Sixteen premier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will descend upon Fan Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Sept. 1-4 to battle at the Northern Arena Esports Championship for a piece of the $100,000 prize pool.

The event presented by Bell is a double-elimination bracket with the teams divided into four groups. The group stage will be decided over the first two days of competition.

Here is a look at what to expect from the opening round at Northern Arena and a few predictions to boot.

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Group A: Immortals, CLG, NRG, Synthetik

One of two groups featuring a Call of the North qualifier, Canadian club Synthetik will be in mighty tough against three respectable opponents.

The Montreal-based club was near flawless in their online qualifiers, losing two series to eventual winners Ace Gaming. The team earned a step up in competition and time will tell whether this jump is simply too high.

Immortals are just a few months removed from their time as Tempo Storm but have already made a statement under their new banner with a win at DreamHack Summer. Group A is ripe for the taking and Immortals should be at the front of the line with a chance to prove they belong amongst a higher calibre of competition.

Defending Northern Arena champions Counter Logic Gaming and NRG eSports are coming into the tournament very much in the same boat. A slew of roster changes presents both it’s challenges and opportunities. Have these teams had enough time to build chemistry? Could a strong showing fast track their growth? How will they fare against more experienced rosters?

Prediction: Immortals, CLG advance to quarter-finals; Synthetik not ready

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Group B: TSM, Luminosity, OpTic, Echo Fox

Every tournament needs a group like this. It is often the most enjoyable to watch, but a nightmare for the teams competing in it. These four teams are worthy of quarter-finals berths  but only two will be left standing by Saturday. 

Luminosity is going through a period of self-discovery after acquiring the former WinOut roster at the end of July. The team won the MLG Columbus Major in April, but that roster now belongs to fellow Brazilian squad SK Gaming. Northern Arena should provide a good idea of where Luminosity’s future lies.

TSM lost Timothy “autimatic” Ta to Cloud9 and then filled the void with former Selfless star Skyler “Relyks” Weaver. The promising prospect is the player to watch as TSM looks to continue its climb into CS:GO relevance.

Echo Fox is still a young team, having only been formed in January, but their roster has experienced little turnover and that should go a long way in the trenches of competition. Led by some of the biggest names in CS:GO, in-game leader Sean “seangares” Gares and human scultpure Ryan “freakazoid” Abadir, Echo Fox will be tough to silence.

For OpTic, Northern Arena in Toronto might be just what they need. The team will have somewhat of home field advantage with a majority Canadian roster. A little momentum and a few extra cheers could be the push they need to make it into the elimination stage.

Prediction: Luminosity, Echo Fox advance; TSM eliminated in two straight losses

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Group C: Cloud9, Rogue, CompLexity, ACE

The winners of the Call of the North qualifier, ACE Gaming, are poised to put on a show in Toronto. The Canadian team went undefeated to earn a spot at Northern Arena and knows this is a good a chance as any to prove they belong in competition against the best in the world.

ACE did lose Call of the North standout Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik to CLG, but the night is always darkest before the dawn … maybe.

Cloud9 is the team to beat in Group C and maybe even the entire tournament. The team was already pretty good and adding autimatic makes them an even bigger threat to take home the title. 

Rouge is one of the latest additions to the tournament in name and logo only. The team acquired the roster of Team Unity and absorbed four veterans and a rising star for Northern Arena. Assuming new colours don’t affect the experience and chemistry of the lineup, Rogue will be a tough out for anyone.

CompLexity has been a part of the fabric of competitive CS:GO for a decade, but this is not your parents’ CompLexity. The all-new roster has much to prove to back up their strong brand and new starter Michael “Uber” Stapells, a Toronto native, will be one to watch on home soil.

Prediction: Cloud9, Rogue advance; Ace eliminates CompLexity 

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Group D: Heroic, Winterfox, Splyce, Selfless 

Be prepared for a war. 

These four teams have nothing to lose and everything to gain with a shot in the quarter-finals on the line. They are new teams with new rosters and can make huge statements with each matchup.

Winterfox brings a relatively new lineup to Northern Arena featuring many former Team Immunity members. The Australian lineup will be tested early and often as they try to carve out their place in the professional CS:GO scene.

Heroic has suffered a few bumps and bruises over the last few months. Formerly known as Team X, the team consists of former SK Gaming players that came after SK purchased the former Luminosity roster. A disqualification from ELEAGUE due to roster violation left the team hard pressed to stay fresh and competitive. A fresh start should be good for Heroic and early momentum will be key to finding their footing should they advance to later rounds.

Selfless is out for revenge after their all-female squad floundered in the Call of the North qualifiers. With two new players in Matthew “no_one” Congdon and Vincent “Brehze” Cayonte, the team is hoping for instant chemistry when play gets underway.

Being hailed as the most multicultural team, Splyce might be its own worst enemy if communication is lacking throughout the tournament. With all five players coming from a different country, Splyce continues to develop on the fly and hopefully fast enough to keep up with the competition.

Prediction: Heroic, Winterfox advance; Splyce comes up empty

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Follow our coverage of Northern Arena throughout the weekend here on TSN.ca.