Vega Squadron narrowly overcome Liquid, qualify for Major
The first round four 2-1 games saw Liquid take on the successful upset machine of Vega Squadron. With the winner going to the Major, the two sides took battle on Mirage.
Liquid began their CT-side with the pistol round, but a Vega eco saw the Russian side instantly get onto the board. Vega pushed on to take three rounds before Liquid returned fire, but instantly saw a reply. But Liquid weren't closed off just yet as the Americans took four in a row to get back into the game.
With Liquid looking high on momentum, Vega's forcebuy proved just too much for Liquid as they pushed on to the half with a large advantage, thanks to many multi-kill rounds from Leonid "chopper" Vishnyakov. Vega were 9-6 up going into the second half.
Vega started their CT-side off with the pistol round, but Liquid gave them a taste of their own medicine by taking the second round on an eco. With Nick "nitr0" Cannella waking up and taking his team through the half, seeing Liquid go ahead thanks to six consecutive rounds.
With Liquid looking as if they're about to run off into the sunset, Vega managed to secure another round before Liquid reset them in the following round, thanks to a disgusting pistol 1v1 between Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski and Nikolay "mir" Bityukov. Vega weren't to let Liquid gain too much ground as they managed to secure an eco round.
Vega evened the game up at 13-13, before Liquid returned fire to narrowly stay ahead. Vega followed suit by taking the following round, as well as taking match point which sent Liquid to an eco. From there it was an easy finish for Vega Squadron, taking the game 16-14.
LiquidVega Squadron| Liquid |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nick 'nitr0' Cannella |
29 - 19 | +10 | 95.7 | 73.3% | 1.40 |
| Jonathan 'EliGE' Jablonowski |
20 - 18 | +2 | 80.7 | 63.3% | 1.08 |
 Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken |
15 - 22 | -7 | 56.1 | 73.3% | 0.90 |
| Josh 'jdm64' Marzano |
18 - 23 | -5 | 67.4 | 60.0% | 0.86 |
 Wilton 'zews' Prado |
14 - 21 | -7 | 50.8 | 66.7% | 0.78 |
| Vega Squadron |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Leonid 'chopper' Vishnyakov |
35 - 18 | +17 | 122.6 | 76.7% | 1.80 |
| Nikolay 'mir' Bityukov |
25 - 19 | +6 | 89.9 | 66.7% | 1.22 |
| Pavel 'hutji' Lashkov |
17 - 20 | -3 | 66.9 | 76.7% | 0.98 |
| Sergey 'keshandr' Nikishin |
13 - 20 | -7 | 46.7 | 76.7% | 0.82 |
 Dmitriy 'jR' Chervak |
13 - 19 | -6 | 44.5 | 60.0% | 0.72 |
This result sees Vega Squadron become the third team to qualify for the Major, and sends Liquid to a 2-2 game. The next game will be FaZe up against Na`Vi, and the next North American-based team in action will be Renegades facing off against Sprout.
