As I attempt to do for the tournaments that catch my eye, I tried to pick the brains of people much smarter than me to discuss their thoughts and expectations coming into the Atlanta Major.
Devmarta
What are your thoughts of the playins?
While many spectators criticise the playins for being full of lower level teams, I see it as a great opportunity to feature lesser known teams and see obscure international clashes. My biggest hope for playins is that we see upsets, where teams from the minor regions topple big names from Brazil, NA and EU.
Are you excited for any of the minor regions in particular?
I’m very keen to see how OCE, LATAM, and Asia so especially. These regions have been given enough credit on the international stage recently if ever, and there’s a lot of untapped talent in these teams. I also hope Japan can continue impressing after SCARZ’s run in Copenhagen.
What are your thoughts on the teams APAC is fielding
SCARZ is definitely the best team in APAC right now and I hope they can continue to impress, hopefully with a semifinal appearance.
I hope we can see Bliss show more of their potential. After a very disappointing exit in Copenhagen and losing one of their top players to KOI, the reigning oceanic champions have matured and get a second shot at showing their mettle internationally.
Bleed fall into a similar category, dominating domestically but never having a Major debut prior.
I also hope the returning Korean teams can deliver a better showing than their disappointing lacklustre exit previous events. The same can be said for FURY.
Who is your favorite to win the event?
W7M or FaZe
Who are the top 4 teams?
W7M, FaZe, Soniqs, VP
If you have to back a dark horse to make a run or even win the tournament, who would it be?
Not sure, LOS?
Jesse
What are your thoughts of the playins?
Playins are kinda 3 different stories for 3 groups of teams.
Teams in the big 3 region are just trying to warm up and not get upset. Pressure’s on them but I don’t think any of them will lose in the play ins. I think LOS are the weakest of the 6 but they’ve drawn a pretty easy group so it shouldn’t be tough.
Likewise, teams from smaller regions in groups C and D are just playing for the upset. Fury and Alpha Atheris have the most chance to upset, AA in particular have quite a bit of experience playing NA teams being based in Mexico, so they could be eyeing up SSG for a potential upset, but it’s an uphill battle for sure.
Then there’s the teams from smaller regions in groups A and B, from which we know at least one team from a smaller region will make it out. Group A is anyone’s guess, with Sandbox and Crest being familiar with each other and Geekay being a huge wildcard. Group B gets a little spicier with Blast and CAG directly competing for an SI spot along with 2nd place in the group. Talon shouldn’t be much of a threat but if they get 2nd it’s great news for MNM who are also hunting for the likely final SI spot.
Are you excited for any of the minor regions in particular?
I think Japan is the strongest of the minor regions, Scarz obviously having the previous international success and CAG looking a lot better than stage 1. People may also want to hype up SEA but I wouldn’t be shocked if they underperformed expectations.
Do you think there is any hope for APAC this time around?
Define “hope” lol. I don’t think there’s any chance an APAC team wins, the top teams in NA/EU/BR are all improved from Copenhagen and even in Stage 1 it didn’t look great for any of them. If you mean just making it to playoffs I still think it’s a tough prospect. Scarz making top 8 last time I think was more a product of NA underperforming than anything else, I don’t see that happening again.
What are your thoughts on the teams NA has fielded
I think in general NA looks very good. Soniqs and M80 have made no changes but have taken the last 6 months to improve and get better. Soniqs look the most improved over the course of Stage 2 which is a great sign considering they were already the strongest team at the end of Stage 1. M80 I’m hoping for their 2nd major as a full squad will have a bit better nerves and won’t underperform in swiss like last time.
SSG are slept on hard in my opinion. Yea they had a rough start but just like Soniqs they got better every single playday in the NAL and I wouldn’t be surprised by a top 8 finish. DarkZero IMO are the weakest NA team going to Atlanta but they’ve got serious talent and experience still of course.
Who is your favorite to win the event?
W7M will continue to be the favorites for me until someone proves otherwise. They lost to BDS in Riyadh and FaZe in Sao Paulo, but no team has shown the consistency that W7M have and for me that means they still hold the highest odds.
Who are the top 4 teams coming into this event?
W7M, FaZe, BDS, Soniqs.
If you have to back a dark horse to make a run or even win the tournament, who would it be?
SSG are my dark horse. I said it before I think they’re slept on, most people are still picturing the team that struggled to get going at the start of the stage, but their rate of improvement was incredible throughout the NAL and if that keeps up a similar pace SSG will be making a deep run. Winning it is probably out of reach but I think top 4 is in the cards.