Dust2 India - 1XBET Cup Open Qualifier 31: Recap

The 16th iteration of the Dust2 India - 1XBET Masters Cup kicked off today with the Dust2 India - 1XBET Open Qualifier 31. Fielding half the capacity, the qualifier saw eight teams go into the opening round. Gods Reign and Project Lethals cleared the single-elimination bracket, confirming their Dust2 India - 1XBET Masters 16 slots.

Round 1

A no-show from SIX and Chosen ones netted free wins for Project lethals and WahWah in the opening round, after which a single win would confirm a Masters #16 slot.

Gods Reign vs ROG Academy

Starting on the CT-side of Dust2, Gods Reign conceded the initial couple of rounds but ROG Academy's A-short push in round 3 backfired, giving Gods Reign their first round in the game. A double-AWP with rossi on the secondary, crippled ROG Academy, pushing them down to a 4-8 disadvantage.

A flawless T-side from Gods Reign locked ROG Academy out of the game as the former closed out Dust2 13-4. Rossi fragged out with 23 frags to his name at an ADR of 109.

Niory Esports vs VICTORES SUMUS

Niory Esports got off to a 4-0 start on the CT-side of Ancient with ANTIVIRUS and vel0city doing bulk of the damage. Apart from a couple of brute-force C4 plants on either sides of the map, nothing really went in favor of VICTORES SUMUS as ni0ry Esports took an 8-4 CT-half.

Switching over, VICTORES SUMUS over-rotated in the initial part of the second half, giving ni0ry Esports a 11-4 lead but the trio of BENZENE, arakyn and RaYzeR kept VICTORES SUMUS in the game even after Niory Esports reached match point at 12-7. VICTORES SUMUS fell at the last step as Niory Esports secured Ancient with a narrow 13-11 score line.

Round 2

Project Lethals' string of good luck continued as another no-show in the second round from WahWah sent them right into the final, giving them a free pass into the Dust2 India - 1XBET Masters 16.

Gods Reign vs Niory Esports

With a Masters #16 slot on the line, Gods Reign took on Niory Esports in a bo1 on Mirage. Taking the pistol and anti-eco, Gods Reign got off to a 2-0 start and by winning the first gun round, Gods Reign extended their lead further. It didn't take long for Niory Esports to catch up as Cx stepped up against but eventually Gods Reign recovered and took the first half 8-4.

After conceding the initial couple of rounds in the second half, Niory Esports denied Gods Reign their bonus round to put up their first T-side round. A five-rounds streak saw Niory Esports close the gap at 9-10. it was the double-AWP that sealed the deal for Gods Reign once again but this time with Ph1NNN on the secondary. A 13-9 win saw Gods Reign book their usual slot at the Dust2 India - 1XBET Masters.

Qualified for Masters 16:

• Gods Reign

• Project Lethals

The Dust2 India - 1XBET Masters #16 taking place on 19th November 2024 will have another open qualifier this weekend, granting slots to two more teams. The main event hosts a single-elimination bracket accommodating four teams battling it out for the $1,500 USD prize pool.