As both the Mexican and the South American championship Stage 3 are kicking off this weekend, we have a look at the competitions and the upcoming Copa Elite Six.
Campeonato Mexicano - First week could decide everything
Atheris Esports and Fenix Esports are the strongest rosters in the scene right now, as both teams head to Stage 3 with 30 and 28 points respectively, which puts them 12 and 10 points over their most immediate pursuers.
That leaves both Atheris and Fenix as the teams that will most likely represent Mexico at the next Copa Elite Six, unless an upset of historic proportions happens.
After an awful performance at the Copa Elite Six Stage 2 where the team finished at the bottom of the standings, Atheris Esports decided to drop Luís “Navy” García and sign Victor “Bersa” Bruschini, which saw the team switching to a Brazilian-majority roster.
Meanwhile, Fenix Esports are in a completely different reality, as their best performance so far came in the latest Copa Elite Six where the team finished in fifth place. The Mexican roster beat FaZe Clan and Black Dragons, but fell to Team Liquid in the playoffs.
Both rosters will face each other in the very first week of competition, a match that could be crucial for the final standings as only two points separate both lineups nowadays. Considering that it will be Bersa’s debut in the competition, this is probably Fenix’s best shot to overtake Atheris.
However, the fight at the heart of the standings is fierce. Nowadays, MeT, Six Karma and OverKnight are battling to finish inside the Top 4, which would give them an invitation to compete at the Mexicano Finals. With only one point between MeT, in third place, and OverKnight, in fifth, nothing is decided yet.
The fight is close at the bottom of the standings as well. Both Kingdom Gaming and Chivas, with 8 and 7 points respectively, are still in the race to avoid relegations. Their game on the third week of competition could be decisive.
Players to look out
Aside from the Atheris and the Fenix players, the Campeonato Mexicano has plenty of talent.
Despite being removed from Atheris Esports, Luís “Navy” García had a brilliant Stage 2 as the Mexican player shone for the stage champions with a SiegeGG rating of 1.20, only behind Christian “NhilV” Vázquez.
Meanwhile, MeT’s player Iván “Hydre” Chávez has been one of the most consistent players in the Mexican championship. In fact, he and his partner Alejandro “Ale11” Argüello were two of the highest rated players on Stage 2.
Campeonato Mexicano Stage 2 best rated players.
Campeonato Sudamericano - Furious Gaming needs a miracle to break into the Top 2
The South American championship is in a very similar situation.
Malvinas Gaming’s flawless second stage saw the Argentinian roster taking over the competition, as the lineup is currently at the top of the standings 4 points over 9z Team and 11 over Furious Gaming.
The upgrade at both Malvinas and 9z Team has been clear. The Argentinians improved their performances at the latest edition of the Copa Elite Six, as they caused problems for their Mexican and Brazilian neighbors. In fact, Malvinas finished in fourth place of Group A after beating Atheris Esports.
While Malvinas will not be making any changes to their lineup, 9z Team’s will be forced to add a new analyst to the team as Cesar “Dxrk” Adrian joined FaZe Clan.
The Argentinians will be making changes to their roster, with BLK joining the lineup as their new fifth player. However, as he is still underage, Franzeta will be filling that spot until the very last week of action.
The only team that realistically could put up a fight to the top two rosters is Furious Gaming. Currently sitting in third place, Furious are in the middle of nowhere. Their results against the top two sides in the league have always been close, but never good enough as they lost to Malvinas and 9z Team by 5-7 and 6-8 respectively during Stage 2.
Meanwhile, the rest of the competition is pretty much done. Newstar and Infamous Gaming are currently fighting for the fourth and final spot to compete at the Sudamericano Finals, while Coscu and Nocturns Gaming are in need of a miracle to get back on track.
At the bottom of the standings, Leviatán Esports will probably finish in last place as the team is yet to win a match in the competition after 14 games played.
Players to look out
Just like in the Mexican championship, South America has some hidden gems outside the two main squads in the competition.
The Stage 2 best rated player was, in fact, from Furious Gaming. The Chilean player Jorge “shoxo” Figueroa finished just above the player with the highest KOST in the competition, Bautista “AtlaS” Bayugar, who currently plays for 9z.
Campeonato Sudamericano Stage 2 best rated players.
Meanwhile, the top fragger in the second split was Infamous Gaming player Fernando “Ferchie” Muñecas, with 76 kills and an entry register of 18-11.