Liquid and Cloud9 will face off in an important match at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: Opening Stage. In the Bo1 format of the Swiss system, both teams are looking to take another step towards qualifying for the main stage of the tournament. Although they have not met each other in the last six months, each team has its own strengths, which makes this match extremely intriguing.

Current form of the teams

Team Liquid has been showing resilience throughout 2024, particularly at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: American RMR, where they finished with a 3-1 record. They scored important victories over KRÜ, FURIA, and BESTIA, but lost to Wildcard. Such a mixed result is typical of their form, as evidenced by their 8th place at the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024. Liquid's current roster relies on a dynamic playstyle and adaptability, although stability is still a weakness.

Cloud9 had a confident performance at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: European RMR A, with wins over Sinners, Sangal, and Nemiga. However, their defeat against FaZe revealed certain weaknesses. In general, Cloud9 demonstrate a strong team play, although they sometimes lack stamina in the most intense moments. Their lineup looks balanced, which gives them a wide range of options in the game.

Team's Map Pool

Liquid usually avoids Vertigo, which they constantly ban. Their best maps are Anubis (88% win rate) and Ancient (90% win rate, but only 10 matches). At the same time, their results on other maps, such as Nuke (38%) and Dust2 (42%), raise concerns about the flexibility of their game.

Cloud9 has been performing well on Mirage (65%) and Vertigo (60%), demonstrating stability. At the same time, their weaknesses are evident on Nuke (0%) and Anubis (45%), which are likely to be banned. Ancient looks like a neutral option for this match, given the stats of both teams.

Probable map choice

Most likely, the match will take place on Ancient, as both teams show good results here.

Match prediction

Both teams come into the game with strong but different styles. Liquid stand out for their ability to adapt in the later stages of the rounds, while Cloud9 show great teamwork in the early stages. In the Bo1 format, Liquid's recent form and their better map pool give them a slight advantage, which allows us to predict them to win a tight match.

Prediction: Liquid will win.

Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 starts on November 30 and will last until December 15. The tournament will feature 24 teams that will compete for a total prize pool of $1,250,000. You can find more information about the tournament and follow the tournament here.