EU RMR A Day 3: As it happened

This is a live updated post with the latest from the third day of the European Major qualifiers.

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The headlines
20:29 - NER0

BNE qualify after another key win over FaZe

Into the Breach defeat B8 to qualify

GamerLegion secure a spot over Falcons

Virtus.pro eliminated after swap backfires

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After all that..
20:19 - NER0

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Tomorrow: FaZe vs MOUZ for a spot at the Major
20:05 - NER0

Tomorrow's match-ups:

2-2 pool
FaZe vs MOUZ
Falcons vs OG
Apeks vs B8

4th place & Legends decider
GamerLegion vs Bad News Eagles

There is a last chance qualifier for Europe, which takes the spice out of tomorrow somewhat but still: It is confirmed that two of FaZe, MOUZ and Virtus.pro will not make it to the Major on their first attempt at the RMR.

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Watch: BNE defeat FaZe once again
20:05 - NER0

FaZe's bogey team from Rio strikes again.

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ITB are Legends
20:05 - NER0

That Bad News Eagles win confirmed Into the Breach move straight into the Legends stage for Paris.

There's a bit of controversy around this — there is a world where Buccholz can mean that GamerLegion should be 4th over Into the Breach, but it relies on round five being played before the fourth-placed decider.

Currently, the fourth-placed decider is scheduled for before round five.

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Three Majors in a row for BNE!
20:04 - NER0

Bad News Eagles have toppled FaZe once again! What a giant-killing to end the day.

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FaZe 12-12 Bad News Eagles
19:48 - NER0

Still all to play for on the B stream

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Twistzz wins the pistol with 0.01 seconds left on the defuse
19:37 - NER0

Bad News Eagles are continuing to press FaZe, but Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken has come in clutch with a huge 1v2 in the pistol round.

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Thomas: "Finally better than RattlesnK?"
19:21 - NER0

Thomas "⁠Thomas⁠" Utting gave an interview on stream:

"It's mental. We've come from the open qualifier. We've barely been a team for two months. I'm just so happy we were able to do this with a UK lineup."

"I'm so proud of the boys. CYPHER has come to fruition this event."

"Tier one teams are only used to playing against each other. They can get caught off guard; everyone can shoot heads at tier two and three. They just don't get the opportunities. Trust me."

Any last words?

"God save the King"

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Video: ITB's winning moment
19:16 - NER0

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Into the Breach qualify for the Paris Major
19:13 - NER0

Counter's coming home?

In 18 attempts no UK core had qualified for a CS:GO Major. Today that changed.

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ITB close in once again
18:58 - NER0

Into the Breach won the second pistol and the round four gun round to grab a 13-6 lead on Vertigo. Can they convert this time?

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BNE go 1-0 up against FaZe
18:48 - NER0

Bad News Eagles become only the second team after Natus Vincere to beat FaZe on Inferno in 2023.

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BNE close in
18:37 - NER0

Bad News Eagles just love playing against FaZe, don't they? It's 14-10 in favour of the Kosovar side.

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Pistol round oddity
18:26 - NER0

B8 won both pistols on Ancient, but lost the map. On Mirage, Into the Breach won both pistols, but lost the map.

A bad sign for B8 as they convert the first pistol on Vertigo?

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BNE lead FaZe at the half
18:16 - NER0

Bad News Eagles have their feet under them against FaZe, leading 9-6.

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B8 force Vertigo
18:14 - NER0

Into the Breach could not convert any of their five match points and now must reset for Vertigo. In the end that Artem "⁠r1nkle⁠" Moroz clutch proved crucial.

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B8 hold off ITB for another two match points
18:00 - Striker

Into the Breach are really being made to work for it. Five opportunities they've had to close the series so far and B8 have defended them all. Double overtime.

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Down to the wire between B8 and ITB
17:55 - Striker

B8 survived up against three match points in part thanks to this r1nkle 1v3. Now we're in overtime, where the Ukrainians are up against the ropes again.

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Drink it in
17:37 - NER0

Here is the full gallery. It's worth a look after GamerLegion's win — we promise.

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BNE set to face FaZe
17:37 - NER0

No Vertigo this time around; FaZe ban it to leave us with a vet of Inferno (FaZe), Mirage (BNE), and Overpass.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	FaZe Finished 0:2 Bad News Eagles	Match

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B8 and ITB neck and neck
17:36 - NER0

It's 12-12 on the other stream, with Into the Breach losing some momentum on Mirage.

