The best pick’ems for the CS2 Shanghai Major opening stage

Counter-Strike 2 Shanghai Major Pick’ems for opening stages are now live, so players can start working towards the Diamond coin.

On November 28, Valve opened Pick’ems for the Shanghai Major opening stage. While a $9.99 viewer pass is required to be eligible for a coin, players can still make their picks for free, though they won’t receive any rewards for correct predictions. Currently, only the opening stage of Pick’ems is open, and players need to make at least five correct picks out of 10 to stay in the competition and upgrade their event coin.

Pick’ems are simple. Eight teams will make it to the next stage. Players need to make selections across three categories: two teams predicted to go undefeated (3:0), two expected to lose every match (0:3), and six that will advance despite suffering some losses. If players get enough correct picks across all three stages, they’ll upgrade their major coin.

Here are our CS2 Shanghai Major opening stage pick’ems:

• 3-0 teams– Teal Liquid, The MongolZ
• 3-1 & 3-2 teams– Virtus.pro, Furia Esports, Complexity Gaming, Fnatic, Cloud9, BIG
• 0-3 teams– MIBR, Rare Atom

The best pick’ems for the CS2 Shanghai Major opening stage

For 3:0 picks, the teams to roll with are The Mongolz and Team Liquid. Liquid may be a slight risk, but it’s the team most likely to breeze past the initial two matches with Cloud9 and then Fnatic. They had an impressive showing in RMRs, save for an awkward loss against WildCard, but the North American squad is more than capable of surprising fans in the opening stage.

The MongolZ, on the other hand, is a safe pick. The team has been in top form, winning the Thunderpick World Championship 2024 and securing 1st-2nd at the Asia-Pacific RMR, defeating teams like DRILLAS and Alter Ego. Rare Atom had a respectable run in the RMRs, but they likely don’t stand a chance against The Mongolz, who have repeatedly proven their mettle.

While Liquid and Mongolz are good 3:0 picks, there are alternatives in Complexity Gaming and even Virtus Pro. Liquid and Mongolz are risky, but they have the potential to dominate if they hit their stride early. Complexity and Virtus Pro are certainly one of the six teams progressing in later stages alongside FURIA, Fnatic, Cloud9, and Big. Players should also keep an eye on WildCard and Passion UA, but they’re riskier picks than the rest.

MIBR and Rare Atom seem like the weakest teams in the opening stage, with FlyQuest not far behind. Players can lock in their pick’ems before November 30 to be eligible for the coin down the road.

Get insights into the opening stage of CS2 Shanghai Major pick’ems, then compare them with the Worlds 2022 Pick’Em Crystal Ball current results.

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