In this edition of our team introduction, we will scrutinize the lineups who made it through the Main Qualifier. The expansion of the Major format brings a new dynamic into the competition and could be very beneficiary to the Legends teams since they have been able to scout their opponents tendencies and adjustments after the holiday break. The Main Qualifier erased a lot of questions but brought up several new ones at the same time. Overall, the new format provides a new dimension and excitement that has never been there before and it will be mesmerizing to see how it affects the meta of the competition between the final sixteen teams.

So let’s take a closer look at the organizations who forged their way into ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 and examine some of the squads who have the potential to upset the Legends and gain that advantageous status themselves.

Cloud 9 (Ranked No.5):

Lineup:
Timothy 'autimatic' Ta (Rating 1.13)
Will 'Rush' Wierzba (Rating 1.09)
Tyler 'Skadoodle' Latham (Rating 1.11)
Jake 'Stewie2k' Yip (Rating 1.16)
Tarik 'tarik' Celik (Rating 1.18)

Coach:Soham 'Valens' Chowdhury

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 50-19
Team K/D ratio: 1.14
Placements:
5-6th at ECS Season 4
1st at CyberPowerPC Extreme Gaming Series Winter 2017
3-4th at IEM Oakland 2017
1st at iBUYPOWER Masters 2017
1st at WESG 2017 United States
1st at DreamHack Open Denver 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-0
16-5 vs. mousesports on Train
16-5 vs. Sprout on Inferno
16-11 vs. Team EnVy on Cache

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Cobblestone: Played 13 times. 11-2 record. 84.6% win rate. 60% win ratio in ct-rounds. 61.3% win ratio as terrorists. 79.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 6 times. 5-1 record. 83.3% win rate. 64.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 50.6% win ratio as terrorists. 84.9% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Played 12 times. 9-3 record. 75% win rate. 61.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 56.8% win ratio as terrorists. 81.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 18 times. 13-5 record. 72.2% win rate. 58.4% win ratio in ct-rounds. 60% win ratio as terrorists. 81.9% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 14 times. 10-4 record. 64.7% win rate. 52.9% win ratio in ct-rounds. 53.4% win ratio as terrorists. 71.3% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 7 times. 4-3 record. 57.1% win rate. 63.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 43.4% win ratio as terrorists. 79.8% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 6 times. 2-4 record. 33.3% win rate. 50% win ratio in ct-rounds. 41.6% win ratio as terrorists. 62.9% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Perma-ban.

Analysis:
The Americans marched through the Main Qualifier with ease and will enjoy home field advantage if they make it to the playoffs. They have won three straight tournaments in their home country and are currently the best American team. After several roster changes over the years, this squad seems to have found its identity and will try to transfer their national success to the international competition. They had a rather easy path through the Main Qualifier but showed pure dominance and it is apparent that they are in great shape.

G2 Esports (Ranked No.7):

Lineup:
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire (Rating 1.03)
Alexandre 'bodyy' Pianaro (Rating 1.00)
Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub (Rating 1.13)
Nathan 'NBK' Schmitt (Rating 1.09)
Richard 'shox' Papillon (Rating 1.08)

Coach:Edouard 'SmithZz' Dubourdeaux

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 29-1-21
Team K/D ratio: 1.04
Placements:
5th at BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2017
9-10th at IEM Oakland 2017
3rd at EPICENTER 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-0
19-16 vs. Vega Squadron on Overpass
16-5 vs. Misfits on Cobblestone
16-11 vs. Flash Gaming on Inferno

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Nuke: Played 6 times. 5-1 record. 83.3% win rate. 70.2% win ratio in ct-rounds. 45.5% win ratio as terrorists. 79.3% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 8 times. 5-3 record. 62.5% win rate. 43.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 63.6% win ratio as terrorists. 78.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 12 times. 7-5 record. 58.3% win rate. 46.5% win ratio in ct-rounds. 58.1% win ratio as terrorists. 72% successful rounds after first fragging.
Overpass: Played 9 times. 5-4 record. 55.6% win rate. 55% win ratio in ct-rounds. 46.1% win ratio as terrorists. 72% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Cobblestone: Played 11 times. 5-6 record. 45.5% win rate. 50.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 51.6% win ratio as terrorists. 71.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 5 times. 2-1-2 record. 40% win rate. 52% win ratio in ct-rounds. 53.6% win ratio as terrorists. 72.6% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Perma-ban.

