FaceIt Major: London 2018 - New Challengers Stage Results

London's first ever CSGO Major has completed its first phase. The New Challengers Stage has concluded and with it we have our 16 New Legends. Eight teams have been eliminated and Eight have become legends, guaranteeing a spot in the next Major doing so.

From tragic exits to incredible underdog journeys, we have seen it all in this stage. So let us look at all the teams that made their way into the New Legends Stage and the teams that got eliminated and had their dreams shattered.

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The Eliminated Teams

As per the Swiss system, teams are drawn against other teams with the same record. The Buchholz system was used to draw the teams against each other based on their record and standings in the tournament. Whenever a team wins or loses 3 games they either qualify or get eliminated respectively.

So 8 teams with records of 0-3, 1-3 and 2-3 got eliminated while teams with records of 3-0,3-1, 3-2 got through to the next stage. The last round where teams with a 2-2 record face each other are Best of 3 matches while all other matches are Best of 1. Let us take a look at which team fared well and which teams didn't.

Virtus.Pro (0-3):

The most tragic moment of the entire tournament must be when the legendary team of Virtus Pro failed to win a single game in the entire tournament. The once best team in the world fell in 3 consecutive games to Ninjas in Pyjamas (5-16), Optic Gaming (13-16) and North (6-16). Managing only 24 rounds in 3 maps, this is the worst performance in VP's history.

Space Soldiers (0-3):

The Turkish side was expected to have a breakout performance of their careers at London. But disaster struck when one of the team's best players ngiN was denied visa at the last moment. The team's coach HardStyle who has never played competitive CS in his entire life stood in. But without their regular line up Space Soldiers didn't stand a chance as they bowed out after 3 losses against Rogue (10-16), Complexity (11-16) and Renegades (15-19).

Renegades (1-3):

Renegades has been the best Asian team for years. They have consistently represented Asia as the region's best team. Their toughest competition came this year as the Australian team was challenged hard by China's Tyloo Gaming. Renegades thoroughly underperformed and got eliminated after 3 losses in 4 games. They won against Space Soldiers (19-15) but lost to BIG (6-16), Gambit (10-16) and Tyloo (10-16).

Rogue (1-3):

Rogue surprised everyone when they won their first match and had a strong performance against tournament favorites Astralis. But unfortunately, they lost their next two games and were eliminated from the Major with a record of 1 win and 3 losses. The managed a victory over Space Soldiers (16-10) but lost to Astralis (13-16), Team Spirit (4-16) and North (23-25).

Gambit E-Sports (1-3):

Gambit won the PGL Krakow Major in 2017. But from there everything has been downhill. They lost their in-game leader Zeus and has never recovered. They were part of this Major thanks to their win in Krakow as the Top 8 get qualification for the next two Majors. They had a very poor showing and got eliminated after 3 losses and only 1 victory. They beat Renegades (16-10) but fell to Tyloo (17-19), Hellraisers (14-16) and BIG (8-16).

Optic Gaming (2-3):

Optic reinvented themselves after they moved away from NA to Europe. Signing a Danish side they became a very strong team capable of hanging with several top teams in the world. They even showed their potential as they picked up wins over Virtus Pro (16-13) and Tyloo (28-26). But they were forced out after losses against Team Liquid (4-16), HellRaisers (23-25) and BIG (0-2 in a Best of 3).

Team Spirit (2-3):

Perhaps the weakest team in the tournament, Team Spirit edged their way into the major with little expectations. They didn't disappoint as they managed two victories over North (16-13) and Rogue (16-4). But they had to go home after losses against Vega Squadron (14-16), Astralis (3-16) and Tyloo (0-2).

North (2-3):

North won the last Premier Tournament just before the Major. Their victory instantly made them one of the contenders for the tournament. But the world was shocked when they got eliminated after a shocking loss against Vega Squadron (0-2). They also lost against HellRaisers (17-19) and Team Spirit (13-16). Their only victories came against Virtus Pro (16-6) and Rogue (25-23).

A good pictorial description of the New Challengers Stage

The Qualified Teams (The New Legends)

The teams who managed 3 victories qualified to the New Legends stage. With their qualification, they guarantee their spot in the next Major at IEM Katowice 2019. They will be joined by the 8 Legends from the last Major at Boston.

Team Liquid (3-0):

Team Liquid is one of the strongest teams in the world at this moment. With a line up including some of the best American players, they have had a great season so far. They qualified easily after 3 consecutive victories. They defeated Optic (16-4), HellRaisers (16-9) and Vega Squadron (19-17).

Ninjas in Pyjamas (3-0):

NiP had a glorious return to CSGO Majors. They failed to qualify for the last 3 Majors but finally bounced back this year. They made their statement after they beat their first 3 opponents including tournament favorites Astralis (28-26) in one of the best games of Counter Strike ever. Their other victims include Virtus Pro (16-5) and Tyloo (16-12).

Astralis (3-1):

Astralis is one of the favorites to win the Major. They are the number one team in the world. They proved their dominance as they eased past their opponents. The only hitch in their way was the aforementioned loss against NiP who edged them 26-28. Their 3 victories came over Complexity (16-4), Rogue (16-13) and Team Spirit (16-3).

Complexity Gaming (3-1):

Complexity was not a team considered to provide much threat to any of the contenders. Their start was bad as well as they fell to Astralis 16-4. But they bounced back incredibly as they won 3 consecutive games against Space Soldiers (16-11), BIG (16-12) and Vega Squadron (19-15) to qualify for the New Legends phase.

HellRaisers (3-1):

HellRaisers fell off from the top of the CSGO scene a few years back. But they kept their presence felt in the Majors. Now they have guaranteed a spot for them in yet another Major. They lost only one game against Team Liquid (9-16). They beat North (19-17), Gambit (16-14) and Optic (25-23) to qualify for the New Legends phase.

BIG (3-2):

BIG has become the biggest underdogs in the CSGO scene. They had a fairy-tale run at ESL One Cologne earlier this year. They proved their success was not a fluke after they qualified for the New Legends phase after 3 victories over Renegades (16-6), Gambit (16-8) and Optic (2-0).

Vega Squadron(3-2):

Vega started off strong but fell straight back down midway through. But they managed to bounce back and got one crucial victory over North (2-0) to make it through. They lost to Liquid (17-19) and Complexity (15-19) and won against Team Spirit (16-14) and BIG (19-16).

Tyloo (3-2):

Tyloo kept Asian hopes alive for the Major. They even eliminated their biggest Asian Rivals Renegades after beating them 16-10. They edged their way to the next stage after beating Team Spirit 2-0. They also beat Gambit 19-17. However, they also recorded losses against NiP (12-16) and Optic (26-28).