Image: Perfect World Esports
Meanwhile, the MongolZ and Team Liquid bow out of the Shanghai Major in 5th-8th place.
The Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Playoffs finally kicked off on Thursday (December 12) as the eight remaining teams will be battling it out in the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center for the second-ever CS2 Major championship.
The opening day of the Shanghai Major Playoffs featured the first two quarterfinal matches, with 
MOUZ and 
Team Spirit emerging victorious to knock out 
The MongolZ and 
Team Liquid, respectively, and advance to the semifinals.
Here's how all the action in the opening day of the Shanghai Major Playoffs went down:
MOUZ, Spirit advance to Shanghai Major semifinals
0-2
MOUZThe MongolZ have been on fire the entire time they have been in Shanghai, as they won every single match they played in the Asia-Pacific RMR, the Opening Stage, and the Elimination Stage en route to the Playoffs. In stark contrast, MOUZ barely qualified for the Playoffs after having to play through all five rounds of the Elimination Stage.
But the prior performances from both sides didn't matter in their quarterfinals matchup, where MOUZ scored a 2-0 sweep to halt the MongolZ momentum and end their spirited run in the Shanghai Major.
The opening map of the Playoffs in Ancient was a banger. The MongolZ on the T side dominated the first half, 9-3, and looked like they were on their way to an easy win. However, MOUZ seemingly flipped the switch at halftime as they quickly got within five rounds by round 18 before the MongolZ reached map point. MOUZ then racked off five-straight rounds to force overtime. While the MongolZ went 2-1 in the first half of overtime, MOUZ methodically claimed the next three rounds to complete their 16-14 comeback win in Ancient.
The MongolZ were eager to avenge their loss in Ancient in map two at Nuke, where they won the first six rounds as the CT side. But MOUZ once again showed their mettle by going on a 5-1 run to close out the first half before winning the first four rounds after the side switch to be the ones leading at 9-7. Despite the best efforts of the MongolZ to force a decider, MOUZ closed out the 2-0 series sweep with a 13-9 victory in Nuke.
Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and 
Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo led the way for MOUZ in the series, with Brollan racking up 43 kills on 34 deaths and Jimpphat recording 42 kills on 33 deaths. 
Ayush “Mzinho” Batbold also put up a valiant 46 frags on 40 deaths in the loss.
0-2
Team SpiritThe second series of the day saw a clash between two teams who have had relatively similar paths in the Shanghai Major so far. While Liquid had to start in the Opening Stage, where they cruised through with a 3-0 record, they joined Spirit among the three teams that advanced to the Playoffs from the Elimination Stage with 3-1 records.
Both teams were firing from all cylinders in the series opener at Anubis. Liquid on the T side built an early 4-2 lead behind 
Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak, who clutched a one-versus-three in round two, only for 
Danil “Donk” Kryshkovets to score an Ace in round 7 that sparked a run from Spirit that ended the first half with both teams in a 6-6 deadlock. Donk then put up another Ace to kick off the second half as Spirit flexed their muscles and claimed the 13-9 win in Anubis.
Game two at Dust II saw continued dominance from Donk on the side of Spirit while 
Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken rose to the occasion with ultimate and 
Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis not having their usual impact. Spirit on the T side cruised to a commanding 7-2 lead before Liquid closed the first half with three-straight rounds to trim their opponents' lead down to 7-5.
The second half started with Twistzz clutching out a one-versus-two to give Liquid a rare pistol round win, but Spirit kept rolling with five-straight rounds to get within series point at 12-7 after round 19. Liquid then went on a five-round run of their own to threaten overtime, with Twistzz putting up more heroics including a 4K with a one-versus-two clutch in round 23. Unfortunately, it was not enough to prevent Spirit from securing the 2-0 series victory with the 13-11 Dust II win.
Donk continued to make his case as the best CS2 player of 2024 in Spirit's victory over Liquid, where he racked up 47 frags on 25 deaths. Twistzz's heroics in Dust II also made him the best-performing player for Liquid in the series with 29 kills and deaths apiece.
With the day's results, MOUZ and Spirit have guaranteed themselves at least a 3rd-4th place finish and $80,000 in winnings. Meanwhile, the MongolZ and Liquid exit the Shanghai Major with a respectable 5th-8th place finish and $45,000 in consolation.
The CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major is the second-ever Major Championship for CS2, and will feature 24 of the best teams from all across the globe gunning for the lion's share of a $1.25 million prize pool, as well as the prestigious right to be called CS2 Major champions. The tournament is split into three distinct stages: the Opening Stage from November 30 to December 3, the Elimination Stage from December 5 to 8, and the Playoff Stage from December 12 to 15.
For everything you need to know about the CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major, check here.
