Only six teams are left in the $750,000 EPL Season Seven Finals after the group stage ended.
The first two semifinalists and four quarterfinalists for the championship bracket were decided in a hectic day of CS: GO in Dallas, Texas. Natus Vincere defeated FaZe Clan in the Group A winners’ match, while Astralis did the same against Team Liquid in the Group B winners’ match. Mousesports and SK Gaming emerged victorious in the lower bracket of the groups over teams like Renegades, Space Soldiers, and OpTic Gaming.
Related: Liquid and Astralis secure playoff spots while C9 and NiP falter at EPL Season 7 Finals
The winners’ matches were straightforward with Na’Vi and Astralis sweeping their opponents. Na’Vi surprised FaZe with two 16-12 victories led by Denis “electronic” Sharipov, who outperformed their usual top fragger Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. Astralis showed stronger consistency, limiting the impact of Liquid’s Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski and Nick “nitr0” Cannella on two of their best maps, Nuke and Inferno. Astralis looked on point today, despite occasional slip-ups.
The group B decider match was more hotly contested than the group A decider match, with OpTic putting up a fight against SK. Clutches from North American star Jake “Stewie2k” Yip kept SK alive late in the first map, but the Danes still managed to win in round 30. SK then dominated OpTic on Dust II, before making a great CT side comeback on Inferno, led by Marcelo “coldzera” David. Despite their early exit, OpTic’s performance at the EPL Finals proves that this version of the team can compete with the world’s best.
Group A
Winners’ Match
Natus Vincere vs. FaZe Clan (2-0)
- Na’Vi won Mirage 16-12
- Na’Vi won Nuke 16-12
Decider Match
Mousesports vs. Heroic (2-0)
- Mouz won Cache 16-9
- Mouz won Mirage 16-14
Group B
Winners’ Match
Astralis vs. Team Liquid
- Astralis won Nuke 16-10
- Astralis won Inferno 16-7
Elimination Matches
SK Gaming vs. Renegades
- SK won Cache 16-7
- SK won Mirage 16-11
OpTic Gaming vs. Space Soldiers
- OpTic won Inferno 16-4
- OpTic won Nuke 16-5
Decider Match
SK Gaming vs. OpTic Gaming (2-1)
- OpTic won Train 16-14
- SK won Dust II 16-6
- SK won Inferno 16-13
Tomorrow’s quarterfinal matches will feature a fierce battle between four of the world’s top teams: FaZe Clan, SK Gaming, Team Liquid, and Mousesports. The winners will advance to the semifinals to face Na’Vi and Astralis on Saturday, May 19. The match between Team Liquid and Mousesports will start at 12pm CT, followed by the classic matchup of FaZe Clan vs. SK Gaming at around 3:55pm CT.
Related EPL Season Seven Finals, CS:GO, semifinalists, quarterfinalists, Na’Vi, FaZe Clan, Astralis, Team Liquid, Mousesports, SK Gaming, Renegades, Space Soldiers, OpTic Gaming, playoff spots.