DreamHack Masters: Las Vegas 2017 - SK Gaming knocks off North to head to the grand finals

The second semi-final match up saw North go head to head with SK in a best of three series to determine who would move on to the grand finals to face Virtus Pro.

The second semi-final match up saw North go head to head with SK in a best of three series to determine who would move on to the grand finals to face Virtus Pro. As the dust from the veto process settled, the two teams would square off on Cache for map one of the semi-finals, with Mirage on deck, and Overpass in tow, in the event the series would go the distance.

SK Gaming vs North

de_Cache - (9:6, 8:7); 16:14

The series kicked off with the Brazilians taking to the Terrorist side on Cache, at the helm of the team’s leader, Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo. The Brazilians started off hot, as they got out to a 5-1 lead before North began to put some rounds on the board. As halftime rolled around, SK found themselves on top 9-6 over the Danes; and while the deficit was not insurmountable, it was on North to put together an exceptional Terrorist side if they wanted to secure the map one victory.

While SK established themselves early in the second half by taking the pistol round with a thoroughly executed A bombsite take, North rallied together to win eight rounds and put the Brazilian powerhouse on the attack for the first time in the match. Unfortunately, for the Danes, FalleN’s tactical prowess and the combined firepower of Fernando "fer" Alvarenga and Marcelo "coldzera" David were too much for North to handle, as the Brazilians clawed back to tie the game at 14-14. This round would be the one that turned the tides back in the Brazilians favour, as North were pushed into a corner where they had to force buy for the final two rounds of the match. SK Gaming ultimately secured the first map in the series over North after overpowering the Danes in the final two rounds, 16-14.

de_Mirage - (9:6, 7:3); 16:9

Map two, Mirage, was North'’s pick, and the Danish squad hoped that their level of comfort on their map selection would help them regain composure and even up the series. Unfortunately for North, they were unable to make a splash early, and once again, SK Gaming got off to an early lead, as they secured the first five rounds of the map. After a reset, North was able put together two rounds, largely in part due to a stretch of exceptional play by North's Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen. As North and SK battled back and forth for map control, the Brazilians ultimately established their dominance over North to secure the first half 9-6.

With North on their heels, SK Gaming used their momentum to win the second half’s pistol round. After losing the following anti-eco rounds, North appeared to be on their last leg. Despite some desperate play from Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke and Emil “Magisk” Reif, the Danish squad could not regain the composure they displayed earlier in the event, and were only able to put three more rounds on the board before the Brazilians finished them off for a 16-9 victory.

With their win, SK Gaming would move on to the DreamHack Masters Las Vegas Grand Finals, where they will face off against the Polish powerhouse, Virtus.pro.

Image courtesy of DreamHackCS Twitter

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