This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
The second DreamHack Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event in as many weeks is officially underway, this time taking place in Tours, France. Saturday kicked off with the initial group matches and saw mousesports and HellRaisers secure a coveted playoff spot.
Mousesports dominates Group A
Group A got underway with Natus Vincere taking on Misfits in what proved to be a pretty lopsided game. Na'Vi began the game by taking a quick 5-0 lead on the T-side before Misfits tried to regain its footing with two wins. Na'Vi weren't thrown off at all, as it picked up the next seven rounds for a 12-2 lead. Misfits managed to win a few more rounds, but there wasn't much it could do to stop Na'Vi and Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev's 23/12 KD (kills/deaths) from taking the 16-5 win.
The next match in Group A saw mousesports take on the surging Heroic squad. Heroic started off well enough with wins in the first two rounds before the wheels on the Heroic wagon started to come loose. While Heroic did manage to keep it somewhat close early as mouz was up just 6-4, mouz closed the half on a five-round streak to take an 11-4 lead into the half. Heroic again tried to battle back behind the 20/18 KD of Jakob "JUGI" Hansen by managing to once again cut the lead to two, putting the score at 12-10. However, mouz easily rattled off four straight wins to take the map 16-10 and move on to the winner's match of Group A.
With both Na'Vi and mousesports winning their initial matches in Group A, it was time for the two to duke it out with a spot in the semifinals on the line. Mouz jumped out to a 2-0 lead that quickly snowballed into a 7-3 lead after 10 rounds. It was smooth sailing from there as mouz rattled off nine straight wins to waltz its way into the the semifinals with the 16-3 win. Mouz will now get the day off Sunday while the rest of the group matches play out. Na'Vi will now take on the winner of Misfits and Heroic in the Group A decider match on Sunday.
HellRaisers secure another playoff berth
Group B kicked off with a match between G2 Esports and Tricked eSports, one that G2 should have easily been able to handle. Against all odds, Tricked came out of the gate extremely strong, taking an early 5-0 lead on the T-side. G2 ended up winning a handful of rounds in the first half, but Tricked were outmaneuvering the French squad at every turn to the tune of a 10-5 halftime lead. While G2 won the pistol round to open the second half, Kenny "kennyS" Schrub was the only one to play consistent in the half, while Tricked played a strong team game and knocked G2 into the losers bracket with the 16-7 win.
Next up in Group B was a tussle between HellRaisers and the Team EnVyUs squad that is still trying to gain traction after losing its best players in a roster swap with G2 earlier this year. Those growing pains were on full display in the dominating win by HellRaisers. While EnVyUs managed to keep it pretty even in the early going, as the teams were tied at five wins apiece, HellRaisers proceeded to turn on the afterburners and go on an incredible 11-0 run to take the map 16-5, with Martin "styko" Styk leading the way with a 23/9 KD.
After Tricked took down G2, it was time to see if the Danish side could continue the same level of play against HellRaisers in the Group B winners' match. While HellRaisers vaulted out to a 2-0 lead, it started to look as if Tricked would earn a shocking playoff berth, as it took an 11-4 lead into halftime. Once the second half started, though, everything changed. HellRaisers completely dominated, putting together a 12-2 second half that locked up the 16-13 win behind the strong 26/17 KD of Patrik "zeRo" Žúdel. HellRaiser can now kick back until Sunday, while Tricked await the winner of G2 vs. EnVyUs match on Saturday.
Six teams are left, but only two will move on to the semifinals to try and claim their share of the $100,000 prize pool. The action will commence Sunday morning at 5 a.m. ET, with Misfits taking on Heroic and will be followed by somewhat of a grudge match between G2 and EnVyUs immediately after.
