win.gg
Win.gg Counter-Strike Team Liquid make Berlin Major playoffs by edging Mousesports

Team Liquid make Berlin Major playoffs by edging Mousesports

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 01/09/2019
Google Preferred Source

Team Liquid locked up a spot in the StarLadder Berlin Major playoffs, but it did not come easy.

The favorites to win the tournament scored a hardfought win over Mousesports in the final round of the Legends Stage. That sets them up with a top-eight place in the tournament, but it remains unclear if they can live up to the high expectations pinned on them.

The opening game on Mirage started ugly for Liquid. Though Mousesports’ economy was hamstrung, the team still managed to rob Liquid of any momentum by winning two rounds with just upgraded pistols, including an absurd Desert Eagle ace from Robin “ropz” Kool. Liquid eventually woke up and once they did, they had complete control of the game.

Despite that success, a few big rounds from Finn “karrigan” Andersen seemed to fluster Liquid and set Mouz up with a streak that positioned them to challenge for the victory. Liquid called a timeout, settled down, and advanced to map point, but Mouz managed to close the gap and force overtime.

While Mousesports had put on an admirable show in regulation, Liquid had little trouble locking things up in overtime. They took the first two rounds and had Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip and Keith “NAF” Markovic come through late to knot things up 19-17.

Game two on Dust 2 started off much like game one, only in reverse. Mousesports was in control early but Liquid kept things close thanks to some eco heroics from Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken. Mouz advanced to map point with an amazing performance from David “frozen” Čerňanský, but Liquid forced overtime.

While regulation was quite similar, things were very different in overtime. Mirage saw Liquid sprint to a win, and here things were decided on a knife’s edge almost every round. Frozen and Karrigan got Mouz off to a solid start in the first overtime, but stunning plays from Stewie2K and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski forced a second overtime.

Liquid advanced to match point but the game was such a bloodbath that they had to take a shotgun and SMG into the final round. Some sharpshooting from Twistzz and a perfectly timed flank from Stewie2K blew the round open for Liquid and set up a 22-20 win.

Are Team Liquid still the StarLadder Berlin Major favorites?

Liquid have been looking white hot in 2019 to this point, entering Berlin off five consecutive live event finals. That made them the clear favorites to win this event, but they haven’t looked nearly as clean in the major.

They were quickly pushed to the brink of elimination after going 1-2 in best-of-ones, taking shock losses to Avangar and NRG Esports. They stayed alive with a clean win over North in round four, but this hardfought series against Mousesports once again calls into question whether they are in peak form at this event.

Regardless, advancing out of the Legends Stages comes with a variety of perks.

They move on to the Champions Stage playoffs, which is contested in a single elimination tournament format comprised of best-of-three series. The top-eight placement also guarantees Liquid a spot in the first major of 2020.

Liquid will start their playoffs run with a series against Astralis. Though Astralis has looked formidable in the Berlin Major thus far, Liquid has started to get the better of the Danish team over recent months and will likely enter their series as the favorite.

Steven Rondina Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile
Read Also
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Esports Betting
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...