The IEM Rio Major Challenger stage starts in a few hours and you still haven’t locked in your pickems? Here’s everything you need to know about the Pickems in order to secure that Diamond Coin.
Like the previous Majors, Valve is running a Pickem challenge inside the game client. In this challenge, fans who have activated an IEM Rio Viewers Pass can select the teams they think will proceed through the various stages, alongside 3-0 and 0-3 results for the Challengers and Legends Stage. The number of these targets you get correctly determines what Major Coin you will have in your profile at the end of the event.
Here are the various challenges you need to complete for the Diamond Coin:
The time-tested formula in Major pickems has been to get your 5 correct picks in the 7 teams that advance section, instead of gambling on the 3-0 team. This is done to avoid losing a guaranteed advancement pick in the 3-0 slot since you do not get any points for your 3-0 pick advancing in a 3-1 result.
So by that logic, you should take your 7 favourites in the 7 to advance section. But the old strategy used a random team as a filler for the 3-0 slot. Instead, we recommend using a new strategy championed by veteran analyst Duncan “Thorin” Shields, who still holds the record for most majors attended as an Analyst. According to Thorin, instead of using a completely random team for the 3-0 pick, you should instead pick from your pool of 3-2 teams.
The choice amongst 3-2 teams can then be made on the basis of stylistic matchups. Usually, a team with very strong firepower but an inconsistent playstyle is an ideal pick. These teams might just have a couple good days and blitz through the single bo3 series to secure a 3-0.
Based on this strategy, these are some of the recommended picks I would go for. Starting with the 0-3 pick, this is the most obvious decision and has been so for the last few majors. Gone are the days of OCE CS teams making major playoffs, and these days their best representative is consistently the worst team in the event, placing behind domestic rivals like IHC time and time again. Thus for your 0-3 pick Grayhounds should be the immediate choice.
For the 7 teams to advance, my advice would be to lock C9, Vitality, Furia and OG as favourites. Then come the underrated Outsiders, who should be able to get through this phase without issues, even if they might struggle against top teams. At this point you should have at least 5 correct picks, so you can choose to go all over the place for the final 3.
Personally, I have gone with the trio of international squads, Fnatic MOUZ and GamerLegion. MOUZ and Fnatic both made playoffs at EPL and look like solid bets at this lower level of opposition, while the GL pick is a complete gamble for the 3-0. They have the firepower to do it, but I don’t see them doing it realistically.
