At the Perfect World Shanghai Major, a Mongolian Counter-Strike 2 team is doing the unthinkable. The MongolZ have accomplished a feat that no other team from the Asia region has ever done before, in a manner that no team in the world has done in more than half a decade.
Just a few weeks prior, The MongolZ claimed their largest prize pool winnings ever at the Thunderpick World Championship. But something even more unimaginable is still possible for them.
Job’s Not Done
By qualifying for the playoffs of the Perfect World Shanghai Major, The MongolZ became the first Asian Counter-Strike team to do so in Major history. Dating back to 2013, the playoff field has always been dominated by European teams, with one or two North and South American teams sneaking in regularly. Asian teams typically compete alongside Oceanic teams in Major qualifiers, but in the rare occasions were an Asia-Pacific team reaches playoffs, it’s always been an Australian roster until now.
The fashion in which The MongolZ reached the playoffs is also a historical feat. The Major utilizes two 16-team Swiss stages to determine who goes to playoffs. The MongolZ went 3-0 in both the Opening Stage and the Elimination Stage, beating the likes of Heroic, GamerLegion, MOUZ, and G2 Esports. The last time a team went 3-0 in two Swiss Stages at the same Major was at the FACEIT London Major in 2018, when Team Liquid accomplished that feat. G2 did it as well at the ELEAGUE Boston Major prior, which was the first Major to utilize the two Swiss stages.
Fittingly, The MongolZ made playoffs at the first Counter-Strike Major to be held in Asia. The team’s 19-year-old rising star Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold said the crowd has been “a big advantage” for the team. That advantage should increase as the event transitions over to the larger Shanghai Oriental Sports Center for playoffs.
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