BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: Legends Stage Preview
16 Teams Will Compete in French Capital after Challengers Stage.
The brackets are set, and we move on to the Legends Stage at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023! The Challengers Stage brought some fantastic matchups and a few surprises. ENCE and G2 dominated their way to the Legends Stage, but we also saw MOUZ and OG fall short of moving to the next round.
The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 will be an event of many firsts. After years when the community wondered what it would be like to see a Major in BLAST’s hands, the Danish tournament organizer finally secured hosting rights to CS:GO’s most prestigious tournament.
Who will advance through to the Champions Stage? Here is everything you need to know going into the Legends Stage and our esports predictions!
Participating Teams
There will be 16 teams competing in the French Capitol after the Challengers Stage. The tournament has a few previous Major winners, but most players and teams have never won! The eight teams who advanced from the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challenger Stage are G2, ENCE, Apeks, FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pajamas, Monte, Team Liquid, and Gamer Legion.
To get you ready for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, here are all the teams that have qualified for the Legends Stage, along with their updated esports odds to win the Paris Major.
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| G2 Esports | +300 |
| Heroic | +333 |
| NAVI | +450 |
| FaZe Clan | +550 |
| FURIA Esports | +1200 |
| ENCE | +1200 |
| Fnatic | +1800 |
| Team Liquid | +2500 |
| Ninjas in Pajamas | +2500 |
| Bad News Eagles | +3300 |
| 9INE | +3300 |
| Monte | +5000 |
| Apeks | +5000 |
| Into the Breach | +5500 |
| Gamer Legion | +7500 |
BLAST.tv Paris Major Format
The Major will begin with the Challengers Stage, featuring 16 teams and a Swiss system. The qualified teams will play early rounds and a best-of-one before the best-of-three elimination and advancement matches.
The top eight teams will progress to the Legends Stage, where they will join the top-ranked teams determined by the Regional Major Qualifiers. This phase will feature the same format as the Challengers Stage.
Only eight teams will make it to the Champions Stage, a single-elimination bracket in which every match will be played in a best-of-three format.
Paris Major Schedule
The BLAST.tv Paris Major will take place between May 8 and 21 and will follow the three-stage format that was introduced by Valve in 2018.
The Accor Arena, an indoor sports arena and concert hall located in the neighborhood of Bercy, will host the Champions Stage. However, it remains to be seen where the Challengers and Legends stages will occur.
Below is the Esports schedule for each stage of the tournament:
- Challengers Stage: May 8-11
- Legends Stage: May 13-16
- Champions Stage: May 18-21
Top Teams to Watch
Most esports and CS:GO fans will want to watch the top teams like G2, Heroic, and NAVI. Everyone knows they are the best teams coming into the BLAST.tv Paris Major. However, betting on the “top” teams won’t give the best payout.
Like in the previous article, we want to give betting fans three other teams to watch in the BLAST.tv Paris Major. Those teams to watch are still FURIA, Apeks, and Ninjas in Pajamas.
FURIA
After a disappointing showing at the IEM Rio, FURIA will want to come out and prove they can still compete with the best. They placed first in the qualifiers for the BLAST.tv Paris Major so that they can hang with some of the best. However, unless they get their form back, they could bow out earlier than they want. For bettors, betting on FURIA at +1200 is a solid bet either way.
Apeks
Apeks came into the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, the underdogs and have since surprised everyone. They went through the Challengers Stage with only one loss and three dominant wins. We never had them pegged as the dark horse going into the tournament, but it looks like we might have to! Betting on Apeks at +5000 could be a steal.
Ninjas in Pajamas
NIP has been all over the place in the CS:GO circuit. There have been times when they dominate, then others when they crash entirely out. However, they showed their quality during the Challengers Stage and hoped to continue their good form through the Legends Stage. Their esports odds are smack in the middle of the pack, so they could be a team to watch going forward.
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