The last day of Stake Pulse Beat III in Stockholm is about more than $30,000 for the winner. HEROIC and 100 Thieves can tighten their grip on a place at the Singapore Major, while Astralis’ new lineup is already out after a defeat to an inspired insani.
Four teams are left at Stake Pulse Beat III, and all of them play on Saturday. HEROIC take on Ninjas in Pyjamas in the first semi-final at 10:00 CEST, before MIBR face 100 Thieves at 13:00. The third-place match is at 16:00 and the grand final at 19:00.
The $80,000 tournament is a B-tier event, but with the Major race in its final weeks, every series counts towards the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) that decide who goes to Singapore.
How close are HEROIC?
HLTV’s Major invite predictor marked HEROIC as “Clinched” after their 2-0 win over fnatic in the quarter-finals. VRS analyst Udknud disagreed on X. By HLTV’s own numbers, HEROIC are at 98.6%, he wrote, and by his own model at 98.2%.
“HEROIC still needs one more win as things stands, otherwise it will end up being a coin toss for one of the last spots,” he added. A win over NIP on Saturday would give them that. As a side note, it’s worth mentioning that the VRS analyst is now working for HEROIC, as he revealed on Twitter a couple of days ago.
The semi-final also has a personal angle. Snappi joined HEROIC from NIP at the start of October, replacing doto, and now meets his old team with a final on the line.
100 Thieves on the rise
100 Thieves have more to play for. After a swift 2-0 win over Sangal, they sit at a 68.1% chance to qualify for the Major, according to HLTV. A run to the final would push that number up, while a loss to MIBR leaves them waiting on results elsewhere.
| Team | Major chance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HEROIC | 98.6% | HLTV |
| HEROIC | 98.2% | Udknud |
| 100 Thieves | 68.1% | HLTV |
Astralis out after insani masterclass
Astralis came to Stockholm with siuhy and cmtry in the lineup for the first time and won their group, but their run ended in the quarter-finals. They took Inferno against MIBR, lost Cache in overtime and then Mirage.
insani was the difference. The 22-year-old finished the series with a 1.78 rating, while his second-best teammate was on 1.00, according to HLTV. On Cache alone he went 36-20.
For Astralis, the defeat matters less for the Major than for the new lineup’s development. Their place in Singapore was already close to secured through the VRS before the tournament. Former coach zonic told HLTV this week that he would “rather see Astralis alive” after the club moved away from a Danish core.
The quarter-finals
Ninjas in Pyjamas2-1
LiquidMirage 9-13, Nuke 13-10, Cache 16-13
HEROIC2-0
fnaticCache 13-10, Dust2 13-3
MIBR2-1
AstralisInferno 8-13, Cache 16-14, Mirage 13-9
100 Thieves2-0
SangalNuke 13-8, Dust2 13-5NIP’s win over Liquid was the comeback of the day. Liquid led the series and were 8-0 up on Nuke, and they also had a 12-10 lead on Cache, but NIP turned both maps around. NIP did it after travelling back from the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta the night before.
Saturday’s schedule
All times are CEST.
Ninjas in PyjamasvsHEROIC10:00MIBRvs100 Thieves13:00The third-place match follows at 16:00 and the grand final at 19:00. The winner takes $30,000 of the $80,000 prize pool.
