The ones to watch in round one

With any Major comes several major decisions for us fans.

How do you decide which games to watch? There are two at a time after all. Here at tl;dr, we’ve decided to make the work easier for you by lining up the best game for each timeslot today:

Timeslot 1: 9z vs. GamerLegion

‍You might wonder: “why not mouz and outsiders?” And don’t get us wrong, that’s going to be a good game. But outsiders aren’t known for playing the most entertaining brand of CS.

9z and GamerLegion on the other hand is the perfect example of modern CS.

A South-American mix is taking on players from 5 different European countries. Two continents across 10 countries are represented if we include coaches. This game, at this event, is the perfect example of CS:GO truly being a global phenomenon.

Timeslot 2: BNE vs. 00Nation

The dark horse tussle.

Both of these teams have been named as possible underdogs to make it out of the Challenger stage. BNE for their performance at the previous Antwerp Major, where they surprised many by pushing into the legends stage. And 00Nation, well… because they’re Brazilian.

Normally this early, that wouldn’t matter but for the first time in Major history, the Challenger Stage will have fans in attendance. Having a 6th man with the crowd on their side could be what’s needed to push Coldzera’s men over the edge.

Whoever wins this could be the dark horse that finished first.

Timeslot 3: BIG vs. FURIA

We could pretend to be clever, we could say it's because EG vs. IHC simply isn't that interesting.

But to be honest, the real reason you should watch this game is that it’s Germany vs. Brazil in Brazil. And we all know what happened the last time.

If ART gets too much encouragement from the crowd, who knows the scoreline we’ll see. Maybe Germany will get their own version of the 7-1 and the balance will be restored.

Let’s just hope that if BIG pull it off they get out of the arena in one piece.

Timeslot 4: C9 vs. fnatic

This might have been the toughest choice of them all. The other game, Imperial and Vitality, really could put on a show. But the on-paper matchup sealed the deal.

Looking at Cloud 9 they’re a team with everything to prove. The roster hasn’t been able to replicate what it did during the early days under the Gambit banner. This Major could be THE opportunity for them to show the CS world that they’re not just a good team but a Major contender.

Whilst C9 want to show they’ve still got it, fnatic wants to show they’ve become a team to fear. With the additions of FASHR and Nicoodoz the team seems to have gone up a level and are just on the outside of tier 1 team performances.

For both teams, this major could define their future. Albeit it in very different ways.