MOUZ dominate MIBR to reach Shanghai Major playoffs

MIBR were sent packing after failing to capitalize on a 2-0 start in the Elimination Stage.

MOUZ have secured their place among the top eight in the Perfect World Shanghai Major after taking down MIBR in a one-sided series in their 2-2 match.

MOUZ were one of the top sides that faced the prospect of elimination fairly early on in the Elimination Stage, going 1-2 after enduring close best-of-one losses to The MongolZ and FaZe. The international side managed to turn their fortunes once in the best-of-threes, moving past 3DMAX and MIBR to bypass elimination and secure their spot in playoffs.

MIBR will be lamenting their Elimination Stage exit, having initially accrued a 2-0 start thanks to wins over 3DMAX and Natus Vincere, a record that was soon whittled away once the best-of-threes began. The Brazilian underdogs were not given a break, as they endured losses to Vitality and Liquid before being paired against MOUZ in what would ultimately be their final match of the Shanghai Major.

The series between MOUZ and MIBR kicked off on the former’s pick of Mirage, a punish pick directed at the Brazilian side who boasted a dreadful 14% win rate on the map heading into the series.

Felipe “⁠insani⁠” Yuji highlighted the map as a weakness in an interview with HLTV, stating that Mirage was consistently their weak spot in the Elimination Stage best-of-threes and that they were “trying to fix it in every way [they] could.”

Unfortunately for the Brazilians, this series only continued their lackluster trend on Mirage. Occasional flashes of individual brilliance from insani and Rafael “⁠saffee⁠” Costa allowed MIBR to accrue some rounds on the CT-side, but never enough to string together a meaningful amount, allowing MOUZ to dominate the map 13-4.

Nuke proved to be an even more difficult affair for MIBR, as Ludvig “⁠Brollan⁠” Brolin, who had had an excellent showing on Mirage, continued his form into the second map while being assisted by Dorian “⁠xertioN⁠” Berman. With their riflers dominating the server, MOUZ scooped up an 11-1 lead that soon became a 13-6 map win after brief resistance from MIBR on the defense, securing the international side their place in the playoffs.