In the PW Shanghai Major 2024 Semi-Finals, we’ve seen two truly inevitable teams battle their way to a Grand Final berth. Those two teams are Spirit and FaZe Clan, who have set a date with destiny by beating MOUZ and G2 respectively.
Both matches were absolute bangers – let’s take a deep dive into how the action all went down.
Resilient Spirit take down MOUZ
Credit: Perfect World
It could have all gone so wrong for Team Spirit, who, after the first map against MOUZ, already looked dead and buried. It was a surgical opener for MOUZ, who completely neutered donk on the server. In true Spirit fashion, they woke up for thrilling maps two and three, completing an epic reverse sweep to secure a spot in tomorrow’s PW Shanghai Major 2024 Grand Final.
Looking at Spirit’s individuals, we can essentially chalk off map one as a total anomaly. Beyond that, we saw an awesome performance out of magixx when they needed it most, and sh1ro put on one of his best performances of the year to get Spirit over the line. A first Grand Final for these players and this organization awaits.
FaZe stop NiKo’s Major hopes
Credit: Perfect World
On the other side of the PW Shanghai Major 2024 Semi-Finals bracket, FaZe Clan were able to stop NiKo’s Major hopes right in their tracks by taking G2 down in a quick 2:0. While map one was an utter stomp, it took overtime on map two for this one to end. Given G2 were 12:10 up at one point, this one really should have seen a map three, but a series of individual errors allowed FaZe the chance to see this one out.
Besides a monster performance out of ropz, this was largely G2 losing to themselves. Much-criticized IGL Snax kept them in the game on Nuke, but the statlines don’t quite capture just how poor NiKo, m0NESY, and malbsMd were here. They buckled under the pressure, in scenarios where FaZe Clan thrived in it. It makes sense that Snax, the only G2 player to have won a Major, understands what it takes to get over the line in this type of situation.
Credit: Perfect World
This sets up an epic rematch, with 2024 ending where it all began: FaZe Clan vs. Team Spirit. A rematch of IEM Katowice 2024’s Grand Final. There, donk and his team came out on top – will it be another glorious end for the teenage prodigy?