The road to PUBG Global Championship 2021: Points Edition
(All calculations and predicted point tallies below are including the PCS5 results, based on the overall results from Week 1)
Just two months from today, the 32 best PUBG teams in the world will be facing-off in Incheon’s Paradise City (or online in case of some teams if needed) in the 2021 PUBG Global Championship. For each of those teams, this will be their chance to mark themselves as the best team in the world and take a lion share of a 2,000,000+ USD prize pool. But before that, we need to find out which teams will even get to the biggest event of the year, by taking a look at each of four major regions (Asia, Asia Pacific, Americas and Europe) and at who can qualify through the means of PGC Point Ranking or by winning the PCS5 and/or other premier events.
Asia (12 slots)
- PUBG Weekly Series (1 slot) — Gen.G (Winner of PWS East Asia Phase 2)*
* — if Gen.G finishes 8th or higher in PGC Asia Point Ranking after PCS5, they’ll keep their PWS slot and Point slot will be allocated to the highest non-qualified PWS team based on PGC points.
- China/ PUBG Champions League (1 slot) — NewHappy (PCL Summer 2021 Champion)*
* — if NewHappy finishes 8th or higher in PGC Asia Point Ranking after PCS5, they’ll keep their point slot, while the PCL slot will be carried over to Four Angry Men as the PCL Spring 2021 Champion.
- Japan (1 slot) — Element.36 Japan/ Detonation Gaming White (Japanese team with most PGC points)*
* If E36 or DGW qualifies to PGC through the Point Ranking, Japan’s guaranteed slot will be allocated to the other PCS5 Japanese representative. If both teams qualify through Point Ranking, the slot will be reallocated to the ZETA DIVISION as Japan’s best performing team in PWS Phase 2.
- Taipei/ Hong Kong/ Macao (1 slot) — Global Esport Xsset (TPHKMO team with most PGC points)*
* if GEX qualifies to PGC through the Point Ranking, they’ll keep their point slot and TPHKMO slot will be allocated to Aura Esports — the TWHKMO’s best performing team in PWS Phase 2
- Top 8 teams in PGC Asia Point Ranking after PCS5
Petrichor Road is qualified by points due to their PCS4 Asia title, Ghibli Esports will qualify as long as they don’t finish last and top 8 of PCS5 includes two teams outside of top 8 in points (ex. V7, CTG) and (in exact order from 3rd to 7th in PCS5) — DAMWON Kia, 17Gaming, Danawa, MaD, MCG.
Top 3 finish in PCS5 Asia GUARANTEES a PGC spot, 4th place will be enough for current top 8 in points (DAMWON Kia, 17Gaming, Danawa, MaD, MCG), 5th place locks-in for MCG and MaD Clan.
In a turn of a table that I don’t think anyone has expected, the first week of PCS5 Asia ended with two unexpected teams — the “qualified with teenagers and having to rebuild their roster before PCS with free agents” Veronica7 from Korea and “let’s have the CN PUBG’s loose cannon form a team sign players from every mid-field team in the region” in Change The Game — take the top two places and put themselves on a good path towards the PGC.
However, the toughest challenge for them may be yet to come as they now have to stay on podium to guarantee themselves a spot in Incheon (finishing 4th may not be enough depending on the final results), having to keep the likes of Gen.G, PeRo, Danawa, NewHappy in check for the next two weeks.
Heading into Weeks 2 and 3, the big battle for PGC slots will also happen in the mid-field, which will see NewHappy try to make their way to top 8 in points to the delight of Four Angry Men (which can only qualify if NH takes the point slot, opening the PCL slot to 4AM as Spring Champions) and a close battle for the PWS slot in case Gen.G ends in top 8 in points, which gives the likes of GEX, KIA, ATA and Japanese teams a path to PGC.
PGC Asia Point Ranking (after PCS5 Asia Week 1):
V7–300pt
PeRo — 296
MaD — 184
CTG — 180
Gen.G — 162
Ghibli — 156
MCG — 128
Danawa — 114
— — — —
Kaixin — 96
17Gaming — 67
NewHappy — 61
GEX — 44* (currently the final point slot due to Gen.G being in top 8 in points, check the slot allocation for details)
DAMWON — 40
E36–29
DGW — 25
GFY — 22
ATA — 19
Asia Pacific (6 slots)
Order of PGC invites:
PCS4 (Buriram United) and PCS5 winners
Thailand team with most PGC points
Vietnam team with most PGC points
2 top teams per PGC points (all nations/ subregions eligible)
If the first week of PCS5 Asia have made things unpredictable as for who will qualify from their region to PGC, then the first week of PCS5 APAC might have done the opposite. At the moment, most of the slots have a clear favourite or two thanks to many factors — here’s a quick look at them:
It’s been very clear heading into the final PCS of the year that the Vietnam’s guaranteed point slot is BN United’s slot to take, thanks to their 3rd-place finish in PCS4 APAC and only them and Gamehome Esports (15th in PCS4 APAC) making it to both tournaments from the region.
