Fissure Playground 2 teams are being announced, and the first six competitors have been confirmed.
The LAN tournament will be a vital opportunity for teams to increase their place in the VRS (Valve Regional Standings).
Confirming the first 6 Fissure Playground 2 teams
The VRS Global Rankings determine all of the 16 Fissure Playground 2 teams. Six teams have already confirmed their place in the Belgrade, Serbia LAN competition.
As of August 6th, the teams confirmed are:
- Team Falcons
- Aurora Gaming
- FURIA
- G2 Esports
- Virtus.pro
- Astralis
According to the VRS Global Standings August 4th update, all six of these teams are in the top 20.
Currently, FURIA are the highest placed team out of the six, sitting at rank 6. Team Falcons sit directly behind them in 7th, while Astralis are in 9th. Aurora Gaming are 11th, G2 are 12th, and Virtus.pro are the lowest ranked out of the six at 17th.
Team Falcons seek Counter-Strike redemption
In the recent IEM Cologne tournament, FURIA knocked Team Falcons out of the competition in the Group Stage.
As a result, FURIA were able to move ahead of them in the VRS. The Brazilian organisation may even be viewed more favourably on Counter-Strike betting sites for Fissure Playground 2.
Team Falcons have also come under increasingly intense criticism over their apparent roster-building strategy.
Their recent signing of rising star and former Team Spirit Academy player, Maksim ‘kyousuke’ Lukin, and benching of veteran player Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif was an unexpected roster move.
However, kyousuke has shown great potential on the international stage so far. Despite Team Falcons exiting Cologne disappointingly early, kyousuke picked up excellent map ratings.
Stark contrast between kyousuke’s high ratings and his teammates’ lacklustre performances has drawn significant attention. The Team Falcons Cologne crash out indicates that there are deeper issues with their performances.
Therefore, as one of the confirmed Fissure Playground 2 teams, Team Falcons now have a chance to show improvement on the international stage.
They may even be able to enact revenge on FURIA after their Cologne loss.
Fissure Playground 2: tournament details
Serbia will host the Counter-Strike tournament in Belgrade from September 12th to 21st. A $500,000 USD (~£375,380 GBP) prize pool is on offer, $200,000 USD (~£150,150 GBP) of which goes to the winning team.
Fissure Playground 2’s Group Stage follows the Swiss format. Teams will play games as a best-of-three. The Group Stage runs from September 12th to 17th.
The Playoffs run from September 19th to 21st. These single-elimination matches are played as best-of-three games, up to the Grand Final.
Following the eliminations, two teams will compete in a best-of-five match for the September 21st tournament climax, with the winner taking home the trophy and earning the most points for the VRS.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.