The Good, Bad, and Ugly: Shanghai Major Opening Stage
As a die-hard CS fan who’s followed the scene since its inception, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions as we wrap up the opening stage of the Shanghai Major. The action has been nothing short of thrilling, with new heroes emerging and old guard falling by the wayside.
From newly-uncovered heroes to big names heading home early.
The Perfect World Shanghai Major Opening Stage has come to a close. We’ve whittled down the CS2 major attendees from 24 to 16 as the action heats up in China.
At the Shanghai Major, we’ll be delving into an array of events: the emergence of promising newcomers, unexpected surges by longshot contenders, and early departures from well-known figures. This will be our first installment of “The Best, Worst, and the Strange” to keep you updated on all the action.
The Good: Brazilian CS back on the menu
Over the course of the entire year, we’ve seen teams such as paiN and MIBR nearly reach significant achievements. Surprisingly, they managed to qualify alongside FURIA for the Elimination Stage in Shanghai. This means that Brazil will have three teams competing at the top 16 stage of a major event for the second time in CS:2 and CS:GO history.
Throughout much of 2024, PaiN and MIBR have exchanged victories in their domestic matches, with PaiN coming out on top more frequently. However, neither team has shown consistency at LAN events. MIBR qualified for the semifinals during ESL Pro League Season 20, but they failed to advance past the quarterfinals at ESL Challenger Katowice against opponents they’d need to defeat to earn recognition before Shanghai.
As for me and my team paiN, after our squad was dismantled in 2023, it was up to biguzera to reassemble us with the leftovers. The beginning of 2024 saw a rocky start, with unexpected defeats at our home turf, leaving us stunned and seeking improvement.
After most Brazilian teams suffered heavy losses at IEM Rio (with only FURIA surviving), many doubted if South American teams could advance past the opening stage in Shanghai. However, against all expectations, paiN and MIBR managed to defeat teams like Cloud9, FlyQuest, and Virtus.pro, establishing their dominance.
Without a doubt, Kaue “kauez” Kaschuk from paiN and Felipe “insani” Yuji from MIBR have shined brightly in the Opening Stage. Their exceptional performances place them among the top players, and their individual impact could potentially carry their Brazilian teams through the Elimination Stage as well. However, it’s important to note that they might face off against each other during the competition!
The Bad: CIS CS dissolves into Team Spirit
It’s understandable if BR CS (Brazilian Counter-Strike) was overlooked – the same could be said about CIS CS (Commonwealth of Independent States Counter-Strike) qualifying effortlessly. Even though Cloud9 and Virtus.pro might not have had high expectations in Shanghai, failing to even make it to the top 16 seems unusual given their roster’s skills, doesn’t it?
Indeed, neither of the large organizations will participate further in Shanghai during the rest of the major tournament, as their performances in the opening stage were less than satisfactory. Team C9 secured only one Bo1 victory against a team who had lost all three of their initial matches (which we’ll discuss shortly), while VP were outplayed by the underdogs Wildcard — a team that many expected them to defeat effortlessly.
2021 certainly wasn’t our year to remember as a fan of C9. With Perfecto, HObbit, and electronic departing in the middle of rebuilding efforts, it’s understandable that we’ve struggled. However, the level of performance displayed by the team in CS has been disappointingly low.
It’s quite significant that team C9 hasn’t managed to qualify for big online tournaments; however, following their rebuild, they have participated in three offline events during BLAST Fall Groups and the RMR/Opening Stage in Shanghai. While they held their own in the major qualifier, they struggled heavily when faced with tough competition.
The VP’s decision to bring in an electronic player, one of the most significant signings of 2024, turned out to be disastrous. Despite having ample experience and skill, the best performance VP could achieve was a fourth place finish at EWC as the year progressed.
Instead, the Russian team often experienced early eliminations in playoffs or disappointing group stage performances. They just managed to advance beyond Sashi in the World Cup qualifiers, but their victories were against teams that didn’t make it into the top 24. In the tournament itself, they struggled with a 1-3 record, with Fame being the only player showing any promise.
It seems that teams like BetBoom, Nemiga, Aurora, PARIVISION, and 9Pandas from the CIS region are not living up to the high hopes set based on their past performances in CS:GO and CS2 over the last couple of years.
Both Team Spirit and Passion UA are sure to provide spectators with someone worthy of their cheers. The rearrangement within the CIS after Shanghai is bound to go down in history as a legendary event.
The Ugly: Fnatic
Oh, Fnatic. Where to begin with Fnatic.
Similar to how anticipations towards C9 and VP were not overwhelming in Shanghai, Fnatic wasn’t expected to shine too brightly either, with a possibility of moving on, but more likely an early exit between 1-3 or 2-3 rounds. However, what transpired was nothing less than humiliating.
In Shanghai, the underdog team suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Wildcard, C9, and Rare Atom. Interestingly, Rare Atom, who were initially seen as the weakest team in the tournament, inflicted the most painful loss on them. Despite hopes for an upset win by the home team, it was only expected they might secure a victory on just one map.
However, when Fnatic squared off against Rare Atom during the best-of-three eliminator, it appeared as though they were struggling to handle their breakfast instead. The team seemed disorganized and out of sync throughout the series. They narrowly won the initial game 13-10, but Rare Atom retaliated, leading the crowd to cheer in excitement.
On Map Three, things took a drastically different turn when RA stormed the field, overwhelming Fnatic. In the end, they dominated with a convincing 13-4 win on Vertigo, leading to the European team’s elimination. The predominantly Chinese audience could be heard chanting “Go home!” in celebration.
2024 was an exceptionally dismal year for Fnatic, culminating in their loss which marks a deeply unfortunate end to it. A team that once stood as a historic beacon has unfortunately fallen short, and this current iteration of the team has left its legacy questionable, even at the semi-professional level.
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2024-12-03 19:14