100 Thieves are out of contention for StarLadder StarSeries Fall after losing 2-1 to Nuclear TigeRES in Group D of the European qualifier. The defeat ends the team's route to a $500,000 LAN and comes a day after one of their better results of the season.
Three map points slip away on Ancient
The opening map was where the series turned. On Nuclear TigeRES' pick of Ancient, Jack "Gizmy" von Spreckelsen's side let three map points slip, first from 12-10 up and then again from 15-14 ahead, before losing the map in double overtime.
100 Thieves answered on Mirage, where Håvard "rain" Nygaard produced a 1.66-rated map to level the series. That balance did not hold on the Inferno decider, where the team fell apart against an equally strong showing from Ilya "flouzer" Selifonov.
Across the three maps the pattern was one of near-misses rather than a comprehensive defeat. 100 Thieves held a winning position twice on Ancient before conceding it in double overtime, then controlled Mirage on the back of rain's individual form, and only came apart once on the deciding map.
A short-lived upset
The elimination match came about because 100 Thieves lost their qualifier opener to Ninjas in Pyjamas on Wednesday, dropping them into the lower half of the group. Hours after that loss they scored a significant upset over IEM Cologne Major champions Falcons at BLAST Bounty Season 2.
None of that momentum carried into the following day. The loss to Nuclear TigeRES is a setback for the team's climb up the Valve Regional Standings, where consistent results across events carry more weight than isolated upsets.
Qualifying would have put 100 Thieves on LAN against opposition including Vitality, FURIA and Natus Vincere, competing for a $500,000 prize pool. Instead the roster exits at the group stage, with Nuclear TigeRES advancing in their place.
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