Xaxas
04.03.2026
Two days can reshape an entire ESL Pro League campaign. Round 2 and Round 3 of ESL Pro League Season 23 delivered clean 2-0 statements, painful 0-2 collapses, and a growing elimination pool packed with organizations that were expected to cruise through Stage 1.
If you are building Pick'ems rankings with a +1 correct and -1 incorrect system, this is where discipline matters. Choose battles wisely. Early Swiss volatility punishes blind loyalty to big names.
Let's break down who surged toward Stage 2 and who is now fighting for survival.
Round 2 split the field into clear lanes.
Astralis dismantled HEROIC 2-0 to move into the high bracket, while PARIVISION handled paiN with authority. FUT edged Passion UA 2-1 in a series defined by Azbayar Senzu Munkhbold's explosive 1.44 rating despite the loss. Legacy shocked G2 2-0, planting the first real upset flag of the week.
In the low matches, Monte swept NRG, 3DMAX dispatched SemperFi, M80 outlasted Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Gaimin Gladiators stunned Liquid 2-1.
That loss dropped Liquid into the 0-2 pool alongside NIP, NRG, and SemperFi. For Pick'ems players, this is the first inflection point. Do you double down on brand value, or separate from the pack and ride form?
If you projected safe advancement for Liquid or NIP, Round 2 forced a recalibration.
With matches running every day through ESL Pro League Season 23, there is always another Pick'ems decision on the horizon. Gocore publishes daily tips to help you track the tournament and make informed predictions as the bracket evolves.
Ninjas in Pyjamas looked disjointed in clutch situations and anti-ecos against M80. Marco Snappi Pfeiffer admitted the team looks like two different rosters in practice versus officials. Their CT sides lacked stability, and their T sides often stalled in late round calls.
In a format where map vetoes and mid round structure decide everything, that gap becomes lethal.
For Pick'ems, NIP instantly became a volatility team. High risk, low margin.
Round 3 separated contenders from survivors.
FUT swept Astralis 2-0 to become the first team into Stage 2. Overpass was a tactical clinic with a 9-3 CT half before closing 13-3. On Mirage, Astralis briefly stabilized, but Aulon Krabeni Fazlija closed the door with high impact calling and a 1.69 series rating.
Three clean wins over M80, Passion UA, and Astralis signal a team comfortable in both structured defaults and high pressure retakes.
If you backed FUT early in Pick'ems, you just banked safe points.
Legacy defeated PARIVISION 2-0 to lock their own 3-0 ticket. Both Inferno and Dust2 followed a similar pattern. PARIVISION built early leads before collapsing under late half pressure and aggressive mid round calls from Andrei arT Piovezan.
Bruno latto Rebelatto topped the server on Inferno, while arT's Banana control disrupted PARIVISION's T side rhythm.
Legacy's adaptation across map vetoes has been sharp. They punished small economy mistakes and converted mid round advantages efficiently.
This is exactly the type of Swiss performer that rewards long term Pick'ems consistency.
Liquid avoided elimination with a tense 2-1 over SemperFi. Dust2 looked comfortable, Mirage exposed structural weaknesses, and Inferno required Jonathan EliGE Jablonowski to deliver key opening duels.
Their T sides remain inconsistent outside of Dust2. Against stronger mid bracket teams, that will not hold.
Pick'ems takeaway: Liquid are alive, but not stable. They are no longer a safe +1.
NIP survived NRG in a chaotic 2-1 series capped by a double overtime Anubis decider. Kacper xKacpersky Gabara posted a 1.48 rating and carried high impact multi frags in late round recoveries.
Michael Grim Wince nearly flipped the series on Ancient with a 2.15 rating performance, but NIP closed in extra rounds.
The win keeps their Major hopes faintly intact, but the structural cracks remain.
From a Pick'ems angle, NIP are now a pure risk selection. They can spike, but they cannot be trusted.
Monte defeated HEROIC to climb back into contention. 3DMAX handled Gaimin Gladiators. paiN recovered against Passion UA. G2 edged M80 2-1 to steady their campaign after the Legacy loss.
This cluster is dangerous for prediction players. Skill gaps are thin. Map vetoes and pistol conversion rates will decide advancement.
If you want to separate from the pack in future rounds, this is where calculated risks live.
Stage 1 Swiss formats reward form tracking over brand loyalty.
FUT and Legacy showed consistent CT side setups, strong retake coordination, and controlled map vetoes. They earned their 3-0 exits.
Liquid and NIP showed mechanical flashes but struggled in anti-eco conversions and mid round clarity.
Astralis, PARIVISION, Monte, 3DMAX, G2, and paiN now sit in volatile lanes where match volume shrinks and every series carries elimination weight.
If you are building monthly rankings, prioritize teams with structural identity over highlight potential. The +1 correct and -1 incorrect scoring punishes emotional picks.
Choose battles wisely.
As Round 4 approaches, the 2-1 pool becomes the most important prediction battleground. This is where sharp reads compound advantage.
Xaxas
04.03.2026
Article TAGS
News Feed
The HLTV Top 20 Players list remains the most influential individual ranking in Counter Strike, built on a detailed statistical model that rewards consistency, sample size, and elite level performance across the entire calendar year. It is thorough, disciplined, and data driven. But 2025 was not a year defined only by averages.
Stage 2 at IEM Krakow proved Pick'ems strategy beats reputation as Spirit and Vitality dominated with efficiency while Aurora exceeded expectations and FURIA survived elimination pressure.
Vitality defeated FURIA 3-1 in the IEM Krakow 2026 grand final, claiming their first trophy of the year and officially surpassing Astralis as the most successful organization in CS Big Event history. Powered by a career-best showing from ZywOo, the win marked Vitality's 20th Big Event title and reinforced their position as the defining team of the modern era.
The PGL Bucharest 2026 Playoffs are here, and we have predictions for every match from quarter-finals to the grand final to sharpen your Pick'ems strategy.
Eight teams collide in Barcelona as Stake Ranked Episode 1 heats up the road to IEM Cologne, with every map win carrying massive VRS implications. Here is your complete CS2 predictions guide for the Gocore Pick'Ems leaderboard.
Vitality delivered. PARIVISION surprised. Here is how PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 played out and what it means for your GoCore Pick'Ems rankings going forward.
The BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 playoffs come down to six teams, and knowing where to play safe and where to take risks is the difference between climbing the Pick'ems leaderboard and falling behind.
Gocore's CS2 predictions held up through a chaotic PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 Swiss stage where discipline and CT-side resilience separated the leaderboard climbers from the minus-one collectors.
Eight elite teams remain in Budapest, and your Pick'ems coin faces its ultimate test with NiKo vs donk rematches, FalleN's final chase, and home crowd MOUZ creating the most unpredictable Major playoffs bracket in years.
ESL Pro League Season 23 opens with eight Swiss System clashes on March 1st, featuring a mix of dominant favourites and two knife-edge matchups that could define early bracket positions. Here are the CS2 predictions you need for opening day.