The CS:GO equivalent of Christmas morning is waking up to the release of the upcoming Major’s viewer pass. With PGL Antwerp 2022 just days away, Valve has released the corresponding viewer pass, which is now available for purchase through the CS:GO client.
Alongside the player autograph and team sticker capsules, an always highly anticipated aspect of the Major viewer pass is its Pick ‘Em Challenge. CS:GO fans are tested by guessing which competing teams will advance through the stages of PGL Antwerp, while also choosing specific teams to go 3-0 and 0-3 in each stage.
Completing challenges by nailing your picks is what allows you to upgrade your event coin to Silver, Gold, and potentially Diamond. Here are some tips and tricks to consider when making your picks.
How to play the Pick ‘Em Challenge
After purchasing the PGL Antwerp 2022 viewer pass, you will be able to access the Pick ‘Em Challenge. For both the Challengers Stage and Legends Stage, you will need to guess one team that will advance with an undefeated 3-0 record, one team to be eliminated with a 0-3 record, and seven teams that will advance to the next stage. Of these nine guesses per stage, you will need to get at least five right to get credit toward upgrading your event coin.
For the Champions Stage, also known as the playoffs, you’ll need to fill out the entire playoff bracket, including who wins the grand finals. You can complete up to three coin challenges by doing any of the following:
- Correctly guess two teams to reach the semifinals
- Correctly guess one team to reach the grand finals
- Correctly guess the team that wins the grand finals
Additionally, you can complete three challenges just by placing your predictions before each stage begins. At the very least, you can ensure a coin upgrade to Silver even if you completely fail your predictions.
The 3-0 pick dilemma
Making your 3-0 pick for both the Challengers and Legends Stage can be an especially tricky challenge. Some say that you want to avoid one of the top teams in the stage, because if they don’t go 3-0, then you miss out on your 3-0 selection and lose out on an advancing team selection.
The suggestion then is to pick a team with a wide gap between its floor and ceiling, meaning you select a team that could easily go 3-0 or not make past the stage at all. G2, for example, were a popular 3-0 pick for the PGL Stockholm 2021 Legends Stage because they had the talent to go undefeated but also struggled with consistency, and they ended up going 3-0.
But this strategy can also lead you to overthink things. Many doing so strayed away from picking Na’Vi in the same stage because they were essentially a guaranteed playoff team, but they ended up going 3-0 because they were the best team at the event as indicated by their eventual championship.
There’s unfortunately no clear-cut answer or perfect solution to this dilemma. You’ll just have to take it stage-by-stage.
PGL Antwerp 2022 – Champions Stage Pick ‘Em suggestions
The first two Stages sure have had plenty of surprises. Astralis, former back-to-back-to-back Major winners, got bounced in the Challengers Stage. A handful of playoff favorites in G2, Vitality, and Cloud9 all fell short in the Legends Stage.
Now only eight teams remain, and PGL Antwerp coin users will have to pick who advances through the entire single-elimination bracket. Remember, you can earn a challenge point for correctly picking the winners of two of the four quarterfinals, one of the two semifinals, and the grand final.
The first thing you should do is pick a winner. Of the eight teams remaining, the safest choice has to be Na’Vi; the reigning champions with the world’s best player is about as sure a pick as you can get. FaZe and ENCE are potentially good options as well, as they’re both in great form.
Once you have your winner in mind, build your bracket around your eventual winner. For individual matchups, use our power rankings or check out sites like HLTV for further insight into how teams matchup.
