FaZe Clan swept MOUZ and Natus Vincere got past FURIA in the two remaining quarterfinal matches at the StarLadder Budapest Major on Friday in Hungary.
FaZe and NaVi will square off in the semifinals Saturday, with Team Spirit and Team Vitality playing the other semi first. Those four are the last ones standing as they battle for a $500,000 grand prize at the three-week tournament.
Thirty-two teams began play in the $1.25 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event, which featured three consecutive Swiss System stages ahead of the playoffs.
Sixteen teams competed in each Swiss System stage. Eight invited teams started in Stage 2, and eight more got a bye into Stage 3. In each Swiss System stage, elimination and advancement matches were best-of-three and all others were best-of-one.
The tournament concludes with a single-elimination playoff stage. All matches are best-of-three until Sunday’s grand final, which is best-of-five. The winner will take home $500,000.
On Friday, FaZe defeated MOUZ 13-11 on Nuke before running away with a 13-2 triumph on Inferno. Helvijs “broky” Saukants of Latvia powered FaZe with 40 kills on a plus-23 kills-deaths differential.
Natus Vincere opened with a 13-5 victory on Mirage, but FURIA fought back and won 16-13 in overtime on Inferno. The final map was Train, where NaVi cruised to a 13-3 win. Romania’s Mihai “iM” Ivan posted a game-high 52 kills on a plus-13 differential to lead NaVi.
The tournament continues Saturday with the semifinals:
–Team Spirit vs. Team Vitality
–FaZe Clan vs. Natus Vincere
StarLadder Budapest Major prize pool
1. $500,000
2. $170,000
3-4. $80,000
5-8. $45,000 — Team Falcons, The MongolZ, MOUZ, FURIA
9-11. $20,000 — B8, G2 Esports, Passion UA
12-14. $20,000 — Imperial Esports, 3DMAX, paiN Gaming
15-16. $20,000 — Team Liquid, PARIVISION
17-19. $10,000 — Ninjas in Pyjamas, M80, Astralis
20-22. $10,000 — Fnatic, Aurora Gaming, TYLOO
23-24. $10,000 — MIBR, FlyQuest
25-27. No money — Legacy, Fluxo, NRG
28-30. No money — RED Canids, The Huns Esports, GamerLegion
31-32. No money — Lynn Vision Gaming, Rare Atom
–Field Level Media
