Ghost phase through Sharks, to grand finals
Returning to the main stage after an arduous 2-0 series against Swole Patrol yesterday, the Brazillian Sharks were up against Ghost, who were invited to the event. Having recently qualified for DreamHack Masters Stockholm, Ghost looked to be one of the strongest North American teams at the event.
Ghost's strength was showcased in the first map of Nuke with the team starting on the CT side. Headed by a strong performance from Matt "Pollo" Wilson, Ghost shut down Sharks in nearly every round of the first half, barring two rounds where the Brazillians were able to steal a point for themselves.
In the second half, Sharks were able to take advantage of their side, winning the first three rounds easily. Sharks' luck only ran for so long though, as Ghost took control of the map once again and finished off the last three rounds to wrap up the map 16-5.
On Train, Ghost's map pick worked out well in the first half, as Joshua "steel" Nissan led the team to a strong, albeit shaky, 10-5 score. The second half proved to be more troublesome for Ghost, as Sharks began to build up their score through successful 1v1s and almost tied the game at 14-13. But eventually, with Pollo's continued fragging, Ghost wrapped up the map 16-13, closing the series 2-0.
Ghost now proceed to the grand finals, where FURIA have been waiting for them. The winner of the grand final will win $10,000 and proceed to the $300,000 ZOTAC Cup Masters grand finals in Hong Kong.