Team Falcons, The MongolZ advance to IEM Dallas semis

Team Falcons and The MongolZ powered through the quarterfinals Friday to reach the final four of the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas event.

Falcons outlasted GamerLegion 2-1 to set up a semifinal date with Team Vitality. The MongolZ posted a 2-0 victory over Aurora Gaming and will face MOUZ in the semis.

The $300,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with 16 teams divided into two double-elimination groups. The group winners clinched playoff semifinal berths.

The group runners-up entered the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the two third-place teams moved into the quarterfinals as low seeds. The other five teams in each group were eliminated.

All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three except for the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five.

The winning team will earn $125,000, and the runner-up will make $50,000.

On Friday, Falcons sandwiched 13-8 victories on Ancient and Inferno around a 13-9 setback to GamerLegion on Nuke. Russia's Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov posted 54 kills and a plus-17 kills-to-deaths differential for Falcons. Oldrich "PR" Novy of the Czech Republic paced GamerLegion with 47 kills.

The MongolZ defeated Aurora 13-11 on Dust II and 13-6 on Mirage. The all-Mongolian roster leaned on Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold (39 kills, plus-16) and Usukhbayar "910" Banzragch (36 kills, plus-10). Ali "Wicadia" Haydar Yalcin of Turkey had 34 kills for Aurora.

The playoffs continue Saturday with the two semifinal matches:

--Team Vitality vs. Team Falcons

--MOUZ vs. The MongolZ

Intel Extreme Masters Dallas prize pool

1. $125,000

2. $50,000

3-4. $25,000

5-6. $12,500 -- GamerLegion, Aurora Gaming

7-8. $7,000 -- G2 Esports, HEROIC

9-12. $5,000 -- 3DMAX, FURIA, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid

13-16. $4,000 -- Legacy, Lynn Vision Gaming, BC.Game Esports, NRG

--Field Level Media