As the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 begins, we break down the participating teams into tiers to understand their chances and expectations. With $1,250,000 on the line and $500,000 for the winner, every team is pushing to prove they belong among the best.
C-Tier: The Underdogs
- Teams: GamerLegion, Passion UA, Wildcard, FlyQuest, Rare Atom
These teams are the biggest underdogs of the Major. For them, simply qualifying for the tournament was a huge achievement. Most lack the experience and consistency to compete against stronger opponents, making them the main contenders for early elimination. While all are capable of upsets, only GamerLegion has a realistic shot at advancing to the Elimination Stage.
B-Tier: Solid Competitors
- Teams: 3DMAX, MIBR, Complexity, Imperial, BIG, fnatic, Cloud9
These teams are solid but fall short of top-tier consistency. Their primary goal is to make it to the Elimination Stage, but facing stronger A-tier teams in the Opening Stage could pose significant challenges.
Among them:
- 3DMAX stands out as the only team with a direct invite to the Elimination Stage. They’ve shown impressive form this season and earned their spot through consistent performances.
- MIBR and Complexity rely heavily on individual brilliance, which makes them unpredictable. Both teams have weak map pools, and their success hinges on favorable matchups.
- fnatic, led by blameF, has shown significant improvement recently. Their aggressive playstyle and statistical dominance give them a fighting chance to advance.
- Cloud9, with heavy hitters like HeavyGod and icy, depends on individual performances. Their strong maps include Ancient and Dust2, but consistency remains a challenge.
A-Tier: The Strong Contenders
- Teams: HEROIC, Virtus.pro, Liquid, paiN, FURIA, The MongolZ
These teams are the backbone of the competition and are expected to advance deep into the tournament. While not all will make it to the playoffs, they have a strong chance of success.
- HEROIC is already in the Elimination Stage due to a direct invite. They remain consistent contenders and can easily reach the playoffs.
- Virtus.pro and Liquid are favorites in the Opening Stage. Despite occasional struggles, they have the experience and talent to compete against top-tier teams.
- The MongolZ, with two big wins at Thunderpick World Championship and YaLLa Compass 2024, have proven they can win tournaments. Their strong synergy and well-rounded roster make them a team to watch.
- FURIA and paiN, representing Brazil, bring aggressive playstyles and solid strategies, making them strong candidates to advance.
S-Tier: The Elite
- Teams: NAVI, G2, Vitality, Spirit, MOUZ, FaZe
The S-Tier teams are the powerhouses of the Major, with consistent results on the biggest stages. Each of these teams has won significant tournaments in 2024 and is a serious contender for the championship.
All S-Tier teams received direct invites to the Elimination Stage, bypassing the Opening Stage. Their playoff appearances are almost guaranteed, making them the most likely to lift the Major trophy.
Peacemaker’s Tier List
We’ve also received exclusive insight from Luis “peacemaker” Tadeu, a renowned coach in the CS2 community. Stay tuned as we share his unique perspective on how he ranks the teams, including his thoughts on the biggest surprises and potential upsets at the Major.
D-Tier
- Teams: Rare Atom, FlyQuest, WildCard, GL, Imperial
I know GamerLegion and WildCard might be a shock for some of you, but I simply think they might sh*t their pants on stage and when it matters, lack of experience will be a crucial factor. Imperial has been way too inconsistent for the past few months and might go over changes after this major cycle. FlyQuest cant even be considered a dark horse at this point anymore cause they always disappoint and well to finish off.. Rare Atom WONT go 0-3 in my opinion the chineses at home is gonna be very beautiful to see but.. not enough this time around.
C-Tier
- Teams: BIG, fnatic, MIBR, Passion UA, Cloud9
Some of these teams definitely surprised at the RMR, for example BIG and PASSION UA, MIBR going 3-0 etc but hey.. now they are about to face different caliber of teams and pressure on their shoulders, do we believe in miracles or dark horses?
B-Tier
- Teams: Virtus.pro, 3DMAX, Heroic, FURIA, paiN, The Mongolz, Complexity
While VP has won a major already (with a diff core) nowdays they are far from that but still remain a tough opponent to beat - Honestly 3DMAX & Heroic performances didnt convince me enough to consider them a solid Elim Stage team, COL hasnt surprised me lately and has map pool weaknesses, The Mongolz is gonna be a hit or miss because of pressure playing at “home” and well FURIA and paiN are the strongest teams from this B tier in my eyes but wont be easy, it never was for brazilian teams who often commits way too many individual mistakes
A-Tier
- Teams: Spirit, G2, Team Liquid, FaZe
Spirit and G2 battled together for a spot at the Elim Stage and both had very solid maps, but also showed weaknesses at times, Team Liquid should be directly at Elim Stage at minimum and FaZe.. well.. you never know what kind of FaZe will show up but we need to put a lot of respect under their names
S-Tier
- Teams: NAVI, MOUZ & Vitality
Those were the teams that in my opinion had most consistent performances at the RMR, especially MOUZ, I think they will go very far
Final Thoughts
The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 promises intense competition across all tiers. While the S-Tier teams are the clear favorites, the unpredictability of A-Tier and B-Tier teams could create surprises. C-Tier teams, despite being underdogs, might pull off shocking upsets. With so much at stake, every match counts.
Stay tuned as the tournament progresses to see which teams rise to the occasion and who claims the title of CS2 Major Champion.
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