Analysis:
Thanks to a clean sweep G2 advanced to the next stage of the Major where they have a chance to tie on to former glory days. The lack of titles must be bothering the French who have been spoiled by success in the past. The veteran core of the squad will try to show that they are not past their peak yet, but in order to do so they have to take a different approach than in 2017 and elevate their game to the next level.

FaZe (Ranked No.2):

Lineup:
Ladislav 'GuardiaN' Kovács (Rating 1.12)
Finn 'karrigan' Andersen (Rating 0.96)
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač (Rating 1.18)
Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer (Rating 1.10)
Havard 'Rain' Nygaard (Rating 1.20)

Coach:Robert 'Robban' Dahlström

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 47-1-26
Team K/D ratio: 1.10
Placements:
1st at ECS Season 4 Finals
2nd at ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals
3rdth at BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2017
2nd at IEM Oakland 2017
5-6th at EPICENTER 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-1
16-4 vs. Natus Vincere on Train
16-6 vs. Quantum Bellator Fire on Mirage
6-16 vs. Vega Squadron on Inferno
16-14 vs. Team Liquid on Overpass

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 13 times. 10-3 record. 76.9% win rate. 68.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 50.6% win ratio as terrorists. 76.7% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 7 times. 5-2 record. 71.4% win rate. 43.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 63.6% win ratio as terrorists. 73% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 19 times. 13-6 record. 68.4% win rate. 61.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 48.7% win ratio as terrorists. 75.3% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 15 times. 10-5 record. 66.7% win rate. 58% win ratio in ct-rounds. 54.3% win ratio as terrorists. 72.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Played 14 times. 8-1-5 record. 57.1% win rate. 58.4% win ratio in ct-rounds. 47.7% win ratio as terrorists. 74.5% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Cobblestone: Played 4 times. 1-3 record. 25% win rate. 48.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 43.4% win ratio as terrorists. 61.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 2 times. 0-2 record. 0% win rate. 47.2% win ratio in ct-rounds. 45.7% win ratio as terrorists. 69.7% successful rounds after first fragging.

Analysis:
Although they are considered as clear cut favorites by many experts, FaZe struggled a bit at the start of the Main Qualifier and had a tough time to get going. Once they started rolling, they destroyed their final two opponents and entered the Major with roar. The Europeans can take the field at full strength and had a lot of time to prepare for the crunch time of the Major. All the usual favorites are handicapped in some sort and have to adjust to new circumstances. This could ultimately be the biggest advantage of this all-star squad and could give them the edge to be the top title contender.

Vega Squadron (Ranked No.20):

Lineup:
Leonid 'chopper' Vishnyakov (Rating 1.06)
Pavel 'hutji' Lashkov (Rating 1.01)
Sergey 'Keshandr' Nikishin (Rating 0.92)
Nikolay 'Mir' Bityukov (Rating 1.14)
Dmitriy 'jR' Chervak (Rating 1.05)

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 18-15
Team K/D ratio: 0.98
Placements:
3-4th at ROG MASTERS 2017 Grand Finals
1st at China Top 2017 Shenzhen
3-4th at ROG MASTERS 2017 EMEA Finals

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-1
16-14 vs. Team Liquid on Mirage
16-19 vs. G2 Esports on Overpass
16-6 vs. FaZe on Inferno
16-14 vs. AVANGAR on Mirage

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Train: Played 5 times. 4-1 record. 80% win rate. 54.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 54.8% win ratio as terrorists. 74.6% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 10 times. 6-4 record. 60% win rate. 55% win ratio in ct-rounds. 43.2% win ratio as terrorists. 77.8% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 7 times. 4-3 record. 57.1% win rate. 56.5% win ratio in ct-rounds. 52.9% win ratio as terrorists. 73.5% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 4 times. 2-2 record. 50% win rate. 50.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 55.1% win ratio as terrorists. 72.7% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 7 times. 2-5 record. 28.6% win rate. 52.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 37.1% win ratio as terrorists. 69.6% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Perma-ban.
Cobblestone: Perma-ban.

Analysis:
Vega Squadron have been the surprise of the Main Qualifier. They upset FaZe, handed them an undisputed loss, gained a 2-0 record in the process and nearly stunned G2 to march through the first stage of the tournament with a clean sweep. The Russians were not distracted by the overtime loss to the French and immediately bounced back by defeating Team Liquid in an absolute nail biter to enter their first Major. They have a small map pool but have shown that they are more than capable of holding their ground in best of ones and should not be underestimated.

