A field of 16 teams at Stake Pulse Beat II has been cut down to eight. The GSL group stage has concluded, and Astralis, HEROIC, 100 Thieves, and JiJieHao all finished on top of their respective groups.
This result matters because it sets the shape of the playoffs bracket. However, the story isn’t just about the winners. Virtus.pro and FOKUS, two names many expected to push deep into the event, both fell short and missed the cut entirely.
How the Groups Played Out
Stake Pulse Beat II used a GSL-style group stage to determine seeding. In addition to the four group winners, four runner-ups also claimed playoff spots. Sangal, BBL, fnatic, and Betclic filled out those remaining places.
As a result, the eight-team bracket now features a mix of established rosters and teams that had to fight through tense decider matches to survive.
Group Results in Detail
Astralis needed a strong individual performance to advance. Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas posted a 1.67 rating across the series, helping the team recover from an opening overtime map loss to Sangal. Victor “Staehr” Staehr then took over and swept FOKUS to lock in the playoff spot. Sangal, meanwhile, clawed back from a map down and a 4-8 deficit to beat FOKUS in the Group A decider.
Group B went smoothly for HEROIC. Virtus.pro’s recent rise up the VRS took a hit here, as the team suffered crushing 0-13 and 5-13 losses to BBL. HEROIC then dominated Johnny Speeds in the decider to confirm their place in the playoffs.
In Group C, 100 Thieves beat both EAC and Phantom to advance. Phantom then lost a rematch against fnatic in the decider, handing fnatic the final spot from that group.
Group D produced JiJieHao and Betclic as the two qualifiers. Betclic’s route was tighter, as the team scraped past Eternal Fire for the last remaining playoff slot.
Quarter-Final Schedule
The quarter-finals will take place at the Sweden LAN, starting Friday at 09:00. The matchups are as follows:
- HEROIC vs fnatic
- 100 Thieves vs BBL
- Astralis vs Betclic
- JiJieHao vs Sangal
Conclusion
According to the Stake Pulse Beat II bracket release, the tournament now moves into its knockout phase with a genuinely open field. Astralis and HEROIC arrive as group winners with momentum, while fnatic, BBL, Betclic, and Sangal all had to survive close deciders just to reach this stage. Therefore, the quarter-finals carry real stakes for every team involved, since a single loss now ends the run. The full bracket, including later rounds, can be viewed on the tournament page.
