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GUIDES
Simple Radar
© 2026 TLDR Media, All Rights Reserved.
How did EPL become the most exciting event?
Did we do something wrong? Is this karma? Why is EPL now the best event in the CS calendar?
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.
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.”
Ours is simple: ohnePixel, EliGE, Olodyn (join our Discord, you’ll understand <3) and maikelele. A truly awful time.
📨 Reply to the email to let us know who’s on your list (and why). Make sure to include your gamertag to be featured in the next edition!
Has the world gone to sh-t?
The MongolZ lose to HOTU and Inner Circle back-to-back, Gentle Mates take down Vitality, FaZe forget basic rules of tournaments, karrigan drops a 1v3 ace, Maka channels his inner ScreaM, cairne smashes his mouse in rage, Astralis gets wiped out 0-3…
Nevermind, that last one’s business as usual these days.
After a chaotic Stage 1, we expected Stage 2 to settle down a bit. Instead, it got even wilder. Well, sort of.
Most of the top teams still managed to pull through and secure their Playoff spots, though not without a few scares along the way. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
In the undefeated group, things went mostly as expected.
Falcons went through Astralis, NAVI, and MOUZ, in a run that finally gives some confidence to what’s been a shaky season. It also helps that the m0NESY is back. We’re not sure who was impersonating him at FISSURE Playground 2, but we’ve got the real one in Stockholm.
Spirit had an easier road to the Playoffs, taking down Inner Circle, HOTU, and G2. Still, that doesn’t diminish how impressive tN1R looked in his debut. He might just be the missing third star Spirit needs to push their ceiling even higher. And with the Major right around the corner, the timing couldn’t be better.
Vitality, FURIA, and MOUZ punched their tickets to the Playoffs in similarly convincing fashion - each with a single stumble along the way - on the back of standout performances from mezii, KSCERATO, and Spinx.
That said, Vitality’s lone loss will sting for a while. They somehow fell to Gentle Mates, a French org with a Spanish roster. Poor Napoleon must be turning in his grave.
FaZe, NAVI, and 3DMAX took the scenic route, qualifying on the final day of play. Their advancement doesn’t come as a surprise, but honestly, neither would an early exit.
For teams like FaZe and NAVI, making Playoffs should be the bare minimum. We’ll see how they hold up when it really matters. And no, we’re not cutting FaZe any slack for not playing with their full lineup. That’s their f-ck up.
The teams that just missed out - Aurora, The MongolZ, and G2 - ended up being a bit of a letdown. Sure, with only 8 Playoff spots for 11 realistically competitive teams (we’ll leave you to guess which ones), it’s very tight. But we still expected more from a group that needs to prove their recent success wasn’t a fluke.
In the single-win department, we got Gentle Mates, Inner Circle, and HOTU. Sorry to fans of these squads, but they’ve had their moment. And honestly, it’s been pretty fun watching them wreak havoc, but it’s time for things to get back to normal.
Honorable mention goes to Dawy, though - this kid is absolutely cracked. We have a feeling he won’t be in the circle for too long. Oh God, not fnatic…
At the bottom of the table, Astralis and GamerLegion.
Sure, most people expected them to at the very least grab a win, but to give them some credit, their matchups weren’t exactly easy. Still, that’s no excuse.
The funny part is that the new additions, Magisk and hypex, were actually the top performers on their teams. Ok, ‘top performers’ might be a stretch. They were still pretty bad, don’t get us wrong, but somehow their teammates were even worse.
In the end, EPL’s Stage 2 gave us exactly what we wanted: exciting games, crazy moments, and a stacked Playoff bracket ready to kick off tomorrow, with Counter-Strike action all day long.
A slightly more sombre episode than usual as Elliott and Sam bring on Brandon ‘BDog’ Dog to discuss the suspension of ESL Impact, ESL Pro League and moan about VRS. Again.
The team list for the StarLadder Budapest Major is now confirmed - and there was only excitement for who would earn themselves one of those spots. Thanks, Valve.
The usual suspects are all there, but there’s also a welcome return to Major CS for fnatic and NIP (not you though, Astralis), as well as first Majors for The Huns, Red Canids, and PARIVISION.
If you were excited by fnatic’s recent win at Fragadelphia and thought the final was great, then on the basis that it means you’re most likely American because it was on at a ridiculous time for EU people, our condolences.
But, if you were just excited by the way it all came together and thought it was an excellent indicator of the excitement this new system can bring - why?
Can you not tell that it was just a perfect storm creating false advertising?
Seriously, look at all the things that had to happen in order for Frag to go the way it did.
First off we had the happenings at EPL: VP pulling out, Gentle Mates killing their own chances at the Major by replacing them, HEROIC turning awful at the worst possible moment. You can’t rely on these things happening consistently.
Then there’s the fact that Liquid and NIP - presumably the two best teams had they attended - dropped out of Frag because they no longer needed the VRS points to secure their own Major spot.
And finally, SAW losing right at the perfect moment to give 9INE, OG, fnatic, and ECSTATIC the reality that whoever won Frag would be heading to the Major.
Now sure, this was exciting. But read what we just said again. Look at the amount of unlikely things that occurred. Do you really see that as being something that is repeated each Major cycle?
If the answer is yes, then we’d say you’re very optimistic. If you’re not sure, then let us refer you to these tweets from VRSphile MischiefCS2. In the first, when VP were still heading to EPL, the rest of the field has a pretty poor chance of making it. In the second, when their entry was denied, the field has opened up a bit more.
But it still relied on HEROIC and SAW both really slipping up as well as two highly competitive teams dropping out of Frag. Multiple factors that won’t repeat every time.
There’s also the fact that from 1st-14th, every team was either already confirmed or had a 75% chance of being there. Where’s the excitement?
Where’s the Astralis slipping up? Where’s the G2 before Rio? Where’s the teams battling it out in do or die 2-2 games?
And before you say “that’s what the Fragadelphia final was!!” - woulde it have even been remotely the same if only one of those teams had a shot at making the Major.
So is this new system really better? Was this Major an advertisement for how exciting it will always be?
We don’t think so.
