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CAG stun a yass-less DWG KIA
CYCLOPS athlete gaming have taken the lead in APAC North after defeating Korean giants DWG KIA 7-3.
Yoo “yass” Sang-hoon was not playing in the team’s second game of the stage as well, as DWG coach and former T1 player Jaehyun “PJH” Park stepped up in his place.
That was all the invitation CAG needed, winning the first four rounds before DWG could even respond. After swapping sides, the Japanese roster won three of their four defenses on Chalet to give DWG KIA their first loss of the stage and only their fourth APAC North loss all season.
Stats-wise, not a single Korean player got a SiegeGG Rating higher than 0.8, with PJH surprisingly the best with 0.79. Meanwhile, Sho “BlackRay” Hasegawa led the Japanese squad with a 1.59 Rating and an entry balance of 3-1 (+2). As of now, three of the best five APAC North players are CAG members, with BlackRay being at the top of the list.
The win means CAG are in pole position to deny DWG KIA a place at the November Major and secure one of the two places themselves to return to international play.
With both SANDBOX Gaming and DWG KIA having already lost a match each, this probability is now even higher. It’s also worth noting that both Korean rosters are currently out of the SI Points Top 16, so missing out on the November Major would automatically push them to APAC’s Regional Qualifier.
Fnatic get first victory since Mag’s return
Fnatic got their first victory in APAC North since the return of Etienne “Mag” Rousseau to the starting lineup, as the Japanese-majority squad defeated relegation rivals REJECT 7-4.
Fnatic had a perfect start to the match, as Ryuya “Chibisu” Hamasita clutched a 1v3 situation to give his team a 3-0 lead. Minutes later, Tadanari “tadaNiki” Uezato gave REJECT their first round of the game after a 1v1 clutch against Kazuki “Lily” Yamane, who was on the verge of completing an ace.
Heading into the second half of the match, Fnatic eventually got the three points after winning three of their final four attacks and celebrated a big win after a massive mid-season shuffle.
Gamin Gladiators return with solid victory over Wildcard Gaming
After getting a break in week one owing to Chiefs disbanding, Gaimin Gladiators returned to action hot off a strong showing at the Berlin Major.
Gaimin Gladiators defeated Wildcard Gaming 7-3 on Oregon to kick off their Stage 3 after the Australian side had defeated Tyde in their first game of the stage.
The Indonesian squad controlled the pace of the game as the team started with a three-round streak, which was cut short by Tuhan’s Twitch double-kill, which was followed up by a 1v1 clutch to shorten the difference on the scoreboard.
Wildcard Gaming’s third round of the game was won right after swapping sides to the defense and there was brief hope that they could bring it to overtime.
However, that was not the case. Gaimin Gladiators’ players responded in fine fashion, winning another three in a row to secure the series. Reinaldo “Tolji” Gilbert, who was the game’s highest rated player, got a 1v1 clutch in the penultimate round to help things along.
Elevate takes APAC South lead after victory over Tyde
APAC’s most in-form team in the region got its second victory of the stage, as Elevate defeated the former Invictus Gaming team now known as Tyde.
Paramin “Onigiri” Suwanwattana was crucial in the team’s result as he got two different quad-kills while attacking, as his Dokkaebi DMR play gave him 10 kills in six rounds. Eventually, the Thai IGL would end with five more kills to his name.
Elevate’s strong performance on attack gave them the upper-hand against their opponents, who momentarily tied up the scoreboard with two successful attacking rounds. However, Atibordee “Sapper” Noichan’s 1v2 clutch with Oryx restored Elevate’s lead, which was followed by two more round wins to close out a 7-4 victory.
Later on, FURY pulled off a stunning upset against pre-stage favourites Knights, handing Matin “SpeakEasy” Yunos’ new team a 7-4 loss. As such, after last week’s overtime loss to Elevate, FURY are now in second place and two points behind their Thai neighbors.