Gambit Gaming won the CIS Minor Championship after seeing off Rebels 2-0 (16-4 on de_inferno and 16-3 on de_train).

Day three of the CIS Minor, hosted by Starladder in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, opened with a three-map thriller between Arcade, who had topped Group A over Method, and Group B runners-up Rebels.

With an in-form Sergey "⁠spaz⁠" Skrypchik, who amassed 44 frags on de_overpass, Rebels took the lead in the series in a 26-24 overtime victory. Arcade then hit back with a 16-9 success on de_mirage, but Rebels did not let their opponents completed a reverse sweep and sealed the deal with a 16-11 win on de_train.

The other semi-final, featuring Gambit Gaming and Method, was also played on three maps. The former PiTER side showed tremendous fighting spirit and picked up a 16-14 victory on de_train after overturning a 1-14 deficit with a flawless CT side.



Dosia's Gambit to attend the MLG Columbus main qualifier

But Gambit Gaming, powered by great displays from Mihail "⁠Dosia⁠" Stolyarov and Rustem "⁠mou⁠" Telepov, turned the series around with 16-11 and 16-8 victories on de_cache and de_cobblestone, respectively, to book a spot in the grand final.

Surprisingly, the title decider turned out to be the least interesting match of the day as Gambit made light work of Rebels, cruising to a quick 2-0 victory while conceding just seven rounds in the process.

CIS Minor Championship Final standings:

1. - Gambit - $30,000 + Spot at MLG Columbus Main qualifier

2. - Rebels - $15,000

3-4. - Arcade - $2,500

3-4. - Method - $2,500

The list of participants for the offline qualifier for the MLG Columbus major, on February 26-28, currently looks as follows: