G2 Esports and Heroic each won two matches on Monday to reach the Group A upper-bracket final of the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas.
The $250,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event opened on Monday with 16 teams divided into two double-elimination groups. The opening matches consisted of a single map, while all remaining matches in the tournament are best-of-three.
The group winners will head straight to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoffs. The second-place teams in each group will be high seeds in the quarterfinals, and the third-place teams in each group will be low seeds in the quarterfinals.
The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, with the champion receiving $100,000, 2,400 BLAST Premier points and a berth in the $1 million Intel Extreme Masters Cologne, scheduled for July 25-Aug. 6 in Germany.
In Group A, G2 Esports opened with a 16-5 rout of Nouns Esports on Inferno, then swept OG 2-0, taking Mirage 16-2 and Inferno 16-9.
Heroic downed 9z Team 16-9 on Mirage, then swept MOUZ 16-6 on Mirage and 16-10 on Overpass.
OG won their opener against FURIA Esports, 16-14 on Inferno. MOUZ started with a 16-9 triumph on Nuke against Fnatic.
In Group A lower-bracket first-round play, FURIA swept Nouns in two maps, 16-4 on Inferno, 16-3 on Anubis. 9z Team emerged with a 2-1 win over Fnatic, sandwiching a 16-14 victory on Nuke and a 16-9 win on Ancient around a 16-12 defeat on Overpass.
Group B held only the opening round on Monday.
FaZe Clan edged Evil Geniuses 19-17 in overtime on Mirage. ENCE whipped Complexity Gaming 16-7 on Nuke. Astralis nipped Team Liquid 19-17 in overtime on Overpass, and Cloud9 demolished Grayhound Gaming 16-2 on Ancient.
Six matches are scheduled for Tuesday:
–Group B upper-bracket semifinal: FaZe Clan vs. ENCE
–Group B upper-bracket semifinal: Astralis vs. Cloud9
–Group A lower-bracket semifinal: OG vs. 9z Team
–Group A lower-bracket semifinal: MOUZ vs. Furia Esports
–Group B lower-bracket quarterfinal: Evil Geniuses vs. Complexity Gaming
–Group B lower-bracket quarterfinal: Team Liquid vs. Grayhound Gaming
Intel Extreme Masters Dallas prize pool and BLAST Premier points distribution:
1. $100,000, 2,400 points, berth in Intel Extreme Masters Cologne
2. $42,000, 1,200 points
3-4. $20,000, 750 points
5-6. $10,000, 225 points
7-8. $6,000, 225 points
9-12. $5,000, no points
13-16. $4,000, no points — Nouns Esports, Fnatic
–Field Level Media