Counter-Strike's Shanghai Major Elimination Stage features several underdog teams poised to make significant impacts. Here are the most promising dark horses:

Heroic (#7 HLTV/Valve Rankings)

After transitioning from a Danish to an international roster, Heroic has shown remarkable growth. Their recent achievements include:

• Quarter-Finals at IEM Katowice 2024
• 3rd/4th at IEM Rio 2024
• Silver medals at Elisa Masters Espoo and Thunderpick World Championship 2024

Key strengths:

• NertZ's impressive 1.23 LAN rating
• TeSeS's consistent 1.13 rating
• degster's addition as AWPer
• sjuush's exceptional support play
• kyxsan's flexible leadership

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

2024 has been transformative for this Mongolian squad, achieving:

• Top 16 at PGL Copenhagen Major 2024
• Multiple playoff appearances (EPL 19 & 20, IEM Cologne, IEM Rio)
• Victory at Thunderpick World Championship ($850,000)
• $986,347 total prize money (4th highest in 2024)

Notable advantages:

• Stable roster since September 2023
• bLitz's dynamic leadership
• 910's AWPing prowess
• Senzu's rifling skills
• Strong system and organizational structure

The MongolZ's recent 10-match winning streak and dominant Opening Stage performance (losing only 15 rounds across 4 maps) position them as a serious threat to top teams, representing Asia's growing competitive presence in Counter-Strike.

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