Which Americas teams had the easiest path to the Major?
It has been nearly two weeks since the six qualification spots were claimed inside of the PGL Major Antwerp Americas RMR, where FURIA ran away with first place and Legend’s status off the undefeated 4-0 run. For years now, Majors and their qualification events have been operating on the Swiss system, dating back as far as the ELEAGUE Atlanta Major in 2017. Now a part of the eighth Major in a row, the Swiss system has seemingly become a staple inside of the most competitive Counter-Strike events. The race to three wins opens the door for teams to play many different opponents, and the stipulation of only advancing or being eliminated off a BO3 allows for the most complete teams to make it through.
Although the Swiss system has been well-received by the community, its seeding counterpart has not received the same reception from tournament organizers. PGL and FACEIT have used the Buchholz system for their respective Majors, but other organizers have gone elsewhere for structure. IEM chose to go with player-selected seeding for initial matchups at Katowice 2019, as well as a live ELO rating for the subsequent rounds. Later that year in Berlin, StarLadder opted to seed the initial matches based on HLTV world rankings, with the live ELO rating for the following matchups.
With each TO showing favor to different ranking systems, spectators watch with the hope that the best system will eventually be worked out and used for events to come. PGL is at the helm, meaning the Buchholz system is in full force. Following the RMRs the conversation always turns to whether or not the format in place did its job. With this Major being the first to occur following the massive changes by Valve in February, including the switch to region-based RMRs, it is expected there are kinks needed to be worked out. That possibility rang true even before the games kicked off. Flaws within the format were brought to light, forcing PGL to make abrupt changes ahead of the Americas RMR.
When the smoke cleared at the Americas RMR, nearly 20 BO1s and 16 BO3s were played, amounting to 57 maps played and ultimately six teams qualifying for either the Challengers or Legends Stage. Before we begin the Challengers Stage competition in Antwerp on May 9th, let's look back at the domestic RMR and assess just how the Buchholz system fared for each team.
Easy Peasy
The in-form FURIA came into the event firing on all cylinders, having nearly no troubles qualifying with a 4-0 record in the RMR and earning the sole Legend’s Stage slot in the region. Their talent is certainly not in question, but there is no denying they had a statistically easy pathway to get there, earning the favor of the Buchholz system. Their path was one of the easiest by the numbers. Their first two BO1s matched up against two of the three worst-performing teams at the event, Leviatan and Isurus. After blowing those two teams out 16-4, they faced considerable competition in the BO3 qualifier against fellow undefeated opponent Complexity. They made light work of former teammate Paytyn “junior” Johnson and company with a rather uncontested 2-0 victory to earn their place in Antwerp, and then trounced MIBR in an even more dominant 2-0 to earn the Legend’s spot. The impressive wins over Complexity and MIBR proved just how strong the Brazilian squad is, but after their four opponents finished the event with a combined record of 7-8, there is no denying FURIA’s schedule via the Bucholz system was a walk in the park.
Complexity and Liquid also basked in the luxury of a simple schedule. Besides the FURIA matchup, Complexity ran through the qualifier unscathed. They avoided domestic rivals Evil Geniuses and Liquid, playing only Brazilian teams in the process. After taking out oNe, 00Nation, and Sao Caetano in the BO3, Complexity punched their ticked to the Challenger’s Stage. Their opponents' 8-9 record ranks them twelfth in strength of schedule. Although Liquid floundered against 00Nation in the opening round, they corrected the course to win three straight and qualify. There is no denying they found their form in the final three matches, there is also no denying they also received a favorable seeding, playing zero qualifying teams throughout the four matches. This makes them the only team to do so, and their opponents' 8-12 record places them bottom four in that category as well.
Party Astronauts are tied with Case for having the easiest schedule following the event, compounding the disappointment of them barely missing qualification at the RMR. They were faced with two tough BO3 opponents to end the event in Evil Geniuses and Imperial but could have possibly avoided these matchups if it were not for the 8-16 loss to Isurus in round one. The two teams entered the event separated in HLTV ranking by 64 spots. With the Astronauts slated to take this game with ease on paper, it came as a shock to many that they lost in that fashion on a map many spectators considered them to be comfortable on. The upset loss put them on their back foot to start the RMR, and although they almost made it despite the misstep, many are left speculating what would have happened if they didn’t skid to start the event. With a final record of 9-13 between all of the Astronauts’ opponents and one of the easiest schedules, it is worth speculating that they were given enough opportunity to qualify.
The Path Less Traveled
MIBR entered the event with a massive amount of momentum behind them after winning ECL Season 40 with an undefeated season under their belt. The momentum did not falter inside of the Americas RMR, as they took wins over 9z and paiN to put themselves at a quick 2-0 and the front door of Major qualification. Their 2-1 victory over Imperial not only sent them to the first-place decider but also proved to be a statement of further legitimacy for the Brazilian squad. Although they were bested with ease 0-2 against FURIA, there is no more room to doubt this lineup as a serious contender in the scene. Not only did they almost claim the only Legend’s spot, but they also did it with the hardest schedule of any team in the event. Their opponents had over double the wins than losses, and three of their opponents ended up qualifying, the most of any team in the event. MIBR proved their worth in this event and with performances like this, should expect to turn heads at the Major.
Although they both failed to qualify, there is no avoiding the conversations surrounding Evil Geniuses and 00Nation. They shared nearly identical schedules, with seven of the ten games between the two having either mutual opponents or facing each other. 00Nation kicked the event off on a positive note, upsetting Liquid 16-8 on Dust2. Things tapered off for the Brazilian hopefuls, as they dropped three straight games to exit the event 1-3. 00Nation leads the pack with perhaps the most unlucky draw of any non-qualified team. All four of their matches came against teams that either qualified or made it to the final day of competition, with three of them officially qualifying. Drawing the second-toughest schedule in the event proved to be too much for 00Nation, and they were unable to overcome the competition.
As for EG, they didn’t go out quite as quickly but missed the mark in key moments of the RMR. They overcame the round one loss to paiN to make it to the eighth place decider, but the loss to paiN was the catalyst for their intense schedule. Had they won the match to start the event, their seeding would have been different and likely had an easier route to qualification. Of course, this is not to excuse EG for missing out on the Major. They should be expected to beat the teams they couldn’t if they want to prove themselves as a deserving Major team, which they could not. Had they won the initial match, however, things could have played out differently for the Geniuses instead of partaking in the third hardest schedule in the event.
Although not statistically the hardest, there is no denying the intense obstacle 9z had to overcome to claim their spot at the Major. After losing to MIBR and EG to start, 9z were forced to fight with elimination on the line for the rest of the event. Pressure makes diamonds, and that is exactly what 9z was in this event. They defeated Bad News Bears, 00Nation, São Caetano, EG, and paiN in five BO3s in a row to go from the brink of defeat to make it to Antwerp. Despite finishing seventh in overall strength of schedule, winning five straight BO3s is far and away the most impressive feat of any team in this event. 9z deserve every bit of praise that comes their way for it.
