Valve Revamps Major Seeding Process and Stage Names

In a significant move ahead of the PGL Major Copenhagen, Valve has overhauled the traditional seeding process for Major tournaments. Which has been a long-awaited change in the esports community. No longer will the seeding be solely based on the results of the Regional Major Rankings (RMRs).

Regional Standings Take the Lead

Valve has implemented a new system that seeds the 24 teams qualifying for the Major through the RMRs based on Valve's Regional Standings. Valve introduced these Regional Standings in December 2022 and initially used them to determine invites for the closed qualifiers leading to the BLAST Paris Major. This shift aims to prevent scenarios where highly-ranked teams end up with low seeds due to underwhelming RMR performances.

Check the Regional Rankings for the AMERICAS, ASIA, EUROPE. (Rankings were last updated on the 12th of February 2023)

Swiss Round Pairings and New Facelift

In the past, the top seed faced the 16th. The second seed faced the 15th, and so on, during the first round.

In another departure from tradition, Valve has established pre-determined pairings for the first Swiss round of the Major. The matchups for this round will be as follows:

• 1 vs 9
• 2 vs 10
• 3 vs 11
• 4 vs 12
• 5 vs 13
• 6 vs 14
• 7 vs 15
• 8 vs 16

Starting from the second round, the seeding system remains the same. With the highest-seeded team facing the lowest-seeded team within the same pool, as long as it doesn't lead to rematches.

Valve has also opted to rename the three tournament stages. Say goodbye to the 'Challengers', 'Legends', and 'Champions' stages. Now, we'll have the 'Opening', 'Elimination', and 'Playoffs' stages. This marks the first time the stage names have changed since ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018, when the offline qualifier became part of the Major and the team count increased from 16 to 24.

A Farewell to 'Contenders,' 'Challengers,' and 'Legends'

In conjunction with the stage name change, Valve is bidding adieu to the designations 'Contenders,' 'Challengers,' and 'Legends' for the participating teams at the Major. This simplification aims to create a more streamlined and straightforward tournament structure.

The PGL Major Copenhagen, the first Major of the Counter-Strike 2 era, is scheduled to take place between March 17 and March 31. The qualifying process begins on January 8 and runs until the end of the month, while the RMRs are set to be held between February 14 and March 4.

These alterations to the seeding process and stage names bring a breath of fresh air to the Major tournament scene, ensuring that teams are judged more fairly and enhancing the viewing experience for fans. The upcoming PGL Major Copenhagen promises to be an exciting and innovative event in the world of Counter-Strike.

Featured Image Source: Valve / PGL

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