The group stage of Stake Pulse Beat I has concluded, narrowing the field down to eight teams competing for the $60,000 prize pool in Stockholm. Notable casualties include HOTU and Metizport, both failing to advance to the playoff rounds.
HOTU entered as the second-highest ranked team according to VRS but suffered unexpected defeats at the hands of G2 Ares and EAC in Group A. Meanwhile, Metizport couldn't overcome fnatic and Johnny Speeds in Group D, ending their tournament run prematurely.
Liquid emerged as Group winners after securing a default victory over atputies and edging out Betclic in a tight contest. They now face 9INE in the quarterfinals. This tournament represents the middle leg of a three-stop tour for Liquid, which began in Malta at the BLAST Bounty Finals and will conclude in Paris for the Esports World Cup open qualifier.
G2 Ares have been the tournament's breakout story and will square off against Johnny Speeds. Danish player Julius "Junyme" Meyhoff has been instrumental to their success, recording an impressive 1.66 rating throughout the group stage.
The remaining quarterfinal matchups feature Acend taking on Betclic, who are competing with stand-in Sebastian "fr3nd" Kuśmierz, while fnatic will battle EAC for a spot in the semifinals.
