Who will have a perfect ending among the eight teams? Preview of the knockout stage of Shanghai Major
The Shanghai Major swiss stage has come to an end.
Except for the defending champion Natus Vincere , which was eliminated, which was a bit surprising, the other strong teams have basically reached the final knockout stage.
MongolZ , the Asian dark horse who brought many surprises to everyone, has also reached the knockout stage. Who will win the second CS2 Major championship? Will MongolZ create more miracles or will G2 achieve perfection? Let's take a look at what to watch in the knockout stage!
Competition time: December 12th - December 15th
Competition location: Shanghai, China
Competition system: BO3 single elimination system
Participating Teams:
The MongolZ
G2
Liquid
First round matchups:
Shanghai Major 2024
12th December 14:00 SGT MongolZ vs Mouz
13th December 17:00 SGT Spirit vs Liquid
12th December 14:00 SGT G2 vs Heroic
13th December 17:00 SGT Vitality vs FaZe
Asian rising stars VS European rising stars
The MongolZ 's rise can actually be traced. First, he won the TP World Championship 2024, then he qualified strongly in the Asian RMR, and came to the Shanghai Major stage to win two 3-0 straight knockouts. The Mongolian team has been in better and better shape in the past few months, which makes us have to sigh that the biggest dark horse of this Shanghai Major is the Mongolian team! In fact, they have created a miracle by reaching the knockout stage, but as the only Asian seedling, the editor still secretly hopes that they can go further and further, and even win the championship!
After the advent of the CS2 era, Mouz also began to rise gradually. They have four outstanding players from their own youth training system, and relying on their unique vision, they recruited Ludvig Brolin | Brollan, a talented teenager struggling in the Swedish team . These five players gradually developed a unique chemical reaction. Two championships and two runner-ups in one year announced that Mouz has returned to the ranks of the top European teams. This team with an average age of 21 is creating its own era. Can they do it?
North American CS sees the light of day again
Several years of turmoil have brought North American CS to the bottom. Evil Geniuses disbanded, almost all of Liquid's core members left, Complexity began to take over the position of North American leader but still failed to make a breakthrough in major competitions... This time, there is not even a place for a North American team in the eight places in the Shanghai Major Legends Group. Fortunately, Liquid has never given up on CS. They have worked hard to change their lineup and try to introduce European players to international CS. Russel Van Dulken | Twistzz , who once left , also returned to the team again, becoming the commander to lead Liquid to break through many obstacles and reach the knockout stage, which also means the return of North American CS!
Lone hero Danil Kryshkovets | Donk and his dream of becoming the top player
Donk has been a hot topic since he entered the first-tier competition this year. He reached the peak as soon as he debuted. His explosive data led the team to win the IEM Katovitz. He is known as the rifleman who is closest to the TOP1 in recent years. What everyone likes more is his strong personal heroism. Other players in the team do not need to perform very well. He can lead the team to victory with just an AK. It is precisely because of this that Spirit 's performance this year has been up and down. Donk can win the championship if he performs well, but if Donk is severely suppressed, Spirit can only leave the field in a gloomy manner. Their team has never been able to have a second player stand out, but there are always people who drag their feet. The strength of all teams on the knockout stage should not be underestimated. If Spirit wants to go further, the other four players of the team are crucial. After all, Donk determines the upper limit, while the other four players determine the lower limit. In addition to the team's honors, this Shanghai Major is also about Donk 's TOP1 competition. After all, the TOP1 in recent years has been snipers, and everyone is more willing to see a rifleman break this tradition.
A perfect ending to G2's career or a regretful departure
Nikola Kovač | NiKo 's G2 career may be coming to an end. In the first two years, NiKo participated in countless S-level events, but failed to win a championship. Fortunately, Ilya Osipov | m0NESY , who is known as the successor of "s1mple" , joined G2 in 2022. After his arrival, NiKo had a strong helper. They won a total of 6 S-level championships together, but it is a pity that they have never been able to make a breakthrough in the Major event. This may be the last Major that NiKo and m0NESY will go hand in hand. Can NiKo break the Major curse and successfully end his G2 career? Can m0NESY continue to help NiKo , who is both a teacher and a friend, win the coveted championship and reach the top TOP1? Let us wait and see!
The “Designated Four” are back!
It was unexpected that Heroic could make it to the knockout stage. After cadiaN and two core riflers, Jabbi and stavn , left, Heroic fell into a trough. They could not get good rankings in major competitions, and they did not perform well in second-tier competitions. The players in the team changed one after another, and it seemed that Heroic had declined. Fortunately, after the arrival of degster , Heroic got back on track. In the main competition of the Shanghai Major, Guy Iluz | Nertz showed everyone his strength. In the crucial last round, it was his outstanding performance that helped Heroic defeat the defending champion NaVi and enter the knockout stage! How far do you think Heroic can go in the knockout stage?
Vitality in great form vs FaZe redeeming themselves
Vitality was in very good form during the Shanghai Major, winning two BO1s and then easily defeating MIBR 2-0 to become the first team to advance to the knockout stage. In these three games, Dan Madesclaire | apEX was no longer dragged down by the red and warm, the criticized William Merriman | mezii was able to carry, Mathieu Herbaut | ZywOo played steadily as always, and the other two riflers were responsible for the bottom... Such a little bee is very scary, it seems that the little bee that won the Major last year is back! In addition, ZywOo is also in the TOP1 competition. If he can defeat FaZe, then he is likely to meet another candidate m0NESY in the semifinals. I wonder if he can continue to keep his TOP1 title?
FaZe's performance in the second half of the year was very sluggish, and their performance was up and down. Before the main competition, everyone was very worried about whether they could advance to the knockout stage. Fortunately, despite the difficult road to advancement, they still made it to the quarter-finals. The last time FaZe defeated Vitality was during the Copenhagen Major, and at that time FaZe was in its prime. With FaZe's current state in the main competition, they don't have much hope of breaking through the first round, let alone winning the championship. I hope they can complete their self-redemption and go further in the arena!
Who do you think will win the Shanghai Major?
