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NAL Week 5 Preview: Seven teams still in Berlin race, OxG could gatekeep former teammates Kyno and Yoggah

Today, three more teams will qualify for Berlin.

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Oxygen face former teammates Kyno and Yoggah

While Oxygen Esports secured a spot for Berlin last week, seven more teams are still fighting for the remaining three places.

To spice the occasion up further, they are facing former Oxygen duo Evan “Yoggah” Nelson and Léo “Kyno” Figueiredo in a crucial match for XSET. Considering Round-Difference is the first tiebreaker in North America, XSET’s future is still in their hands as a regulation victory will see them qualify for next month’s Major.

Oxygen have nothing except seeding to play for here, but it would be good for the squad to top off the stage with a fifth win. XSET have not yet won against Oxygen – last stage’s result was a maximum overtime victory for the eventual Charlotte Major semifinalists. Can they turn it around today?

Parabellum and Soniqs for a spot in Berlin

Regardless of what happens elsewhere, the winner of the game between Parabellum and Soniqs will travel to Berlin.

Parabellum head into this game with a three-game win streak, having defeated Mirage, TSM, and Spacestation Gaming. Meanwhile, the Soniqs have lost two of their last three games, including an upset loss against Mirage.

The match will face the best two entries on the league, Parabellum’s Shaun “Gunnar” Pottorff and Soniq’s Richie “Rexen” Coronado and will be sure to produce fireworks.

Charlotte champions DarkZero to face Mirage

Charlotte Major champions DarkZero are on the verge of missing out on the Berlin Major, and must win against Mirage to keep their chances alive.

Mirage’s results have slightly improved throughout the last few play days, with two victories against beastcoast and Soniqs. However, the team has no chance to fight for a better spot in the standings.

Zachary “Nyx” Thomas was the Mirage’s hero last week, producing a top-shelf performance. The victory kept Soniqs from securing a spot for the Berlin Major right then.

This time, Nyx is facing his former team – will he stop them from defending their international crown?

Astralis need a win against SSG, but overtime could be enough

The final game of the day will see Astralis face off Spacestation Gaming in a match that could give the winner a spot for Berlin.

Astralis will qualify if they win against SSG and even an overtime win could be enough, but that would depend on the other results.

Spacestation Gaming come off a very important victory against Oxygen Esports, although the team lost three matches in overtime prior to that. SSG’s consistency might be a problem against Astralis, especially considering that even a full regulation win might not be enough against the Charlotte semifinalists.