North American League 2022 - Stage 1 is now concluded and top four finalists are ready for Six Charlotte Major. NAL was a wild ride for the teams, as 4 of them secured their slots for the upcoming major.
Let’s take a look at what went down
Key takeaways from NAL 2022 Stage 1
XSET and Astralis are qualified for the major after their most impressive match of the stage yet
XSET and Astralis have qualified for the Major after the most fascinating match of the stage. XSET and Astralis' breath holding 8-7 tie on Villa was the most exciting series of the stage so far.
The two were pretty much equal the whole game, which is unusual given how defender-oriented Siege can be.
Earlier in the day, Astralis qualified for the Major. XSET was competing for a berth; they wanted to make it to overtime in order to get the guaranteed spot.
Astralis' statistical leader was David "iconic" Ifidon, however this game was essentially a showdown between two Major teams. At the Charlotte Major, both will represent the North American division.
DarkZero and Spacestation fought to the end for the last slot
These two teams gave their all to get the final slot.
The win extends DarkZero's current world-leading run of international event participation. They had previously competed in eight tournaments in a row, beginning with the Pro League Season 9 Finals. FaZe Clan owns the organisational-level record with 12 consecutive international competitions.
DarkZero had a poor second week, putting them in fourth position at the end of the stage's last playday. They were just one point off of Spacestation, and if Spacestation tied DZ on points, they could still tiebreak on round differential, making today's match a victory and in.
The early advantage was subsequently wasted by an excellent Spacestation onslaught, resulting in a 5-5 tie. DZ eventually won 7-5 after a couple of gritty defence rounds.
On DarkZero's side, the match's star was Paul "Hyper" Kontopanagiotis, who racked up double-digit kills. Heroics by Troy "Canadian" Jaroslawski and Nick "njr" Rapier prevented Spacestation from completing the last round with a final plant attempt.
DarkZero will next take over the server during the Charlotte Major, which will take place from May 16 to May 22.
Who qualified for the Six Charlotte Major 2022?
Three teams qualified for the Charlotte Major that will be played through May 16th to 22th. After Mirage defeated beastcoast in a surprising comeback regarding their overall performance in the stage, this win sent Astralis and Oxygen to the event by affecting the overall results table.
XSET went to overtime with Astralis, earning them a spot in the Major by points.
Overall, NA appears to be in good shape. Oxygen appears to be a powerful squad, Astralis appears to be lethal, and XSET's aggressive play is reaping rewards in offensive rounds and the rivalry between DarkZero and Spacestation is over with DZ coming on top. These are the four teams that made it into the Charlotte Major.
