The last major Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament of 2024 has ended in China, presenting many surprises. Read about the failure of the main favorites, the daring newcomers from Asia, and other events at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 in the final 1xBet review.
Opening and Elimination Stages: The MongolZ’s dominance and NAVI’s failure
The tournament began with the Opening Stage, where 16 outsider teams fought for a place in the next round – the Elimination Stage. The audience was pleasantly surprised by the young Asian squad, The MongolZ – the official partner of the global betting company 1xBet. The Mongols, like the more experienced Team Liquid, did not experience any difficulties and passed the stage with a 3-0 score.
The most interesting part began at the Elimination Stage when elite squads joined the tournament. The experienced NAVI, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, and Team Spirit were deservedly considered the main favorites. Three of them convincingly proved their right to participate in the Playoffs, having passed the stage with statistics of 3-0 (Team Vitality) and 3-1 (G2 Esports and Team Spirit). However, the winners of the first major this year from NAVI unexpectedly failed. The team’s problems began in the first fight, which NAVI won with great difficulty against Team Liquid on their strongest map, Nuke, with a score of 13-10 — then followed an offensive 11-13 loss on Inferno to the Brazilians from MIBR, also sponsored by 1xBet.
The result dealt a blow to the favorites. They lost the next battle on Mirage to Team Spirit with an indecent score of 2-13. At this stage, NAVI players were crippled by psychological problems – then followed a win against GamerLegion (2-0), a loss to HEROIC (1-2), and a logical exit from the tournament with a score of 2-3.
Playoff Stage: the end of The MongolZ’s fairytale and Team Spirit’s first major victory
The favorites, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, and Team Spirit, quite expectedly made it to the final stage of the PWE Shanghai Major 2024. Still, the young Asian squad, The MongolZ, exceeded all expectations and entered the Playoff Stage, beating several strong competitors 3-0. The team clearly benefited from the European training camp organized by 1xBet. The players received high-quality training and comprehensive support, so they had no 1xBet complaints. The unpredictable elimination of the tournament favorites at an early stage gave hope for winning the major to all eight participants, but not only NAVI fans were disappointed.
The MongolZ’s fairy tale ended in the first quarterfinal when the squad lost 2-0 to the more experienced MOUZ. On the first map, Ancient, it even went to extra rounds (14-16). On the second map, Nuke, the Mongols were winning on the defense side 6-0 but ended the first half with an almost equal score of 7-5. The team’s attack did not work: The MongolZ gave up this part of the round (2-8) and lost the decisive map 9-13. The squad was eliminated but earned $45,000 and a slot for Asian teams in the Elimination Stage at the next major. In their homeland, The MongolZ players were greeted as heroes, and even more people now visit the capital’s mural in their honor from 1xBet!
Meanwhile, Team Vitality’s loss to FaZe Clan was a huge surprise. Before the tournament, FaZe Clan wasn’t even in the top 5 favorites. The team overcame the Elimination Stage with a score of 3-2 but then turned on the afterburner and beat the great Vitality! The French won FaZe’s pick, the map Nuke, with a score of 13-6 but lost on their pick, Mirage (8-13), and the decider Anubis (7-13). The French leader, Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut, was not bad (rating 1.22), but the Estonian Robin ‘ropz’ Kool appeared to be much better (rating 1.49).
The Team Spirit vs. Team Liquid (2-0) and G2 Esports vs. HEROIC (2-1) semifinals had no surprises – stronger teams won them. The same can be said about the Team Spirit vs. MOUZ (2-1) semifinal, but the G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan (0-2) outcome presented another sensation. Almost no one could believe in a defeat of the global HLTV and Valve rankings leaders to the old guys from FaZe Clan, including most 1xBet clients. However, those who risked betting on such an event received a huge win without any 1xBet withdrawal problem. As a result, 13-6 on Ancient, 16-14 on Nuke, and FaZe for the second time this year after PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 goes to the final to meet Team Spirit.
The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 final was a dramatic affair. First, Spirit easily won the pick of their opponents, Nuke (13-8). Then FaZe just as confidently succeeded with Ancient (13-6). The fate of the championship was decided on good old Dust2, where Danil “donk” Kryshkovets showed his best performance (K/D 30/14, rating 1.98!), and his team snatched a 13-11 victory with the 1 vs 2 final clutch from Dmitry ‘sh1ro’ Sokolov. It is impossible not to mention Boris ‘magixx’ Vorobiev, who shot 69 frags with 39 deaths in three maps and showed the best K/D difference in the final (+30!).
PWE Shanghai Major 2024 brought Team Spirit their first-ever final and first major victory, while FaZe Clan added their third grand final to their PGL Major Antwerp 2022 victory. The historic achievement was set by Team Spirit’s best player and tournament MVP, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who became the youngest major champion at 17 years old.
