Team Liquid and The MongolZ each recorded a win on Sunday in their Round 3 High Matches of the Perfect World Shanghai Major: Opening Stage in China.
Liquid posted a 2-1 win over FlyQuest after overcoming a 13-5 setback on Inferno to notch a 13-9 win on Anubis and 13-1 triumph on Nuke.
MongolZ had a much easier time of it versus GamerLegion, securing a 13-5 victory on Mirage and 13-2 win on Anubis.
Also on Sunday, BIG, Passion UA, FURIA Esports and paiN Gaming each seized a victory in their respective Mid Matches.
BIG posted a 13-11 win on Vertigo over VP, Passion UA enjoyed a 13-5 victory on Mirage versus MIBR, FURIA Esports outlasted Wildcard by virtue of a 16-14 triumph on Vertigo and paiN Gaming seized a 13-11 victory on Anubis over Cloud9.
As for Low Matches, Rare Atom and Complexity Gaming walked away victorious.
Rare Atom secured a 2-1 win over Fnatic after responding to a 13-10 loss on Ancient with a 13-10 win on Inferno and 13-4 victory on Vertigo. Complexity breezed to a 2-0 win over Imperial Esports by virtue of a 13-4 win on Inferno and 13-5 triumph on Ancient.
Sixteen teams are competing in the Opening Stage, which runs through Tuesday. The top eight will move on to the elimination stage, set to start on Thursday and end on Dec. 8, while the other eight squads will be eliminated.
The Swiss System format is being utilized for the Opening Stage, meaning that teams are required to go through five rounds.
Round 1 matchups were chosen via “Next Major Slot” rankings. Winners of those matches are designated as “high” teams for the second round, with the losers getting a “low” tag.
In the third round, teams branch off into groups once again. Those that are 2-0 are now in the “high” division, while any 0-2 challengers are in the “low” division. There is also a “mid” division for the 1-1 teams.
Each team then plays an opponent within their group that they have not yet faced. Winners of high-group matches get to go right to the elimination stage. Losers of low-group matches get eliminated.
Only 2-1 and 1-2 teams remain in the fourth round, and the former lands in the “high” group while the latter lands in the “low” group. Teams once again face a new foe within their group, with high-group winners moving on and low-group losers getting bounced.
In the fifth and final round, the remaining teams face off against opponents they haven’t seen yet. Winners move on, losers don’t.
Seeding from the second round on is based off performance and teams’ initial seeds. Any matches with advancement or elimination on the line are best-of-three, while all other matches are winner-take-all.
Playoffs of the Perfect World Shanghai Major run from Dec. 12-15. The winning team will receive $500,000 of the $1.25 million prize pool.
–Field Level Media