FaZe qualify for PGL Antwerp; Outsiders see off Dignitas

Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali's side narrowly stave off elimination after beating Dignitas in three maps.

FaZe are through to PGL Major Antwerp after coming out on top of a two-map series against MOUZ in the final 2-1 pool matchup, joining FORZE, Natus Vincere, HEROIC, and BIG on the list of teams already qualified for the main event.

Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen's men aren't assured of a Legends spot quite yet though, as the final Bucholz scores will not be determined until the conclusion of the regular Swiss stage on Wednesday, the result of which could still see NAVI come out in third place. As a reminder, the team that has the highest score among the pool of 3-1 teams will directly advance as Legends, while the remaining two will play a fourth place decider match for the final top-16 stage spot.

While FaZe and MOUZ were facing off in hopes of advancing, Outsiders were left playing for their tournament lives against Dignitas, a nail-biting series that went the distance as Jame and company narrowly came out on top. With the win, Outsiders will play against SAW for a Challengers spot at PGL Antwerp on Wednesday, their final chance to advance to the Major after a lackluster RMR showing thus far.

It was dominance early on from FaZe on Nuke, a strong defense being presented alongside a pair of late-round situations that were recovered en route to a 8-2 lead. It was a Deagle eco that allowed MOUZ to eventually get their third round on the board, but that was all they would have to their name in the half as Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken led his side to a 12-3 lead. A force-buy war unfolded at the start of the second half as MOUZ looked to maintain a foothold in the map, but multi-kill rounds from Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool kept momentum firmly in the favor of FaZe as they closed things out, 16-5.

FaZe kept lead on their map pick, Inferno, converting a pistol victory into another early spree of rounds before recovering from a streak of three from MOUZ to go up 8-3. Three triple-kill rounds from Aurimas "⁠Bymas⁠" Pipiras, David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský, and Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás helped MOUZ recover the deficit as the closed the gap to only three rounds by halftime, but they were quickly left trailing after the side swap as FaZe converted another pistol win into extending their lead to 13-7.

A last-ditch effort to fight back into the map from MOUZ saw them garner a handful of rounds, but it was Twistzz who stepped up to put a halt to that attempt, scoring back-to-back multi-kills to help FaZe take things over the line and close out the series, 16-11.

The elimination match between Outsiders and Dignitas went down to the wire, the CIS side only narrowly staving off an early exit from the RMR event after clinching the series in three maps after an intense overtime affair on Inferno. To start though, the teams met on Mirage, where Dignitas emerged ahead 8-7 at the end of their T side effort despite a strong individual showing from Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis. The second half saw Outsiders fare no better as they continued to end up on the losing end of every clutch situation, dropping all four of them on the map as Dignitas cruised to a 16-10 finish.

It seemed as if Dignitas could seal the fate of Outsiders as they came out of the gates swinging on Inferno, winning an early battle for control before going up 8-3. However, resilience from Jame's side at the end of the half helped them stay in the map as they regained their footing, a pistol round win and subsequent conversions — helped in part by relentless aggression in banana from YEKINDAR — seeing them steal away the lead at 13-9.

A number of set execute rounds were key in keeping Dignitas in the running as they opened up bombsites in their comeback effort, forcing saves for Outsiders as the gap between the teams closed. However, it was still Jame's side who attained match point first, and although Dignitas forced overtime, Outsiders managed to take things over the line 19-17 to force an Overpass decider.

There, momentum of the series changed hands, and it was Dignitas who were put on the back foot. An early string of three rounds for Patrik "⁠f0rest⁠" Lindberg and company gave way as Outsiders mounted a strong defense, notching nine rounds in the first half before maintaining control following the break, with YEKINDAR helping to power his side to a 16-10 finish.