The PGL Stockholm Major is underway and has been filled with excitement. There have been surprising upsets and incredible performances so far and it is looking like that will continue. We have thus far seen five teams qualify for the Legends Stage. With three spots remaining, it has been an uphill battle for those looking to grab those extra slots.
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The two teams that ended up going through at 3-0 were FaZe and Copenhagen Flames. Copenhagen Flames were on people’s radar to qualify for the next stage, however nobody thought they would do so in the fashion they did. After beating Astralis and BIG in best of ones, they went on to defeat Heroic in a best of three. They are a dark horse for this next stage, unlikely as it may seem. Perhaps some of the more seasoned teams will be able to pick apart the holes in CF’s game, but since they have a small sample size of demo’s they could be a tough nut to crack.
FaZe breezed through this Challenger Stage as many thought they would. However, they face major challenges with the big guns they will be up against. Karrigan has been playing out of his mind. The problem here is that he does not always perform that way. If his performance dips the others will have to step up. Having said that, you can never count out a Karrigan-led team when they are on LAN. Him and Glaive are THE MOST dangerous IGLs in the scene when it comes to LAN play. Their experience is unmatched in other teams’ IGLs and they simply know how to win.
Astralis has not had a good showing so far. The fact is, they looked bad. Their best of ones ended up with less than 10 rounds won total. In their best of threes, though they will likely make it through to the next stage, their performances do not bode well for their success. The teams they will have to beat in order to advance should never be able to beat them twice. Minus a crazy upset, Astralis simply has too much skill and experience to lose to the teams remaining (with Heroic being the exception). However, if they are to beat the more seasoned teams in the upcoming stage, they will have to do some serious work. Looks for Astralis to advance and proceed to lose at the next stage.
Heroic began the group stage winning both of their best of ones against Tyloo and MOUZ. These two teams were never supposed to win against a team like Heroic. They have proceeded to lose their only two best of three series so far, looking very shaky in the process. They lost to the surging Copenhagen Flames as well as Entropiq. Neither of these series should have been lost by Heroic. They simply need to play better if they hope to advance. With a lucky matchup for their final series, they will advance. Short of that, I think Heroic fans are in for a rude awakening if they play a competent team.
The major so far has been a great experience. Like all events, there were some technical hiccups throughout the broadcast which have been getting better day by day. The analyst desk has been very entertaining as well. The caster pairs have been nostalgic and refreshing alike. With old pairings like Bardolph and DDK, Sadokist making a return alongside his new partner Moses and of course, el classico, Anders and Semmler returning to cast another major together.
I am so thrilled the Major is back.
For our daily match odds and analysis head over to our PGL Major Stockholm Predictions article.
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