Virtus.pro and FaZe Clan will meet in the final of the Thunderpick World Championship on Sunday after posting semifinal victories on Saturday.
Virtus.pro first had to win its quarterfinal match over Heroic, which was paused on Friday because Heroic’s players were experiencing internet connectivity issues. Virtus.pro won the first map (Vertigo) 13-11 and trailed on Overpass 9-7 when the match was paused but rallied to win 13-10 to reach the semifinals.
Virtus.pro next faced Monte and advanced 2-1, while FaZe Clan also posted a 2-1 win, eliminating Cloud 9.
Sixteen teams were divided into four double-elimination groups of four at the $500,000 event. The top two teams from each group advanced to the playoffs, a single-elimination bracket that concludes Sunday. All matches are best-of-three.
In the comeback win over Heroic, Virtus.pro’s all-Russian contingent was led by Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev, who totaled 46 kills and a +12 kills-to-deaths differential.
Against Monte, Virtus.pro opened with 13-6 win on Overpass and rebounded from a 13-8 loss on Anubis with a 19-16 victory on Mirage. Dzhami “Jame” Ali paced Virtus.pro to victory with 62 kills and a +21 K-D.
FaZe Clan advanced to the final despite dropping the first round (Overpass) 13-7. FaZe Clan posted a 13-8 win on Anubis and bounced Cloud 9 with a 13-8 victory on Ancient. Leading the way for FaZe Clan was Helvijs “broky” Saukants of Latvia, who tallied 53 kills with a +14 K-D.
The playoff stage concludes Sunday with one match:
–Virtus.pro vs. FaZe Clan (final)
Thunderpick World Championship prize pool
1. $250,000
2. $100,000
3-4. $50,000 — Cloud 9, Monte
5-8. $12,500 — BIG, Team Spirit, MOUZ, one team TBD
9-12. no prize money — Fnatic, SAW, Complexity Gaming, FURIA Esports
13-16. no prize money — Ninjas in Pyjamas, Wildcard Gaming, M80, Nouns Esports
–Field Level Media