Two European juggernauts are going home earlier than expected after day two of the IEM Katowice European Minor.
OpTic Gaming and Mousesports were eliminated today in the lower bracket of the group stage as Valiance and North claimed the final two spots in the Minor playoffs. This marks the first time that Mouz will miss a Valve Major since the organization first qualified for ESL One Cologne in 2015, which was also led by Chris “chrisJ” de Jong.
Related: ENCE and Vitality secure playoff spots at the IEM Katowice EU Minor
Mouz successfully swept the Danish Green Wall in two narrow maps to start off their day, but later on, they fell to Valiance in heartbreaking fashion. The European stars were definitely not in their usual form that they typically display at big international events, and it showed in the end result.
It wasn’t the same story for North, however, as they concluded their time in the group stage with two wins vs. ex-Space Soldiers and North. The Danes almost lost to Windigo on map three Dust II, yet they pulled through and took the last playoff spot in the EU Minor.
Group A
Elimination match
Mousesports vs. OpTic Gaming
- Mouz won Train 16-14
- Mouz won Nuke 16-11
Decider match
Valiance vs. Mousesports
- Valiance won Train 16-12
- Valiance won Cache 16-8
Group B
Elimination match
North vs. ex-Space Soldiers
- North won Mirage 16-5
- North won Inferno 16-13
Decider match
North vs. Windigo Gaming
- Windigo won Overpass 16-12
- North won Inferno 16-9
- North won Dust II 16-13
The EU Minor returns tomorrow at 10:15am CT with a matchup between Team Vitality and North, followed by another series featuring ENCE Esports vs. Valiance. Out of those four teams, only two will advance to the main IEM Katowice Major event next month.
