Dust2.us predicts the Americas RMR NA Closed Qualifier

With the Perfect World Shanghai Major Americas RMR NA Closed Qualifier starting today, sixteen of North America's top domestic teams will head into battle to earn one of four coveted spots in the Americas RMR. In the Closed Qualifier the quality of teams run the gamut from heavy favorites Wildcard and NRG to massive underdogs like Akimbo and Homyno.

To help set the stage, Dust2.us' writers have made predictions for which four teams they believe will make it to the Americas RMR and join the likes of Liquid, Complexity, and NRG in the first for NA representation in Counter-Strike 2's second Major.

As can be expected, there is not much diversity of opinion in Dust2.us' writers' room, with only five teams selected by the team. Among those five teams, Wildcard and NRG received a unanimous tipping of the hat owing to their fantastic form over the past two months.

Starting with Wildcard, the international lineup has been on a tear since adding Swedish duo Tim "susp" Ångström and Love "phzy" Smidebrant. The team has picked up wins over Legacy, Nouns, M80, and Party Astronauts. As such, if Wildcard is able to emulate their recent performances in ESL Challenger League and CCT Season North America Series #2, this qualifier should be smooth sailing for the Houston-based organization.

NRG are in a similar situation, as Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella has given this squad a real kick in the ass after months of underwhelming results. With the former Liquid IGL at the helm, NRG have claimed recent wins over Nouns, Wildcard, and BOSS, overall looking far more competitive than previous iterations of the NA squad.

Moving down the list, Nouns are the first squad to not see universal approval, with recent addition to the team Scott "counterscottGO" Robertson omitting the team from his picks. Ignoring our journeyman assistant for a second, Nouns have had a decent showing in recent months, with key wins over Party Astronauts and BOSS. However, counterscottGO may have some wisdom to share here, as Nouns have struggled to find wins against Wildcard and NRG online, meaning a matchup between Nouns and either of these teams would be a difficult affair for Nouns to navigate.

The final two teams slated to potentially make the Americas RMR by our writers are Party Astronauts and Legacy. The former squad is a good shout as they are 1-1 in series against NRG recently, however losses to Elevate and close matches against lower tier NA squads make their seem a bit rickety. One thing, in particular, to keep an eye on is Ben "ben1337" Smith's performance, as the IGL has been having a rough few months, with a "HooXi-esque" rating on HLTV at the moment, something that could be a potential liability for the team.

Finally, we come to the Brazilians of Legacy. They have a solid record against NA competition, but the team has been back in Brazil working on visas until recently. As such, they may be out of touch with recent developments in the NA scene and could be in for a few surprises.

With the stage set, the Americas RMR NA Closed qualifier will start today at 02:00PM. Let us know what you think of our predictions, and be sure to follow Dust2.us' extensive upcoming coverage of the qualifier.