9 | 70.8% | 0.84 |
| The Quest |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan 'Voltage' Long |
17 - 16 | +1 | 73.8 | 66.7% | 1.07 |
| Jack 'xCeeD' Holiman |
14 - 19 | -5 | 66.5 | 66.7% | 0.96 |
| Matthew 'mCe' Elmore |
13 - 17 | -4 | 76.8 | 58.3% | 0.83 |
| Ryan 'Snakes' Amann |
15 - 17 | -2 | 65.3 | 50.0% | 0.82 |
| Michael 'Grim' Wince |
15 - 20 | -5 | 61.3 | 70.8% | 0.78 |
The complete team list for the MSI MGA closed qualifier is:
| Envy |
Lazarus |
| Riot Squad |
New Identity |
| Peeker's Advantage |
nambla |
| ATK |
Rugratz |
The MSI MGA closed qualifier will play out in a single-elimination best-of-three bracket on August 10th, with the champion earning a spot at the $60,000 Grand Finals at the Barclays Center during ESL One New York on September 29th.
