Charlotte Major playoffs preview: Who advances to the semifinals?

_{Photo via Ubisoft/@Kirill_Vision}

It’s time – the playoffs of the Charlotte Major are finally upon us. Here’s what you can expect from all of the thrilling matchups that will take place over the weekend. 

Team Liquid v G2 Esports

The first matchup of the day has the potential to be an absolute classic. Team Liquid, the best team from Brazil still searching for their first title, versus G2 Esports, the European superteam. 

This match has the potential to be an all-time classic. Liquid has sped their attacks up since signing their new coach, Vitor “Hugzord” Hugo, but have played this tournament more slowly than normal. It’s hard to say it’s not working out for them – they topped their group. 

G2 was a bit of a surprise. It’s not that no one expected them to be good – but to be this good this soon in their first LAN tournament as a team is definitely encouraging for skeptical fans who aren’t sure about this iteration of the “superteam”. 

This match will feature arguably the most raw mechanical talent in the tournament. Andre “nesk” Oliveria and Luccas “Paluh” Molina are hands-down two of the best all-time players in Siege. Karl “Alem4o” Zarth is an up-and-comer, paired with British mechanical talent Ben “CTZN” McMillan. Siege matches are won with teamwork, but there will be some individual fireworks in this game. 

DarkZero v Team oNe

Good news for Team oNe – three members, including star IGL Lorenzo “Lagonis” Volpi, will play on-site from Charlotte, as opposed to on 80 ping in Mexico. The bad news is that they drew DarkZero, a very solid squad from North America who happens to be the bane of LATAM teams during the tournament. Their clashes with w7m during the group stages spawned, well, a lot of memes. 

DarkZero are led by Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski, two-time hammer lifter and one of North America’s best IGLs. It feels dismissive to say that this game will come down to who can IGL their team better, but the mid-round adaptation pioneered by Lagonis and Canadian will likely make the difference in this matchup. 

Oxygen v BDS

With all the eyeballs on G2 and Liquid earlier in the day, this matchup has flown under the radar a bit. 

Both of these teams have long-standing cores, but have never taken home a title. BDS infamously has never been in a grand final during their EUL reign of terror. Someone is going to go home from this game empty-handed in just the quarterfinals. 

The player to watch here is Ethan “Nuers” James. He took some criticism before the tournament began from NAL players, but has been performing well so far against a mostly-hobbled field. Time will tell whether Oxygen’s incredible groups performance was more about their competition than them. Don’t misunderstand – they’re incredibly talented, and beyond all shadow of a doubt one of the world’s best teams. BDS just isn’t Dire Wolves. 

Astralis v XSET

It’s a shame that one of these teams is going to be putting the other away, but that’s life sometimes. Both are profoundly talented, young NAL teams, and one of them is going to go home early than they like. 

This all-NA matchup is going to be an NAL match on steroids for the nightcap – and the crowd’s sure to love it. Both of these teams have such aggressive, creative playstyles, and their familiarity with each other is going to result in some pocket strats coming out. 

It may be an intra-regional matchup – but this one’s going to have some fireworks.