This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
North, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere and Ninjas in Pyjamas came out on top of their respective groups during Day 3 of DreamHack Masters in Las Vegas, eliminating their opponents in a best-of-three series format for a playoff spot on Friday. Here's how Day 3 played out.
North took on the Green Wall of OpTic Gaming on Nuke, with North opening with an effective pistol round that gave the Danes the edge early. With a six round lead over the North Americans, OpTic finally scored their first round of the match thanks to Spencer "Hiko" Martin's clutch 1-v-2, but still trailed at the half 13-2. OpTic never saw the light at the end of the tunnel as North controlled the map in the second half to earn a 16-2 blowout.
Both teams went back and forth in the first half of Map 2 with North coming out on top 9-6. Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen started North off on the right track with a triple kill in the second half pistol round, setting the tone of the rest of the series. The Danes showed no mercy as they only allowed OpTic one round win in the second half for a 16-7 win, earning a spot in the playoffs.
The Group B deciding match between Virtus.pro and Fnatic saw the Polish Plow capitalize on their pistol round win, finishing with a 9-6 lead at the half. Fnatic finally found their stride in the second half thanks to Jesper "JW" Wecksell helping his team take three rounds away from the Poles. However, Virtus.pro rebounded to finish Game 1 with a 16-9 win.
Fnatic started off Map 2 by winning the first pistol round but were immediately denied in the subsequent rounds. Virtus.pro's defense was too strong for the Swedes, who eventually faced a 13-2 deficit at the break. Unfortunately for Fnatic, Virtus.pro brought out the plow and blanked Fnatic in the second half for a 16-2 blowout, advancing to the playoffs.
Cloud9 started the Group C rematch against NiP with a dominating first half performance, finishing Game 1 up 14-1 at the break, eventually closing out the game 16-2. NiP then turned the tables and came out strong in the first half of Cloud9's map pick, Train, with an early 4-0 lead. In the second half, NiP's defense was too strong for Cloud9 as they won seven straight rounds to even the series 16-6.
Cloud9 came into the final map of the series on fire, taking NiP to a quick six round advantage. NiP continued to apply pressure on the North Americans, winning the first six rounds of the second half before Cloud9 finally put their foot down as they too won the next six out of seven rounds. Cloud9's playoff dreams feel just short, however, thanks to NiP's Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg's 2-vs-2 heroics, which closed out the 16-13 win for NiP.
Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan rounded out Day 3 as the last two teams pursuing a playoff spot. Natus Vincere got off to a flying start on Mirage taking a huge 13-2 lead at the half. FaZe Clan were able to string a few rounds in the second half thanks to Finn "karrigan" Andersen, but ultimately fell short of a series win, losing 16-6. The second map played out much like the first, with Natus Vincere taking the early lead. However, FaZe's resilience saw them ahead 8-7 at the half. The second half was close, but Faze eventually stifled the CIS team, 16-13, to even the series. Map 3 would see FaZe Clan jump out to yet another first half lead, this time 9-6, before Natus Vincere came storming back, eventually winning a tightly contested series 16-11 to eliminate FaZe.
The playoffs bracket has been set, and the eight teams play on Saturday to see who can get one round closer to a $200,000 grand prize.
