PGL Major Stockholm 2021: What you need to know before the start of the Legends stage

Today, October 30, the second stage of PGL Major Stockholm 2021 will start, namely the Legends stage. The eight best teams based on the results of the RMR cycle will begin their hike for the main trophy. But eight teams that have already gone through the thorny path of the Challengers stage are ready to prevent them. And at the same time, there are several important stories at once that need detailed study.

Participants

In the Legends stage, there is still a breakdown of teams based on the results of the RMR cycle, as well as the performances of the teams in the Challengers stage. At the same time, in the first two rounds, teams with a high seeding will have an advantage in choosing opponents.

Seed Legends Teams:

• Ninjas in Pajamas.
  
• FURIA Esports.
  
• Natus Vincere.
  
• Team Vitality.
  
• Team Liquid.
  
• Gambit Esports.
  
• G2 Esports.
  
• Evil Geniuses.
  

Teams that have passed the Challengers stage:

• FaZe Clan.
  
• Copenhagen Flames.
  
• Entropiq.
  
• Virtus.pro.
  
• ENCE.
  
• Heroic.
  
• Astralis.
  
• MOUZ.
  

The starting pairs of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 Legends Stage are already known. It should be noted that the teams that have overcome the first stage of the championship will play in the first two rounds with the teams that have the lowest seeding according to the results of the RMR cycle. In this case, FaZe Clan and Copenhagen Flames will face Evil Geniuses and G2 Esports, respectively.

Format of the event

PGL Major Stockholm 2021 Legends Stage will be held according to the Swiss system, from which eight teams that won three matches will advance to the Champions stage (playoffs). All matches, with the exception of the decisive ones, will be played in the BO1 format. At the same time, the meetings, which will be of decisive importance in the tournament prospects (for reaching the playoffs or being eliminated from the tournament), will be played in the BO3 format.

First round

To determine the starting pairs, a standard seeding system was used, which divided the teams into baskets, depending on the total amount of RMR points earned based on the results of the RMR cycle. Teams that have shown different results in the Challengers stage are added to them. Thus, the team with the worst seed will play with the best team from the previous stage.

Round two

For the second round, the teams will be divided into two groups: winners and losers. In this case, the teams will play with each other in each group.

Third round

From this round, the so-called Buchholz system will return to the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 Legends Stage. The teams will be divided into three groups: 2: 0, 1: 1, 0: 2. Already in the third round, the first BO3 matches will begin, as a result of which two teams will advance to the Champions stage, and two more will leave the championship.

Fourth round

In the fourth round, the teams will be divided into two groups: 2: 1, 1: 2. At this stage of the tournament, all matches will be played in the BO3 format, as they play a decisive role in the tournament's prospects. At the end of the fourth round, three more teams will advance to the Champions stage, as well as three teams will leave the tournament.

Fifth round

In the final round, each team chooses an opponent they haven't played against. All matches will be held in BO3 format, according to the results of which the last three participants of the Champions stage will be determined.

Recall that on the first day of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 Legends Stage, October 30, two rounds will be played according to the Swiss system.

PGL Major Stockholm 2021 runs from October 26 to November 7 in Sweden. 24 teams are competing for a prize pool of $ 2,000,000, as well as BLAST Premier and ESL Pro Tour points. The championship playoffs will take place at the Avicii Arena with spectators, while the early stages of the championship take place in a studio format.