MOUZ, Vitality, MongolZ in StarLadder Budapest Major playoffs

MOUZ, Team Vitality and The MongolZ qualified for the StarLadder Budapest Major playoffs, winning fourth-round high matches in Stage 3 on Saturday in Hungary.

Team Vitality swept Natus Vincere, MOUZ defeated Team Falcons 2-1 and The MongolZ swept G2 Esports.

In fourth-round low matches, there were three sweeps that resulted in eliminations: B8 took down paIN Gaming, Passion UA defeated Imperial Esports and FaZe Clan beat 3DMAX.

Thirty-two teams began play in the $1.25 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event, which features three consecutive Swiss System stages ahead of the playoffs.

Sixteen teams compete in each stage. Eight invited teams started in Stage 2, which ended Tuesday, and eight more got a bye into Stage 3 (Thursday through Sunday). The top eight teams in each stage move on.

In each Swiss System stage, elimination and advancement matches are best-of-three and all others are best-of-one.

The tournament concludes with a single-elimination playoff stage Dec. 11-14. All matches are best-of-three until the grand final, which is best-of-five. The winner will take home $500,000.

On Saturday, Vitality posted consecutive 13-11 wins on Inferno and Train to sweep Natus Vincere. France's Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut logged 40 kills and a 1.34 rating to lead Vitality. For Natus Vincere, Ukraine's Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov had 37 kills and a 1.43 rating.

Team Falcons jumped out to an early lead over MOUZ with a 13-11 win on Mirage, but MOUZ rebounded on Inferno 13-6 and closed the match 13-10 on Nuke. MOUZ's top player was Adam "torzsi" Torzsas, with 48 kills and a 1.21 rating. Russia's Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov paced Team Falcons with 48 kills and a 1.10 rating.

FaZe Clan cruised over 3DMAX, notching a 13-6 victory on Dust I and sealing the win 13-5 on Inferno. FaZe Clan boasted four players with at least 30 kills, led by Poland's Jakub "jcobbb" Pietruszewski with 37 kills and a rating of 1.52. On the other side, Alexandre "bodyy" Pianaro of the all-French 3DMAX squad posted 25 kills and a 1.12 rating.

The Sunday schedule:

--Round 5 match -- B8 vs. Natus Vincere

--Round 5 match -- FaZe Clan vs. Passion UA

--Round 5 match -- G2 Esports vs. Team Falcons

StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 3 standings

(Team W-L, round difference, Buchholz score)

1. Team Spirit, 3-0, +20, -1

2. FURIA, 3-0, +29, -2

3. MOUZ, 3-1, +10, 0

4. Team Vitality, 3-1, +18, -2

5. The MongolZ, 3-1, +24, -5

6. FaZe Clan, 2-2, +7, 5

7. G2 Esports, 2-2, -15, 3

8. B8, 2-2, -8, 2

9. Team Falcons, 2-2, +9, 0

10. Natus Vincere, 2-2, -3, 0

11. Passion UA, 2-2, 0, -5

12. Imperial Esports, 1-3, -26, 5

13. paiN Gaming, 1-3, -15, -2

14. 3DMAX, 1-3, -21, -3

15. Team Liquid, 0-3, -14, 5

16. PARIVISION, 0-3, -15, 0

StarLadder Budapest Major prize pool

1. $500,000

2. $170,000

3-4. $80,000

5-8. $45,000

9-11. $20,000

12-14. $20,000

15-16. $20,000 -- Team Liquid, PARIVISION

17-19. $10,000 -- Ninjas in Pyjamas, M80, Astralis

20-22. $10,000 -- Fnatic, Aurora Gaming, TYLOO

23-24. $10,000 -- MIBR, FlyQuest

25-27. No money -- Legacy, Fluxo, NRG

28-30. No money -- RED Canids, The Huns Esports, GamerLegion

31-32. No money -- Lynn Vision Gaming, Rare Atom

--Field Level Media