Team Falcons, MOUZ, FURIA, Natus Vincere and Gentle Mates opened Stage 2 play by sweeping their opponents on Saturday in the ESL Pro League Season 22 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Team Spirit, HOTU and G2 Esports — which won when FaZe Clan forfeited their match because they were unable to field an eligible lineup — also started 1-0 after the first of five rounds.
There were 16 teams at the start of Stage 1, with eight eliminated over five rounds. Eight more teams were invited directly to Stage 2: Team Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Team Falcons, Aurora Gaming, FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere.
Stage 2 takes place from Oct. 4-8, featuring the eight teams advancing and the eight teams with automatic entries competing in a 16-team Swiss format, with all matches being best-of-three.
The top eight teams from Stage 2 qualify for the playoffs, which run Oct. 10-12 with a single-elimination bracket. All matches are best-of-three except for the grand final, which is best-of-five.
The tournament features a $400,000 prize pool, with the winner receiving $100,000.
On Saturday, Natus Vincere downed Aurora Gaming 2-0, winning 13-9 on Nuke and 13-10 on Dust II. FURIA likewise had the edge over 3DMAX by winning 13-6 on Nuke and 13-8 on Dust II.
Gentle Mates got a bit more of a challenge from Team Vitality, winning 13-6 on Nuke and 13-11 on Train. MOUZ got stronger as their match with GamerLegion progressed, winning 13-9 on Overpass and 13-3 on Nuke.
Team Falcons were steady by beating Astralis 13-8 on Inferno and 13-6 on Mirage.
Team Spirit won their opening map against Inner Circle Esports, 13-4 on Ancient, but IC drew even with a 13-4 outcome on Nuke. That left Mirage, a 13-11 battle which went to Team Spirit.
HOTU downed The MongolZ 13-8 on Overpass before dropping a 13-10 decision on Mirage. HOTU won 13-9 on Ancient to take the match.
Round 2 high matches scheduled for Sunday:
–Falcons vs. Natus Vincere
–MOUZ vs. Gentle Mates
–Team Spirit vs. HOTU
–FURIA vs. G2 Esports
Round 2 low matches scheduled for Sunday:
–The MongolZ vs. Inner Circle Esports
–Aurora Gaming vs. Astralis
–Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion
–FaZe Clan vs. 3DMAX
ESL Pro League Season 22 prize pool:
1. $100,000, TBD
2. $50,000, TBD
3. $28,000, TBD
4. $22,000, TBD
5-8. $18,000, TBD
9-11. $13,500, 3DMAX, Astralis, Aurora Gaming
12-14. $10,500, FaZe Clan, GamerLegion, Inner Circle Esports
15-16. $8,500, Team Vitality, The MongolZ
17-19. $6,500; B8; ENCE, Legacy
20-22. $4,500; Fluxo, HEROIC, M80
23-24. $3,000; NRG, Rooster
–Field Level Media
