Cloud9 and FURIA Esports were the first two teams from the Legends Stage to punch their tickets to the Champions Stage following wins Sunday at the Intel Extreme Masters XVII Rio Major in Rio de Janeiro.
In Round 3’s two High Matches, Cloud9 beat Heroic 2-0 and FURIA defeated BIG by the same margin.
Also Sunday, Bad News Eagles defeated FaZe Clan 2-1 and Sprout toppled Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0 in the two Round 3 Low Matches. FaZe and NiP were eliminated from the tournament.
The $1.25 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with 24 teams — 16 from Europe, six from the Americas and two from Asia-Pacific. Eight teams were seeded straight into the second round, called the Legends Stage. The other 16 teams competed in the Challengers Stage for the final eight berths in the Legends Stage.
The Challenge Stage used the Swiss system in which teams are reseeded after each round, with winners facing off in “high” matches the following round, and losers advancing to “low” matches. Early rounds consisted of a single map, while all elimination and advancement matches were best-of-three. The same procedures will be used in the Legends Stage, which runs from Saturday through Tuesday.
The playoffs, which will consist of single-elimination quarterfinals, semifinals and final, are set for Nov. 10-13. All playoff matches will be best-of-three.
The winning team will earn $500,000, 4,000 BLAST Premier ranking points and automatic berths in the BLAST Premier World Final, scheduled for Dec. 14-18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, set for Jan. 31-Feb. 12 in Poland.
Cloud9 took care of Heroic by winning 16-9 on both Vertigo and Inferno. Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov of Russia starred for Cloud9 with 53 kills and a plus-31 kills-to-deaths differential.
FURIA beat BIG 16-9 on Nuke and 16-6 on Vertigo. Yuri “yuurih” Santos of Brazil led the way for FURIA with 49 kills and a plus-26 K-D.
Bad News Eagles needed overtime for both their map victories over FaZe. They opened with a 19-16 win on Vertigo, dropped a 16-8 decision on Nuke and fought out a 22-20 win on Mirage to clinch the match. Flatron “juanflatroo” Halimi of Kosovo had 80 kills and a plus-9 to carry Bad News Eagles.
Sprout won 16-11 on Vertigo and 16-14 on Ancient to eliminate NiP. Denmark’s Rasmus “Zyphon” Nordfoss led Sprout with 53 kills on a plus-16.
In four Round 3 Mid Matches, Team Liquid beat Natus Vincere 16-14 on Ancient; MOUZ outlasted Team Vitality 19-17 on Mirage; Outsiders edged Team Spirit 16-14 on Dust II; and Fnatic defeated ENCE 16-7 on Nuke.
Action continues Monday with six matches:
–MOUZ vs. Outsiders (Round 4 High)
–BIG vs. Fnatic (Round 4 High)
–Heroic vs. Team Liquid (Round 4 High)
–Natus Vincere vs. Bad News Eagles (Round 4 Low)
–ENCE vs. Team Vitality (Round 4 Low)
–Team Spirit vs. Sprout (Round 4 Low)
Intel Extreme Masters XVII Rio Major: Legends Stage standings
T1. FURIA Esports 3-0 (advanced to Champions Stage)
T1. Cloud9 3-0 (advanced to Champions Stage)
T3. Heroic 2-1
T3. BIG 2-1
T3. MOUZ 2-1
T3. Team Liquid 2-1
T3. Outsiders 2-1
T3. Fnatic 2-1
T9. Natus Vincere 1-2
T9. ENCE 1-2
T9. Team Spirit 1-2
T9. Sprout 1-2
T9. Team Vitality 1-2
T9. Bad News Eagles 1-2
T15. FaZe Clan 0-3 (eliminated)
T15. Ninjas in Pyjamas 0-3 (eliminated)
Intel Extreme Masters XVII Rio Major prize pool:
1. $500,000, 4,000 BLAST Premier points
2. $170,000, 2,000 BLAST Premier points
3-4. $80,000, 1,250 BLAST Premier points
5-8. $45,000, 500 BLAST Premier points
9-11. $20,000
12-14. $20,000
15-16. FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas — $20,000
17-19. 9z Team, Team GamerLegion, OG — $10,000
20-22. Evil Geniuses, Grayhound Gaming, IHC Esports — $10,000
23-24. Imperial Esports, 00 Nation — $10,000
–Field Level Media