BLAST Austin Major pick’ems: All the teams to pick in Stage 3

The lineup of teams competing in BLAST Austin Major Stage 3 has been decided and you should make sure to set up your pick’ems before the action begins.

Stage 1 largely went by the numbers. Stage 2 was a complete mess though, with Team Falcons flopping, Lynn Vision Gaming advancing, and Legacy going 3-0. Order should be restored in Stage 3, though. Should be.

There are still some opportunities to level up your major coin and get some tokens for souvenir packages. Here are the best teams to maximize your chances, why they deserve your nod, and some reasonable alternatives.

The best BLAST Austin Major Stage 3 pick’ems

Team Falcons stumbling and falling out of the major actually makes the Stage 3 Pick’ems much easier to figure out. Team Falcons, Team Vitality, Team Spirit, and MOUZ were all deserving of 3-0 consideration and with Falcons gone, things open up quite a bit. There are still some tough choices here, but things aren’t as tough as they could’ve been.

Here are the best teams to lock in:

• 3-0: Team Vitality, MOUZ
• 3-1 or 3-2: Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, NaVi, Team Liquid, 3DMAX
• 0-3: Lynn Vision Gaming, Pain Gaming

Best teams to pick at 3-0

Team Vitality, MOUZ, and Team Spirit are the only teams to consider for the 3-0 spot in the BLAST Austin Major Stage 3 pick’ems. These three are the definitive three best teams in the world after Falcons’ implosion, and they’re likely to show that here.

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After multiple matches against both teams, Spirit has yet to take a win over MOUZ or Vitality. That makes the Shanghai Major winner the team to slide down to 3-1 or 3-2, though it’s certainly possible that Spirit gets the nod here, if MOUZ and Vitality somehow get matched up against each other.

Best teams to pick for 3-1 or 3-2

The 3-1 or 3-2 teams is the toughest category to pick in the BLAST Austin Major Stage 3 pick’ems. As stated, there are only two 3-0 spots to go around between Spirit, Vitality, and MOUZ. Whoever doesn’t end up slotted in at 3-0 should go here.

The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, and NaVi are all easy teams to lock in here. All three are very good and are generally expected to advance to the playoffs, though The MongolZ in particular has a tough matchup in round one against Furia.

For the last two spots, there are loads of options but 3DMAX and Team Liquid get the nod. Liquid has had more time to gel around Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, who could be the strong in-game leader the team needs. 3DMAX put on a strong display in Stage 2 and could be positioned for a dark horse run.

Alternatively, Furia and Virtus.pro are both worth considering. Fans looking to roll the dice could also look to Legacy, which looked strong enough in the last stage to consider.

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Best teams to pick for 0-3

The three teams that advanced out of Stage 2 with 3-2 records are all worth considering for 0-3, as is Pain Gaming. The key picks for these slots are Lynn Vision Gaming and Nemiga Gaming.

Nemiga has been an impressive team throughout the BLAST Austin Major, but the team should be at the bottom of Stage 3 pick’ems. Its Stage 2 success comes with the asterisk of playing against a shaky M80 and doomed-to-dissolve Heroic roster in its best-of-threes. Lynn Vision Gaming has done a lot to help its region and has endeared itself to fans, but it hasn’t done anything that would lead fans to believe it can compete against the top eight teams in Stage 3.