This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
The action concluded on Day 4 of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ELEAGUE Major Qualifier in Atlanta, and Sunday brought some of the best matches of the week to determine the final six Challenger spots for the ELEAGUE Major in January. When all was said and done, EnVyUs, mousesports, Dignitas, OpTic Gaming, G2 and HellRaisers all earned their spots in the Major.
OpTic Gaming and HellRaisers traded rounds on Train to start their match on the final day of the ELEAGUE Major qualifier in Round 4. However, Will "RUSH" Wierzba's three kills in the second pistol round for OpTic Gaming, as well as an anti-eco round win, set the tone for the remainder of the second half. OpTic stood strong on the defense to hold off HellRaisers 16-10, grabbing the third qualifier spot for the Major come January.
The following match featured Dignitas, which assured its rightful place in the Major by beating G2 on Nuke. Cédric "RpK" Guipouy started the match off well with a triple kill, securing the first pistol round for G2. They parlayed that advantage into a 7-2 lead before the Danes responded with four round wins of their own to make it 9-6 at the half. Ruben "RUBINO" Villarroel then propelled his team in the second half as he opened with a spectacular triple kill that secured the second pistol round. G2 was unable to win a single round on Dignitas' defense as the Danes secured the fourth Major spot, earning a 16-9 blowout win.
Dignitas' second-half blowout wasn't the only one Sunday; Vega Squadron had one of its own against the CS:GO legends Ninjas in Pyjamas. The Russians came out looking strong, winning the first five rounds, immediately putting NiP on notice. Adam "friberg" Friberg tried to rally his team for a short comeback after a clutch 1-vs-3 to give his team a round on the board, but it wasn't enough. NiP looked frighteningly bad, as Vega Squadron would amass a devastating 16-2 upset win to eliminate the Ninjas in Pyjamas.
In yet another dominating match, mousesports cruised through Immortals, at one point sporting a 12-0 lead. Immortals kept their hopes alive by squeezing out the last three rounds of the first half, but the Germans refused to let anyone past them in the second half, earning a convincing 16-3 win to earn their spot into the ELeague Major.
After eliminating TyLoo earlier in the day, EnVyUs started off against Vega Squadron. Opening up with a pistol-round win as well as two anti-eco rounds to follow, EnVyUs seemed to be in firm control up 7-2. Vega Squadron flipped the script, however, winning six straight rounds to close out the half ahead 8-7. The second half would be just as closely contested as the first, with each team jockeying for any sort of momentum. It was Dan "apEX" Madesclaire winning an all-important round for EnVyUs with a triple kill that ended up being the turning point in the match, as EnVyUs eventually secured a 16-12 win and a spot in January's Major.
G2 would take the stage one more time to square off against Immortals in the second-to-last elimination match of the day. Immortals quickly took control of the first half, winning seven rounds to take a commanding 11-4 lead at the break. However, a triple kill by Edouard "SmithZz" Dubourdeaux in the second half helped spur G2 forward as the French squad slowly started to retake momentum until ultimately forcing an overtime. Three big rounds victories in the first half of overtime all but guaranteed the victory as G2 would eventually lock up a spot in Major with a 19-17 win.
The last match of the day would decide the eighth and final spot for the ELEAGUE Major, as Cloud9 and HellRaisers duked it out on Overpass. The North Americans closed out the first half up 9-6; however, HellRaisers took on the second half with a vengeance, immediately jumping out to a 13-9 lead thanks to Vladyslav "bondik" Nechyporchuk's triple kill in a 2-vs-3 situation. Cloud9 clawed back to even things out 13-13 by winning four straight, but was then shut out by HellRaisers' Patrik "Zero" Žúdel, who made critical plays to aid his team toward a 16-13 win.
With the conclusion of Sunday's action, the teams competing at the ELEAGUE Major are set, with FaZe Clan, GODSENT, EnVyUs, mousesports, Dignitas, OpTic Gaming, G2 and HellRaisers securing the eight qualified spots. They will join the teams who took top eight at ESL One Cologne 2016 and automatically qualified.
The ELEAGUE Major will be the first premier event of the new year, taking place Jan. 27-29 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and will showcase 16 of the best teams in the world battling for their share of the $1 million prize.
