PGL Wallachia S9 group stage ends; eight teams advance

The PGL Wallachia Season 9 group stage concluded at the PGL Studio in Bucharest. Sixteen teams competed in a Swiss-system format of best-of-three matches for places in the playoffs and a share of the $1,000,000 prize pool. All group matches were played on LAN.

Two teams finished the Swiss stage without a loss. Team Yandex and Xtreme Gaming posted 3-0 series records. Natus Vincere, Aurora Gaming and GamerLegion advanced with 3-1 records. Team Nemesis, LGD Gaming and 1w Team filled the remaining playoff slots with 3-2 records.

Natus Vincere ended third in the group with a 3-1 series record and a 6-3 map score. The Ukrainian team opened with 2-0 wins over Hokori and Aurora Gaming, lost 0-2 to Team Yandex, and secured its playoff place by beating 1w Team 2-1 in round four.

Teams placed 9th through 11th — Pipsqueak+4, MOUZ and Conventus Stellarum — will each receive $20,000. Team Cobra, Hokori and Yakult Brothers finished 12th–14th and will get $15,000 apiece. Pibbles Corp and PlayTime placed 15th–16th and will collect $10,000 each.

The playoffs begin today in a double-elimination bracket. All playoff matches will be best-of-three, with a best-of-five grand final and a $300,000 top prize. The opening upper-bracket quarterfinal between Xtreme Gaming and Team Nemesis is scheduled for 10:00, and Natus Vincere faces LGD Gaming at 13:00. The official English broadcast is on the PGL YouTube channel.