Space Soldiers (Ranked No.19):

Lineup:
Buğra 'Calyx' Arkın (Rating 1.21)
Engin 'MAJ3R' Küpeli (Rating 1.02)
Engin 'ngiN' Kor (Rating 1.03)
Ahmet 'paz' Karahoca (Rating 1.14)
Can 'XANTARES' Dörtkardes (Rating 1.29)

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 47-1-27
Team K/D ratio: 1.10
Placements:
2nd at ESEA Season 26 MDL Global Challenge
3rd at WESG 2017 Europe & CIS Regional Finals
1st at WESG 2017 South-East CIS & Turkey

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-1
19-17 vs. mousesports on Mirage
16-13 vs. Misfits on Train
16-9 vs. AVANGAR on Mirage
11-16 vs. Sprout on Cobblestone

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Cache: Played 12 times. 12-0 record. 100% win rate. 64.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 71.4% win ratio as terrorists. 86.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 10 times. 7-3 record. 70% win rate. 57.5% win ratio in ct-rounds. 47% win ratio as terrorists. 73.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 18 times. 12-6 record. 66.7% win rate. 58.2% win ratio in ct-rounds. 50.6% win ratio as terrorists. 75.3% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cobblestone: Played 14 times. 6-8 record. 42.9% win rate. 47.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 53.8% win ratio as terrorists. 69.7% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 10 times. 5-1-4 record. 50% win rate. 58.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 48.6% win ratio as terrorists. 72.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Played 10 times. 5-5 record. 50% win rate. 61.9% win ratio in ct-rounds. 40.2% win ratio as terrorists. 77.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 1 time. 0-1 record. 0% win rate. 20% win ratio in ct-rounds. 42.9% win ratio as terrorists. 45.5% successful rounds after first fragging.

Analysis:
ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 will be the first tournament of this magnitude for the Turks. They have been on the verge of stepping up the ladder for quite some time and their star player XANTARES is well known within the scene. Some experts even speculate that he could be one of the most skilled individual players in Europe. Now that he is flanked by Calyx and paz, two other youngsters with superstar potential, he finally has a chance to prove these rumors against top opponents. The remaining two players, ngiN and MAJ3R, round out the mix perfectly and bring leadership and experience to the table. They have a solid map pool and hold an incredible win streak of twelve consecutive victories on Cache. If they do not let their nerves and inexperience at Majors get to them, the Turks could be the surprise team of the tournament. However, their start to the event is rather difficult since they will have to take on our Brazilians who want some revenge for ESL One Cologne 2017 where they beat us in the opening match.

One day left for our #ELEAGUEMajor matches. #invadespace pic.twitter.com/6yXrq427cB

— Space Soldiers (@SpaceSoldiersTR) 18. Januar 2018

Natus Vincere (Ranked No.11):

Lineup:
Ioan 'Edward' Sukhariev (Rating 1.03)
Egor 'flamie' Vasilyev (Rating 1.13)
Alexander 's1mple' Kostylev (Rating 1.32)
Denis 'electronic' Sharipov (Rating 1.15)
Danylo 'Zeus' Teslenko (Rating 0.93)

Coach:Mikhaylo ‘Kane’ Blagin

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 20-15
Team K/D ratio: 1.04
Placements:
1st at DreamHack Open Winter 2017
9-12th at ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-2
16-5 vs. Team Liquid on Inferno
4-16 vs. FaZe on Train
16-3 vs. Sprout on Mirage
2-16 vs. mousesports on Mirage
16-8 vs. Quantum Bellator Fire on Inferno

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Cobblestone: Played 4 times. 3-1 record. 75% win rate. 46.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 55.6% win ratio as terrorists. 78.9% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 7 times. 5-2 record. 71.4% win rate. 55.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 61.2% win ratio as terrorists. 78.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 5 times. 3-2 record. 60% win rate. 44.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 49.5% win ratio as terrorists. 63.8% successful rounds after first fragging.
Overpass: Played 9 times. 5-4 record. 55.6% win rate. 46.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 55.6% win ratio as terrorists. 70.5% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Train: Played 7 times. 3-4 record. 42.9% win rate. 46.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 54.8% win ratio as terrorists. 70.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 3 times. 1-2 record. 33.3% win rate. 60.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 35.9% win ratio as terrorists. 85.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Perma-ban.

