CSGO FACEIT Major Challengers Stage: Day 2
The challengers stage shifted up a gear on day 2, we saw a few eyebrow raising results as some unfavoured teams found victories and some favourites struggled. We move into day 3 with a better idea of which teams might go far and which teams may fail to impress. Catch up on todays action below.

Upper Bracket
Ninjas in Pyjamas 16–12 TyLoo (Train)
NiP continued their confident start at the FACEIT Major by taking down TyLoo on train. Veteran Swedes f0rest and GeT_RiGhT combined to effectively shut down the threat of BnTeT, TyLoo’s star player, from the get go. Nevertheless, good performances from DD and xccurate kept TyLoo in the game as they found themselves one map down going into the second half. NiP started the second half well as they continued to keep BnTeT out of the map and their lead rose to 13–7. TyLoo mounted a spirited comeback, closing the gap 13–12, before NiP rebounded to secure the victory. MVP: Lekr0.
Vega Squadron 19–16 BIG (Train)
Underdogs Vega Squadron upset BIG in a chaotic game to come within touching distance of the legends stage. Vega started strongly; they dominated on T side and managed to completely lock nex out of the map, as the German failed to score a single kill in the first half. This allowed Vega to pull away to a solid 9–6 lead on a map which typically favours the CTs. BIG responded in kind and took control of the map on their own T side, taking the lead and going 12–9 up. The teams traded round and kills, leading to an overtime which seemed destined. A standout performance from tonyblack in overtime pulled Vega over the line in a very back and forth match-up. MVP: tonyblack
Team Liquid 16–9 HellRaisers (Inferno)
A vintage performance by Liquid brought them victory against a lopsided HellRaisers side. HellRaisers got off to a roaring start, going 4–0 up as Liquid struggled to control their economy after a failed forced buy in the second round. EliGE stunned HellRaisers in round 5 however, scoring an ace to deny a rush onto B site. From then on, Liquid dominated the half and HellRaisers star players, most notably woxic, struggled to make an impact. HellRaisers showed signs of life in the second half, but Liquid ultimately proved too much for them as they converted a 10–5 lead at the half into a 16–9 victory. MVP: Twistzz
Astralis 16–13 Rogue (Inferno)
Rogue almost pulled off a huge upset before succumbing to the Astralis offensive. Rogue got off to a fantastic start and were able to dominate Astralis’ economy. The Danes were able to win occasional buy rounds but struggled to string wins together and gain momentum, this led to a strong 10–5 lead in favour of Rogue heading into half time. This advantage was in no small part thanks to a heroic performance from Danish ex-pat cadiaN, who seemed eager to score a win over his countrymen. Astralis came out swinging at the start of the second half and quickly dismantled Rogue’s CT holds in order to complete a swift comeback. MVP: device
Lower Bracket
Gambit Gaming 16–10 Renegades (Train)
Gambit came out on top after a back and forth map with Renegades. Renegades started strongly and were able to trade rounds effectively with Gambit. However, as the match went on, it was Gambit who appeared to have the upper hand and they went into the second half with an 8–7 lead. The match continued in the same vein after the side change, as the opponents seemed closely matched. But again, Gambit were generally able to find the advantage. At 13–10 down, Renegades lost a pivotal round due to a triple kill from mou with the AWP which ultimately destroyed the Australian sides economy and gave Gambit the win. MVP: mou
Team Spirit 16–13 North (Nuke)
North continue their disppointing run by losing to rank outsiders Spirit and are now one map away from being elimated from the major at the first stage, Spirit performed admirably to upset North, just 4 days after the Danish side beat Astralis to lift the trophy at Dreamhack. The charge was lead by S0tF1k, the teams in-game-leader. Though normally considered the weakest fragger on the line-up, North struggled to contain him as he picked up 28 kills. North, a team who many believed could make it to the top 8, have their work cut out for them if they want to turn their tournament around. MVP: S0tF1k
OpTic Gaming 16–13 Virtus.Pro (Mirage)
OpTic scored an unconvincing victory against a flat VP, who seem destined to go out at the first opportunity. OpTic dominated the map from an early stage, though they lost the first 3 rounds, OpTic managed to shut VP out almost entirely, dropping just one more map to win the half 11–4. VP rallied at the start of the second half, with a quietly consistent pasha at the helm. OpTic managed to force map point with a 7 game buffer, but time and time again the Danes failed to convert as the gap continued to close. They eventually won a round at the 6th time of asking to pick up the map win, but will be concerned that it took them so many tries to secure the deciding round win. MVP: k0nfig
Complexity 16–11 Space Soldiers (Inferno)
The misery continues for Space Soldiers, as the upset specialists lose another game they could’ve been able to win with their full roster. To his credit, stand-in hardstyle had a better performance today than he did previously, but was still understandably off the pace. Space Soldiers put up an admirable fight, managing to close a 4–11 half time deficit to 11–13, but were unable to secure the win. Complexity won the match at a canter, but there may be some question marks around yay’s underwhelming performance. MVP: XANTARES
