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The Champions Stage of the CS:GO Blast.tv Paris Major 2023 commenced yesterday with FaZe Clan and Into The Breach's run at the tournament coming to an end. Six teams remain in the running to lift the final CS:GO major title and secure a prize of $500,000. Additionally, the winners will book a spot in the group stage of IEM Cologne 2023 and earn a place in the Blast Premier World Finals.
The third quarter-final matchup of the Champions Stage will feature GamerLegion and Monte. The winning team will advance to face Heroic in the semi-finals. The match will take place at Accor Arena in Paris, in front of thousands of fans worldwide.
GamerLegion vs Monte: Who will win this CS:GO Blast.tv Paris Major quarter-finals matchup?
Predictions
GamerLegion has been one of the biggest surprises at the CS:GO major. Many fans had low expectations for them, doubting their ability to advance beyond the Challengers Stage. However, they have defied all expectations by grinding their way out of the Challengers and Legends stages to secure themselves a top-eight finish in the tournament at best.
The team has been powered by the fragging duo of Ivan "iM" Mihai and Fredrik "acoR" Gyldstrand. iM, in particular, has been having a monstrous tournament so far. He is the second highest-rated player in the CS:GO major, only behind one of the greatest of all times in Team Vitality's Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. iM has posted a ridiculous 1.35 rating as a rifler which is very impressive for a player attending his second CS:GO major.
The team has been led brilliantly by young in-game leader Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek. Siuhy is an IGL who consistently scores high ratings and is one of the hot prospects in the transfer market due to the recent drought in high-impact in-game leaders.
Monte is another underdog in this CS:GO major, and their remarkable performance has astonished fans and experts. They have a clean, precise understanding of the games and a solid map pool. Monte has played 134 maps over the last three months, which is absurd for any team. The effort and hard work that Monte has put in to hone their craft have paid off at this tournament, and they are looking to ride their momentum into the semi-finals under the new leadership of Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev.
Monte is among the few teams without a weak link that opponents can exploit. Superstars Mohammad "BOROS" Malhas and Volodymyr "Woro2k" Veletnjuk have delivered impactful numbers on the server. At the same time, support players Serghij "DemQQ" Demchenko and Szymon "kRaSnaL" Mrozek are stalwarts in their respective roles, playing an integral part in the team's success.
This quarter-final matchup will be a very close affair, and an exciting series of CS:GO is all but guaranteed. Monte is the expected favorite to win in this matchup due to their consistency, map pool, and strong core. In comparison, GamerLegion relies on iM and acoR to put up big numbers.
Head-to-head
This will be the first time in CS:GO history that GamerLegion and Monte face off in a matchup. Fans should expect a close series between these two underdogs who look to continue their Cinderella story.
Recent results
Both teams in this matchup have come from the Challengers stage with a 3-2 record, with GamerLegion having to win three best-of-threes in a row after falling 0-2 down.
The Legends stage was a much smoother ride for both teams as GamerLegion had a comfortable path to the Champions Stage after losing their initial game to Natus Vincere. They beat 9INE, Fnatic, and Apeks to finish their Legends Stage with a 3-1 record.
Monte also had a solid run at the Legends Stage. Their initial victories over Furia and Fnatic saw them face off against Team Vitality in the 2-0 matchup, where they were defeated. Monte bounced back and routed Natus Vincere to end their Legends Stage with a 3-1 record, thus qualifying for the Champions Stage.
Expected Lineups
GamerLegion
- Ivan "iM" Mihai
- Isak "isak" Fahlén
- Frederik "acoR" Gyldstrand
- Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek.(IGL)
- Nicolas "Keoz" Dgus
- Ashley "ashhh" Battye (Coach)
Monte
- Volodymyr "Woro2k" Veletnjuk
- Mohammad "BOROS" Malhas
- Serghij "DemQQ" Demchenko
- Szymon "kRaSnaL" Mrozek
- Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev (IGL)
When and where to watch
Fans can tune into Blast's official CS:GO Twitch channel to watch the live broadcast of the third quarter-final matchup in the Champions Stage of the CS:GO Blast.tv Paris Major 2023. The matchup is a best-of-three and will occur on May 19, 2023, at 6:00 AM PDT / 3:00 PM CEST / 6:30 PM IST.
