StarLadder is the first big tournament organizer to put on a designated Tier 2 VRS LAN, with Stake Ranked Episode 1 set to kick off shortly.
Eight teams will have the chance to boost their standing in the VRS ranking ahead of the Major cut-off on April 6. This will be one of the last upcoming CS2 events, where amassed VRS points will count towards the IEM Cologne Major qualification.
Without further ado, here’s our Stake Ranked Episode 1 CS2 betting preview.
| Event | Stake Ranked Episode 1 |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 1 – April 4 |
| Location | Barcelona, Spain |
| Total Prize Pool | $100,000 USD |
| Winner’s Share | $25,000 USD |
| Number of Teams | 8 |
| Group Stage | – |
| Playoff Stage | April 1 – April 4 |
| Format | Double-elimination Playoff Bracket (BO3) |
Stake Ranked Episode 1 will be an eight-team event, taking place from April 1 to 4 in Barcelona, Spain. There isn’t a designated group stage, with all teams facing off in a double-elimination playoff bracket from the jump.
The prize pool for the event amounts to $100,000, which is an extremely large sum for a tier 2 tournament. The winner is set to take home a quarter – $25,000.
All matches at the event, including the grand final, will be played out in a best-of-three format.
Only eight teams will be in attendance at Stake Ranked Episode 1. Image credit: © StarLadder
While most of the other tier 2 events host anywhere from 16 to 24 teams, Stake Ranked Episode 1 will be only an eight-team tournament. This means teams won’t have to win as many games to gain VRS points as they would have at another tournament.
Most squads in attendance are well-known to the community, as they regularly appear in the tier 1 circuit, except for the squads that advanced through the closed qualifier, 9INE and Nemesis.
G2 are obviously in the conversation for being one of the best CS2 teams, so they should theoretically run away with the trophy but teams like GamerLegion and HEROIC could pose a threat to the big dogs.
That said, here are all the teams in attendance at Stake Ranked Episode 1:
Who will come out on top in Barcelona? Image credit: © StarLadder
G2 are easily the best team in the competition and should be the CS2 odds favorites to take home the lion’s share of the prize on offer. However, they have already shown their volatility at previous tier 1.5 LANs they attended.
With that in mind, one of the teams fighting for a Major spot could swoop in and challenge for the trophy. The two teams most likely to do so are BetBoom and NIP, whose Major spots are yet to be secured.
Considering the prize pool at this event is considerably heftier than at other tier 2 events, a lot will be decided in Barcelona. Who will thrive under the pressure and punch their ticket to Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne Major?
Read also: FaZe Clan could miss CS2 Major as poor form continues in 2026
Featured image credit: © StarLadder
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
