DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca

Lore & Background

This was the first Major to fill the other eight Major spots from a single Major qualifier, instead of directly from various regional qualifiers. For the Cluj-Napoca Major cycle, the regional qualifiers sent teams to DreamHack Open Stockholm 2015, where they faced off against the bottom eight teams from Cologne 2015. The top eight teams from DreamHack Open Stockholm 2015 then advanced to the Major as the 'Challengers'. Teams were split into four groups, and all group matches were best-of-ones with the exception of the final decider match. The highest seed would play the lowest seed in each group and the second and third seeds would play against each other. The winner of those two matches would play each other to determine which team moved on to the playoff stage, while the losers of the first round of matches also played. The loser of the lower match was then eliminated. With one team advanced and one eliminated, the two remaining teams would play a best-of-three elimination match for the second playoff spot. This format is known as the GSL format, named for the Global StarCraft II League. The playoffs bracket consisted of eight teams, two from each group. All of these matches were best-of-three, single elimination.

In Their Own Story

Team EnVyUs won its first title. kennyS and apEX had their first major title and NBK-, kioShiMa, and Happy won their second title, their first being with Team LDLC.com at DreamHack Winter 2014. This came after Team EnVyUs placed second at the previous major, including a game in which Fnatic came back from a large deficit in the first game of grand finals. In the finals, Team EnVyUs defeated Natus Vincere, which had defeated Luminosity Gaming and Ninjas in Pyjamas, 2–0. Casters for the finals were Anders Blume & Semmler.

Reader's Guide

The seven-map pool did not change from Cologne 2015. Before each best-of-one match in the group stage, teams alternated banning maps until five maps had been banned. One of the two remaining maps was randomly selected, and the team that did not get a third ban then selected which side it wanted to start on. In all best-of-three series, each team first banned a map, leaving a five-map pool. Each team then chose a map, with the opposing team selecting which side they wanted to start on for their opponent's map choice. The two map picks were the first two maps in the best-of-three. If the series were to require a third map, the map was randomly selected from the three remaining maps. Broadcast talent included hosts Paul 'ReDeYe' Chaloner and Richard Lewis, interviewers Pala 'Mantrousse' Gilroy Sen and Scott 'SirScoots' Smith, analysts Robin 'Fifflaren' Johansson, Joona 'natu' Leppänen, Jason 'moses' O'Toole, and Duncan 'Thorin' Shields, and commentators James Bardolph, Anders Blume, Henry 'HenryG' Greer, Daniel 'ddk' Kapadia, Auguste 'Semmler' Massonnat, and Matthew 'Sadokist' Trivett.

Did You Know?

• DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 was the seventh Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championship.
• It was the first Major to fill the other eight spots from a single Major qualifier (DreamHack Open Stockholm 2015) instead of directly from various regional qualifiers.
• Team EnVyUs won its first title; kennyS and apEX got their first major title, while NBK-, kioShiMa, and Happy won their second (first with Team LDLC.com at DreamHack Winter 2014).
• No Challenger took the Legends' spots — all eight Legends from the last major returned as Legends.
• The finals were cast by Anders Blume and Semmler, and Team EnVyUs defeated Natus Vincere 2–0.