Breaking down the 6 teams competing at the DreamHack Masters playoffs

The group stage of DreamHack Masters Spring 2021 came to a close Sunday and the winning teams are gearing up for the upcoming playoffs. Before those begin May 7, let’s take a look at the teams that made it through the group stage.

Gambit Esports

It’s not surprising that the best team in the world right now swept Group A. Their road wasn’t without bumps though as both G2 Esports and Na’Vi were able to win a map against Gambit. Since they went undefeated in their group, they went straight to the semifinals stage of the playoffs.

Natus Vincere (Na’Vi)

Na’Vi had a bit of a rough start to the tournament, narrowly squeaking by mousesports with a 16-14 win. Virtus.pro were less of a barrier to entry for them, but the real challenge came when they faced Gambit and were knocked down to second place in Group A. Still, the CIS boys showed determination and we’ll be seeing them again in a few days.

G2 Esports

G2 struggled in their initial match against Team Spirit but still pulled through in overtime. Much like Na’Vi, Gambit proved to be G2’s bane and the loss against them meant the latter had to prove themselves in the lower bracket. It seemed like it wasn’t a problem for G2, as they went on to defeat both mousesports and Virtus.pro 2-0 and secure a spot in the playoffs.

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Heroic

If Gambit were the bully of Group A, Heroic were the bully of Group B. Unlike Gambit, they didn’t drop a single map and kept an overall flawless run through the group stage. Their first-place group finish allowed Heroic to skip the quarterfinals and head straight to the semifinals alongside Gambit.

Astralis

Astralis’ 2021 run has been a bit lackluster so far. The best team of yesteryear showed some promise in the group stage, sending Extra Salt and Complexity into the pits of the lower bracket. Their journey to first place in Group B was cut short by Heroic though, which sent the Danish squad to the quarterfinals with G2 and Na’Vi.

FURIA Esports

The last team to qualify was the Brazilian FURIA Esports. Losing to BIG in their first group match meant that every match they played for the remainder of the tournament was an elimination match. Fortunately for them, they managed to hang on against paiN Gaming, Complexity and Team Vitality and become the last team to earn their place in the playoffs.

Playoffs schedule

Quarterfinals:

Friday: 10:45 a.m. ET -- G2 vs. Astralis

Friday: 2:00 p.m. ET -- Furia Esports vs. Natus Vincere

Semifinals:

Saturday: 10:45 a.m. ET -- Gambit Esports vs. [Winner of G2 vs. Astralis]

Saturday 2:00 p.m. ET -- Heroic vs. [Winner of Furia Esports vs. Natus Vincere]

Grand Final:

Sunday 10:00 a.m. ET -- [Semifinals winners]

Lead image credit: DreamHack