IEM Rio Major preview: Team Vitality
apEX's troops head into the IEM Rio Major as one of the biggest favorites to win the event. Will they live up to the expectations?
IEM Rio will be the second CS:GO Major of 2022 and the first-ever Major tournament to be held in Brazil. The Challenger Stage of the Major will kick off on October 31, with the Grand final of the event set to be played on November 13. Once the Legends Stage kicks off, a total of 16 teams will be competing for the lion’s share of the $1.250.000 prize pool, with the winner walking away with a Major trophy and $500.000.
Challengers Stage: Oct 31st – Nov 3rd
Legends Stage: Nov 5th – 8th
Champions Stage: Nov 10th – 13th
Team Vitality:
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire
Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen
Emil “Magisk” Reif
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
Qualified as: Challengers
Last Major: 9-11th
Odds of winning IEM Rio Major: 6.5-7
The French-Danish squad of Team Vitality heads into the IEM Rio Major in good form and as one of the biggest favorites to win the entire event, along with NAVI and FaZe. They won the recent ESL Pro League Season 16 event in Malta, where they secured $200.000 in prize earning, a ticket to the BLAST Premier World Final 2022, and a spot in IEM Katowice 2023.
After the summer break, Vitality decided to make a replacement to bolster the roster. 22-year-old Lotan “Spinx” Giladi, the former star of ENCE, joined the French-Danish roster. As expected, the Israeli blended in well and provided the team with the firepower it needed to compete with the strongest teams in the world. The revitalized Vitality squad has performed very well ever since and are still to be found in the #1 spot in HLTV’s World Ranking.
In nearly every match they have played since the summer break, Vitality have played to the best of their ability against any opponent, displaying not just a strong and confident tactical play, but also the character of a champion team. However, at the RMR, Vitality didn’t manage to hit their best level, which ended up costing them a spot in the Legends Stage of the Major. That means apEX’s troops will have to break through the Challengers Stage.
We at Pley.gg have no doubt that the Vitality squad will break out of the Challengers stage, and at least, get their feet into the semi-finals of the event.
Pley.gg prediction: Team Vitality to reach semi-finals
World Ranking: #1
Bet on IEM Rio right here:
Coins.Game
Welcome to Coins.Game
GG Bet
Official Esport betting partner - Up to triple deposit bonus!
BC.Game
Step into a World of Casino Magic at BC.Game
