Astralis, SK Gaming and North advance to PGL Major Karkow playoffs
Qualifying opportunity for the playoffs at the $1 million PGL Krakow Major is closing, as Astralis, North, and SK Gaming finalized their spots in the quarterfinals.
The three legendary teams, now have spots for the next Valve Major, completed their time in the group stage with 3-1 records and wins over G2 Esports, Virtus Pro, and Immortals, respectively. This will force their recent opponents down into the round five matches with Cloud9, Fnatic, and FlipSid3 Tactics if they wish to advance as well.
Astralis vs. G2 Esports
Astralis outdid G2 on Inferno with a set of wins on their Terrorist side at 10-5. The Danes would later breeze through the rest of the map on their Counter-Terrorist side to easily end the map 16-6. Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth also pulled off a one-on-three clutch early on to ensure Astralis dominance.
North vs. Virtus Pro
Virtus.Pro went on in their Mirage match against North with a slightly shaky Counter-Terrorist half at 9-6. In the second half, North capitalized on VP’s poor decision-making on the Terrorist side with a plethora of successful retakes late in the game. North emerged on top 16-14 in the 30th round, with Philip “aizy” Aistrup and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke topping the server at 26 kills each.
SK Gaming vs. Immortals
The Brazilian showdown on Overpass between SK and Immortals started with a strong 10-5 Counter-Terrorist showing from a heavily favored SK. Immortals showed a bit of resilience in the second half with several close rounds, but it wasn’t enough to outlast SK’s post-plant defenses. SK concluded Overpass at a 16-9 scoreline, and João ‘felps’ Vasconcellos had a record-breaking 37 kill game.
The six remaining teams will be trying their best to survive the group stage in the round five decider matches. The last three playoff spots will be determined later today, and G2, VP, and Immortals will have one more chance to redeem themselves for playoff glory.