Analysis:
A new generation of NaVi players has arrived and it will be interesting to see how the young stars respond when the pressure is at its highest point. s1mple and flamie are still just 20 years old and electronic has turned 19 in September. The potential these young individuals boast is immense. s1mple has the highest individual rating out of all the attending players and almost plays supernatural when he gets into a groove. On paper, this squad has everything you need for a deep run into the playoffs. However, inconsistent performances and a shaky map pool, which is just too small for deep playoff runs, have limited their abilities, stalled their progress and could hinder them from being successful in Atlanta and Boston.

mousesports (Ranked No.7):

Lineup:
Chris 'chrisJ' de Jong (Rating 1.06)
Tomas 'Oskar' Stastny (Rating 1.19)
Martin 'ropz' Kool (Rating 1.20)
Martin 'styko' Styk (Rating 1.01)
Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi (Rating 1.12)

Coach:Sergey ‘Imbt’ Bezhanov

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 42-23
Team K/D ratio: 1.11
Placements:
2nd at ECS Season 4 Finals
2nd at DreamHack Open Winter 2017
3-4th at DreamHack Open Denver 2017
1st at ROG MASTERS 2017 EMEA Finals
13-16th at ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-2
16-4 vs. Renegades on Mirage
17-19 vs. FaZe on Mirage
5-16 vs. Cloud 9 on Train
16-2 vs. Natus Vincere on Mirage
16-12 vs. AVANGAR on Mirage

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Nuke: Played 11 times. 10-1 record. 90.9% win rate. 72.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 58% win ratio as terrorists. 82.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cobblestone: Played 9 times. 7-2 record. 77.8% win rate. 70.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 54.1% win ratio as terrorists. 81.9% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 17 times. 12-5 record. 70.6% win rate. 60.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 56.2% win ratio as terrorists. 82.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Played 9 times. 6-3 record. 66.7% win rate. 50.4% win ratio in ct-rounds. 57% win ratio as terrorists. 77% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 2 times. 1-1 record. 50% win rate. 64.4% win ratio in ct-rounds. 38.7% win ratio as terrorists. 72.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 13 times. 6-7 record. 46.2% win rate. 46.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 49.4% win ratio as terrorists. 67.6% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 4 times. 0-4 record. 0% win rate. 39.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 37.5% win ratio as terrorists. 69.6% successful rounds after first fragging.

Analysis:
The transition to a European squad went smoothly and by now mousesports is known as a talent pool. Several young players have taken the next step in their careers during their time with this organization and the current lineup will look to do the same at this event. They have established themselves among the regular participants of larger tournaments in 2017 and ended up in respectable positions at LANs at the end of last year. The young and hungry individuals of mousesports will do everything they can to repeat these outcomes at the grandest stage of CS:GO. Their strengths are their effectiveness on the ct-side and winning rounds after getting the first frag. If they can solidify their t-side on top of that, they could be more than capable of making the playoffs.

The winner of the Breakout Player #FPL Award is... @ropzicle!

Congratulations on your second award, Robin!

Runners up: @zywoo_csgo & @ISSACSGO pic.twitter.com/cKdol5yc1g

— FACEIT (@FACEIT) 17. Januar 2018

Quantum Bellator Fire (Ranked No.28):

Lineup:
Gregory 'balbIna' Oleinik (Rating 0.95)
Kirill 'boombl4' Mikhailov (Rating 1.11)
Savelii 'jmqa' Bragin (Rating 1.00)
Nikita 'waterfaLLZ' Matveyev (Rating 1.01)
Aurimas 'Kvik' Kvaksys (Rating 1.02)

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 22-25
Team K/D ratio: 0.96
Placements:
3-4th at MakeMy.Bet Cup #2
5-8th at MakeMy.Bet Cup #1
17-20th at WESG 2017 Europe & CIS Regional Finals
5-6th at MakeMy.Bet Championship #1
1st at WESG 2017 Russia LAN

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-2
16-6 vs. AVANGAR on Train
16-12 vs. Team EnVy on Inferno
6-16 vs. FaZe on Mirage
16-13 vs. Flash Gaming on Inferno
8-16 vs. Natus Vincere on Inferno

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Overpass: Played 1 time. 1-0 record. 100% win rate. 66.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 66.7% win ratio as terrorists. 86.7% successful rounds after first fragging.
Train: Played 7 times. 5-2 record. 71.4% win rate. 59.5% win ratio in ct-rounds. 48.4% win ratio as terrorists. 76.4% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 3 times. 2-1 record. 66.7% win rate. 58.1% win ratio in ct-rounds. 52.8% win ratio as terrorists. 73.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 13 times. 7-6 record. 53.8% win rate. 53.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 44% win ratio as terrorists. 68.6% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Cobblestone: Played 6 times. 3-3 record. 50% win rate. 46.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 44.3% win ratio as terrorists. 63.7% successful rounds after first fragging.
Mirage: Played 11 times. 4-7 record. 36.4% win rate. 37.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 46.3% win ratio as terrorists. 69.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 7 times. 0-7 record. 0% win rate. 34.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 50.9% win ratio as terrorists. 64.4% successful rounds after first fragging.

