Sulfur
The storms of the January shuffles have calmed. The rains of misfortune have poured heavily on some of the Eastern Europe teams, and the sunlight of glory has blessed the West.
But this grand exhibition is in the middle of it all. This is where the slate is wiped clean. There is no past here and no future. The only thing that matters is the present and a will to fight to live and win.
It’s time for the most auspicious event of esports history: the CS:GO Major.
PGL Antwerp 2022Belgium, Antwerp, Antwerps Sportpaleis
FaZe Clan
Natus Vincere
ENCEStarting 9th May, this tournament will have a million eyes fixed on Antwerp, all holding their breaths in suspense. With a million dollars on the line, these 24 teams that qualified for Belgium will fight till their very last breaths to write their names in golden ink in the CS:GO history books.
The Challengers’ Stage starts tomorrow, with 16 teams brawling to get a seat at the adults’ table: the Legends’ Stage. 8 will falter. 8 will qualify and get a chance to test themselves against the royals of the CS:GO world: the remaining 8 that patiently wait in the Legends’ Stage.
Once again, 16 teams will fight in the Legends’ Stage, and 8 will progress to the Champions’ Stage. There are no second chances here. There’s no room to wiggle, no dreams of redemption. It’s a hit-and-miss…
And only one team can hit it all. The winner of the 22nd May Grand Final.
— PGL (@pglesports) April 24, 2022
With the Major staring us in the faces as we salivate for 9 May, here are what your favorite teams look like ahead of the royal battle.
G2
The volatility of this team of handpicked superstars leaves rational predictions redundant, a stockpile of laughter.
They are the Major’s biggest question. Will their campaign turn glorious like the previous Major, or IEM Katowice was? Or will they fail to connect and crash out in Group Stages like in the Pro League?
Only the CS gods know where the fate of this team lies. Will NiKo be hard-driven by seeing the success of his ex-club? Does the European roster have what it takes to find their top form and remain consistent till the very last day?
The stakes are high, and G2’s start is not gonna be a walk in the park. Pitted against Team Liquid in their very first matchup, G2 will be staring down the barrel of a humiliating shotgun if they don’t find a way to make their immense talent resonate with each other.
Vitality
Post their January honeymoon phase, apeX and zonic clearly find themselves at odds at how to best use their resources to reach the level they deserve and desire.
With the cores of the yesteryear Astralis and Vitality, the name and brand of this squad could deceive you into thinking they are at the start of a red carpet. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their efforts have been muted at best and wasted at worst.
This is their hardest hour, and they need to wake up from the wretched lies of their brand values and step up. This is the Major. There are love stories, but upsets as well.
Vitality is on the cusp of being a victim in someone else’s success story, and they need to stop it.
ENCE
Grinding in tranquility, the European squad have tip-toed their way into the topmost tier of CS:GO in the past few months. Consistent and stable, this is a squad that has silently prepared it all to reach deep into the Playoffs.
They were the surprise runner-ups in ESL Pro League S15, where they defeated the likes of FaZe Clan, Vitality, and Outsiders to reach the Playoffs. They laid every team to waste on their path to the Grand Finals, where they met a familiar foe in FaZe Clan. This time, though, karrigan’s international squad was the one to bag the win. Regardless, everyone thought it was a lucky, dream run from ENCE.
But then the European gladiators kept repeating their shows of strength, slaying one giant after another. ENCE made it 3-1 in the RMR, losing only to Astralis. And then they avenged that loss in BLAST European Showdown where they defeated Astralis 2-1 in the Grand Finals, after defeating CPH Flames and Heroic with the same score.
ENCE are in Belgium to create a unique story of a “minnow” who burned the candles from both ends to become World Number 4 and leave their mark here in the Major.
Astralis
A thirst for avenging their stolen crown shall drive the Danish ex-kings to prove they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
They had a visibly poor run this year, but some of their recent performances might make Danish fans chant their name a little bit louder.
