Well. The Legends are set in stone now, with eight Challengers joining the Returning Legends for the Main Stage of the Starladder Berlin Major 2019. The Challenger Pick’Ems sprung up a few surprises but all in all, almost every one managed the regulatory minimum of five correct predictions.
As far as our result goes, we got the 0-3 prediction correct in the form of INTZ. Unfortunately, NRG lost their opening game and while they did win all of their fixtures after, it wasn’t enough to salvage our 3-0 pick.
Among the seven teams we chose to qualify for the Legends Stage, FURIA were a major disappointment. But, forZe’s loss at 2-2 to DreamEaters meant they were out as well. We got the other five teams namely mousesports, CR4ZY, North, G2 and Vitality correct, meaning we accumulated 6 points from our Pick’Em.
Another round of Pick’Em beckons and with it, we are set to release another iteration of our picks, this time for the Legends Stage.
Team to Go undefeated (3-0)
Favourites to go undefeated: Liquid, Astralis
TalkEsport Predicts: Ninjas in Pyjamas
Okay, we have a weird explanation for this. We would have ideally gone for Liquid for the 3-0 spot. But, their opening fixture against CR4ZY has put us in a precarious position. While the North Americans are expected to emerge victorious, the Best of 1s always throw up exciting results, especially at Majors.
The idea behind putting NiP in the 3-0 bracket is to not waste a spot in the seven teams expected to qualify. But, on the other hand, NiP are up against mibr, who will be playing the Major with their coach zews. While a win isn’t a guarantee, this does place NiP in a strong position to go 1-0.
This is the last tournament for GeT_RighT (with NiP at least) and you never know when the NiP magic kicks in. The Swedes had a decent performance at IEM Katowice 2019 and could kick into gear, especially if GeT_RighT comes into his own.
This just might be a gut pick but one that could very well come true.
Team to go winless (0-3)
Favourites: DreamEaters
TalkEsport Predicts: mibr
I mean, this is an obvious one. mibr come into the Major with their coach and while they have proven recently that they can still match up to other team in Best of 1s, other teams are likely to have more about them. Arguably the weakest team in the Legends Stage DreamEaters, have already beaten NRG and Vitality.
Generally, the teams coming in from the Challengers Stage are quicker off the marks and more ready compared to the Returning Legends. Coming back to mibr, the Brazilians open their account against NiP and a defeat there could really set the stage up for the games that follow.
To us, mibr just feel like the team is set to undergo a roster shuffle and that could be occupying their minds going into the Major, which explains their decision to go with zews into the Major despite coldzera reportedly offering to play the event under the banner.
Teams to qualify to the Champions Stage
Favourites: Liquid, Astralis, Natus Vincere, mousesports, Vitality, NRG, ENCE
TalkEsport Predicts: Liquid, Astralis, Natus Vincere, mousesports, G2, NRG, CR4ZY
Liquid, Astralis, Natus Vincere and mousesports should be penciled in as favourites and be present in almost all of the Pick’Ems. But, Vitality’s fragile performance in the Challengers Stage makes us doubt their credibility to perform up their normal levels and enter the Champions Stage.
ENCE on the other hand, surprisingly announced the decision to replace current IGL Aleksib with suNny after the Major. But, announcing it before the Major could have repercussions on the team’s chemistry going into the Legends Stage, which is why we haven’t picked them to go through.
G2 have been a steady top 10 team throughout the season and their recent performances puts them in the favourites category. Perhaps, rightly so, and we don’t argue with it, picking them as one of the teams to go through to the Champions Stage.
Now, on to the rest of our picks. NRG are up there in the top 5 of the HLTV Rankings for a reason and are one of the heavy favourites to enter the Champions Stage for the first time. apart from their defeat to surprise package DreamEaters, they did very little to convince us otherwise.
Now for our CR4ZY pick, the lineup has become a consistent threat to the Tier-1 teams and proved it in the Challengers Stage by almost going 3-0, albeit for the loss to North. the CR4ZY roster packs a heavy punch in terms of raw firepower and have steadily been on the up and up in the CSGO circuit.
Picking them over the likes of FAZE Clan is a bit controversial. But, for us, Faze seems to be going into another Major with an experimental roster rather than a set one. While their results have improved after the addition of Polish legend NEO, the IGL is unlikely to be a long-term addition to their roster, which could be set for a shuffle post Berlin Major.
The only other team that has looked remotely capable of threatening to be one of the party poopers is North. The Danish stack have stabilised and improved under valde, who has really taken to the IGL role with aplomb, achieving positive and consistent results within such a short period of time of taking over.
Let us know in the comments below what your picks are for the Legends Stage Pick’EM.
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