Analysis:
This squad is the ultimate underdog this time. They had a rather easy, lucky path through the Main Qualifier and will be happy to attend their first competition of this dimension. Anything but a direct elimination would be a huge success and the players will soak in every moment of the process.

Team Liquid (Ranked No.15):

Lineup:
Wilton 'zews' Prado (Rating 0.70)
Jonathan 'EliGE' Jablonowski (Rating 1.19)
Josh 'jdm64' Marzano (Rating 1.01)
Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken (Rating 1.17)
Nick 'nitr0' Cannella (Rating 1.04)

Recent activity:
Record during the past three months: 36-30
Team K/D ratio: 1.03
Placements:
7-8th at ECS Season 4
11-12th at ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals
11-12th at IEM Oakland 2017
3-4th at iBUYPOWER Masters 2017

Performance at the Main Qualifier:
Record: 3-3
19-15 vs. Quantum Bellator Fire on Mirage
5-16 vs. Natus Vincere on Inferno
14-16 vs. Vega Squadron on Mirage
16-14 vs. Renegades on Cobblestone
16-10 vs. Flipside Tactics on Cobblestone
14-16 vs. FaZe on Overpass

Strongest maps over the past three months:
Train: Played 7 times. 5-2 record. 71.4% win rate. 59.5% win ratio in ct-rounds. 48.4% win ratio as terrorists. 76.4% successful rounds after first fragging.
Inferno: Played 14 times. 9-5 record. 64.3% win rate. 59.6% win ratio in ct-rounds. 53.8% win ratio as terrorists. 79.5% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cobblestone: Played 14 times. 8-6 record. 57.1% win rate. 53.9% win ratio in ct-rounds. 47.9% win ratio as terrorists. 72.4% successful rounds after first fragging.
Cache: Played 7 times. 4-3 record. 57.1% win rate. 44.8% win ratio in ct-rounds. 51% win ratio as terrorists. 63.1% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 7 times. 4-3 record. 57.1% win rate. 63.7% win ratio in ct-rounds. 43.4% win ratio as terrorists. 79.8% successful rounds after first fragging.

Weakest maps over the past three months:
Mirage: Played 18 times. 8-10 record. 44.4% win rate. 52.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 48.9% win ratio as terrorists. 70.8% successful rounds after first fragging.
Overpass: Played 5 times. 2-3 record. 40% win rate. 50% win ratio in ct-rounds. 56% win ratio as terrorists. 71.2% successful rounds after first fragging.
Nuke: Played 1 time. 0-1 record. 0% win rate. 33.3% win ratio in ct-rounds. 53.8% win ratio as terrorists. 66.7% successful rounds after first fragging.

Analysis:
Team Liquid should not even be at this stage of the event. They only entered the competition due to the visa issues of 100 Thieves that resulted in their absence. Therefore, the Americans were able to compete in the deciding match for the last spot at the event. They barely won in overtime against AVANGAR and are lucky to participate at the Major in their home country. They do not seem to be in great shape and have to play with Zews, who is normally their coach, due to the Major regulation that force the ban of Lucas 'steel' Lopes. Since their attendance is on the account of a coincidence, they can play with no pressure but will probably not make it very far.

Media day was today but it feels like it's long gone, back to practice!

O Media Day foi hoje, mas parece que já acabou faz tempo! Estamos de volta aos treinos!#RUNSKG #VAMOSSK pic.twitter.com/FNlFl25eL8

— SK Gaming (@SKGaming) 17. Januar 2018

The participating field consists of equal competitors but thanks to the holiday break, inactivity and forced roster switches, there are a lot of unknowns which should make the competition unpredictable and exciting to watch. Make sure to follow the action and support our players via social media as they try to get their hands on another Major trophy and start the new year with a bang to show everyone who the best team in the world is.