As if the excitement of PGS 3 wasn’t enough, PGS 4 is right around the corner! Promising back-to-back PUBG Esports action, the top 24 teams in the world will face off once more from June 3 - 9.
Here’s a quick recap of how teams from EMEA & Americas performed in PGS 3, as well as who’s in with a shot of taking home the championship title this time around:
Natus Vincere
NAVI’s new roster of Feyerist, DIFX, Hakatory and SoseD were certainly not without their doubters before the team made their global debut at PGS 3. Sure, the team had looked very strong on the regional stage, but there were still questions to be answered about how well the young team would be able to perform under the pressure of a LAN environment.
Following their phenomenal fourth place finish at PGS 3 however, any doubts were swiftly put to rest. To end your first global finals with the same amount of total points as Twisted Minds is an outstanding achievement, and is no doubt testament to the squad’s mechanical skill and the experience of coach Alrein.
We’re excited to see if NAVI can maintain their consistency and end PGS 4 with another top spot!
Soniqs
Even though Soniqs narrowly missed out on the back-to-back PGS title to CERBERUS Esports, the superstar squad of hwinn, Shrimzy, TGLTN and Kickstart nevertheless looked extremely strong throughout PGS 3.
In the Grand Finals, the team had a slow first three matches, but subsequently rocketed up the standings at the end of Day 1 - where they found themselves battling with Twisted Minds for first place on Day 2. Even though Soniqs were able to come out ahead of Twisted Minds on Day 3, both teams were ultimately overtaken by CERBERUS for the Championship title.
Regardless, the second place finish is definitive proof that the Soniqs are still capable of matching the outstanding form they had last year during PGS 2 - and we’re curious to see if they can reach even greater heights in PGS 4.
Twisted Minds
Coming hot off four back-to-back regional tournament wins, expectations for Twisted Minds were at an all-time high coming into PGS 3.
The titanic squad of BatulinS, Lu, Perfect1ks and xmpl certainly didn’t disappoint - the team put on a dominant tournament run, breezing through the Group Stage in first place - with their momentum continuing through the first two days of the Grand Finals.
Unfortunately, things seemed to fall apart for the team on the last day of the Grand Finals, and they ended the tournament in third place following a nine point day.
We’re excited to see what they have in store for us at PGS 4 - time and again, Twisted Minds have proven they have the confidence and resolve to dominate their competition on the global stage. A championship title is unquestionably within reach for the team, as long as they can hunker down, steel their resolve and see the tournament through when the going gets rough.
Team Falcons
Long considered one of the dominant teams in the Americas region, Falcons’ squad of M1ME, Snakers, Relo and Fludd got off to a slow start in PGS 3, finishing the Group Stage in 22nd and missing out on Grand Finals qualification as a result.
With PAS1 and PAS3 Championship titles and respectable 8th place finish at PGC 2023 under their belt, the PGS 3 result will no doubt be disappointing for the squad. However, they’ve already proven that they have the pedigree and adaptability to hang with the best teams on the global stage - and if the team can dig deep in between now and PGS 4 and analyze what went wrong, their fortunes in PGS 4 could be strikingly different. We’ll be looking forward to see if the Falcons can come back to the competition in Shanghai with a vengeance!
FaZe Clan
FaZe’s veteran roster of Fexx, Gustav, curexi and Jeemzz put on a decent performance in the Group Stage, earning them a qualification to the Grand Finals. Unfortunately, it seemed the momentum wasn’t with FaZe in the Grand Finals as they ended the tournament in 15th (overall, just below the middle of the pack).
While 15th is by no means a bottom spot - there were of course, 24 teams in the tournament - it’s likely that the team would have had higher expectations of themselves, given their unparalleled history and proven mettle in the PUBG Esports scene.
Still, if anyone is capable of digging deep and coming back stronger, it’s FaZe. After all, their ability to bounce back and put the work in even when things don’t go their way has resulted in many final tournament days being named “FaZe Sunday” - so we’re looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves for PGS 4.
TSM
TSM’s squad of aLOW, luke12, PurdyKurty and sparkingg came out of the gate absolutely swinging in the Group Stage - putting two chicken dinners down in just two days, which led to them finishing the Group Stage in an exceptionally strong 5th place.
Similarly to FaZe however, their fortunes took a turn for the worse in the Grand Finals, with a final placing of 14th - helped by an awesome Chicken Dinner on the last match of the tournament.
While the 14th place finish is certainly respectable - especially among the best teams in the world - TSM will no doubt be looking for ways to build on the explosive momentum they had in the PGS 3 Group Stage as they eye up the PGS 4 title next week.
Virtus.pro
After shocking audiences with an out-of-this world performance at the PUBG EMEA Championship, all eyes were on Virtus.pro to see if they could convert their regional dominance into a winning tournament run at PGS 3. In particular, the mix of ibiza’s vast previous LAN experience with the proven, exceptionally strong online track record of Qwizzy, Lukarux and NIXZYEE certainly looked like a compelling proposition for their chances in PGS 3.
When the Group Stage kicked off though, things started looking pretty tough for the Virtus.pro bears. While circle RNG will always be a force for teams to reckon with in PUBG tournaments, Virtus.pro got dealt a particularly rough hand of circles this time around - which perhaps made it more difficult for the team to achieve a consistent winning momentum, ultimately leading to their tournament run ending with a 21st place finish in the Group Stage.
The break between PGS 3 and 4 will give the team a much-needed chance to regroup and reset as they analyze their gameplay - we’re excited to see what new strategies the team can bring to the table for PGS 4!
Legacy
Brazilian powerhouse team Legacy have always looked consistently strong in regionals (with podium finishes in PAS1 and PAS3), which led them to easily qualify to global tournaments both this year and last year (PGC 2023 & PGS 3).
Despite this, it seems the team still has some work to do if they want to flourish against the top teams on the global stage. Of course, they’re not the only team to have faced this issue - as the playstyles at global tournaments can often be very different to those commonly seen at regional tournaments, it’s usually a big watershed moment for a team when they figure out how to adapt and eventually excel on the global stage. In a sense, learning to modify one’s gameplay and strategy for the global meta is the last hurdle that the best teams face in order to become one of the best in the world.
Right now, it feels like the squad of guizeraa, lfp1, vhz and rbN might be right on the cusp of clearing this hurdle - and we’re excited to see what strategies they bring out at PGS 4. Make sure to tune in at 18:00 CEST / 9am PT from June 3 - 9!
For more information on how you can catch all of the PGS 4 action, check out our Broadcast Channels Blog! Until then - we’ll see you on the Battlegrounds.