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Watch: GamerLegion go mad after Falcons win
17:27 - NER0

Rio was no fluke — GamerLegion are Major-bound once again.

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GamerLegion qualify for Paris
17:27 - NER0

Falcons have another chance tomorrow.

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Into the Breach with a narrow lead at HT
17:16 - NER0

It's an 8-7 scoreline between Into the Breach and B8 with a Major spot on the line.

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GamerLegion six rounds away
17:04 - NER0

GamerLegion have consolidated their lead to a 10-5 score at the half. Falcons have their work cut out for them if they want to secure Paris today.

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Falcons under the cosh
16:53 - NER0

GamerLegion have started Mirage well, up 7-2 against Falcons.

Meanwhile there has already been a clutch on Mirage, with Sebastian "⁠volt⁠" Maloș winning a 1on2 in the first pistol round for Into the Breach.

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Clutch heaven
16:43 - NER0

There were EIGHT clutches on that map of Ancient: 5 went to Into the Breach and 3 to B8. We were promised a tight and scrappy game and it has delivered so far.

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Into the Breach steal B8's pick
16:39 - NER0

Another clutch, this time from Karol "⁠rallen⁠" Rodowicz, got Into the Breach to 15 and they duly followed it up to win Ancient.

The Brits now have two chances to make it to the Major.

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The highlights keep rolling in
16:32 - NER0

Every round is going down to the wire between B8 and Into the Breach, with the scoreline now 14-13 after this r1nkle ace was answered back with an ITB win in a hectic post-plant on B.

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Into the Breach vs B8 heats up
16:26 - NER0

A few clutches have gone Into the Breach's way and they have levelled proceedings up 12-12 over B8 on the Ukrainian's stronghold of Ancient.

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Falcons 16-12 GamerLegion
16:17 - NER0

Falcons take Inferno to force a decider on Mirage. Will they make it to Paris?

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volt clutches one on three
16:10 - NER0

After coming close with a deagle the round before, volt converted a 1on3 second time round on the AK-47 to shift momentum Into the Breach's way.

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Falcons 12-9 GamerLegion
16:05 - NER0

Just like on Overpass, Falcons are in the lead as we enter the closing stages of Inferno. They lead GamerLegion 12-9 — can they close it out this time?

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CRUC1AL takes four names in crucial retake for ITB
15:53 - NER0

The half has ended 8-7 in favour of B8.

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Falcons and GL even stevens going into the second half
15:47 - NER0

GamerLegion have a narrow 8-7 lead going into their CT side on Inferno.

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Next: One of B8 or ITB to qualify for Paris
15:31 - NER0

B8 and Into the Breach are next up on the A stream, teams who faced each other in the open qualifiers in February.

That match went to Into the Breach narrowly by 16 rounds to 14, and it's setting of Vertigo will be the decider in today's best of three.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	Into the Breach Finished 2:1 B8	Match

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Stat: VP first Major champion to fail to qualify
15:31 - NER0

Virtus.pro will be the only CS:GO Major champion to not even attend the following Major.

Their decision to fly David "⁠n0rb3r7⁠" Danielyan in to replace Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin last minute is one that will come under scrutiny for years to come.

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MOUZ eliminate Virtus.pro
15:25 - NER0

MOUZ have sent their long-term nemesis Virtus.pro packing, buoyed by a 1.74 rating from Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás.

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MOUZ eliminate Virtus.pro
15:25 - NER0

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Clip: acoR 1on1
15:22 - NER0

GamerLegion have carried their momentum — and their hype — into map two with this Frederik "⁠acoR⁠" Gyldstrand 1on3 pistol clutch

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MOUZ onto 14
15:19 - NER0

MOUZ are on the precipice of denying Virtus.pro the chance to defend their Major crown

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siuhy time
15:13 - NER0

Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek led GamerLegion in the calls and on the scoreboard for their T side comeback against Falcons, dropping 31 frags as they snatched the Frenchmen's map pick.

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frozen ends the half on 121 ADR
15:06 - NER0

A slow start has turned into a slow half for Virtus.pro as they trail MOUZ 12-3 once again at the half.

David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský has hit 21 kills for just 4 deaths.

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GamerLegion pull off the comeback
15:02 - NER0

Falcons fall apart on their CT side, meaning they go into GamerLegion's pick of Inferno one map down.

siuhy's men are one map away from back-to-back Majors.

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Squeaky bum time for Falcons
14:53 - NER0

Falcons' 10-7 lead has turned into a 14-13 one; GamerLegion have put serious pressure onto the French side.

