SK Gaming and Natus Vincere Victorious in Opening Matches at ELEAGUE Major
SK Gaming and Natus Vincere started their ELEAGUE Major campaigns with wins, avoiding potential upsets in their opening matches.
The reigning Major champions, aiming to make history by winning three Majors in a row, confidently defeated Hellraisers in their first matchup of the Swiss stage.
Although analyst Duncan “Thorin” Shields predicted a potential upset, SK Gaming had little trouble overpowering Hellraisers. After losing the first round, SK went on a dominant streak of eight consecutive rounds, leaving Hellraisers helpless in their wake.
The first half ended with a score of 11-4 in favor of SK Gaming. Although Hellraisers managed to win three of the next five rounds and make a late rally attempt, SK comfortably shut them down to secure a convincing 16-3 victory.
Natus Vincere had an even easier time, claiming the most decisive victory of the day. The silver medalists from the previous Major, held in Columbus, dominated Mousesports right from the start. Natus Vincere won five consecutive rounds before Mousesports could even get their game going. Mousesports had very few opportunities to turn things around, resulting in a 13-2 half and a resounding 16-3 win for Natus Vincere.
In a clash between ELEAGUE champions, Virtus Pro narrowly emerged as the victors against OpTic Gaming.
OpTic took an early lead of 6-1, thanks in part to Keith “NAF” Markovic’s impressive 1v3 clutch inside the B bomb site. However, Virtus Pro made a strong comeback in the second half.
The teams traded rounds, resulting in a tied score of 13-13. Despite this, Virtus Pro had the economic advantage and managed to secure the three crucial rounds, ultimately securing a narrow victory over OpTic Gaming.