ReeaL, Mercules shine to start Week 2

Week 2 of the Major IV qualifiers has just begun, and the intensity continues to build as teams fight for seeding and survival heading into the final stage.

With Champs' positioning on the line, players stepped up in a big way, delivering clutch moments and momentum-shifting plays when it mattered most to power your team into the postseason. From dominant Hardpoint showings to Game 5 Ice, several stars put their teams on their backs in high-stakes matchups. Let’s take a look at the Players of the Day who rose to the occasion and made their mark in the start of Week 2 of Major IV Qualifiers.

José "ReeaL" Castilla - Miami Heretics

Result: 3-1 victory over Vegas Falcons
Series Stats: Led the Lobby in Kills (112), K/D (1.20), and Damage (13,938) while having a 1.29 in Hardpoint across the four map series.

The Spaniard was electric to start the series, dropping 46 Kills with a 1.53 K/D & 5,630 damage in Map 1. He didn't slow down from there, playing a crucial role in both the Map 2 SND and Map 4 closeout Hardpoint. With the win, Miami moves to 215 CDL points and is just 5 points back from Carolina for the 5th seed. Going into the final Major of the year, the Heretics aim to get as close as possible to Vancouver in 4th (300 points).

Eric "Snoopy" Pérez - Boston Breach

Result: 3-2 victory over OpTic Texas
Series Stats: 19-12 (1.58 K/D) in the two SNDs versus OpTic. Finished with 3 opening duel wins, 1.00 kills per round, and 110 ADR.

While OpTic made a late bid at a reverse sweep, Boston Breach was able to close out the series thanks to their star SMG. He would kick off the series with a 30 kill, 1.30 K/D performance to get them up 1-0. Then, he showed why his SND is so valuable to the Breach. Going 9-6 (1.50 K/D) in Map 2 and 10-6 (1.67 K/D) in Map 5, he helped the Boston squad knock off OpTic and ruin the rookie's debut.

📸 Photo by @OpTic

Mason "Mercules" Ramsay - OpTic Texas

Result: 2-3 defeats to the Boston Breach
Series Stats: Lobby highs in Kills (100) and K/D (1.33) in his OpTic debut series. K/D splits of 1.29 in Hardpoint, 1.15 in SND, and 1.55 in Control.

After joining the Toronto Ultra for Major III as a temporary substitute, Mercules was signed by OpTic this week to finish the season. The rookie had an excellent debut, finishing with the most Kills (100) and the highest series K/D (1.33) in the match, but it wasn't enough in the end. OpTic would fall 2-3, but they showed potential that should make the Greenwall excited for the future.

Mason "Kremp" Ramsay - Cloud9 New York

Result: 3-1 victory over Atlanta FaZe
Series Stats: Only New York player with a positive series K/D (1.18) and a 102.0 Slayer Rating over the 4-map upset series.

New York was counted out by most (Besides the Flank's very own ACHES) in the series against Atlanta FaZe, but that didn't stop them. The team came out and punished FaZe in respawns, winning all three to win the series 3-1. Kremp was pivotal in that effort, leading the team in slaying (106 Kills & 1.18 Series K/D) while having the 2nd most hill time & most ticks captured in Control. Kremp showed that he is a versatile player who can lead New York in their bid to make Champs.

Check out more Week 2 action tomorrow at 3 pm EST with FOUR action-packed matches!