The MongolZ defeated HEROIC to qualify for the historic Major playoffs
CS206-12 20:24

The Mongolian team bounced back from losing one map to win their group match 2-0, maintaining their undefeated record in Shanghai.


The MongolZ is the first team from Asia to reach the playoff round of a Major



The MongolZ have officially qualified for the playoffs of the Shanghai Major after defeating HEROIC in three maps in group 2-0. This is a historic milestone for Counter-Strike in Asia as for the first time a team from this region has entered the playoff round of the Major.

"This is something extremely meaningful for Counter-Strike Asia," Sodbayar "⁠Techno⁠" Munkhbold shared after the match. "I'm happy to be able to advance to the playoffs."

The Mongolian team remained unbeaten in Shanghai with 3-0 wins in the Opening and Qualifying Rounds. Today was the first time they lost a map at the tournament when they were surprised on their pick map, Mirage. However, they were able to regain the match on Anubis, despite losing an 11-3 lead, and were completely overwhelmed on Ancient, where HEROIC could not find their rhythm.

Mirage was where The MongolZ won 13-2 in the Thunderpick finals to win the championship. However, this time Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov showed excellent performance with 25 kills and 134.5 ADR, becoming HEROIC's biggest highlight on this map. Only a spectacular "ninja defuse" by Techno from the Palace zone could interrupt their momentum, before the map ended 13-8.

HEROIC chose Anubis as its map, despite losing 13-11 on this map in the Thunderpick finals. They got off to a terrible start, losing 11-3, with Munkhbold "⁠Senzu⁠" Azbayar absolutely on fire and gaining the advantage even in 4v2 situations. However, HEROIC gradually recovered when switching to the stronger T-side, winning 8 out of the next 9 rounds.

In round 24, HEROIC seemed to be in trouble when they fell into a 2v4 situation, but degster and Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz turned the situation around, taking the match into extra time. The first extra period could not determine a winner or loser as the two teams continuously blocked each other. A perfect 3-0 T-side put The MongolZ on the brink of victory, and they resisted every attempt by HEROIC to turn the tide in the second overtime to send the match to Ancient.

The MongolZ continued to maintain momentum on the decisive map and took an 8-4 lead after destroying HEROIC's defense in the first half. The Mongolian team then won the pistol round and quickly reached series points. NertZ tried to pull his team back, but could not stop the Asian team from achieving a historic victory.