Let’s delve into the performances of the teams that competed in the qualifiers for the Shanghai Major in European Group B.
Among the teams that achieved a flawless record (3 wins out of 3) were 3DMAX and BIG, which came as a surprise considering the presence of powerhouse teams like G2 and Spirit.
In the BO1 matches, BIG faced the Danish team Sashi, who struggled to deliver a convincing performance, and Heroic, a favorite to win. Despite expectations, Heroic couldn’t handle the German squad on the Ancient map. In the decisive 3-0 qualification match, BIG went up against the Ukrainian team Passion UA, securing a 2-1 victory.
The standout player for BIG during this stage was Florian “syrsoN” Richet, who maintained consistent positive stats across all games, contributing significantly to the team’s success.
The French team 3DMAX also surprised everyone by finishing the stage with a 3-0 record. In the BO1 matches, they narrowly defeated TSM and Eternal Fire, with scores of 13-11 and 19-16 respectively.
Their real challenge came in the BO3 series against G2, where they demonstrated remarkable resilience. After losing their map pick, Anubis (5-13), 3DMAX regrouped and dominated G2 on their own pick, Dust2, with a commanding 13-6 victory. Notably, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov had one of his weakest performances on Dust2, ending with a K/D ratio of 5-14.
The decider map was fiercely contested, with the winner only emerging in the final round of regulation. Key contributions came from Lucas “Lucky” Chastang and Bryan “Maka” Canda, who both delivered nearly 60 frags across the three maps, propelling their team to a sensational victory.
Virtus.pro, G2, and Heroic also advanced to the next stage with 3-1 records. Here’s a breakdown of their paths:
The last two teams to qualify for the Major were Spirit and the surprise standout of the stage, Passion UA.
B8 and PARIVISION were eliminated without securing any wins.
Aurora, TSM, and Eternal Fire exited the tournament after finishing with a 1-3 record.
Four teams narrowly missed qualification: 9 Pandas, Astralis, Sashi, and Ninjas in Pyjamas, all finishing with a 2-3 record.