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Just 4 days of action remains in the FaceIt Major. The last few days of action determined the top 8 Legends of this Major. These teams will compete in the conventional playoffs to determine the winners of the tournament.
The SSE Arena at Wembley will be hosting the Main Event of the major. The Arena is right next to the iconic Wembley Stadium which has hosted several notable football events over the years. For the first time in this major, the players will play in front of a live crowd who will be cheering for their favourite teams.
When are the playoffs? How can I watch it?
The first two quarter-finals take place on 20th September. The matches are scheduled to start at 11:30 PM IST. The other two quarter-final matches will take place on 21st in the same time frame. The two semi-finals are scheduled for 10:30 PM IST on 22nd of September. The Grand Final will take place on 23rd September at 11:00 PM IST.
You can watch it here on Twitch, SteamTV or Youtube.
The 8 Legends
Over the last couple of weeks, 24 teams have been battling for 8 spots in the main event. The 8 teams that did manage to grab them are now Legends. They are guaranteed a spot in the next Valve Major. They also have a superior chance of qualifying for the Major after that as well.
The last 16 teams fought against each other in the Swiss System and 8 teams with 3-0, 3-1 and 3-2 records qualified for the playoffs. So let us take a look at the 8 Legends of London:
Team Liquid (3-0) - Liquid are unbeaten thus far. They haven't lost one single map in the tournament. Only Astralis has managed to take them into overtime while every other team had to bow out in regulation time. Liquid are looking as strong as ever and are favourites to claim the Major trophy.
Complexity Gaming (3-0) - The biggest surprise of this Major came from North America's Complexity. They surprised everyone when they qualified for the new Legends stage. They have proved to the world that their qualification wasn't a fluke as they have qualified with a 3-0 record for the playoffs.
Astralis (3-1) - With only one loss to the aforementioned Liquid, Astralis have also looked unstoppable at times. The current world #1 team will look to win their second Major. They made a statement when they beat two-time Major winners MiBR 16-0 and qualified for the playoffs.
Natus Vincere (3-1) - Navi suffered an early loss against Astralis but they haven't had to look back since. They won 3 games in a row and qualified for the playoffs. Simple and co will look to win their first ever Major and they certainly might, seeing as they have been one of the best teams of 2018.
BIG (3-1) - BIG has been another surprise in this Major. They surprised everyone and became Legends back in 2017 at the Krakow Major and now they have done it again. They have earned the right to be called one of the best teams in the world. They are no longer underdogs and certainly can win the entire tournament.
HellRaisers (3-2) - HellRaisers beat Fnatic in the final round to qualify for the Major. With the elimination of Fnatic, London 2018 becomes the first time the Swedish team has failed to qualify for a Major playoffs. HellRaisers, on the other hand, have looked amazing and might provide more upsets in the days to come.
Faze Clan (3-2) - One of the best teams in the world has had a rough couple months. Their poor form continued as they went 0-2 after their first 2 games. But a change in their In-Game Leader brought them back in form. They qualified 3-2 after an incredible comeback. They might just make it all the way and win the entire thing.
Made in Brazil (3-2) - MiBR has had a very poor 2018 thus far. They placed outside of the top 8 in almost every Premier tournament this year. But they seemingly found their form just before the major. Two roster changes seemed to have brought MiBR back from the brink of collapse and now they look to win their 3rd Major.
The Quarter Final Matches
The 8 Legends were drawn against each other as per the Buchholz system. The Buchholz System seeds the teams as per their record. A win gives them a point, a draw gives them half while a loss gives them zero points.
If two teams tie in points, the sum of points of opponents faced is considered. More points among opponents provide a higher seed while fewer points provide a lower seed.
The 4 matches provided by the Buchholz are:
- Complexity vs MiBR
- Na'Vi vs BIG
- Team Liquid vs HellRaisers
- Astralis vs Faze
Upstarts Complexity will face MiBR in a game that should end Complexity's fairytale run in this Major. MiBR should be winning this and booking a spot in the semifinals.
Na'Vi face BIG in a mouth-watering match. BIG have established that they are here to win it all and they face a tough challenge against Na'Vi. The match can go either way as both teams are equally matched at this point.
Team Liquid face an underwhelming challenge in HellRaisers. HR surprised everyone by becoming legends but they face Liquid. Liquid have already beaten HR once and should do it again easily.
Astralis and Faze face each other in what will be the best match of the round. Two of the best teams in the world will go at it early in the playoffs. Only one will go through. Astralis has looked a bit more dominating that Faze has over the last weeks. Their 16-0 over MiBR is proof of that. So I pick Astralis to win this bout over Faze.
