This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
The action was heated all afternoon during Day 3 of the ELEAGUE Major Qualifier, as Saturday saw teams from across the spectrum battle for the right to qualify for the ELEAGUE Major in January. After the dust settled, GODSENT and FaZe Clan punched their tickets to the Major and will get to kick back and watch Sunday's action from the green room. Meanwhile, Renegades and Team Spirit both lost their games and were sent packing.
The day started out with G2 Esports dominating Vega Squadron in one of the most lopsided matches of the day. Vega Squadron certainly was feeling confident after the 4-0 start but fell flat on their faces from that point on. They would only win two more rounds the whole match as G2 went on a 16-2 run to take the map. Richard "shox" Papillon came up in a huge way with a 27/12 KD (kills/deaths) and a massive 122.3 ADR (average damage per round).
The next match between GODSENT and HellRaisers was a bit closer, which was understandable given that this was the first matchup of the day between two 2-0 teams. The teams went back and forth during the first half, with HellRaisers taking an 8-7 lead into the half. It was all GODSENT in the second half, as they blitzed their way to a 16-11 win that propelled them straight into the Major. Jesper "JW" Wecksell's play with the AWP in this match was a big reason the team was able to outlast HellRaisers in the end.
mousesports continued to ride their comeback train with another strong win, this time against the Chinese team TyLoo. Saying mousesports earned a strong win might be underselling their performance, as they played as if they had a personal vendetta against TyLoo, trouncing the team in a 16-3 win on Train. TyLoo was completely bogged down, with only two players getting double digits in kills.
In the first elimination match of the day, Cloud9 handled business against Renegades. North American's hopes and dreams live to see another day as Cloud9 took a 16-8 win. Timothy "autimatic" Ta shined yet again, this time going 29/10. Cloud9 still has a long road ahead in order to qualify for the major, as they will have to win from here on out in order to qualify.
It was then OpTic Gaming's turn to continue their march through the qualifier, earning a win over Ninjas in Pyjamas in a match that never really felt in doubt. While NiP got out to an early 6-4 lead, OpTic put it into overdrive from there. They won 12 of the next 15 rounds to take down the pajama-clad ninjas in a 16-9 series.
Counter Logic Gaming, the third North American team that rarely gets a second look, then took the stage and promptly showed everyone why they get overlooked. Matched up against Team Dignitas, they kept the game close at the start, even taking a 4-3 lead after seven rounds before being completely picked apart by the Danes. Emil "Magiskb0Y" Reif, who is back in the lineup after missing the ECS Finals due to a school-related conflict, led the way with a 29/10 KD and 116.9 ADR. CLG must win its next two matches to qualify, while Dignitas just needs one more win.
The last elimination match of the day was between Team EnVyUs and Team Spirit, and there was a clear gap between the two teams in this match. Team Spirit very much looked like a team who was just happy to be there, as they put together just two round wins in the match, both in the first half. Dan "apEX" Madesclaire was the top man for EnVyUs in the dominating performance with a 23/9 KD.
The final game of the day starred two 2-0 teams, FaZe Clan and Immortals. FaZe Clan started out with a strong 7-3 lead before Immortals battled back to make it 8-7 going into the half. The second half was all FaZe, as their CT-side was impeccable on their way to a 16-11 victory that secured their spot in the ELeague Major in January.
Twelve teams are now left standing for the final day of competition at the ELEAGUE Major Qualifier. The action kicks off once again at 10 a.m. ET with what should be an exciting matchup between OpTic Gaming and HellRaisers, the winner of which will be the third team through to the Major.
