Esports tournament organiser StarLadder has shared details on the second edition of its Stake Ranked Counter-Strike 2 tournament circuit.
Taking place from May 27th to 30th, the Tier 2 tournament sees teams competing for a $100,000 (~£74,893) prize pool.
Revealed on March 6th, Stake Ranked Episode 2 follows a similar format to the first tournament, where teams can secure a place at the main event through open qualifiers, closed qualifiers, and direct invitations through the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
Direct invites are decided based on April and May’s global standings, with teams ranked 13th and below eligible.
Open qualifiers take place from April 21st to 22nd, with two teams advancing to the 16-team closed qualifier on April 29th to May 3rd. A single-elimination, best-of-three bracket determines two teams that advance to the main event.
Eight invited and qualified teams will compete at a LAN in the Schengen Zone for an opportunity to win the $25,000 (~£18,703) first prize and VRS points that could determine whether teams earn a place at Counter-Strike’s Majors.
Stake Ranked Episode 2 is the second of six Tier 2 tournaments by StarLadder and online casino and sports betting platform Stake as part of the organiser’s efforts to expand its presence within the Tier 2 ecosystem.
Tier 2’s Increased Importance
With Valve opting to place higher importance on the VRS, several high-profile esports organisations frequently attend Tier 2 tournaments to boost their place in the standings. As a result, organisers have increased investments in smaller tournaments to offer big names and smaller teams an incentive to compete.
The closed qualifier for Stake Ranked Episode 1 is underway, with the likes of FOKUS, Fnatic, Team Nemesis, and Berlin International Gaming (BIG) in contention to earn a place at the main event taking place in Barcelona from April 1st to 4th
Alongside the Stake Ranked series, StarLadder has partnered with peripherals manufacturer LORGAR to launch another Tier 2 event taking place from March 12th to April 26th.
