Today is the final day of the APAC North season, and the two teams competing in the Jönköping Major have already been selected.
Given that none of the teams will place in the top 16 of the SI Points standings, there is no risk of CAG or SANDBOX dropping out of the top two, and there is no practical reason for any other team to compete for SI Points.
Viewers may be interested in watching Spear Gaming vs. REJECT because REJECT might be trying to hold onto third place in the league after missing out on the Major the previous week. With no longer being in danger of being relegated, Spear themselves have little to play for.
FAV gaming, on the other hand, will aim to end their season on a high note. They compete against Talon Esports, but they arrive having defeated DWG KIA and REJECT 8-7 in back-to-back games and may have discovered a strategy that will be helpful in the future SI 2023 qualifiers.
The high-profile DWG KIA vs. SANDBOX Gaming match, which was termed a Major-decider even before the stage started, would cap off the day. But due to a stunningly bad performance from DWG, this encounter has turned into a lopsided contest in favor of the previously qualified SANDBOX.
Therefore, the opening contest between Fnatic and league leaders CAG might be the game of the day.
Can Fnatic Win This One?
Just weeks before Stage 3 began, the Fnatic roster underwent three changes, making them a fairly young team. Only one of the changes was explicitly planned, but Fnatic was still able to achieve success.
They won three games in a row, beating REJECT, FAV, and Spear Gaming during their brief winning streak. That streak was broken by SANDBOX, who also shown that they needed to improve before they could compete with them or even DWG KIA, who defeated Fnatic 7-3.
Talon's 7-3 defeat also casts doubt on Fnatic's chances against CAG, notably their offensive prowess.
They have only been successful in 13 of the 30 attacking rounds they have engaged in thus far in APAC North. When comparing their offensive rounds versus SANDBOX, DWG, and Talon combined, the percentage drops to 1 out of 13.
In contrast, in the three games they won, they were successful in 12 of 17 offensive rounds.
Fnatic is capable of defeating CAG, but it won't happen unless their attacks get better. If they succeed, it will demonstrate that they have the capacity to advance and maybe compete for the final APAC place at SI 2023.
CAG Having Much Easier Time
If CAG defeats Fnatic today in regulation, they can maintain their lead in the APAC North standings.
Although they lost to SANDBOX in OT, they still qualified for the Major last week, thus they don't really have anything to play for.
Following their failure to qualify for the Berlin Major in Stage 2, CAG will undoubtedly make a statement by topping the leaderboard. They might face more defeatable competition in the Major group stage as a result, which could offer them a little edge.
Naturally, CAG might still take first place in the standings if DWG KIA defeats SANDBOX by a margin of one point greater than the points CAG scores against Fnatic.
