The opening match loss by 100 Thieves against Gen.G proved to be a false alarm, as the top-seeded North American team at the Last Chance Qualifier easily won the next two maps to progress to the next round of the LCQ.
On Breeze, 100T used an unusual comp: a double-duelist setup with Asuna on Reyna and Nitr0 on Jett, with recently promoted b0i on Viper. They got out to a fast start on offense, taking the opening five rounds thanks to some superb entry from Nitr0. A few courageous spikes defuses by Gen.G kept the first-half score close, with 100T leading 7-5 at the break.
100T opened the second half just as strong, with some superb Marshal play and some shocking darts from Hiko. But, once again, Gen.G responded with several vital gun rounds, tying the game at 9-9 before a technical break. A tremendous ace clutch from Gen.original G’s gMd, on Brimstone of all agents, put his team up 11-10 and forced a 100T timeout. The timeout, however, was insufficient to enable the Masters Berlin semifinalists to recover, as Gen.G took their Breeze choice 13-10.
100T brought double duelists to Split for the second year in a row, and they appeared invincible early on with an aggressive defense based on map control and opening picks. Gen.G was unable to create the same opportunities as Breeze late in the first half, as they trailed 10-2 entering their own defensive side.
Despite dropping the second-half pistol, Gen.G fought back with two consecutive rounds and appeared to be putting together a comeback after shutting down a couple of 100T force buys. After a scorching A site takes, 100T won a vital pistol round, grabbing a 12-6 lead before eventually tying the series with a comfortable 13-8 win on Split.
While Gen.G took the pistol round and a 2-0 lead, 100T tied it up right away in the bonus round and the first gun round, thanks to nitr0’s well-played triple kill in the latter. Following an unsuccessful force buy from Gen.G, their economy was placed on hold, and they were unable to win enough rounds in a row to restore their finances, with 100T establishing a 9-3 halftime lead.
Since parting ways with in-game leader steel, 100 Thieves used a double-duelist on every map throughout their first series. With steel in the lineup, they usually leaned on Asuna to make plays while the rest of the team backed her up, sometimes even using a triple-initiator setup. With his aggressive playmaking ability, nitr0, a highly-skilled CS:GO veteran, took a more active role in critical gun rounds with his move to Jett.
Later today, they will compete in the second round of the upper bracket, where they will face the winner of XSET vs. Luminosity.