Stake Pulse Beat I Playoffs Set After Group Stage Shakeup

The group stage of the Stake Pulse Beat I tournament has concluded, narrowing the competition down to eight teams. Notable early exits include HOTU and Metizport, two teams that were expected to perform well in the $60,000 event held in Stockholm.

HOTU, ranked second in VRS before the tournament, faced unexpected defeats against G2 Ares and EAC in Group A. Meanwhile, Metizport struggled against fnatic and Johnny Speeds in Group D, leading to their elimination.

Liquid emerged as the top team in their group, securing a default win over atputies and a close victory against Betclic. They will face 9INE in the quarterfinals, continuing their journey in this three-leg tour that began in Malta and will culminate in Paris for the Esports World Cup qualifiers.

G2 Ares has been the tournament's surprise team, advancing to face Johnny Speeds. They will rely on the impressive performance of Julius "Junyme" Meyhoff, who recorded an outstanding 1.66 rating during the group stage.

The quarterfinal matchups also include Acend taking on Betclic, who are competing with Sebastian "fr3nd" Kuśmierz as a stand-in, and fnatic squaring off against EAC.