We’ve been long time haters of ESL Pro League.

Back when ESL had rule of the roost, they used to lock us up for what felt like half the year with their little frolic in the - as they never failed to remind us - beautiful Maltese sun, while the talent slowly descended into madness.

Um, actually, it was only a quarter of the year.

The format sucked, it took too long, and nobody cared. But thankfully, this year it’s completely different - apart from the madness bit.

Now it’s two sets of BO3 Swiss system, with a closed qualifier, and underdogs picking up big wins left, right, and center. It’s like everything we loved about the RMRs and the Major before Valve decided to rip them away from us.

Wait… does that mean Pro League is now better than the Major?

Well, kinda. The format being all BO3s just sort of is objectively better, which is terrifying. How have we got to the point where ESL Pro League, casted like it’s a Mustache Masters, feels like a better tournament than the Major?

We’re not asking for much, Valve. Just let ESL do this for Cologne next year. Pretty please?

The Major should feel special. It should feel like the biggest tournament of the year. Instead, it feels like a tournament that is now lagging behind the others.

The format is dated. It maybe even goes on for too long. And as for the caveats that formats creates, they’re great for reinforcing agendas, but not exactly the best when you’re trying to appreciate the greatness of a team.

It’s not that hard, Valve. Especially if we can figure it out.

Your opinion

Here’s what you said when we recently asked you whether CS should return to RMRs for 2026?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes (63%)
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No (37%)

Some of your replies:

📈FallingWhale: “RMRs were great, but it's right that the emotional peak of the CS circuit be at the Major, not at the RMR.”

🎉Sapporo: “I liked it better watching teams celebrate qualifying for the Major as it is a substantial achievement in itself. Now teams just qualify silently and all we get to see is a Twitter post.”

Poll: Who is your nightmare CS-related blunt rotation?

Ours is simple: ohnePixel, EliGE, Olodyn (join our Discord, you’ll understand <3) and maikelele. A truly awful time.

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