Brazilian fans are entering the Shanghai Major Opening Stage with high hopes, as FURIA, Imperial, paiN, and MIBR battle for a spot in the Elimination Stage, making Brazil the region with the most players in the Major, boasting 19 in total.

Yet, the debate remains - does quantity outweigh quality, or is it the other way around? But that’s a conversation for another day - perhaps in a hypothetical world where none of these teams make it through.

For now, the spotlight is on the Opening Round BO1s, where paiN faces off against Imperial.

Right from the start, this matchup seems to favor biguzera and the squad. The odds point in their direction, and the head-to-head stats back it up.

Over the last 11 maps the two teams have played, Imperial has only come out on top 3 times, with the most recent win for paiN coming in the RMR, where they dominated Imperial 13-5 on Ancient. The pattern is hard to ignore.

But as we've seen in the RMRs, this wouldn’t be a Major without its fair share of upsets. And when it comes to BR vs. BR matchups, history has proven that anything can happen.

For Imperial, their win conditions are clear: they need to have their star players online, with try and decenty stepping up, and they must take control from the start, dominating the pace of the game.

Ultimately, the scrappy, in-your-face style of CS that defines BR vs. BR matchups always makes for an exciting watch, especially on the Major stage.