Details have been announced for the CIS Minor LAN finals. Pro100 make their LAN debut against the likes of Tengri and Vega Squadron.
The LAN finals for the CIS Minor are just days away. The event starts on June 8th and eight teams from the region will be battling for just two spots at the main qualifier for the Kraków major. Up and coming teams from the CIS will be looking for a breakout opportunity in the absence of teams like Gambit and Natus Vincere.
The event begins with two groups of four teams which will be played GSL style. That means that two losses in the group stage sees a team eliminated from the tournament and two teams per group qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs will be regular double elimination, with each game being a best of three.
Group A will be played in its entirety on day one with Group B taking place on June 9. The groups look like this:
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
 TS Academy | Team Spirit |
 Tengri | Spartak Esports |
 K29 | Quantum Bellatore Fire |
| Vega Squadron |  Pro100 |
The use of the GLS format means that teams don’t necessarily face every team in their group. The first round of matches has the potential to be more important than in would be in regular group play. With that in mind, here are the fixtures for the opening round:
Thursday, June 8th - Group A
K29 vs. TS Academy
Tengri vs. Vega Squadron
Friday, June 9th - Group B
Team Spirit vs. Quantum Bellatore Fire
Spartak Esports vs. Pro100
The CIS region has traditionally had at least a handful of solid teams. With Gambit and Na'Vi already qualified for Krakow, the Minor takes on extra importance for CIS teams. It is a huge opportunity for teams who don’t normally get to face such strong opposition or play on such a huge stage. On top of earning a spot at the major, there is $50,000 in prize money at stake.
Several of the competing teams are on the fringes of the professional scene. None of them are ranked in HLTV’s top 30 but this is largely due to the fact that they do not get to compete in high level competition outside of their region. However, we have seen Vega Squadron put up impressive LAN performances in the past and former fan-favourites Pro100 will be making its first LAN appearance since the team was re-founded.
Predicting a winner from this event is near impossible. The CIS region has always been a goldmine of untapped talent and filled with teams that perform better on LAN than they do online. The Minor should be well worth watching with that in mind.
Image courtesy of PGL
