Americas RMR opening matches unveiled

PGL have released the opening matches for the Americas RMR in Bucharest, Romania, with the event set to run from April 11th through the 14th. Notable matches in the first Swiss round of the event include Liquid matching up against Marcelo "coldzera" David's 00 Nation squad, and Evil Geniuses tussling with paiN.

00 Nation have been put in a difficult position for their opening match due to the seeding arrangement. Because Liquid lost to Complexity in the final seeding match of the first North American qualifier, the American powerhouse finds themselves seeded as sixth overall, unfortunate news for eleventh-seed 00 Nation, who are now set to play one of the strongest teams in the RMR in their debut match.

Evil Geniuses have recently been on a downward spiral, placing dead last in both EPL Season 15 and Blast Premier Spring Groups 2022, only notching two map wins across the sixteen maps they've played in those two events. Although the team is headlined by big names like Jake "Stewie2K" Yip and the duo of Vincent "Brehze" Cayonte and Tsvetelin "CeRq" Dimitrov, the squad is in a position where missing out on the Major is not an outlandish idea. This matter is only further complicated by their draw of paiN, who have been playing well in recent events, qualifying for the NA Blast Premier Spring Showdown and placing third overall in ECL Season 40. This match will be a serious test for both teams in their efforts to reach Antwerp.

Complexity find themselves pitted against a somewhat familiar opponent in their opening matchup, as they'll be tussling with oNe. This is a squad that the former Extra Salt trio of Justin "FaNg" Coakley, Johnny "JT" Theodosiou, and Ricky "floppy" Kemery have taken on in the past, a much more comfortable team to play against than any of the wild-card South American squads. oNe have had trouble with consistency since the departure of star player Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa, with the team qualifying for the RMR event through an upset over #18 ranked GODSENT, but missing out on ECL Season 40 playoffs. For the Brazilians, a victory over Complexity would not only do wonders for their chance at reaching the Major, but it would also provide some much-needed stability for the team.

Bad News Bears and Party Astronauts will not have the comfort of familiarity with their opponents, as the two have been matched against Case and Isurus respectively. The two Brazilian squads are not teams to take lightly, with Lucas "steel" Lopes' Case taking down Sharks, 00 Nation, and Imperial on their run to finishing in first place in the first South American qualifier. Likewise, Isurus took down the Teles twins' ELES team and put up a valiant effort against MIBR in the second South American qualifier, showing they too should not be overlooked.

The full list of day one matches is:

Only six of the above teams will make their way through the onslaught of the RMR to qualify for the PGL Major in Antwerp. The first-place team will earn themselves a spot in the Legends Stage, whereas the other five teams who make their way through will enter through the Challengers Stage. The Americas RMR kicks off on April 11th.