Image via Ubisoft/@itsmeerror
Brasileirão’s Stage 1 final weekend had a lot to offer as every team in the league was in the race to sneak in the top four, which guaranteed a spot for the Copa Elite Six – LATAM’s regional qualifier to reach the Charlotte Major.
Rising of a new Brazilian Siege powerhouse
The surprise of the stage has been w7m esports, who headed to the final week of the competition with 16 points and a record of five regulation victories and just one overtime win.
After defeating 00 Nation (7-2) and Team oNe (7-3), the team proclaimed itself as the first and so far only Brazilian roster to win eight back-to-back matches. The bulls’ roster is also the first team to score +22 points in the same Brasileirão stage.
However, w7m esports’ weekend was bittersweet as the team couldn’t end the stage in unbeaten fashion. Following a rough first half on Villa where w7m only won one out of its six defenses, INTZ triumphed on maximum overtime.
Regardless of the way the team has ended the stage, w7m esports should be seen as the LATAM favorites to make it to the Charlottesville Major – something that was unthinkable about a month ago.
Sweden Major grand finalists won’t be in Charlottesville
Both FaZe Clan and Ninjas in Pyjamas will miss out on this May’s Major. Although NiP’s absence was an expected one after a couple of weeks into the stage, FaZe Clan missing out on the Major is possibly the headline of the weekend.
After two regulation victories over INTZ and MIBR, FaZe Clan headed to the final day of the stage in fourth place with 13 points. After the first results of Sunday, Black Dragons and MIBR were left with no mathematical options to fight for fourth place. Meanwhile, a FURIA Esports maximum overtime victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas sent the panthers momentarily into the top four.
In conclusion, FaZe Clan’s future was in its hands. Any kind of victory would send the team to this stage’s Copa Elite Six. All the squad had to do was beat Team Liquid, who was already qualified for the regional event.
It wasn’t meant to be. A 3-7 loss on Villa meant FaZe Clan would miss out on a Six Major for the second time in the last three stages – the squad also couldn’t qualify for the Mexico Major played on Aug. 2021.
FURIA Esports skyrockets to fourth after starting the week on ninth
While FaZe Clan was the clear loser of the weekend, FURIA Esports was the other side of the coin.
The team’s duo Diogo “Fntzy” Lima and Luiz “Miracle” Abrantes proved to be crucial for the lineup. FURIA’s weekend started with a great victory over Black Dragons, which not only put the roster in front of BD but also gave FURIA Esports a better status in a hypothetical situation where a tie-breaker was needed.
The following day, FURIA Esports defeated INTZ by 7-2. Fntzy was vital in both victories, averaging a 1.56 SiegeGG rating in those two matches.
After those two results, FURIA Esports’ victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas on Sunday skyrocketed the team to fourth. With MIBR four points behind and a better round difference over Black Dragons, it was all up to FaZe Clan. You already know what happened.
These results see all w7m esports, Team Liquid, Team oNe, and FURIA Esports advancing to the Copa Elite Six. Meanwhile, Siege powerhouses FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and MIBR will compete in the Copa do Brasil alongside Black Dragons, 00 Nation, INTZ, and eight other rosters, including a women's team from the Circuito Femenino.