The top three seeds — the Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra and OpTic Texas — opened the Stage 3 Major with 3-1 victories on Thursday in Toronto.
Also on Thursday, the fifth-seeded New York Subliners took down the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Thieves 3-1.
Whichever team wins the major, which runs through Sunday, will get $150,000 and 100 CDL points. The total prize pool is worth $375,000, with the top eight teams at the event splitting those funds.
Toronto won the Stage 1 Major in January. Atlanta claimed the Stage 2 Major in March.
The top eight seeds started the major in the winners bracket, where four first-round matches were played Thursday. Losers of those matches were sent to the elimination bracket to square off with a bottom-four seed.
Atlanta opened its matchup with the Miami Heretics with a 250-211 win on Karachi Hardpoint before Miami evened it up by taking 6 Star Search & Destroy 6-3. Atlanta bounced back with a 3-1 victory on Highrise Control, then sealed the win by prevailing 250-72 on Rio Hardpoint.
Toronto grabbed a 2-0 lead on the Seattle Surge with wins on Karachi Hardpoint (250-164) and 6 Star Search & Destroy (6-3) before Seattle took Invasion Control 3-1 to get back in the match. However, Toronto put it away on 6 Star Hardpoint, 250-179.
Facing the Carolina Royal Ravens, OpTic jumped out to a big lead with a 250-180 victory on Sub Base Hardpoint and a 6-3 win on Invasion Search & Destroy. Carolina cut into its deficit by taking Karachi Control 3-1, but OpTic finished it off on Rio Hardpoint, again by a 250-180 score.
The Thieves took an early lead over the Subliners with a 250-215 win on Rio Hardpoint, but the Thieves took the next three maps by scores of 6-3 (6 Star Search & Destroy), 3-1 (Invasion Control) and 250-184 (Vista Hardpoint) to secure the victory.
Stage 3 Major play continues Friday with five matches:
–Minnesota Rokkr vs. Seattle Surge (Elimination bracket round 1)
–Los Angeles Guerillas vs. Carolina Royal Ravens (Elimination bracket round 1)
–Vegas Legion vs. Miami Heretics (Elimination bracket round 1)
— Boston Breach vs. Los Angeles Thieves (Elimination bracket round 1)
–Legion-Heretics winner vs. Breach-Thieves winner (Elimination bracket round 2)
Stage 3 Major prize money and CDL points
1. $150,000, 100 points — TBD
2. $90,000, 75 points — TBD
3. $60,000, 60 points — TBD
4. $30,000, 45 points — TBD
5-6. $15,000, 30 points — TBD
7-8. $7,500, 15 points — TBD
9-12. No money, no points — TBD
–Field Level Media