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Another slow T side start from VP
14:49 - NER0

Virtus.pro elected to start on the T side of Ancient but are down 0-7.

MOUZ have won four retakes in the first six rounds, making it a closer affair than the start of Mirage, but there is still a lot of work for Virtus.pro to do.

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Falcons into the home stretch
14:30 - NER0

Falcons are in control on Overpass against GamerLegion, leading 10-7 on the CT side.

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MOUZ close out Mirage
14:19 - NER0

n0rb3r7's first map of 2023 ends in defeat as MOUZ smash the Russians 16-9 on their own map pick.

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VP attempt to mount a classic comeback
14:00 - NER0

Virtus.pro are starting to string some rounds together now and have narrowed the 3-13 deficit to 7-13.

Falcons and GamerLegion are also underway, the French men winning 4-3.

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Jame: "This change was a mistake"
14:00 - NER0

More news is coming out of the VP camp, with a vlog released one hour ago featuring this explanation from Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali:

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VP block n0rb3r7 questioning
13:53 - NER0

In a pre-game interview for the stream, BLAST conspicuously did not mention n0rb3r7's inclusion in today's roster. Here's why:

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Last time kennyS was at a Major
13:51 - NER0

Falcons sit one win away from Paris, which would be Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub' first Major since StarLadder Berlin in 2019.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	Falcons Finished 1:2 GamerLegion	Match

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VP struggling on Mirage
13:48 - NER0

MOUZ have stormed into a 9-2 lead against Virtus.pro on Mirage. Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev is the only player above 6 kills, and he has just 7.

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Watch: Apeks move into the 2-2 pool
13:46 - NER0

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Apeks bring an end to Sprout's sorry campaign
13:42 - NER0

There will be no Sprout at the Major this time round.

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MOUZ - VP preview
13:33 - Sumljiv

With the match set to start, read through a short preview of the Virtus.pro vs. MOUZ game that includes their past history and a recap of how the two favorites ended up in the elimination games.

Read more

Match in focus: Virtus.pro vs. MOUZ

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Jame on VP's struggles
13:21 - NER0

Jame gave a few comments to Virtus.pro's social media team on Telegram, ones that have been translated by escorenews:

"Here comes another Virtus.pro loss. The reasons for that are communication, individual skill issues, bad opponent reading, and wrong decisions. How does it happen? Because of inexperience, because of... I don't know. I don't understand why we play so poorly. We practice a lot, but there's no result. This is bo1, of course, but it's not the issue: We actually just play badly. We won all the scrims last week, but when we go to an event, something is missing from our team."

"Usually, in the case of great teams and players, something clicks when it's dire time, and they come into shape. We have something that negatively impacts us, and we cannot detect what it is. But we must be able to do it before the next game. We still need to win thrice, doesn't matter how. Cheer for us. Sorry."

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MOUZ and VP get started
13:21 - NER0

It's an IEM Rio Major semi-final rematch next up, n0rb3r7's Virtus.pro facing MOUZ.

It's Mirage first, with Ancient and Inferno (if needed) to follow.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	Virtus.pro Finished 0:2 MOUZ	Match

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jL 3K induces some tilt from lauNX
13:18 - NER0

Some frustration showing on the Sprout side...

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Apeks and Sprout heating up
13:15 - NER0

Sprout are mounting somewhat of a comeback on Overpass against Apeks, with the scoreline now reading 10-8 in the latter's favour.

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dexter coy on VP's late roster swap
13:08 - NER0

HLTV.org caught up with Christopher "⁠dexter⁠" Nong ahead of MOUZ's big match against Virtus.pro:

"[The n0rb3r7-KaiR0N- swap] hasnt really affected anything. It's gonna be a smart player in the same positions."

"We're feeling good. We've felt good every single day but the pressure has probably got into us quite a bit for all these games. But other than that we're doing all the right things."

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OG take Overpass and the series convincingly
13:06 - NER0

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deko comes alive at the end of the half
12:44 - NER0

An ace in round 14, and a 4K in round 15 — Denis "⁠deko⁠" Zhukov hasn't given up on the Major dream just yet.

1win go into half-time 12-3 down, but going into the far easier defensive side.

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niko on fire
12:41 - NER0

Nikolaj "⁠niko⁠" Kristensen has dominated 1win around B Short on Overpass, boasting 22 kills with just 4 deaths as OG lead 12-1 on the CT side.

Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov's reaction says it all.

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Another slow start from 1WIN
12:29 - NER0

1win are struggling early on yet again, down 0-7 against OG

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As do Apeks
12:13 - NER0

93.4 ADR from the impressive Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius helped Apeks take Sprout's map pick of Inferno 16-11.