For BN, the path is simple — top 8 finish in PCS5 qualifies them to main event, any lower finish will be enough as long as a Vietnamese team doesn’t finish 2nd, and in case BN wins PCS5, taking the Champion’s slot in process, then the next top Vietnamese team, based on PCS5 final results, takes the VN point seed.
Things aren’t as simple over in Thailand though, as we’ve seen three teams, all with a few PGC points scored in PCS4 APAC, make their way back to the region’s top event to have a shot at a PGC spot:
Attack All Around — 8th in PCS4, 3rd in Week 1 (172pt)
Sharper Esport — 6th in PCS4, 10th in Week 1 (91pt)
Daytrade Gaming — 7th in PCS4, 9th in Week 1 (82pt)
And to make things potentially even more unpredictable, the returning powerhouses in Made in Thailand and MS Chonburi can both qualify to PGC on points merit by finishing 2nd/3rd as long as other Thai teams fall out of the top 6 (excluding 1st place).
That leaves two point slots open for any APAC team, which are at this point dominated by ArkAngel Predator (4th in PCS4, 2nd in W1) and FURY (2nd in PCS4, 5th in W1). In fact, those two teams are in such good position that other teams have to hope for either AAP or FURY to win the PCS5 or to choke, and I mean CHOKEEEE, in the last two weeks to have any chance to qualify to PGC.
Current point ranking
ArkAngel 266pt
FURY 248pt
BN United 234pt (takes VN slot)
Attack All Around 172pt (Thai slot)
Eagle 365–100pt
Sharper — 91pt
Daytrade — 82pt
MiTH — 63pt
MS Chonburi — 54pt
Americas (6 slots)
Order of slots
- PCS5 Americas Champion
- The team with most PGC points after PCS5, from a sub-region (North America or LATAM) that DID NOT WON the PCS5 Americas (to guarantee a PGC slot for both subregions)
- Top 4 teams in PGC Point Ranking
Soniqs and Oath Gaming are guaranteed to qualify through Points (Soniqs after ESL Masters Phase 2, Oath after PCS5 Last Chance Qualifier)
LATAM situation
- if a LATAM team wins PCS5 Americas, it’ll suffice the sub-region requirement, the “suberegion” slot will be taken by Soniqs as top NA team in PGC points and the remaining 4 slots will be allocated based on PGC points (regardless of team’s subregion)
- if a top LATAM team finishes 5th or higher in PGC points and NA wins PCS5, it’ll fulfill the sub-region requirement, and all 5 point slots will be allocated regardless of team’s subregion
- if a top LATAM team finishes 6th or higher in PGC points and NA wins PCS5, they’ll “steal” the PGC seed from the 5th-placed team in point ranking.
Now stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before, okay? Susquehanna Soniqs are leading the PUBG Continental Series in North America.
Yeah, I know. A big shocker.
Jokes aside, if Soniqs does end up taking the back-to-back-to-back-to-back PCS title, that will give other teams some bad and good news as for remaining PGC slots:
Bad news: Due to a sub-regions rule, one of the slots will be given to a best LATAM team based on Point Ranking, even if that team doesn’t finish in the top 5 in PGC points after we add the points from PCS5.
Good news: With Soniqs out of a point picture, and both Oath (locked-in heading into PCS5) and TSM (which doesn’t have to bother themselves with point rankings as long as they finish 7th or higher in PCS5) set to qualify to PGC through points, that leaves two spots open for the rest of the field.
At the moment, those slots would’ve been taken by Spacestation Gaming (530pt), assuming they’ll stay on the PCS podium, and Guadalajara Gascans (365pt), though the current 6th place in PCS5 for the latter keeps them just ahead of the chasing group.
