Spoiler
Amaterasu who are leading the championship by 25 points can once again be seen as the big favorites. The 5v5 format is bringing them back to their comfort zone, a size some of them can call their favourite and one that allows them to play the best 5 only, a top 5 that hardly seems beatable. The addition of former Virgins player Steinmann in favour of the injured RedFire could be pretty pointless for the 5v5 as it's hard to see Steinmann playing in the main Line-Up, although he looks like the perfect addition for the 6v6 or 7v7, especially considering his chemistry with Swedish rising star Achilles. If Amaterasu has all the top guys on Sunday, the team around Zeyden will be close to impossible to beat.
Poosy by nature the biggest rival of that Amaterasu team once again seems somewhat hard to foresee. Even though they took the 7v7 title home, they did it with a Line-Up that is to some amount different to what they played in earlier tries. Missing emergency sub Elsse it could be hard to repeat, even tho top guys such as Rikkert could be back. A strategy for Poosy to win could be to surprise themselves and Amaterasu with player choice. Some of the on-paper substitute players have done a decent job and would deserve a spot in the main line-up. Poosy needs to find a team with good chemistry, and that can sometimes mean playing "weaker" players for the sake of winning as a team. So why not give Hertz and Herishey a shot alongside the Top 3 Python, Domi, and Rikkert?
The addition to the second half of this EGS season is Legends. A team of mainly old-generation french players who are here to directly have an impact. There is no honest doubt about the potential to do that, still, I find it hard to imagine that they will make a final on their first try. ExTaZz94 is still one of the, if not the best player, and Elsse for Poosy has shown that after his decreasing activity he is still a Top 10 player. But for the rest the question marks are big! What can Tiberias do, insane player or shadow of his old him? Is ONeil good enough to take a spot when it comes to big matches? Can LeBrave prioritize the team over himself? A lot of question that will be answered this Sunday. A player who could balance it out a bit in Legends favor is Clash, one that is not as hyped and strong as ExTaZz for example. But a guy who plays bloody consistent and does "honest work".
When it comes to a 5v5 we have to remember that this is ENIGMA's time. If the "big 3" and Blacktham make it to the tournament, they have a true chance of even causing something really big. They are my biggest chance to cause an upset against either Poosy or Amaterasu. ProudBoys "just" have to find a day where they have 5 players playing to their normal level. In the past, they were either missing players or had key guys playing way below the average they do. So if they bring it together they are more than one of many contenders. But in a way, this tournament looks like the hardest to win so it could come out they play the best tournament so far, and get the worst result.
Having achieved a sensational 4th place last time, NSS is more of an outsider in the 5v5 tournament. They do not have that phenomenal 5 man line-up, they rely on consistency along with the roster depth. NSS will likely be fighting for a quarter-final place. The exact same prediction goes for Virgins. After the bad performance in the 7v7, they also lost Steinmann and have to play in their worst format. Anything more than a quarter-final would even be a surprise this time. The other way around are the odds for CCCP. Sunday could be their time to shine, in a format that benefits and where they can play the 5 very strong players they have. Due to the depth at the top, a semi may be too much of a question. But a quarter-final is nearly a must.
Both finalists of the mid-tier tournament will be looking to continue that good form here. 13e Academy who slightly surprisingly won that tournament are in the first place that does not qualify for the finals and wanna turn it around. But even with the addition of BlackBeard to the normal roster, without Clash and Dren it will be hard to continue that winning streak. Not meaning they don't have a chance to do something. For NPP the mid-tier tournament was a good chance to get some game practice that they can use now. In the end, the roster could be too weak to do something big. Nothing big, but the first knock-out participation will be the goal for Amigos. Loaning in Felociraptor from Enigma and adding Nosswill to the roster, they have the biggest chance they had to do that, but are still relying on a decent group.
