Favorites advance from DreamHack Atlanta open qualifier; closed qualifier team list determined
The open qualifier for DreamHack Open Atlanta has concluded, sending four teams through to the closed portion of the event, set to play out tomorrow.
INTZ were the first to secure their spot, claiming the top seed in the bracket to rapidly advance to the quarterfinals. There, they took on Infinity, mustering a 9-6 lead on the T-side of Overpass. Although INTZ swiftly put themselves within touching distance of match point at 14-7 following the side swap, Infinity began to claw back for five rounds on their own. The comeback was not to be completed however, with INTZ taking the map 16-12 to assure their spot in the second stage.
Ben's Anime Team were next up to bat, fielding Maxim "wippie" Shepelev in place of Alan "Shakezullah" Hardeman as the team look to continuing testing a fifth player. The trial went well for Joshua "steel" Nissan's side as they made short work of oNe in their rounds of 16 matchup, while their quarterfinal opponents, Divine, were only able to notch five rounds on the first half of Train.
Ben's Anime Team didn't let the map drag out once they were on the offense, conceding the pistol round and ensuing anti-eco before making short work of Divine for a 16-7 victory. Gage "Infinite" Green and wippie led the way for the squad at the top of the board, although Ben "ben1337" Smith was not far behind after picking up the AWP for the team.
A strong all-around performance saw The Quest have little difficulty in dispatching of Gorilla Gang in their own matchup. After initially mustering nine rounds on the defensive side of Overpass, Michael "Grim" Wince and company were swift to close out the map, giving up only one additional round on the road to a 16-7 victory.
Riot Squad had the most dominant first half scoreline out of the advancing teams, putting up a stellar offense on Nuke. Despite starting the map down 1-4, Pujan "FNS" Mehta's side were able to rally back and lock out Ascent for an 11-4 lead as they swapped sides. A comeback effort from Ascent, which saw them push up to ten rounds, was not enough to take the map over the line or force overtime, with Riot Squad claiming a 16-10 win to earn the final spot in the closed qualifier.
The top four teams from the open qualifier have been drawn against the invited sides of Sharks, ATK, Complexity, and eUnited in the closed qualifier bracket. The eight-team, single elimination bracket looks as follows:
October 13th (Quarterfinals) | ||
---|---|---|
Sharks | vs. | Ben's Anime Team |
INTZ | vs. | eUnited |
Complexity | vs. | The Quest |
ATK | vs. | Riot Squad |
The DreamHack Open Atlanta Closed Qualifier will kick off tomorrow at 12 PM EDT, awarding the top two sides with a spot at the $100,000 event.