This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
DreamHack Masters concluded on Sunday with an emotional roller coaster of a grand final series at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Virtus.pro took down SK Gaming in an extremely close best-of-three series to take the DreamHack Masters crown for its first significant tournament victory since ELeague Season 1.
Virtus.pro Edges Astralis for grand finals berth
The first semifinal of the day was a rematch from the ELeague Major grand final with Virtus.pro looking for revenge on Astralis. Virtus.pro came out red-hot on its map pick, Nuke, with a commanding 12-3 lead at the half. Astralis didn't look much better in the second half, losing all four rounds to fall in Map 1 16-3.
Virtus.pro got off to another great start in Game 2 on Overpass by winning the third pistol round in the series. The Danes easily bounced back to take a 5-1 lead, however. Although Virtus.pro strung together a few more rounds, the Danes took the first half 10-5. Astralis won the pistol round in the second half, but Virtus.pro caught the Danish defense off-guard to win four straight. Unfortunately, Virtus.pro couldn't continue to penetrate the Danes defense as Astralis evened the series 16-9.
The final game came down to a map historically known to be one of the best maps for both teams, Train. Virtus.pro jumped the gun taking the first three rounds of the defense. The Danes tried to get fancy with trick plays, but the veteran Polish squad wasn't fooled, ultimately killing any momentum from Astralis, earning a 12-3 lead at the half. Virtus.pro came out incredibly strong in the second half, only allowing the Danes to win one round to register a 16-4 series win.
SK Gaming sweeps North
The second semifinal came down to SK Gaming and North. On Cache to start Map 1, SK Gaming won the first pistol and the ensuing rounds for an early 5-1 lead. Despite North showing some fire in the rest of the half, SK remained in control with a 9-6 lead at the half. SK started the second half much like the first before North went on an amazing run, winning eight out of the next nine rounds. SK then equalized the score at 14-all before finishing up the game with a 16-14 win.
SK dominated early on the offensive side of Mirage in Game 2, winning the first five rounds against North. The Danes then went on to minimize the deficit to six rounds at the half as SK took the lead 9-6. SK continued their dominant performance in the second half, only allowing North to take three rounds before finishing off the sweep with a 16-9 win.
Virtus.pro overcomes SK Gaming in grand finals
The grand final first kicked off on Virtus.pro's pick, Cobblestone, with the first pistol round going to the Polish side early. However, SK stung "The Plow" by abusing the B-site for a 10-4 score before Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski blasted SK with a quad kill on the AWP to close the half 10-5. SK took the pistol round in the second half and remained strong on the defense, stopping Virtus.pro from winning no more than three rounds to record a 16-8 win.
Game 2 featured Train, a map that both teams have been known to dominate on. Virtus.pro got off to a great start, winning the pistol round but immediately being stunned by SK in the following round. As a result, SK took the reins and built an early lead, but the Poles came back to tie and eventually end the first half up 9-6. SK took the first three rounds in the second half to tie the score, but then a failed Molotov play on the post plant denied SK from making the defuse and snuffed out any momentum it had, leading to the 16-11 loss.
The final map of the tournament came down to Mirage. While Virtus.pro controlled the majority of the first half with a 6-2 score, SK rallied back to take a 8-7 lead into the half. SK carried their momentum into the second half with four quick rounds before the Poles came back to equalize the score 12-12. SK again took back the lead, but then Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas came up with a miraculous 1-vs-2 clutch in Round 26 that fully swung the momentum into Virtus.pro's favor and allowed them to push for the 16-13 win and take the DreamHack Masters crown. 
