FaZe and Ninjas in Pyjamas qualify for IEM Rio Major

After establishing an incredible 3-0 record at the Europe RMR, Ninjas in Pyjamas and FaZe Clan have guaranteed their spots at the IEM Rio Major. Both teams will skip the Challengers phase and move straight to the Rio Major’s Legends stage.

FaZe become the first team to qualify IEM Rio

FaZe Clan defeated Sprout 2-0 at the Europe RMR A to qualify as the first team for the forthcoming IEM CS:GO Rio Major.  FaZe started the series off well, completely dominating the CT side to go 7-1. Sprout’s decorated AWPer Fritz “slaxz-” Dietrich and up-and-coming Romanian talent Laurenţiu “lauNX” ârlea posted spectacular performances that allowed Sprout to tie the game at 13-13 after falling behind 4-9. Sprout’s efforts in the overtime fell short as FaZe upped their game in the final moments to survive the intense overtime and win 1-0.

On the second map Nuke, sprout surged ahead of Faze, smashing them for nine straight rounds to create a similar situation to the first map Mirage, but in their favor. Sprout were able to end the game 19-16 despite an outstanding performance by Karrigan in the second half. Sprout put on a fantastic show at Nuke to make up for their overtime loss at Mirage, advancing the best-of-three series to the decisive map.

The Romanian rifler Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea gave FaZe a good fight on the last map but was not able to hold up against a near-flawless defense. FaZe maintained their composure and defeated the German team 16-5 to win the series 2-1. The defending Major champions have earned the opportunity to skip the Challengers Stage and go straight to the Rio Major Legends Stage.

NiP qualifies for IEM Rio over Cloud9

Following a thrilling 2-1 victory over Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas have secured the second IEM Rio Major spot available in the Europe Regional Major Ranking A. The best-of-three series began on Mirage with the Swedish team NiP crushing C9 16-9 to seize the lead away.

The Russian side, Cloud9, bounced back with a brilliant performance from Abai “HObbit” Hasenov, taking the series to the final and deciding map Vertigo. In the first half of Vertigo, C9 kept up their momentum and pounded NiP back and forth. Cloud9’s unrelenting assault on Ninjas in Pyjamas’ defenses had allowed them to gain a 9-2 lead.

Despite C9’s best efforts, NIP managed to turn the tide in the second half and reduce the score to 10–11 thanks to the tenacity of their star player Fredrik “REZ” Sterner. The Swedish side picked up steam and won six straight games to end 16-14, securing a spot in the Major.

Header: ESL Gaming