NAL Week 3 Storylines: Oxygen vs. Spacestation "match of the stage" is here

_{Image via Ubisoft/@itsmeerror}

The possible match of the stage is upon us

It’s finally here: Oxygen vs. Spacestation. 

Spacestation are the regional power, one of the best teams in the current format, who are looking excellent in this stage. Despite some stumbles, it would be ridiculous to count them out. 

Oxygen are a juggernaut, currently. They’re the most dominant team through the first four games by far, boasting a perfect record with all four victories coming in regulation time. 

By the tiebreaker rules, Spacestation are in second, Oxygen in first by points. The storyline here is clear – it’s a clash of regional titans, and the victor of this game might determine which team finishes the stage in first place. Expect fireworks, expect some heroics, expect some good Siege from these two solid teams. 

TSM FTX has a chance to get their stuff together in the eyes of the community, but should the community even be concerned?

TSM FTX have struggled a bit out of the gate, which is to be expected a tad – this is a team that far outclasses teams in best-of-threes, but struggles in best-of-ones. However, they have a chance to pass up some of their closest competitors this week. 

First, they’ll have a shot at DarkZero, who are on the bubble as well. DZ currently have a 1-1-1-1 record – they haven’t had the best start to the stage as opposed to their pedigree either. DarkZero is a bit vulnerable in a lot of places, but recently has had success against TSM FTX. The last time TSM FTX beat DarkZero in a series was during NAL’s 2021 Stage 2 – a 7-0 thrashing. Since then, DarkZero beat TSM FTX 8-6 in Stage 3 and won 2-1 at SI 2022. 

Next up is Astralis, who TSM FTX have beaten twice in a row now. The last time Astralis beat them was as Disrupt Gaming, in a 7-5 affair during 2021 NAL Stage 1. This Astralis is a bit different, however – they’re currently in third place in the league with an excellent start against difficult teams. 

However, it’s not exactly shocking that TSM FTX is where they are. They’ve played Spacestation, an excellent team, and Oxygen, the current no. 1 team in the region. Losing those two games is understandable, but a loss to Mirage, who wasn’t expected to be particularly competitive with the world champions has exacerbated some concerns. 

It’s a long stage, and TSM FTX don’t have much more room for error, but rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. 

How long can Oxygen keep performing at this clip?

At least statistically, Oxygen is the best-performing regional team in the world. They lead nearly every major category recorded by SiegeGG, and are the only North American team that has never had a game go to overtime, and also won every game they’ve played. 

Oxygen are leading the league, currently, and it is not very close. Time will tell whether they complete the perfect stage, but if they beat Spacestation this week, there aren’t many teams left who can conceivably stand in their way.