Virtus.pro, forZe qualify for Flashpoint 2

Two CIS sides topped the closed qualifier for the $1,000,000 event as highest-ranked teams GODSENT and North failed to deliver.

The qualification cycle for Flashpoint 2 has been concluded after two open and one closed qualifier. Virtus.pro made it all the way from the open bracket to the final event, which kicks off on November 9, while FORZE ran the group B lower-bracket gauntlet to justify their invite.

With a strong showing in the tournament, Virtus.pro (ranked #27) continue moving forward following a mid-year slump which saw them fall to #39 in the world ranking this August. On the other hand, Andrey "⁠Jerry⁠" Mekhryakov's men didn't show as much consistency but edged their way into Flashpoint 2 thanks to their strong T sides.

qikert led Virtus.pro to a Flashpoint 2 spot with a 1.44 qualifier rating

Upon making it through the open qualifier for the tournament, Virtus.pro ran through the upper bracket of the closed qualifier to secure their spot in Flashpoint 2. It started with a win over AVEZ, after which they edged out Endpoint in a 2-1 fashion.

Then a comfortable win vs. the highest-ranked team in the qualifier, GODSENT earned Virtus.pro a place in the grand final, where they breezed past the surprise of the qualifier SAW to ensure a spot in the $1,000,000 event. Alexey "⁠Qikert⁠" Golubev, Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis, and Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali were among the four best performers in the tournament, a testiment to how dominantly the CIS side made it through.

FORZE fell to the lower-bracket early, suffering a shocking 2-1 loss to Romanian side Nexus in the opening match of group B. The Russian team found redemption by taking down Heretics, North, Nexus, and HAVU in the lower bracket to face off against Gambit in the grand final.

Despite Dmitry "⁠sh1ro⁠" Sokolov's heroics, FORZE managed to tussle their way to a 2-1 victory and a Flashpoint 2 spot. It all seemed done and dusted as Gambit switched to the CT side of the decider map Inferno with a 9-6 lead, but FORZE made the comeback on the offense to take the thriller series in the end.

According to the event announcement, three top20 teams will be invited to the tournament to finalize the team list, which curently looks as follows:

Cloud9
Dignitas
Gen.G
MIBR
Virtus.pro
Invite #2

c0ntact
Envy
MAD Lions
FORZE
Invite #1
Invite #3