Despite falling short of high expectations, Atlanta Faze is still poised as the favorites to get first place in the Stage 2 Qualifiers of the 2023 season.
Online bookie bet365 has priced Atlanta Faze at a 3.50 despite the team finishing fourth in the Stage 1 Major. Meanwhile, the defending champion New York Subliners are slated at 4.00 creating a neck and neck battle with the favorites.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 7th, 7:00 A.M. (EST)
While all teams will eventually play in the Majors, this Qualifier is all too important as it will determine the seedings. And for some teams, it is important to get favorable match-ups to begin the Modern Warfare II competition as the games can be very gritty, especially during the playoffs.
Subliners had to grind from the lower bracket round 2 after losing 3-1 early in the event versus eventual second place finishers Seattle Surge. Before extracting their revenge in a tough best-of-seven finals format with a score of 4-1, New York Subliners had a tough road having to best teams like Toronto Ultra and Atlanta Faze to get their ultimately desired rematch.
KISMET had a phenomenal showing during the Major and notched an MVP award. He will look to continue his strong performance heading towards the second leg of the 2023 season that will culminate in August. HyDra has also been a pivotal member of the squad. The standout player came all the way from France and has certainly been up to par with his North American peers.
Coached by Jkap and Shane, the Los Angeles Thieves will look to come out stronger in the Majors by making a splash in the qualifiers. While the team secured a 5th-6th placement, this team is built to win trophies and certainly have huge expectations for this roster.
Despite finishing third, the same can be said for Atlanta Faze. The favorites to win the Stage 1 Major held last December at the Raleigh Convention Center lost two straight series. First of which was a tight 2-3 finish against Seattle where they would eventually fall in El Asilo Search and Destroy with a score of 6-4 in a very tight contest. However, they seemed to run out of punches as they got dismantled by the Subliners, only taking off one map from them. The strong lineup of aBezY, Callium, Simp, and SlaheR will look to bounce back in Stage 2.
Will Atlanta Faze come back strong? Or will the New York Subliners prove their Major victory was more than just a fluke?
