The BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage is about to begin, and with it some of the most exciting CS:GO we’ve ever seen. We’re bringing you our BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage predictions, as well as some CS:GO Pick’Ems advice for the next stage!
The Hour of the Underdog is Over
The BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage saw a few underdogs emerge triumphant. Apeks were perhaps the biggest surprise, qualifying 3:1 winners, despite being second-to-bottom in our BLAST.tv Paris Major power rankings. Then there was GamerLegion, who qualified on the final day despite coming from 0:2 down, and Monte, the Ukrainian team that persevered in the face of adversity.
GamerLegion are Paris Major Legends Stage underdogs. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | \u00a9 BLAST
There are even some teams who qualified for the Paris Major Legends Stage in the RMR, that you’d now expect to drop out immediately. The likes of Bad News Eagles, Into The Breach, and even fnatic – they shouldn’t have too much to offer here.
We think the Paris Major Legends Stage will be ruthless. The quality of teams here is incredible, with less room than ever for an underdog to come through and make an impact. At this level of CS:GO, room for sentiment is limited. Even more so in the final CS:GO Major, with higher stakes than ever. We think the BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage is where the underdog stories will go to die.
The Kings of the Paris Major Legends Stage
It almost seems too easy to suggest that the likes of Heroic, FaZe, Vitality, and G2 are going to smash some CS:GO Major records along the way to qualifying from the Paris Major Legends Stage. But guess what? We’re going to do it anyway.
G2 impressed in the Challengers Stage. Credit: G2CSGO on Twitter
There could be a very real gulf in class on display here. We already know that FaZe and G2 have come into the BLAST.tv Paris Major in hot form by their strong Challengers Stage performance. Heroic are arguably the most consistent team in all of CS:GO, while Vitality will want to impress on home turf.
Of all our Paris Major predictions, we feel very confident in saying the top teams will cement themselves as the Kings of the Paris Major Legends Stage, and offer no nasty upsets along the way. Even more inconsistent teams like NAVI and FURIA should have too much consistency to really slip up across five games of CS:GO.
Close Battles
Often, many of the top CS:GO Major kills come when the games get scrappy, with teams fighting for their lives in the middle of the pack. That’s why we’re predicting some remarkable matches in the 1:2 and 2:2 matches, when the last opportunities to move to the Champions Stage arise.
ENCE will be pushed to their limits in the Legends Stage. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | \u00a9 BLAST
We’re looking at teams like ENCE, NIP, 9INE, and even to some degree Liquid. Teams with undeniable quality, yet with lingering inconsistencies that sees them needing to dig deep to emerge victorious. It’s here that we’ll see what teams are really made of, whether they have what it takes to be a real competitor in this competition. Anyone can lose a best-of-one. But teams grinding out best-of-threes in high pressure scenarios really separates the men from the boys.
When all is said and done, we think ENCE and 9INE will qualify as the best of the rest. ENCE’s Challenger Stage was so impressive, while 9INE always bring innovative plays to the server. NIP and Liquid’s inconsistencies should prove to be a defining issue in the BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage.
CS:GO Pick’Ems Predictions
With all this said, you might have one question – who do I take on my CS:GO Pick’Ems? For the BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage, this is who we’re taking en route to the diamond coin.
Credit: Valve
There’s a lot to unpack here. In an ideal world, NAVI, Heroic, FURIA, G2, FaZe, and Vitality are nailed on to proceed, and even with one slip up that still guarantees the five needed. ENCE going 3:0 in the Challengers Stage is impossible to ignore, either. We think this opportunity might’ve come too early for Into The Breach, leaving them as our 0:3 pick. While we’re extremely unsure if 9INE will go 3:0, we think they’ll go through, but don’t want to waste the point on a better team slipping up and still qualifying. CS:GO Pick’Ems are a game of strategy, but follow our picks and you’re sure to grab the diamond coin.
