Professional Counter-Strike teams are preparing for the Elimination Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, with several underdogs poised to make significant impacts. Here are the key dark horse contenders:

Heroic (#7 World Ranking)

• Qualified directly to Elimination Stage through European RMR (3-1 record)
• Recently transformed from Danish to international roster
• Key recent achievements:
  • Quarterfinals at IEM Katowice 2024
  • 5th-6th at IEM Dallas
  • Silver medals at Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 and Thunderpick World Championship

Current roster strengths:

• NertZ: Impressive 1.23 LAN rating
• TeSeS: Consistent 1.13 rating
• degster: High-impact AWPer
• Strong support from sjuush and tactical leadership from kyxsan

The MongolZ (#5 Valve Ranking, #9 HLTV)

• Historic year with multiple achievements:
  • Top 16 at PGL Copenhagen Major 2024
  • Playoff appearances in EPL 19/20, IEM Cologne, Rio
  • Victory at Thunderpick World Championship ($850,000)
  • $986,347 total prize money (4th highest in 2024)

Key strengths:

• Stable roster since September 2023
• Strong tactical foundation under bLitz's leadership
• Exceptional firepower from 910 (AWP) and Senzu
• Current 10-match winning streak
• Only 15 rounds lost across four maps in Opening Stage

Both teams have demonstrated the potential to not only survive the Elimination Stage but potentially make deep runs in the tournament, challenging the established elite teams.

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