Astralis, G2 and Fnatic suffer shock RMR losses, could miss CS: GO Major

Day 3 of the European RMR A has thrown up quite a few surprise results. The Round 3 mid matches saw both Astralis and Fnatic lose their respective Bo1s which puts them in a do or die situation. A loss in their next match would mean they will not make it to the upcoming Brazilian Major.

Two of the biggest orgs in Counter-Strike Global Offensive are now on the verge of not making it to the IEM Rio Major. This could be the first time in Astralis’ history that the org might miss out on the CS: GO Major. Astralis have won four CS: GO Majors till date and dominated one of the most one-sided eras in the game’s history.

Bad News Eagles were dominant in their match against Astralis on Ancient. Sinopssy and juanflatroo had 28 and 25 kills each, styling over the Astralis players. Off to a 11-0 start on the CT side, it was only a matter of time before Bad News Eagles would close out the map.

The RMR events feature best-of-one matches in a Swiss format. The elimination matches, however, are all best-of-three series. Astralis previously lost 12-16 to NiP on Nuke a couple of days ago in their debut RMR match. Their only win so far this RMR event has been against Eternal Fire yesterday.

If Astralis lose their next matchup, it will be the first time in history that xyp9x fails to reach top 24 at a CS: GO Major.

Meanwhile, the team that took FaZe Clan to overtime yesterday fell to B8 esports today. After a thrilling Nuke map against FaZe Clan yesterday, which Fnatic lost 17-19, their performance today was sub-par by their own standards. 

The Ukrainian roster of B8 esports had a strong T side, getting a 9-6 lead in the first half. Inferno is usually a slightly CT sided map and with a 3 round lead at the end of the first half, B8 managed to easily get the 7 required rounds to secure the map win.

With this victory, B8 esports is now 2-1, one series victory away from securing their spot at the CS: GO Major.

Easily one of the strongest teams in the Road to Rio, G2 esports also find themselves in the 1-2 pool, a single loss away from elimination. Their match against 1win, also on Ancient did not go as per plan.

G2 started strong, having secured the CT side on the first half. The 9-4 start, powered heavily by mONESY, was not enough as they gave up two rounds at the tail-end of the half. The 9-6 half proved to be not enough as 1Win showcased a very resilient CT side, on a map that is heavily CT favored. G2 esports only won 4 rounds on their attacking side, clearly outmaneouvered by the 1win strategic advantage.

Today, teams will find themselves qualified for the upcoming CS: GO Major or will also be eliminated. In RMR A, FaZe take on Sprout while NiP and Cloud9 face each other for a qualification spot to the Major. NAVI will face Outsiders in the EU RMR B, also for a spot at the IEM Rio Major.

The IEM Rio Major will take place from October 31 to November 13 in Brazil. One of the most popular games in the country, the CS: GO Major is bound to see large attendance and hype crowds. In fact, ESL has also roped in Gaules for a fan-fest during the Major, which will feature meet and greets, signing sessions and more.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS: GO news and updates.