A Perfect World Shanghai Major Opening Stage Pick’em
The Diamon Coin chase starts here! See our choices for the Pick'ems!
The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 is set to commence on November 30, 2024, marking a significant event in the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports calendar. The tournament will feature 24 elite teams from Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific regions, competing for a substantial prize pool of $1.25 million USD.
Tournament Structure
The Major is divided into three distinct stages:
Opening Stage (November 30 – December 3, 2024): Sixteen teams will engage in a Swiss System format, where teams need to secure three victories to advance to the next stage. Matches will be best-of-one (Bo1) until elimination or advancement matches, which will be best-of-three (Bo3).The top eight teams will progress to the Elimination Stage, while the bottom eight will be eliminated.
Elimination Stage (December 5 – December 10, 2024): The eight teams advancing from the Opening Stage will join eight pre-qualified teams. This stage will also follow a Swiss System format, determining the final eight teams that will move on to the Playoffs.
Playoffs (December 12 – December 15, 2024): The concluding stage will feature a single-elimination bracket, with all matches being Bo3, culminating in the grand final to crown the Major champion.
Participating Teams and Initial Matchups
The Opening Stage will showcase the following teams:
FURIA
Virtus.pro
Team Liquid
Complexity
BIG
Fnatic
The MongolZ
paiN Gaming
GamerLegion
MIBR
Cloud9
FlyQuest
Passion UA
Wildcard
Rare Atom
Imperial Esports
The first-round matchups are scheduled as follows (all times in CET):
November 30th, 2024
04:00: FURIA vs GamerLegion
04.00: Virtus.pro vs MIBR
05.00: Team Liquid vs Cloud9
05.00: Complexity vs FlyQuest
06.00: BIG vs Passion UA
06.00: Fnatic vs Wildcard
07.00: The MongolZ vs Rare Atom
07.00: paiN Gaming vs Imperial Esports
Pick'Em Challenge Overview
The Pick'Em challenge is an interactive feature that allows fans to predict match outcomes and tournament progressions. We expect the Pick'ems game to copy the Copenhagen Major Pick'ems, which were slightly altered compared to previous Majors. These are the objectives, that we expect Valve to release very soon.
Predict Teams Advancing with a 3-0 Record: Select two teams expected to win three consecutive matches without a loss.
Predict Teams Eliminated with a 0-3 Record: Choose two teams anticipated to lose three consecutive matches.
Select Teams Advancing with 3-1 or 3-2 Records: Identify six teams likely to advance with either a 3-1 or 3-2 match record.
Achieving at least five correct predictions is typically required to earn rewards and upgrade the Pick'Em coin.
Strategies for the Pick'Em Challenge
When making predictions, consider the following factors:
Team Form and Performance: Analyze recent match outcomes and overall team performance.
Head-to-Head Records: Review past encounters between teams to gauge potential outcomes.
Player Roster Changes: Be aware of any recent roster adjustments that might impact team dynamics.
Match Formats: Recognize that Bo1 matches can be more unpredictable than Bo3, influencing potential upsets.
These are our thoughts on the Shanghai Major:
Teams to go 0-3:
In the past, we’ve looked at the South American scene to find at least one of the two teams going 0-3. In Copenhagen however, that trend broke with two European teams exiting the tournament after day 2. In Shanghai we have set our eyes on four candidates to go 0-3.
Rare Atom: The Chinese team had no problems flying through the Asian RMR, but whenever the competition is increased, Rare Atom usually finds themselves on the backheels. Losses against Spirit Academy, Endpoint and Johnny Speeds leaves question marks whether Rare Atom has any role to play on home soil. The home advantage could however give the Chinese an extra buff, so that is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
FlyQuest: The Australians are as usual among the teams, that should be considered in the 0-3 pool. They qualified for Shanghai after losing their first round match against TALON. The Aussies usually feeds from the fact, that most of the community has picked them to go 0-3, but is that enough to steer clear? Their ESL Challenger Atlanta win in October most however be mentioned. Here they fought of both BIG and Wildcard, who are among the teams in the Opening Stage, so perhaps we should give the Aussies some slack?
Imperial: The Brazilians scraped through the Americas qualifiers losing to both paiN and MIBR along the way. paiN Gaming is actually their first round matchup, which sets Vinicius "VINI" Figueiredo and his teammates on a difficult path from the get-go. The Brazilians can sometimes pop off, as we saw at the ESL Pro League Season 20, where they bested MOUZ and BIG. But that is now a couple of months ago, and the results lately has not been very impressive.
GamerLegion: The only European team, that we could see go 0-3 in Shanghai. They were 0-2 down in the RMR’s before going on a four-match winning streak to qualify as the last team for the Major. When looking at the six matches at the RMR, GamerLegion lost the first map five times out of six including their two lossed in the bo1 stage. Timur "FL4MUS" Maryev was the big revelation at the RMR, and the Russian will need to put up similar numbers, if GamerLegion are to play any role in China.
We pick: Imperial and GamerLegion
Teams to Go 3-0
The MongolZ: Riding a seven-match win streak, the Mongolian squad enters the Opening Stage with serious momentum. Victories over teams like Heroic, 3DMAX, Cloud9, and Fnatic solidify their position as one of the favorites to advance from the Shanghai Major's Opening Stage. On paper, no team appears to be in better form than Garidmagnai "bLitz" Byambasuren and his teammates.
Team Liquid: The second pick for the 3-0 category is trickier, especially with Team Liquid facing Cloud9 in the first round. While Liquid has struggled against top-tier opposition, they perform consistently against teams ranked outside the world’s top five. The only recent stumble came in the Americas RMR, where they squandered a 3-9 lead against Wildcard in a shocking overtime loss. Still, with stars like Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken, Keith "NAF" Markovic, Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis, and Justin "jks" Savage, Team Liquid has the firepower to make a strong statement and reach the Elimination Stage in style.
Teams to Go 3-1 or 3-2
BIG: Surprising everyone with a flawless 3-0 run in the European RMR, the Germans bring newfound confidence to Shanghai. They should be progressing to the next stage.
Cloud9 and Fnatic: Both teams possess the firepower and depth needed to secure their place in the Elimination Stage, making them reliable picks.
Passion UA: Arguably, no team faced a tougher route to the Shanghai Major. Their journey included matches against Virtus.pro, Spirit, BIG, Heroic, and Astralis. By overcoming such formidable opposition, the Ukrainians have earned respect in the competitive scene. If they can maintain that energy and grit in the Opening Stage, Passion UA could emerge as a dark horse to advance.
Wildcard: The Swedish/North American lineup caused a stir with their flawless 3-0 run in the Americas RMR. However, their overall record raises questions about whether that performance was an outlier. They face Fnatic in their opening match—a potential make-or-break moment for their tournament. Based on their inconsistency, we predict Wildcard will fall short of advancing.
Virtus.pro: Led by Dzhami "Jame" Ali, this experienced roster brings the composure of Rio Major winners to the table. Their proven track record makes them a safe bet to progress.
Brazilian Teams – FURIA, paiN, or MIBR? At least one Brazilian team is likely to make it through. On paper, paiN, and FURIA have favorable opening matches. However, FURIA's extensive experience against top-tier competition gives them the edge.
Our Picks for 3-1 and 3-2:
BIG, Cloud9, Fnatic, Passion UA, Virtus.pro, and FURIA.
We will return with our picks for the Elimination Stage. We wish everyone good luck getting that Diamond Coin!
