After two weeks of competition, the pool of 24 teams attending the FACEIT Major has been boiled down to eight. There are some stunning omissions from the playoff pool, of which the 0-3 exit of mousesports was the most surprising. For those who tune in every major, there will be some new names in these quarterfinals, as compLexity, BIG and Hellraisers crowbarred their way into contention by beating established names like Fnatic and FaZe. If you're dazed and confused, don't worry -- we've got you covered.
BIG vs. Na'vi
The first quarterfinal will be between BIG and Na'vi, a rematch of the ESL One Cologne finals. After a second place finish in Cologne, BIG struggled to pass through the Challenger stage of this major. Yet despite being down 1-2 and on the brink of elimination, the Germans bounced back and made a run all the way to the playoffs, dominating Hellraisers, Tyloo, FaZe and OpTic along the way. Facing off against one of the best teams in the world, BIG's stars will be pushed to the limit. Owen "smooya" Butterfield has been the best player for BIG, being the highest rated player at the tournament with a remarkable 1.52 HLTV rating. However, Na'vi might just be the most skilled team in the world; smooya and company will have to maintain their elite level against elite competition. It's a tough ask, but this BIG lineup has only impressed since its inception.
compLexity vs. MIBR
Next up will be the NA surprise against the sleeping titan, compLexity versus MIBR. After upsetting NRG in the North American qualifier, compLexity turned on the gas and never looked back. That series win seems to have been the smoking gun for a team that has achieved more in a few weeks than any iteration of compLexity has had in years. Breezing through the Challenger and the Legend stages, this team has only dropped a single map at this Major. Meanwhile, MIBR clawed its way into the playoffs in a grueling best-of-three against NiP after suffering a 16-0 loss to Astralis. Despite this, MIBR remains the favorite in the matchup as compLexity as yet to prove its weight in series play. Whatever the result, this series will have a lasting impact. Either compLexity drops out and MIBR rise up to its potential, or the NA team is the real deal and MIBR will suffer yet another failure.
Team Liquid vs Hellraisers
The third quarter-final matchup, and by far the least competitive, is Team Liquid versus Hellraisers. Team Liquid comes into the playoffs as one of, if not the, favorite to win it all, and Hellraisers is peanuts compared to the giants.t. However, no series is won before it is played, and Team Liquid doesn't have a great track record when playing under pressure. As heavy favorites coming into this series, losing would be unacceptable, and this could very get in the team's head. Really, the team's biggest enemy is itself, as it will have to deal with the pressure of being North Amerca's all-time best team. If Liquid can handle the pressure, it can handle Hellraisers.
Astralis vs. FaZe
The final matchup is a historic one, as Astralis faces off against its eternal rival, FaZe Clan. It's been a bumpy ride for FaZe as the team came face to face with elimination early on in this tournament, going 0-2 in the group stage. Desperate, the team gave superstar Nikola "NiKo" Kovač the in-game leader role, and the gamble paid off. Since then FaZe has rolled through mousesports, Tyloo and G2, looking more like its spring self than the husk we saw early in the group stage. FaZe has found its edge, and it will need it if it wants to conquer the best team in the world, Astralis. Luckily, Finn "karrigan" Andersen's team has always had an edge against his former team, so the odds aren't as stacked in Astralis' favour as one may think. FaZe, for the first time in years, is an underdog. And for a team that consistently crumbled under the pressure of expectations, that's a point in its favor.
The first two quarter-finals will be played on Thursday, with BIG versus Na'vi scheduled for 14:15 UST, or 9:15 EST.