The StarLadder Berlin Major’s Challengers Stage has concluded and with that, the 16 teams set to compete in the Legends Stage have been decided.
In anticipation of that, StarLadder has released the first round of matchups that will take place. The reveal was made on Twitter:
Berlin Major Legends Stage format
The Legends Stage will be competed using the same format as did the Challengers Stage.
The 16 teams will compete in a swiss group stage. Teams are seeded and matched based on their HLTV rankings, with the highest seeds being matched against the lowest seeds. Teams with identical records are paired off in this way for each round, with seeding being altered based on results.
Teams advance to the Champions Stage playoffs once they have achieved three wins, and are eliminated if they sustain three losses. The first two rounds are competed under a best-of-one format, while series that have the potential to result in an elimination or advancement are played in best-of-three.
The eight teams that advance to the Champions Stage will receive a spot in the Legends Stage of the next CSGO major. The six teams that win a game but do not qualify will be able to compete in the Challengers stage. The two teams that go 0-3 will be forced to work back through qualifiers.
Best StarLadder Berlin Major day one matches
The first day includes a number of interesting matchups.
Round one starts with ENCE Esports vs. Avangar. ENCE entered the event as a solid candidate to win but is now in an awkward position following the announcement the team is set to split with Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen.
From there, Astralis will face DreamEaters. DreamEaters was one of the standout performers of the Challengers Stage and looked good enough that they could have a real shot of advancing. They’re being thrown into the deep end with a matchup against Astralis but in a best-of-one, all bets are off.
Ninjas in Pyjamas and MiBR will close out the day and will look to overcome awkward roster issues in the Legends Stage. Both will be competing with substitutes, with NiP starting former Cloud9 leader Maikil “Golden” Selim while MiBR will play coach Wilton “zews” Prado.
Also on the card are Team Liquid vs. CR4ZY, Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports, FaZe Clan vs. Mousesports, Team Vitality vs. North, and Renegades vs. NRG Esports.
