Welcome to the best* region in the world (*citation needed).
While the real big dogs are known to everyone in this region, there are a few who have a solid shot at the Legends’ Stage who might go a little bit under the radar.
Not entirely, but these are teams who could upset the odds and nick a spot at the top table if things go a little awry for the big names.
These were picked by the lovely Mohan "launders" Govindasamy, and unpacked by us here at BLAST.tv.
Woe betides the man who has the folly to disregard FalleN and his loyal gang of lackeys.
While this will be seen by many across the pond as ‘FalleN’s team’, it’s evolved into a lot more than that. It was originally his last shot with his two best friends from back in the day, but now Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo is just a cog in the machine. Between Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes and Jhonatan "JOTA" Wilian, it’s an expensive machine too.
JOTA is the newest addition, having proved himself a dangerous if erratic rifler on MIBR, and has already shown some promise in maps over Complexity and SAW (as well as some domestic victories), while chelo was a key part of the reason Imperial qualified last time out.
chelo’s devastating first bullet accuracy adds a yin to the yang of Ricardo "boltz" Prass and FalleN’s calmness, to bring a team that can play with breakneck speed or constricting composure - and better than nearly all of their domestic counterparts.
However, results at ESL Pro League were less than impressive, with three back-to-back-to-back losses, and the magic of Rio that seemed to attract FalleN like a magnet does not seem to exist at the moment.
They could, and perhaps should, have bested Complexity in their most recent series were it not for a mind-boggling 1v4 from South African JT, but it might rock their confidence a little. On the other hand, if there’s anyone who knows how to get back up from a knockout punch, it’s the man quite literally named FalleN.
Perhaps the least revered team on the list, paiN always come in a little underrated. The triple threat of Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt, Felipe "skullz" Medeiros and Romeu "zevy" Rocco Junioris a heavier punch than most can throw, while Wesley "hardzao" Lopes and Gabriel "NEKIZ" Schenato provide a solid and consistent base to work off.
In that sense, paiN are quietly good. skullz is the explosive X-factor player, while biguzera is usually the more reliable star, and zevy is the passive superstar rifler. Think dupreeh, Magisk and device, role-wise.
paiN are dominant domestically, too - a whole lot of wins over the weaker teams, but importantly some losses to Nouns, Complexity and ATK recently do leave us with some cause for concern. Ability-wise, they definitely have enough to muscle their way through and will likely pick up wins over the smaller teams, but there’s only one Legends spot up for grabs. They’re going to have to beat some solid teams to get there.
While their peak is very high, they also do have a lower floor than some of the other big teams. skullz is explosive, but with that comes inconsistency, and NEKIZ and hardzao are reliable but without the high peaks.
paiN can quite easily come out on top, or lost in the muddle, depending on their own form.
In a region littered with talent, MIBR exist as a big-name team who have gambled on smaller names until they hit the jackpot.
Even after JOTA was stolen by Imperial, they didn’t stray from their path, choosing Felipe "insani" Yuji from their own academy instead of reinvesting the money; and it seems that is the correct choice. So far, in his limited time on the main team, he’s proven to be a quicksilver but electric rifler, capable of the sublime but equally capable of the underwhelming, when his aggression is countered.
Between the aforementioned wunderkind and Henrique "HEN1" Teles, MIBR have star power that can fade as quickly as they light up - but it only takes a good game from one of them to beat anyone in the region. insani has shown he can take over against great teams, and HEN1, at his peak, can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
That’s not even to mention Breno "brnz4n" Poletto, who was promoted last time MIBR lost a player. The teenager is a year ahead of insani in terms of experience, and is one of the hottest prospects Brazil has produced in a long time.
MIBR have a boatload of talent and can be the best team at the event - but they could quite easily find themselves floundering in the mid-tiers if things go wrong.
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