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OG take map one
12:05 - NER0

Aleksei "⁠NickelBack⁠" Trofimov nearly put together a 1on3 clutch, but Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov came in clutch in the 1on1 for OG with a momentum-shifting round win to make it 12-10 in their favour. From there, it was simple enough for the Europeans to make it 16-10.

OG will take solace in the fact that Adam "⁠NEOFRAG⁠" Zouhar and Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan were back in form on Ancient, both posting more than 85 ADR. Next up is 1win's pick of Overpass.

Apeks are also closing in on a map one victory, 14-11 up on Sprout's pick of Inferno.

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1WIN at it again
11:50 - NER0

A knack for slow starts often comes hand in hand with a knack for comebacks and 1win are no different. After winning the second-round force at 11-5, they have pinned OG back to 10-11.

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H2H: n0rb3r7 vs KaiR0N-
11:40 - NER0

Although KaiR0N- has been placed in more star roles than n0rb3r7 had, the former being more of a spiritual heir to Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis, he has put up stronger numbers across the board than his replacement.

In a now-deleted tweet KaiR0N- confirmed it was a "tactical decision."

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Scores on the doors
11:36 - NER0

Igor "⁠Forester⁠" Bezotecheskiy's 4K did not slow down OG, who lead 11-5 after winning the second pistol.

Apeks and Sprout are still going back and forth on the B stream, Apeks currently with a narrow advantage at 7-6.

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Forester mows down four
11:19 - NER0

OG gift Forester four 1on1 gunfights and the Russian wins all four. Is that what 1win needed?

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1WIN slow out the gates yet again
11:14 - NER0

1win have been the group's slow starters so far, as pointed out by Alex "⁠hawka⁠" Hawkins on commentary.

They started 6-1 down against GamerLegion, 13-2 against fnatic, and 7-1 against Bad News Eagles. The trend has continued again today, too: OG are up 6-2.

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The games go live
11:05 - NER0

We're into our 12th Ancient of the RMR, with OG picking it against 1win. Apeks and Sprout are also live, but on Inferno.

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Stat: OG's struggles
10:54 - NER0

Despite getting their first win yesterday, OG still only have one player above a 1.00 rating at the RMR so far.

1. Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov: 1.08
2. Adam "⁠NEOFRAG⁠" Zouhar: 0.98
3. Nikolaj "⁠niko⁠" Kristensen: 0.96
4. Maciej "⁠F1KU⁠" Miklas: 0.94
5. Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan: 0.93

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n0rb3r7 reacts to the news
10:43 - NER0

Just three days ago, n0rb3r7 was asking for co-streaming rights to the RMR. Now, he's back in the server — able to defend his Major title.

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How the turntables...
10:34 - NER0

Exuding confidence at his first LAN, benched at his third. Have Virtus.pro been too harsh on KaiR0N-, who is their second-highest rated player at the event?

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Today's first round
10:30 - NER0

Before we get to Virtus.pro-MOUZ we have two other elimination matches. OG face 1win, with an international affair between Apeks and Sprout on the other stream.

We will also see FaZe face Bad News Eagles for a ticket to the Major.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	1win Finished 0:2 OG	Match
08/04/2023	Apeks Finished 2:0 Sprout	Match

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Breaking: VP swap KaiR0N- for n0rb3r7
10:18 - NER0

Virtus.pro have had a torrid start to the RMR in Copenhagen, with two losses in the best of ones meaning that they might not even have the chance to defend their IEM Rio Major title.

And, they have taken action: n0rb3r7 will substitute in for KaiR0N- in their elimination match against MOUZ today.

"Young players do not always adapt to the pressure of LAN events, especially important ones like the RMR," said the CEO of Virtus.pro in a statement on Twitter to explain the decision.

Read more

Virtus.pro swap out Kair0N- for n0rb3r7: "Young players do not immediately adapt to the pressure of LAN events"

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State of play
10:18 - NER0

The first two teams qualified for the Paris Major yesterday, fnatic and Natus Vincere. The BLAST-run event will be the Ukrainian organization's 19th Major, making them the only team to take part in every single CS:GO Major.

Elsewhere, MOUZ and Virtus.pro — more on them later — continued to struggle in Copenhagen, falling into the 1-2 bracket after losses to Falcons and Into the Breach respectively. The two highest seeds of this group will now have to face each other for elimination.

We also said goodbye to SAW and Viperio, with Sprout and OG living to fight another day.