The main disappointments and surprises of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European RMR A
The first group of qualifiers for the first major in Counter-Strike 2 has ended. Virtus.Pro, G2 Esports, Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan, KOI, Eternal Fire, SAW and AMKAL qualified for PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. The list of Major slot holders was mostly predictable, but there were a few unexpected tags that no one in Copenhagen expected. It was a sensation not to see in this list some clubs that have always been guests of most Valve tournaments. But the slots are not endless, and competition is growing. Only the best of the best will be able to take part in PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. In this material we will discuss the past European RMR A, and also talk about the main disappointments and sensations of the qualification.
The main disappointments of the European RMR A
The main disappointment was one of the most expensive rosters in Counter-Strike history. The super team represented by Team Falcons did not live up to expectations and will miss the first major in CS2. Despite the fact that the club failed to assemble the best roster, it was still expected at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, albeit without an outstanding result. The tournament will also be the first major for coach Danny zonic Sorensen, which he will miss since his return to Counter-Strike in 2015. The club itself noted that this result was not a disappointment for them, and the roster is just beginning to be built and the organization plans to reach a competitive level only by 2025.
The Falcons managed to win only one match, and even that was against 3DMAX, who will also not be at the major. The French team was one of the weakest participants in RMR A and this victory is definitely not a plus for Team Falcons. The team, as expected, failed to cope with FaZe Clan, but in the matches with Eternal Fire and AMKAL they were expected to have a different result.
Two legendary Swedish tags will also miss PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: Ninjas in Pyjamas and fnatic. Both organizations are going through hard times in Counter-Strike and have lost many stars, but their rosters had every opportunity to qualify for the major. For NIP, this will be the first Valve event since 2018 that they will miss. Fnatic will still have a chance to qualify for it through the Last Stage Qualifier, but the chances of this are slim: only one slot will be played for six participants at the qualification.
The departure of Ninjas in Pyjamas was predictable after all the changes in the lineup, but it was their very performance at RMR that was shameful. The team failed to win a single match, and they lost to Eternal Fire, AMKAL and SAW. The era of NIP is over and the organization needs drastic changes to return to the top of Counter-Strike.
In the case of fnatic, everything was not so bad. She may even have made the most of the current roster. The club won victories over BetBoom Team and AMKAL, but failed to cope with Virtus.pro, who qualified for the major from first place, KOI and lost without a chance to SAW. The team’s participation in the Last Stage Qualifier will most likely simply be a delay in the expected pass to PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, rather than an opportunity to compete for the last slot.
Honored participants of the major
As expected and deservedly, PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 will be attended by Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan. The lineups performed in accordance with the expectations of the community and fans and qualified for the major without any problems. Only Virtus.pro managed to do this without defeat, although this was more expected from NAVI and FaZe.
Dzhami Jame Ali’s team qualified flawlessly and won victories over SAW, fnatic and Natus Vincere. VP finished the important match against competitors from the region with a clean sheet and ended the series with a score of 2:0. The team experienced big problems at IEM Katowice 2024 and was not even able to overcome the Play-In stage, so such a result was not expected from them at RMR.
Natus Vincere did not conduct the qualification perfectly, but it achieved its desired result. The club started European RMR A with confident victories over KOI and Enterprise, but then began to experience problems. After an unprincipled defeat from Virtus.pro, the team could still lose to BetBoom Team. The match for a slot at the major turned out to be close and Vladislav nafany Gorshkov’s roster had every chance to turn the tide of the meeting, but NAVI’s decisive Nuke turned out to be stronger.
FaZe Clan completed RMR close to perfect, but it failed to cope with G2 Esports, which turned out to be one of the main sensations of the qualification. In previous meetings, Finn karrigan Andersen’s team turned out to be stronger, but this is where everything went wrong. However, FaZe dealt with strong opponents in the form of Eternal Fire, Team Falcons and 9 Pandas and received their slot to the major.
Surprises European RMR A
After changes to the G2 Esports roster, the community criticized the club. One of the key players in the person of Justin jks Savage was replaced by the controversial Nemanja nexa Isakovic, whose career does not inspire confidence to call him to such an ambitious team as G2. The organization’s recent results were consistent, they were unable to gain a foothold among the top teams in recent tournaments, but at European RMR A everything went according to plan for G2 Esports. The roster completed the qualifications with a stats of 3-0, and Into the Breach, Eternal Fire and FaZe Clan were defeated. It will be interesting to see how Ilya m0NESY Osipov and Nikola NiKo Kovac can perform at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 itself.
The main sensation of RMR was the success of the Spanish club KOI. The team showed good results at tournaments, but was definitely not the main competitor for slots at the major. However, the organization completed the qualifications with a 3-1 record; it only lost to Natus Vincere in its debut match.
Also very pleased with the Russian club AMKAL. After their success at the RMR qualifiers, where they took first place, destroying KOI and Astralis, no one expected them to succeed again. After all, the organization’s roster does not look particularly competitive, and the team’s players have not achieved great achievements. But, contrary to all expectations, the team performed well on the LAN and got the coveted slot at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. The path to this turned out to be thorny, but the main goal was achieved. To do this, it was necessary to beat Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Falcons and 9 Pandas.
We were close, but a little short
The other two CIS clubs let us down a bit. The goals of BetBoom Team and 9 Pandas were not achieved and they will have to try their luck in the Last Stage Qualifier. Fans would like to see both clubs at the upcoming major, but only one will be able to get to it, and that’s not a fact. Compared to fnatic, both rosters look like contenders for the last slot, but they will be joined by three more participants from European RMR B and it is not a fact that they will be able to beat 9 Pandas and BetBoom Team, who miraculously survived on RMR.
BB Team started the qualifications with a defeat from fnatic, then they managed to beat Into the Breach and Enterprise, and the team even had two chances to qualify for the major, but they failed to realize them. The team turned out to be weaker than Natus Vincere and Eternal Fire.
The situation for 9 Pandas was more precarious, but on the last day of RMR she also had a chance to get a slot for the major. Denis seized Kostin’s roster was unlucky with the first opponent in FaZe Clan, and after the victory over SAW, there was a defeat from KOI. The team managed to stay afloat and beat 3DMAX in the elimination match, but in the decisive match they could not cope with their compatriots from AMKAL.
Only one European RMR group made it to PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, but it has already given a lot of impressions and unexpected results. Soon we will find out the rest of the participants in the major, and we will also see the first team stickers in the history of CS2. All the fun is just beginning, which means that we continue to follow the qualifiers for the main spring championship.