Day three of DreamHack Masters: Las Vegas has concluded, sending four teams packing and four to the playoffs, finishing the list of eight that will compete for the opportunity to move forward.
The third day of matches in Vegas brought swift best-of-threes to conclude who will go home and who will face the group winners in tomorrow’s quarter-finals. Four teams were eliminated today, including 
OpTic Gaming, 
FNATIC, Cloud9, and 
FaZe Clan. On the other side of the card, 
North, 
Virtus.Pro, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and 
Natus Vincere have moved on to the quarter-finals, where they will meet the winners of each group that were decided in yesterday’s matches.
Below is an informational table outlining the movement of each of the teams so far:
| Advanced to Playoffs | Eliminated | |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | ||
| Group B | ||
| Group C | ||
| Group D |
Game #1:
North vs. OpTic Gaming (2-0)
As if foreshadowing the events of the entire day, the first map was swift, with pure domination from the Danes. Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen’s team won the pistol round as CTs and went on a streak of six, before the North American side could bring back one round. After their initial round win, OG lost the next round, but recovered in the ninth, with Spencer “Hiko” Martin winning a 1v2, only to lost the next and not win any more rounds for the entirety of the game. The match ended with a score line of 16-2, in favour of the Danes, leaving Hiko’s team in shambles.
The second map kicked off on Cobblestone, providing a somewhat more competitive map, with OG securing the first rifle round, after losing the pistol and two more. After reaching a score line of 4-3, in favour of the Americans, the half continued in a back and forth manner, eventually leading to a final score of 9-6, North leading the way. The second half began similar to the first, with the Danes picking up the pistol round, but OpTic would not respond with four of their own this time, being able to only pick up one round the entire half. On the back of Kristian “K0nfig” Wienecke, North closed out the series, 2-0, sending the American side home, themselves moving on to the playoffs.
Game #2:
Virtus.Pro vs. FNATIC (2-0)
In similar fashion to the first match of the day, the second kicked off with a dominating performance from the Polish plow, destroying the newly reformed FNATIC foster. The first pistol round of Mirage went to the Poles, on Terrorist side, allowing them to pick up the next to anti-ecos. After reaching a score of 3-0, the Swedes came back, winning two of their own, leading to a half that would continue to be back and forth, just ending in favour of VP, at 9-6. The second half was less competitive, with VP once again taking the pistol round. The remaining rounds of the second half would see the Swedes take only three, with the Poles taking seven, closing the game at 16-9.
Once again continuing the one-sidedness of the decider matches, the second map would be pure domination, leaving FNATIC helpless against the ruthless Poles, destroying them at every stage. The first half would see VP taking control directly after the losing the pistol round, stealing the second round away from the Swedes. VP would continue similar destruction for the rest of the half, eventually closing out at 13-2. The second half brought no more hope for the Swedes, as they lost the pistol and the next two, being sent home at a score line of 16-2.
Game #3:
Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Cloud9 (2-1)
The third series of the day would grant viewers the first three map series, but would also include the dominant maps that have become all too common in DH Vegas. The first map was Cobblestone, and would immediately go in favour of the North America team, with NiP looking lost for the entire game. The first half would see Cloud9 take a 13-0 lead before the Ninjas would win their first round, with key clutches going in favour of the Americans. After losing one, Cloud9 answered back, closing the first half at 14-1. The second half was almost hopeful for the Swedes, who would win the pistol round, but would lose the second to a force buy, then giving up the map 16-2.
The second map of the three-map series would prove to be similar to the first, but in favour of the Swedes this time, kicking off on Train. The first half would kick off with NiP taking the pistol and a 4-0 lead, before the Americans would strike back, returning the favour, but winning six in a row. With Cloud9 looking poised to win the first half, the Ninjas would show their veteran prowess, taking the final five rounds of their Terrorist side, ending the half in the lead, with a 9-6 score. The three round streak that ended the first half continued for the Swedish side, as they would play a flawless CT side, closing out map two at 16 rounds to six for the Americans.
The third map approached with anticipation, as the first two had been so one-sided, and both teams being well practiced on Cache. The beginning of the map nearly countered the hopes of those watching, as the Americans looked to dominate again, winning the first six rounds in a row. The Swedes would answer back, however, winning the following eight, before ceding the final round, winning the half 8-7. The second half would begin much like the first, but with NiP taking the first three rounds, leading into an unfortunate technical issue for the North Americans. NiP would increase their lead within arm's reach of victory, but the Americans would not give up, taking six more rounds, nearly bringing the series into overtime; this proved fruitless, however, as the more experienced side would eventually close out the map, 16-13.
Game #4:
Natus Vincere vs. FaZe Clan (2-1)
The final series of day three awarded another three map marathon, with two that could have gone either way. The first map of the game between both powerhouses was on Mirage, Na’Vi’s pick, where they were expected to run over the opposition. They lived up to expectations, absolutely decimating FaZe Clan, taking the reins from the beginning, leaving the Euro-mix team to only take two rounds for their CT side. The second half of play saw some excitement, as FaZe managed to steal the second round, after losing the pistol. This, however, would not lead anywhere else, as they only managed to win four more rounds before the CIS team finished the map, winning 16-6.
The second map would prove to be more competitive than the first, being played on FaZe’s pick of Nuke. Na’Vi kicked off the first half on the CT side, taking the pistol, with the expected, subsequent two rounds that follow the pistol. FaZe were able to respond with one round, but were battered down again, Na’Vi pushing their lead up to 6-1. After the streak of the CIS side ended, the Euro-mix took on their own, overtaking the score of Na’Vi, and winning the half at 8-7, only allowing one more round to the CIS giants. The second half would continue the good play by FaZe, them winning the pistol and extending their lead further. The rest of the half would be characterized by trading rounds and both scores rising, but eventually ending with Håvard “Rain” Nygaard’s team winning out at 16-13, pushing the series to a third map.
The third and final map of the deciding series would take place on Train, with Natus Vincere starting off on the CT side, once again winning the first pistol round of the game, but they were overrun by an ecoing FaZe Clan in the subsequent round, allowing the mixed team to take an early lead. The next several rounds would go back and forth, leading to a tied score of 5-5, but FaZe would take over and only allow one more victory for the CIS side, ending the half at 9-6. Going into the second half, FaZe looked to lock down their CT side and take a swift victory, but Na’Vi had other plans, leading to a half of annihilation, taking complete control of the game. After winning the pistol round once again, Na’Vi went on a streak of rounds, taking the lead, rarely ever giving ground. After only allowing two rounds to be given up and taking control of the economy of the game, Natus Vincere were able to swiftly close out, taking the map 16-11, and the series, 2-1.
Below is a comprehensive schedule for all of tomorrow's quarter-finals matches (all times expressed in CET):
19:00 - 
Gambit Gaming vs. North
22:00 - Mousesports vs. Virtus.Pro
01:00 - Astralis vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas
04:00 - 
SK Gaming vs. Natus Vincere
Headline Image: DreamhackCSGO Twitter
