The PGL Krakow major is set to start in just about a few days. The first Major organised by PGL will be set to the same standards that we have seen from previous majors. The defending Champions in Astralis will compete against 15 other teams for the majority of the $1,000,000 prize pool. Here is all you need to know about the upcoming CS GO major.

PGL Krakow Trailer

First PGL Hosted Major in CS GO

Prize pool : $1,000,000

Duration : July 16-23

Format = Swiss Format

The PGL Krakow is the most exciting time of the year in Counter Strike. Being a Major, it is the final stop for most of the top teams in the world. We have eight legend teams who received a direct invite due to being top eight in the last major. They include the likes of Virtus Pro, Astralis etc.

The format for the upcoming major is the Swiss format. The swiss format heavily depends on the Day 1 matches. The first teams to reach 3 wins are qualified to the playoffs. Simultaneously the first team to reach three losses will be eliminated from the tournament. The initial match-ups are extremely important as we have seen teams reach playoffs based on weak opponents.

Swiss format might be entertaining but I hate it and think its way too better for underdog teams. GGWP fnatic we move on to playoffs. — Gabriel Toledo (@FalleNCS) July 6, 2017

We will take a look at some of the teams that are participating in this major. Some teams have remained strong since the last major, while others are on the verge of disbanding. Despite all this, we are in for some amazing CS GO for the next week.

Astralis

Astralis have a very wide map pool, which adds to their superior skill set. Each player has proven his worth repeatedly over the years and has a fixed role to play in the team. Despite this, we see them switching roles sometimes with equally victorious measures.

Astralis is a strong contender for the upcoming major. Their performance in the matches, both online and offline have been nothing short of a Top Three CS GO team.

Virtus Pro

The other finalist from Eleague Major, Virtus Pro present quite a different story. One of the most popular CS GO teams by far, Virtus Pro never needed to rely on their results to get the support of their fans. The attitude of the players and the chemistry between them entices everyone to like them, even if they are the opponents. Taz has been involved in the Counter Strike space for a long time. The 31 year old veteran, which is considered quite old by esports standards has had a towering influence over the youngsters and upcoming talent in the industry.

However recently, Virtus Pro simply do not have any good results. After failing to qualify for ESL Pro League and being on the verge of a similar fate for ECS, the Polish team has found itself in a dire position. They have not had a good finish in their past three LAN events. There have been talks of discord within the team.

The differences between the players have only widened, and it was a surprise when talks about Virtus Pro disbanding were released into the media. The Polish team has been the longest standing team together in CS GO. They have always believed in their players. Roster changes are something that do not interest them, as has been reiterated repeatedly.

I do not expect Virtus Pro to win the upcoming major. However the individual talent in the players is just too skilled to ignore. They should be able to make it to the playoffs, which is their aim for the upcoming tournament.

SK Gaming

SK Gaming have been a strong contender in the professional scene ever since they have been involved in it. Their era, which comprised of the early months of 2016 saw them take two majors and dominate the CS GO Esports scene in a big way.

They have won their last four big tournaments : CS Summit, IEM Sydney, ECS S3 and ESL One Cologne. The team is looking extremely confident and their holds on their CT sides are very strong. They do have their fair share of weak maps, however even on these maps they are a very strong team. Individual performances from their star players have always played a major part in the development and results of the team.

In their postgame interviews at ESL one Cologne, Fallen looked extremely confident of their performance at the upcoming Major. SK Gaming should be able to reach the semifinals easily in this tournament. Whether they would take the trophy or not is something that depends on their performance on the given day.

PGL Krakow will be one of the strongly contested majors. With Cloud9, Faze showing signs of revival recently we might be in for a few surprises. We will be posting another articles on the potential underdogs at the upcoming major. The swiss system definitely provides a good opportunity for underdogs to reach the playoffs.