EPL S22 Stage One concludes with Passion UA, MIBR in enviable Stage Two slots

With ESL Pro League Season 22 Stage One now complete, the best spots at the top of the Americas VRS rankings are getting closer to being locked up. FURIA and paiN seem certain to secure the #1 and #2 spots that guarantee a spot in Stage Three, while Passion UA and MIBR comfortably sit at #3 and #4.

Poor showings at Pro League from NRG and M80 in particular have allowed Passion UA to climb the rankings, boosted by their own strong performances at DraculaN 2 and the Urban Riga Open, where they finished 2nd and 1st respectively.

Down in Brazil, MIBR have followed Passion UA's path of finding success on LAN, outright winning the FERJEE Rush event and winning their opening group stage matches at Circuit X South America. With Legacy losing two straight to Astralis and Gentle Mates, missing out on the next stage of Pro League, MIBR has managed to surpass their local rivals. Legacy are also not slated to compete until after the October 7th rankings go out, meaning their fate is left completely out of their hands.

There's still plenty of important Counter-Strike remaining. A handful of Brazilian teams hovering around the Americas cutoff are also competing at Circuit X, including Imperial, Fluxo, and ODDIK. Fragadephia Blocktober starts this weekend, though the changes to coverage and VRS implications have (in addition to visa and health issues) forced a number of different teams to withdraw.