The first day of the RMR is over, and BIG and Natus Vincere each ended the day with a victory.

The IEM Road to Rio Europe RMR's opening day was capped with overwhelming victory by Natus Vincere and BIG over Sangal and Illuminar, respectively. The following round of matches, which are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, will now include the two teams in the Major-qualifying event's 1-0 pool.

Despite Josef “faveN” Baumann being unable to compete due to illness, BIG delivered a strong performance in their showdown against the European mix. Similarly, Elias “s1n” Stein, the 22-year-successor, old's dazzled in his first match with the main roster, with a 1.58 rating and 16-5 K-D.

The Quick Recaps

Natus Vincere, who into the 1-0 pool following a merciless 16-5 performance, were likewise in charge for a large portion of their opening game against the Poles. Denis “electroNic” Sharipov, the leader of the team with a majority of Ukrainian players, is to credit for the team's quick triumph. By the end of the best-of-one, the skipper was in the lead with 41 kills. In their 0-1 match on October 5, Illuminar, who gained their spot at the RMR as a last-minute substitute for Benched Heroes, will try to bounce back from this first loss.

BIG and Sangal traveled to Mirage for their first match in Malta, with the Germans cruising to a 6-0 victory behind Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz, who set the bar high for his side with 13 frags. As the first half went on, BIG increased their pressure, scoring eight more rounds, giving them a commanding 14-1 lead at the break.

In the opening two rounds of the second half, Sangal scored again. However, the Germans continued to thrash BIG, winning the final two rounds they required to end the game with a 16-3 victory. Throughout the whole map, tabseN was a man on a mission, scoring 27 frags and a 2.19 rating to propel his team to victory.

With a visit to Dust2, the global No. 2 lineup quickly amassed a strong 7-1 start on the defensive, with electroNic having a notable influence as the in-game leader with 19 kills, as Natus Vincere and Illuminar started their efforts to clinch an appearance at IEM Major Rio. Without encountering any resistance, Natus Vincere expanded on this advantage, giving up just three more rounds to lead 12-3 at the break.

To start the second half, electroNic's 1v4 increased Natus Vincere's lead even further. After some back-and-forth, the score eventually settled at 5-14 after one round of remarks from each team. Ultimately, Natus Vincere's strength was too great for the Poles to handle, and the team won the map 16-5 to take a 1-0 lead at the RMR. In comparison to the Polish team, electroNic was in a class all by himself, putting up a massive 41 kills by the end of the 21-round match.