AVANGAR, DreamEaters and Team Vitality earned the final three spots in the New Legends Stage of the StarLadder Berlin Major on Monday, winning their Round 5 matches to advance in the $1 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event.
The tournament features 24 teams, eight of which -- Astralis, ENCE, Natus Vincere, MIBR, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Renegades and Ninjas in Pyjamas -- were already through to the second phase, which begins Wednesday. The other 16 teams have been competing in the New Challengers Stage, battling for the remaining eight places in the New Legends Stage.
North and mousesports earned their spots on Saturday, while G2 Esports, NRG Esports and CR4ZY played their way in with wins Sunday.
AVANGAR kicked off the final round of the New Challengers Stage, notching a 2-1 win in their best-of-three series vs. Syman Esports. After opening with a 16-10 win on Inferno, Syman answered back with a 16-10 win on Mirage. But AVANGAR sent them packing with a deciding 16-5 win on Dust2 to end the match.
DreamEaters had an easier time in their matchup vs. forZe, dispatching them 2-0 with a 16-10 win on Overpass and a 16-12 win on Mirage.
Vitality earned the final spot in the New Legends Stage in a three-map battle against Grayhound Gaming. Vitality opened with a 16-5 win on Dust2, but Grayhound rebounded with a narrow 16-14 win on Overpass. Vitality wrapped it up with a 16-10 win on Inferno.
The New Legends Stage starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday, using the same "Swiss System" format as the New Challengers Stage: single-game matches until elimination, and advancement matches are best-of-three.
Astralis was given the top seed, with Team Liquid grabbing the No. 2 seed.
The seeding order is as follows:
1. Astralis
2. Team Liquid
3. ENCE
4. Natus Vincere
5. FaZe Clan
6. Team Vitality
7. MiBR
8. Renegades
9. NRG Esports
10. Ninjas in Pyjamas
11. North
12. mousesports
13. G2 Esports
14. AVANGAR
15. CR4ZY
16. DreamEaters
The top eight teams will move on to the New Champions Stage, set for Sept. 5-8 with the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals being best-of-three. The championship team will receive $500,000, and the runner-up will pocket $150,000.
--Field Level Media