Triumph, Ze Pug Godz qualify for DreamHack Open Summer 2020
Triumph and Ze Pug Godz have emerged victorious from the DreamHack Open Summer 2020 Closed Qualifier, earning spots in the main event that will run from August 8-16.
Bradley "ANDROID" Fodor's newly-formed side were the first to secure their berth, claiming a surprising upset victory over Joshua "steel" Nissan's Chaos roster in a two-map series. The victory set Ze Pug Godz up against oNe in the semifinals, with the Brazilian roster having dispatched of New England Whalers 2-1 thanks to a strong performance from Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa.
The 17-year-old's good form did not continue into oNe's match against Ze Pug Godz, with Austin "Cooper-" Abadir and Edgar "MarKE" Maldonado being the shining beacons in what was a fast series for the former Swole Patrol members. A 9-6 T-side effort on Nuke left oNe with little opportunity to reply in the second half as Ze Pug Godz capitalized on the momentum of their first half scoreline, shutting down the Brazilians on the defense to secure a 16-8 map victory.
Overpass was even more clear-cut as Ze Pug Godz continued to demolish oNe, posting another 9-6 lead by the break. This time, oNe had even less of a chance to respond as Ze Pug Godz won seven rounds straight to take home the series, helmed by a 2.13 rating by Cooper-, who ended the map with a 29-10 K-D while averaging 130 damage per round.
Triumph also had little difficulty in dispatching of their first opponent in the bracket, sending the Advanced side of Kinship packing in swift fashion. Similarly, a Soham "valens" Chowdhury-toting Recon 5 lineup fared poorly in their quarterfinal match against Yeah, managing nine rounds combined between two maps as they were eliminated.
Triumph immediately put Yeah on the back foot as the series got underway, Gabe "Spongey' Greiner and Michael "Grim" Wince powering their side to a dominant 16-5 win on the Brazilian team's pick of Dust2. However, Triumph quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a beating as they trailed 5-10 at halftime on their own map pick, Overpass, and were unable to maintain momentum to complete a comeback in the second half as they conceded a 12-16 loss.
The two teams met on Mirage to decide their fate, neither having managed to post a victory on the map in their last five attempts to play it. It seemed as if Triumph would hold a heavy lead as they were the frontrunners early on at 5-1, but a fight back from Yeah kept them in contention as they closed the gap between them and their opposition to one round by the break. The rallying effort was all for naught however, with Triumph seizing firm control on the offense as they only conceded two rounds before closing out the map 16-9 to advance to the main event.
Ze Pug Godz and Triumph now await the reveal of the six invited teams, who will likely be announced in the coming weeks as the scene comes to a month-long halt for the player break.