Astralis defeated not once, but twice while Copenhagen Flames burns with energy.
The first CS:GO Major in two years kicks off with Round 1 of the Swiss System stage for Major Stockholm. As part of Day 1, we saw a total of 16 matches as part of Round 1 and 2 of the New Challenger stage.
Major upsets have been made even at this early stage, as defending champions, Astralis, lost two matches in a row, while surprises came from Team Spirit who clutched their match versus GODSENT as well as the performance of Copenhagen Flames.
For rounds 3 to 5, PGL and Valve will be using the Buchholz system to replace the previous tie-breaker system. This is to remove some of the random elements, especially during seeding. Win and loses will be accounted for in the matchups, hence getting the points is important in the first two rounds of the Swiss Stage.
Round 1 Recap
Copenhagen Flames vs 
Astralis
The competition started with the match between Copenhagen Flames and Astralis, the former being the reigning champion. Unfortunately, they never showed that champion potential again as they lost to Copenhagen Flames 6-16. The Danish team showed good play during the match, taking advantage of the game narrative throughout the Danish derby.
FaZe Clan vs 
Team Spirit
While Team Spirit was strong, FaZe Clan was stronger. This was shown during the match where the latter had more kills compared to the former. FaZe won 16-11, showing that they are still a power to be reckoned with.
ENCE vs 
GODSENT
The Finnish team showed that they are still a powerhouse, showing their mettle during their match versus GODSENT. The team was a bit shaky in the beginning, but after the score was 4-1, they found their second wind to win match after match. GODSENT tried to catch up, but ENCE comfortably won 16-11.
paiN Gaming vs 
Outsiders
This match almost went to paIN but Virtus.pro narrowly won the match 16-14, even though Wesley “hardzao” Lopes won a 1v4 in round 28 for a point for paIN.
BIG vs 
Entropiq
BIG played it nice and steady as they went against Entropiq. Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, but BIG went, well, big in the second round as CT. The team from Germany won 16-13.
Movistar Riders vs 
Renegades
The team from Spain went against the team from down under and showed the world that they are still noteworthy squads – even if they are the two of the least experienced teams around. The two teams were evenly matched through the match, however, Movistar had the lead by round 20, and they kept the lead - eventually winning 16-13.
MOUZ vs 
Sharks Esports
Shark led the match in the first three rounds, but in the fourth round, it was like a fire was lit underneath MOUZ as they won multiple rounds back-to-back. Even after switching sides, MOUZ dominated as Terrorists and comfortably won the match 16-6.
Heroic vs 
TyLoo
The match between Denmark and China saw many clutches made by both sides, but the true MVP was Dank1ng – you just got to watch the clips of him playing in this match. Unfortunately, even his greatness didn’t give the team enough momentum to triumph against Heroic, who cruised to a 16-12 win.
Round 2 Lower Recap
Team Spirit vs GODSENT
This was a surprising match as Spirit was a bit sub-par in Round 1. Against GODSENT, however, the team found a second wind, went to dictate the game, and easily won 16-12. GODSENT did have several clutch moments that kept them in the game, but the 4-point deficit at round 25 is not easy to recover from.
Astralis vs Entropiq
Entropiq gave Astralis a beating when they won the match 16-6. The Czech team easily dominated the reigning champion, and almost made a mockery of the once feared team. Astralis missed several chances to claw back from the jaw of defeat but unfortunately, they could not complete the given chance.
paiN Gaming vs Renegades
The Australian team made sure the world knew why they should be in the Major. They went against the Brazilian paIN Gaming and played to the literal last second as they completed the full 30 rounds. Renegade won the match 16-14.
TyLoo vs Sharks Esports
The only Asian representative at the Majors did lose to Heroic earlier – so they were raring to go to redeem themselves in this round, and redeem themselves they did. It is not that the lads at Shark Esports were bad, but TYLOO was better in the match. Multiple clutches, many kills made – even then the match went to the wire as the two teams battled it to 30 rounds. In the end, TYLOO won 16-14.
Round 2 Higher Recap
ENCE vs FaZe Clan
The match between these two big names was a bit disrupted when dycha’s connection to the server cut off in round 5. Otherwise, the match just showed that FaZe is still one of the best teams playing around, especially with players like olofmeister and karrigan in the team. Faze won 16-12.
Copenhagen Flames vs BIG
The surprise of the tournament thus far, Copenhagen Flames have won both of their matches in their first-ever Major. Not only did they take down Astralis, but they also defeated BIG – one of the big (sic) names in the European CS: GO scene. They took down BIG with a score of 16-12.
Outsiders vs Movistar Riders
The Russians second win today was against the Spaniard team Movistar Riders. While Movistar dominated the first half of the match, Virtus.pro took over the second half and essentially won every round in the match. They ended the match with a score of 16-12.
Heroic vs MOUZ
Heroic was, well, heroic, in this match against Mouz where they dominated both halves of the match. Mouz attempted to give the team some resistance but with an 8-point difference at round 22, it was but impossible for them to catch up with Heroic. Thus, the Danish team won with a score of 16-11.
The tournament continues tomorrow with the start of New Challengers Round 3. Head on to our PGL Major Stockholm hub page HERE for up-to-date information on the tournament.
