After a poor Berlin Major by North America, the region’s redemption and road back to the top of Siege might start today.
Keep on reading to find out how the team’s have prepared for the third stage.
Astralis
Although Astralis’ Berlin Major performance was well short of expectations, they were still the best team in the NAL in Stages 1 and 2. With no changes made to the squad, Astralis are one of the favorites to qualify for the November Major, but will need to reevaluate why their Charlotte Major grand finalist vigour vanished in Berlin.
Soniqs
Despite Soniqs’ clear improvement from Stage 1, Seth “Supr” Hoffman’s retirement and Alexander “Yeti” Lawson’s move to Spacestation Gaming have forced the team to find two new players heading into the final split of the season.
Shaun “Gunnar” Pottorff was the first man to be unveiled, with the former Parabellum Esports player coming as Supr’s replacement. Later on, the team signed the Mexican world champion Emilio “Geo” Leynez to complete their roster.
Excited uncertainty is the phrase to describe the Soniqs right now. With Supr having been part of the roster for more than three years, it’s difficult to imagine how the team will do without his leadership and experience, but Geo's equally deep experience and title wins could more than bridge the gap.
Oxygen Esports
Oxygen Esports head into the final stage of the season after parting ways with longtime player Gabriel “LaXInG” Mirélez, who made way for Jacob “Sweater” Bravico.
The team has shown great consistency throughout the 2022 season and became the first team to qualify for the Berlin Major. Disappointingly, Oxygen’s performance in Germany was below par, possibly due to the imminent lineup change.
XSET
XSET's ambitious Brazilian project is flourishing. Its players are responding well and have been forming the synergy a championship winning team needs.
In the NAL and at international competitions this season, XSET’s trajectory has been steady and upwards. A quarter-final finish in Charlotte was followed by a semi-final finish in Berlin. As a result, they sit in first place in the SI Global Standings and are in a very comfortable spot heading to the third stage. Will the November Major see them make it to the grand-final?
DarkZero Esports
North America’s last international champions, DarkZero Esports go into Stage 3 opting not to not make roster changes despite missing out on the Berlin Major.
Despite their Stage 2 issues, the team’s Charlotte Major championship and a fifth-place finish in the second split put the purple squad in second in the Global Standings heading into the final stage. As such, they have effectively already qualified for SI 2023 – it is just a matter of time until they confirm it.
Parabellum Esports
Parabellum Esports had two signings to make this stage after the offer made by Soniqs for Gunnar and they decided to part ways with Keagen “P3NGU1N” Smith.
They decided to place their trust in the tier two scene, signing Connor “Azian” Felux and "Doq". However, with the team losing one of the best entries in Gunnar, it’s very unlikely we see this team fighting for the top four spots.
Beastcoast
Just like Parabellum Esports, Beastcoast hav opted to sign two tier two players after losing one player to a fellow team and parting ways another. Oxygen Esports’ offer for Sweater was followed by Adam “Drip” Kolodkin’s departure, which led to beastcoast signung the Challenger League talents "Xeno" and "Freda".
TSM FTX
After two underwhelming stages, the current world champions are in a very delicate spot. Geometrics and Brady “Chala” Davenport were replaced two Challenger League talents, Gasher and Snake as TSM fight to make it back to the top.
TSM’s future is very uncertain. It’s clear that the team won’t finish among the top 16 sides of the Global Standings, so their focus will shift towards the SI 2023 Regional Qualifiers if they want to defend their crown.
Spacestation Gaming
Spacestation Gaming are in a similar position, as a fifth-placed finish in Stage 1 was followed by a ninth-placed finish in Stage 2.
Alexander “Skys” Magor’s departure meant that the team signed the Soniqs player Alexander “Yeti” Lawson after nearly signed Gamers8 trialist Lorenzo "Dexter".
Spacestation Gaming must qualify for this stage’s Six Major to have a slim chance to qualify to the Six Invitational through the Global Standings, or they will need to fight TSM FTX in the regional qualifier.
Mirage
Mirage’s second successive poor stage was followed by a battery of changes in attempts to dig themselves out of their hole.
They decided to give a chance to Dexter, the Brazilian player that Spacestation trialled during Gamers8. Jesse “Mohesse” Sheffield was the team’s second signing in an attempt to avoid the relegation spot, as Mirage are currently seven points behind the ninth-placed team, TSM.
They replaced Zachary "Nyx" Thomas, who will now be coaching the team, and Emma "Marmalade" Peterson, who Mirage let go.
Catch the start of Stage 3 of the NAL today, Sep. 13 at 2 PM EST (UTC-4).
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