The first set of Americas Stage 1 elimination games has concluded, with 100 Thieves 100 Thieves North America Unranked zander Alexander Dituri Cryocells Matthew Panganiban eeiu Daniel Vucenovic Boostio Kelden Pupello Asuna Peter Mazuryk and Evil Geniuses Evil Geniuses North America Unranked Derrek Derrek Ha NaturE Nicholas Garrison supamen Phat Le icy Jacob Lange yay Jaccob Whiteaker taking 2-0 wins and eliminating NRG NRG North America Unranked s0m Sam Oh brawk Brock Somerhalder mada Adam Pampuch skuba Logan Jenkins Ethan Ethan Arnold and Cloud9 Cloud9 North America Unranked Xeppaa Erick Bach v1c Victor Truong mitch Mitch Semago neT Michael Bernet OXY Francis Hoang , respectively.

100 Thieves ends NRG's Toronto hopes

The first knockout match saw Group Omega fourth seed NRG Esports taking on 100 Thieves, fresh off a loss against MIBR. The North American squads were playing against each other for the fourth time in partnership history, with NRG going up in the historical head-to-head after a 2-1 win earlier this year.

Fracture started the series, an easy win for 100 Thieves after an 8-4 half and taking both pistol rounds. zander 's Brimstone was the statistical highlight of the series, boasting a 28-7 KD on Fracture, a 4K to win the first pistol, and a 1v1 clutch. He also found five first eliminations, with Asuna 's Neon doing the same. The first map ended 13-5, sending the series to NRG's map pick, Haven.

NRG was primed to mirror 100 Thieves' performance on the second map, also taking the first pistol and ending the half 8-4. NRG was able to end most rounds before the spike plant, thanks in part to mada 's five first kills and shutting down 100T's double-Duelist entries.

100 Thieves recovered on defense, however, as zander regained his Fracture form and Asuna's aggressive Neon denied overtime and stole the lead away from NRG, ending the map 13-11 and eliminating NRG from Masters: Toronto contention.

Evil Geniuses sticks to the script, denies Cloud9's comeback attempt

The second match of the day began with a yay masterclass, shutting down Cloud9's offense with multikills and an ace. icy 's Raze and Operator play complimented his teammate to further extend EG's lead, a six-round streak sending the map to the break at 8-4. Cloud9 looked to bounce back with their retakes, but Evil Geniuses adapted well, using the large map to their advantage and taking the win 13-9.

Icebox was a strong start for Cloud9, with OXY and their Controller duo stepping up to keep EG at bay. The icy-yay combo kept their team in the game, however, taking surprise kills and relying on their supporting cast to fill in the gaps of the team's late-round aggression.

Cloud9 attempted a fast round to win the map, but EG's utility was more than enough to force overtime. In the end, Evil Geniuses won three of the final four rounds to stay alive in the lower bracket and send C9 packing.

VCT Americas will continue with the upper bracket, with the winners earning a spot in the second Masters event of the year.

• KRÜ Esports vs. MIBR
• G2 Esports vs. Sentinels