On November 21, the second European RMR-tournament for Counter-Strike 2 will commence in Shanghai. Sixteen teams will compete for seven slots at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. We have prepared a preview of the European RMR B.

Tournament Format

Sixteen teams will clash in a single group using the Swiss system. Most matches are conducted in a bo1 format, except for elimination and advancement matches, which are held in a bo3 format. The Buchholz system is applied to pair matches in rounds 3 to 5. The seven strongest teams will secure slots at the Shanghai Major.

Main Favorites for 3-0

Thanks to their victory at the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, the G2 Esports roster has gained the necessary confidence before the RMR and the major. In Group B, the team appears almost unbeatable – opponents simply stand no chance against m0NESY and NiKo, who are on fire. An example of such dominating play was the same BLAST World Final, where the team easily defeated Team Spirit, Liquid, and Vitality twice each. Therefore, qualifying for the Shanghai Major 2024 should not be an issue for G2. Their first opponent will be Ninjas in Pyjamas – a team that is hard to call a threatening opponent.

If in the first half of the year, Spirit was one of the most formidable teams in CS2, now they can be considered one of the most unpredictable. The club's unusual strategy of skipping several major tournaments raises more and more questions, especially considering that the team's average age is only 21.9 years.

After the summer break, Spirit failed to regain their best form. This is evidenced by the team's results at ESL Pro League Season 20 and BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024, as well as the one-sided defeat in the BLAST World Final 2024 final. Despite all the instability, Spirit should not face serious challenges at the upcoming EU RMR B and are expected to achieve a score of 3-0.

Teams that Must Qualify for the Major

We have also identified five teams that should qualify for the major through EU RMR B — Eternal Fire, Virtus.pro, HEROIC, Astralis, and B8 Esports. All teams, except B8, have regularly participated in S-tier events throughout the year and achieved some results. B8 has a slightly different story. The Ukrainian team dedicated all of 2024 to grinding CCT series tournaments and qualifications. Thanks to this, B8 approaches the RMR in good playing shape, and after failing previous major qualifiers, this time they are surely going to succeed! All these teams are likely to encounter challenges during the championship, but they should still qualify for the Shanghai Major.

Main Outsiders

Sashi Esport and TSM barely made it into the qualification for this RMR, making them the main contenders for a 0-3 score. Moreover, both teams have performed very weakly in 2024 – with regular failures in qualifiers and no experience in S-tier events. It is not expected that the situation will change drastically at the upcoming European RMR B.

Dark Horse

We have chosen Ninjas in Pyjamas as the "dark horse" for EU RMR B. This team is very inconsistent – they can win or lose to absolutely anyone. NiP is unlikely to have developed any new interesting tactics, so the only thing that could help them qualify for the major is the individual form of the players. If each member of the roster performs at their best, they can very well surprise the critics and make it to the Chinese major.

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Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: European RMR B will be held from November 21 to 24 in China. Sixteen teams will compete for seven slots at the major. Follow the news, schedule, and results of the event via this link.