The final qualifier for the first DreamHack Masters event concluded yesterday with two teams filling out the list of participants who will battle for $250,000 next month.
DreamHack invited eight of the best teams in the world to compete at the inaugural Masters event, starting with the two best teams in the world: Fnatic and Astralis. Shortly after, DreamHack Cluj 2015 finalists Na’Vi and EnvyUs were added to the field. The remaining four invite slots were given to Brazilian side Luminosity, the mixed nationality FaZe Clan, Counter-Strike legends Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Polish powerhouse Virtus Pro.
The impressive invite list already promised a competitive tournament. The remaining eight spots were determined with a series of online qualifiers: two in Europe, one in North America, and one in Asia.
North America put it all on the line in one tournament to decide its three participants. The nature of the tournament threw some of the favorites together as early as the quarterfinals. In the deciding matches, Brazilians Tempo Storm overcame Cloud9, while Team Liquid toppled Counter Logic Gaming. The two defeated teams met in a last-chance game to decide the final DreamHack Malmo participant, with CLG emerging the victor in a convincing 2-0 victory.
ELEAGUE Road to Vegas finalists Lounge Gaming were the first qualified team out of Europe. The Polish side took out Team Dignitas and Flipsid3 on their way through the event. German side Mousesports took the other spot, defeating former Vexed Gaming (now AGG) and G2 Esports.
The second European qualifier presented the last chance for favorites Team Dignitas and G2 Esports. Team Dignitas progressed with wins over AGG and Hellraisers, while G2 Esports fell early in the tournament to Copenhagen Wolves. Wolves then fell to Team Ancient, led by former Fnatic IGL Markus “Pronax” Wallsten, whose team took the final DreamHack Malmo spot in Europe.
China’s TyLoo took the Asian qualifier, earning them another chance on the international stage. TyLoo was most recently in the news rounds after one of their players was discovered to have an old VAC ban on his account, causing the team to be disqualified from IEM Taipei. With new member YuanZhang “Attacker” Sheng, the team overcame Malaysian MVP Karnal, Australian Team Immunity, and fellow Chinese side CyberZen to earn their spot in the tournament.
Dreamhack Malmo starts on April 12 and will feature the usual four group format, with top two going through to the bracket stage and two leaving the tournament. Groups will take place in Stockholm in a studio before the playoff teams head to the Malmo arena on April 16 to complete the tournament.
