The second Oceania open qualifier for the IEM Rio Major has ended, with Encore and DGG confirming their spots at the closed stage with their respective victories over VERTEX and Antic.
The two teams successfully navigated the 40-team bracket and have consequently advanced to the next stage of qualification, where they will join Rooster and ORDER. The team list for the closed qualifiers that will begin on August 27 is now set, with the four participants set to fight for one spot at the Asia RMR.
sterling’s Encore made it through at the second attempt
Encore, who made their name qualifying for several international events in the previous season, confirmed their spot at the closed stage with a win over VERTEX. They first won on Nuke with a dominant CT side and then looked set to close out the series on Vertigo, but failed to do so after an 11-4 lead. The deciding map was Overpass, where Encore were able to grind out a marathon 25-22 win to advance to the next stage.
Meanwhile, in a matchup consisting of two lesser-known teams between Antic and DGG, it was the latter who prevailed. Vertigo was a close 30-round map, with Aron “N1ghtraid” Dang powering his team to victory, before Mirage went the way of DGG. They completed the reverse sweep with a 16-12 win on Dust2, booking their place in the closed qualifier.
The team list for the Oceania closed qualifier is as follows:
