Who are the frontrunners for glory in the biggest CS2 event of the year? Here is our 2024 Copenhagen Major Favorites analysis
The PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 is here! Get ready for two weeks of Counter-Strike’s elite battling it out for the biggest prize in the game! To add to the hype, we’ve created a list of our Copenhagen Major favorites to take home the trophy. Did your team make the list? Let’s find out.
2024 Copenhagen Major Favorites
These are the teams that have the best chances of lifting the trophy at the Royal Arena on March 31:
Team Spirit
Credit: HLTV
Riding high off a dominant IEM Katowice victory, Team Spirit rockets to the top of our PGL Major Copenhagen favorites chart. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, widely recognized as the next superstar in Counter-Strike, continues to impress in the white shirt. The 17-year-old boasts an astonishing 1.46 rating in the CS2 era and is yet to taste defeat in LAN tournaments since the new version of the game rolled in.
The team’s in-game leader (IGL), Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov, has demonstrated that he is tailor-made for the grandest stages of competitive Counter-Strike, showcasing consistent brilliance in Majors. Continuously surpassing expectations, he achieved top four in Antwerp with Vega Squadron and top eight in Rio with Spirit. Now, standing as a genuine contender, he has the opportunity to claim a coveted piece of Major silverware.
WE ARE GOING TO THE MAJOR!
SEE YOU, COPENHAGEN 🇩🇰#SpiritCS #CS2 pic.twitter.com/8IBpSt7TkU
— Team Spirit (@Team__Spirit) February 21, 2024
Not many people would have taken Spirit’s title credentials seriously ahead of a Major a year back. Over the past few months, however, the Dragons have emerged as a Counter-Strike powerhouse. Their exceptional form, fueled by donk’s explosive plays and Sh1ro’s sharpshooting, makes them Major contenders. This is thanks in part to their management’s brilliant player acquisitions, which have ignited a potential golden age for the squad.
Spirit boasts a dominant CS2 LAN record on Mirage (8-1), Ancient (6-3), and Anubis (5-2). However, Vertigo (a.k.a. the 51st floor) exposes a potential chink in their armor. There, donk’s rating dips to 1.00, a significant 0.45 below his usual CS:GO LAN average.The Major is a different beast – pressure can crush even the hottest teams. Everyone will be studying Spirit’s every move. Donk’s struggles on Vertigo are a known weakness – have they found a counter-strategy? These are the hurdles the Dragons must overcome to claim Major glory.
Team Vitality
Credit: BLAST Premier
Don’t count out the Paris Major champions when discussing the Copenhagen Major favorites! Vitality may have stumbled in Katowice, falling to ENCE and Heroic. But a month and a half can be a long time in Counter-Strike. Could Vitality have quietly ironed out their kinks and be ready to roar in the Danish capital? The French powerhouse have gone through a roster shuffle after conquering Paris, but the squad’s hunger for silverware remains the same.
Vitality began the year as the undisputed No. 1, but their Katowice showing paints a different picture. A dismal last-place finish, with defeats to both Astralis and Cloud9, raises doubts about their ability to defend their Major crown. Can they rise to the challenge over the next few weeks?
While Vitality sputtered, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut continued to shine. His 1.38 CS2 LAN rating puts him near the top, just behind the dominant donk. During the RMRs, his 1.71 rating was nothing short of monstrous. ZywOo’s brilliance could be the saving grace for Vitality in Denmark. After penning a lucrative new contract with Vitality, the AWPer will be eager to show the Vitality management that they made a worthwhile investment.
THE KING IS STAYING 👑@zywoo pic.twitter.com/4I5asVbh5q
— Team Vitality 🐝 (@TeamVitality) March 12, 2024
ZywOo has dethroned the legendary Marcelo “coldzera” David as the player with the highest Major rating of all time. Across a whopping 82 maps, ZywOo has averaged a stellar 1.24 rating, putting him just ahead of the Brazilian’s 1.22
FaZe Clan
Credit: FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan have been one of the most consistent units in the CS2 era even though they are still adapting to frozen’s addition and the loss of Twistzz. FaZe have found themselves in the Grand Final of all of the five CS2 LAN tournaments they have played in so far, and there’s no reason to think they can’t be right in the mix at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
Despite a complete overhaul to his role on the T-side, David “frozen” Čerňanský has emerged as FaZe’s top performer since joining in December 2023. His impressive 1.17 rating edges out Robin “ropz” Kool’s 1.16, highlighting his incredible adaptability.
Veteran in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen brings a wealth of experience to PGL Major Copenhagen. The 33-year-old boasts a record-breaking 10 Major playoff appearances, tied for the most Major appearances overall (17). karrigan’s leadership could be the key to FaZe’s Major glory.
2024 Copenhagen Major Predictions
Here’s how we expect the tournament to unfold:
Opening Stage
As the PGL Major Copenhagen Opening Stage is set to begin tomorrow, we expect ENCE and Heroic to grab the spotlight. With Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander at the helm, ENCE’s Polish roster has undergone a remarkable transformation. The four-time Major champion seeks to further solidify his legacy by replicating his past glory with Astralis, this time leading a new generation to victory.
On the other side of the coin, Heroic is a team reborn under Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski’s leadership. The firepower duo of Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi and Guy “NertZ” Iluz perfectly filled the gap left by Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard and Martin “stavn” Lund, bolstering Heroic’s offensive power. It’s hard to imagine anyone stopping these two juggernauts from steamrolling the Opening Stage.
Eternal Fire is another side we expect to thrive in the Opening Stage. The Turkish squad has proven they can hang with the big dogs, and their young star Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın is a rising talent to watch. If Wicadia stays on fire, Eternal Fire has a good shot at reaching the Elimination Stage at least.
The MongolZ can also be a force to be reckoned with in Copenhagen. Their roster boasts the skills to compete with the best, but past struggles against top teams raise doubts. If TheMongolZ can overcome their closing-match woes, they have the potential to become a major threat and rewrite the narrative.
Elimination Stage
The two clear favorites already qualified for elimination should be Team Spirit and Team Vitality. Following their impressive victory at IEM Katowice 2024, Spirit and donk seem poised to usher in a period of dominance, with opponents struggling to find a way to counter the young prodigy. Meanwhile, Vitality continues to assert themselves as arguably the most consistent team on the planet, with ZywOo’s presence solidifying their status as perennial favorites.
Keep an eye on Virtus.pro as well. Following a relatively subdued 2023, we anticipate they’re poised to make a significant impact this year under Dzhami “Jame” Ali’s uwavering leadership. They’re the type of team capable of defeating any opponent on their best day, and with Petr “fame” Bolyshev and Evgeniy “FL1T” Lebedev emerging as notable stars recently, they have the potential to cause some serious disruptions at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
G2 are another side who will be entering the fray as one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs. While they haven’t quite regained their previous form since Nemanja “nexa” Isaković replaced Justin “jks” Savage, we believe they’ll unveil some surprises at the Major.
With talents likeIlya “m0NESY” Osipov and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač on the server, underestimating them would be a mistake. Following NiKo’s previous attempts to secure a CSGO Major victory, he embarks on a fresh quest for the ultimate prize in Counter-Strike. With all the ammunition in their arsenal, G2 can give the Copenhagen Major favorites a run for their money.