Autograph stickers, substitutes, seeding changes: we've got it all

Gijs Verhoeff
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Source: Valve

There's plenty to read/watch/listen to ahead of this Major.

Who's winning, who's losing, who will be the star of the tournament, and so on. But here at TLDR we focus on the real stories.

Send in the SuperSubs!

So, about those substitutes that no team will hopefully need to use...

There's some familiar names that show up. Liquid for example are bringing their content creator and London School teacher, paszabiceps.

But there's more that ring a bell:

  • G2 are bringing KennyS.
  • ENCE goes back to their roots with allu.
  • flamie shows up for Entropiq.
  • NaToSaphiX features on Copenhagen Flames' list.

The list goes one, but as you know - we like to keep things short. There's also some academy leaks though, as MOUZ are bringing JDC, and NIP signed up ztr.

Even though they seem pretty useless, it's still the first event that distinguishes between subs and coaches, and allows teams to bring one of each. Only half the teams brought both, and the other will use their coach as a substitute if a player tests positive for COVID. Let's hope they don't.

Just sign here please

Whether or not these subs will help teams to the top eight, is up for debate. "Top eight, why so specific?" we hear you say. Some of you astute readers may have noticed something big missing from the items for sale at this Major. Signature stickers.

That's fine, just make them afterwards right? Yup, correct. And reward the players for working so hard to come to the biggest event in the game, right? Haha, no. To get your autograph in the game, you need to make it to the playoffs now. Great.

This'll be the first time since ESL One Cologne 2015 - the first Major to feature autographs - that there won't be signature stickers during the event, or for all the participating players.

Which is a big bummer, given the fact players are entitled to 50% of the earnings made from sales. That's figures with more than four zero's, maybe even five...

The seeds have been sown. But differently

Instead of the weird tiebreaker format - where ties in seeding would be resolved randomly - PGL has made some last minute changes to the seeding.

Just like in London in 2018, the Major will now use Buchholz seeding to determine the matchups after the third round of the swiss stage.

It's a bit complicated to explain, but PGL has an example for you to tease your brain with. Basically what it means is that seeding tiebreakers will now depend on how well both teams did in previous matches.

Either way, we can't wait to start. Neither can somebody and mir apparently.

October 24, 2021

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