Chasing Group: Dodge (325pt), FIUMBA and Dignitas (320pt each), Wildcard Gaming (305pt)
Europe/ EMEA (8 slots)
Order of qualification:
PCS5 Europe Champion
Top 7 teams in PGC points*
* — Each of the subregions (EU West, CIS/ EU East, MEA) are guaranteed a slot into PGC. If no team from a subregion makes the top 7 in points OR wins PCS5, then one of the point slots will be allocated to the subregion’s team with most PGC points.
Qualification scenarios:
CIS and Europe West are guaranteed to have a team going to PGC. The only region that may end up “stealing” a slot is the MEA region.
There are a few scenarios that may happen with MEA, all of them having an impact on the qualifications from EMEA in overall:
If an MEA team wins PCS5, they’re going directly to PGC and, because it’ll guarantee each of the subregions to have a team going to the Global Champs, the remaining 7 slots will be allocated just by PGC points.
If an MEA team makes it to the top 7 in PGC points while not winning PCS5, then the qualification process will be the same as for MEA winning the event (so PCS5 winner then top 7 in points regardless of subregions). That is an uneasy scenario however, as it’ll require Supermassive or BBL Esports to end 2nd and some of the following:
- Someone from top 7 in points (ex. VP, TL) to win PCS5, which will take them out of point ranking
- QuestionMark to finish 5th or lower
- FaZe Clan not making top 5
- ENCE and/or Heroic not finishing in top 7
- NAVI to end 11th or lower in PCS5
HOWEVER, if an MEA team doesn’t win the PCS5 AND doesn’t finish top 7 in point ranking, then the EMEA PGC slots will be decided as follows:
- PCS5 winner
- MEA team with most PGC points
- 6 highest teams in PGC point ranking
Virtus.pro, thanks to their PCS4 and ESL Summer titles, is locked-in as the #1 team in PGC points — they will drop their point slot if they win PCS5 Europe though (opening it up for more teams in the process).
Team Liquid is ALL BUT qualified, they’ll need a one-off scenario like below to happen to miss the PGC:
PCS5 EU final placement: any non-MEA team outside of top 8 in points at this moment (for example Vanir) — DA in 2nd, QM in 3rd — FaZe or ENCE in 4th — Heroic or ENCE in 5th — Navi in 6th
an MEA team doesn’t make it to top 8 in PGC points and TL ends PCS5 EU in 15th/16th
Vanir qualifies as the PCS5 Winner
MEA team takes the region “guarantee” slot
VP takes #1 points slot (and checks-out the CIS guarantee requirement)
With 5 spots left, the PGC point ranking will be as follows:
DA have 440pt
QuestionMark have 445pt
Faze has 435pt (tying with TL) or ENCE has 480pt
Heroic has 450pt or ENCE ties TL with 435pt
Navi has 445pt
TL has 435pt (they’ll ALWAYS lose the tiebreaker to ENCE/ FaZe, as it’s decided by PCS5 placement)
Natus Vincere and Heroic are both in a similar scenario — if they finish 5th (Heroic) or higher in PCS5 Europe, they’re guaranteed a spot in PGC. Finishing 6th or lower may end up with them finishing 7th in point ranking, which will leave them empty-handed if there’s no MEA team above team OR winning PCS5 EU.
ENCE will be guaranteed a top 6 point ranking finish with a 4th-place finish in PCS5 — FaZe will need additional factor in their favor (team above them in points to win PCS5, QM to finish below FaZe or Heroic to finish 6th or lower for example) to be locked-in with a 4th place (top 3 will do so without any catches).
QuestionMark will move on to the PGC with a top-3 finish — 4th place will, for example, need ENCE to finish 6th or lower, Heroic 7th or lower, NAVI to miss top 7 and/or FaZe to not finish 2nd or 3rd.
Digital Athletics can only go through points by finishing 2nd, and only IF FaZe and QM doesn’t finish 3rd, ENCE ends 5th or lower, Heroic ends 6th or lower, NAVI ends 7th or lower, an MEA team wins PCS5 AND/or Liquid to finish in 15th/16th (at least 2 scenarios must happen from my calculations).
Oh boy, that’s a lot of “what if’s” to consider heading into PCS5 Europe. Surely it doesn’t end up as unpredcitable as it may look like, right?
…Right!?
Europe Point Ranking after PCS5 Europe Week 1
VP qualified as PCS5 winner
Heroic 495
TL 480
ENCE 435
BBL 385
DA 375
NAVI 345
QM 270
— — PGC cutoff line — — -
Entropiq 250
Faze 245
SMB 215
