100 Thieves concluded their group stage at Stake Pulse Beat II with a perfect 2-0 record, securing first place in Group C. The team defeated first EAC and then Phantom in Stockholm and are now ready for the quarterfinals.
Against EAC, 100 Thieves took EAC's own map pick Mirage 13-8, driven by a strong CT-side with nine of the 13 round wins. Inferno developed into a close affair that required two overtime periods before 100 Thieves ultimately won 19-16 – despite an ace from EAC's Andreas "anber" Brandt in round 34. Rain topped the team with a rating of 1.46 across the two maps.
In the group final against Phantom, who had eliminated fnatic in the opening match, 100 Thieves lost the first map, Nuke, 9-13. The team responded on Mirage with a convincing 13-4 victory, where William "sirah" Kjærsgaard delivered an impressive rating of 2.14. The decisive third map, Inferno, started with a 7-5 lead for Phantom on the T-side, but 100 Thieves turned the match around and won 13-10. IGL Jack "Gizmy" von Spreckelsen went from a rating of 0.71 on the CT-side to 2.23 on the T-side in the second half, while AWPer Nicolai "device" Reedtz closed out the series with a 3K in round 23.
With the victory, 100 Thieves win Group C as the highest-ranked team in the group and advance to the quarterfinals. Phantom still have the opportunity to advance via a decider match, where their opponent will be either EAC or fnatic. The quarterfinals at Stake Pulse Beat II are played on Friday, September 25.