The focus on fine-tuning their map pool might just be gla1ve’s final mastermind trick. Add to that the sheer powers of k0nfig and blameF and you get a fiery team ready to rumble.
Denmark has long been the torchbearer of the classiest Counter-Strike. The tables have turned east and west now, and the two teams holding Denmark’s hands are Astralis and…
Heroic
The explosiveness and self-confidence of supposed “onliners” have granted them one too many top 4 finishes. But it’s time to take the leap. It’s time to pull out a FaZe Clan and jump from happy mediocrity to lustful leaps onto the Major trophy.
Their playstyle should reflect the results now. They won their RMR ahead of the likes of FaZe Clan, Vitality, and Outsiders. They even defeated NaVi in their final match, a Bo3.
The stars might be aligning for Heroic. They have performed well for a little too long. They need to perform great now. Forget Top 4. Bring the trophy back to Danish soil.
It’s been long overdue.
Cloud9
The squad that forever homes the aroma of death, the Russian youngsters have steadily gained experience and knowledge of how the world works on LAN. The ex-Gambit roster has been sharpening their daggers and chiseling their killer instincts, and now is the time to show it.
This team is the only team with perhaps the least possible number of “buts.” Their rock-solid grasp of the fundamentals of Counter-Strike makes them near impossible to fall victim to an early shock defeat. The question is, will this team remain in the 5th-8th bracket, or will they get out of the shadow of FaZe Clan and NaVi and finally win an arena event of their own?
Going 3-0 in the RMR only induces confidence. But it was never about the form, was it? It isn’t a question about their talent or their consistency. The question is if they’ll bring that killer instinct, the certain edge, that they have online into an arena full of people.
That’s the only missing piece for this team, now. The ball’s in their court.
We finally signed CS:GO Players. pic.twitter.com/MawBtLf3fX
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) April 24, 2022
They must live up to the name of Cloud9, the only org to have won a Major in NA. They must live to brawl it out with their eternal rivals in…
Natus Vincere
A giant so strong that only off server fights could throw them off their game, NaVi is angry and still gluttonous about their dream era.
A wounded lion is still a lion, though.
The European scene still shivers at the very presence of the once-unbeatable dictators. The defending champions of the Major are landing in Belgium with just one aim in mind: to destroy all that lay in its path, as they once did.
We’ve seen multiple glimpses of their fiery form in the past few months, and those mountains are too high to scale, even for FaZe Clan. NaVi won’t be playing the odds this time, they’ll be playing the man. The undisputed GOAT: s1mple.
Will NaVi filter out the real-life battles from their minds in Belgium? Or will the history-creating team become a stepping stone for the ever-rising force in…
FaZe Clan
Risen through the ashes of a million failures, FaZe Clan have revived and propelled themselves to glory in the twilight of their career. With warriors lingering around 30 and a coach burning the midnight oil for the past 6 years, this is, practically, FaZe Clan’s last chance to etch their name in history with this squad.
Winning every S Tier tournament there is to play for in 2022, FaZe Clan has dethroned the Ukrainian world beaters to plant their flag on this peak. Whether the CIS players of NaVi and Cloud9 manage to put the weight of an inhumane world behind them is a story to ponder.
karrigan and his troops are more than just a team. These veteran LANers are masters of nerves and legends against an audience. They are the diamonds that shine the brightest under arena lights and amidst loud, united cheers. The classic sportsmen: entertainers and winners.
Salvage Boston in Antwerp. Salvage Astralis in FaZe Clan. Salvage immortality once and for all. The Danish mastermind has everything he needs to finally win the Major he’s been chasing forever. He can’t let it miss.
Everyone will have their eyes set on the Batman and his four Robins. Will they win the Major? Will they complete their Grand Slam?
Or will the curse of the international team get to them, while a CIS squad regains control of the scene?
The PGL Major is itching to answer these in Antwerp.
