Day 4 of the 2017 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ELeague Major was filled with action as Fnatic, SK Gaming, Astralis, Gambit, North and FaZe Clan secured spots in the playoffs. Here is how it all played out on Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fnatic was the first team of the day to secure their spot in the playoffs with a win over Team EnVyUs, putting the Frenchmen on verge of elimination. Fnatic came out strong on the defensive side of Cobblestone, winning the first pistol round followed by three anti-ecos. Despite the early lead, Fnatic found themselves tied with EnVyUs 5-5 before eventually closing out the half with a 7-8 deficit. Although they lost a few rounds at the start of the second half, Fnatic finished strong on the back of Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer with eight consecutive rounds to break EnVyUs in a 16-11 victory.
SK Gaming was the next team to secure their spot in the playoffs after a close call against Astralis in overtime. SK came out quick for an early 3-0 lead on the offense. SK clawed their way back for a respectable 7-8 score at the half. SK Gaming carried the first half momentum in the second by taking a quick 12-8 lead. Astralis showed little emotion as they fought their way back into the picture with a 13-14 record before SK took the match to map point.
Despite being one round away for SK, the Danes came out on top during a 3-vs-2 post plant that inevitably took the game into overtime. Fernando "fer" Alvarenga used some late-game heroics to help SK come out on top for a 19-17 win. Astralis later demolished Team Liquid in a 16-3 blowout thanks to dev1ce's impressive 149.3 ADR to secure their spot in the Major playoffs.
The third team on Wednesday to secure their spot in the playoffs was yet another CIS-based team, Gambit. The first round against opponent FaZe Clan was back and forth; Gambit barely made it out of the first half with an 8-7 lead. The second half started off on the right foot for Gambit with the first three rounds won on defense. FaZe's Aleksi "allu" Jalli tried to spark his team back to life, but still fell short of a win, losing 16-14.
The Danes of North found themselves in a unique situation Wednesday afternoon, eliminating two teams and securing a spot in the playoffs. Earlier in the day, North had gone up against G2 who looked to keep their dreams alive, but were stomped to a 16-9 loss after a horrendous defensive side on Overpass. Next, GODSENT stood in the way; North go out to a great start in the second half with a 14-10 advantage, but GODSENT miraculously forced overtime. The momentum seemed to tilt towards GODSENT's favor early on, but the Danes remained calm, winning two rounds in each half to earn their spot in the playoffs after a stellar 19-17 victory.
The last hope of the French relied on the shoulders of EnVyUs who fell to Fnatic earlier in the day. Finn "karrigan" Andersen led FaZe to a tight run in the first half, but ultimately came out on top thanks to Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey, who played a pivotal role on the offense. FaZe Clan rolled over to the second half with a 9-6 lead that quickly turned into a 12-6 advantage. Aleksi "allu" Jalli showed his skill with the AWP and rifle for a 16-11 win to secure FaZe's spot in the playoffs.
The remaining six teams will now join Virtus.pro and Natus Vincere come Friday at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. The action will kick off at 10:00 A.M. Eastern on Twitch.