Liquid top group B in Los Angeles; fnatic eliminate compLexity

The first day of play has come to an end at the Avalon in Hollywood, with several delayed matches pushed over to day 2.

The day kicked off late, as delays pushed the start of the tournament back several hours. Finally, Group A got underway, with Astralis winning their two first matches to secure a spot in the semi-finals.

The elimination match, which pitted fnatic, who had lost to Cloud9. and Complexity, took place on Train, with the American team starting off on the CT side. Despite losing the pistol round and the follow-up, they were able to turn the balance in their favor, going into the half 9-6.

Six rounds would prove to be enough for the Swedes, however, who spearheaded by Simon "⁠twist⁠" Eliasson and Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin were able to turn the match around. Having been tied 10-10, 12-12, and 13-13, fnatic finally sealed the deal in the last round of regulation, making it 16-14 and knocking Complexity out.

In Group B, things kicked off even later, as they would play off stream in what was meant to be the practice area, and only three matches would go on to be played. After initial victories by Liquid and Ghost, over Luminosity and FaZe, the pair faced off for a top seed in the playoffs.

The match took place on Inferno and was a whitewash as Liquid played without mercy against their North American rivals. Despite losing the pistol round, they were able to make it 1-1 and only gave up two more before half-time for a 12-3 partial scoreline.

Ghost tried to fight back in the second half, but down 3-15 after the first few rounds, they were unable to bring the match back. With the Canadian duo of Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken and Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic at the helm, sporting 1.75 and 1.72 ratings, Liquid managed to seal their pass to the playoffs as top seed by winning out 16-8.

The day two match-ups will feature FaZe and Luminosity fighting for survival in Group B in a match that will see the winner go on to face Ghost for a spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Group A decider will have Cloud9 and fnatic fighting to move on to play Liquid in the semi-finals. Once the brackets are drawn, the playoffs will then ensue until the victor is crowned at the end of the day.