While the inclusion of MiBR makes this more of a "Landmass Finals" rather than a continental finals, most obviously did not have quite the same ring to it. Nevertheless, the best of America and Brazil will battle it out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a $50,000 prize purse as well as three spots in the Global Finals.

The absence of EG.ca due to scheduling conflicts was announced yesterday. A replacement for them will be released shortly according to the ESL website.

Made in Brazil
Since the return of three big names of Raphael "cogu" Camargo, Renato "nak" Nakano and Lincoln "fnx" Lau, MiBR has yet to live up to exceedingly high expectations, having only come second at Extreme Masters LA, third in Montreal, 5th-6th in Dubai and a disappointing group finish at WCG World Finals Cologne, Germany. While those are very respectable placings for most, the amount of anticipation for them left many wanting more.

Now, with the further added pressure and demand from MiBR's managing director Paulo Velloso, MiBR has no choice but to win the Extreme Masters Philadelphia in order to ensure no drastic changes are implemented. Question is, will MiBR be ready to step it up when it matters the most and take home the first place? Or is it too much to ask for?

Pros: There is no doubt an explosive amount of talent from each individual player. With the added desire to turn the tables around due to recent moderate/disappointing performance, the hunger for first place should put their mindset ahead of others.

Cons: Underestimating teams that are not of their caliber.

Prediction: Most likely will take top position.

zEx
zEx is a team that has been around for a while. Lead by the mind of cbz are the household counter-strike names of aZn, i0nZ, and m4gic.

The team has just won CEVO-Main season 9, but have recently replaced Vincent with gx as their fifth - shaking up their roster a bit. A good showing at WCG USA proved they are a team to be reckoned with, especially on LAN.

Pros: Chemistry. Looking at this roster, they easily have some of the most talented players this country has to offer. Combine that with The core of this team has being together for years, and you have a team that can upset anyone else in the world.

Cons: Stagnancy. Whiles yes, the fact that this team has been a round for a while is a good thing for their chemistry, it almost seems as they've been around together too long. They're a top team, but have never reached the plateau of American counter-strike, and might need a change to make that happen.

Prediction: Knocked out in group stage. It's hard to say this as zEx is an extremely good team, but they are in a very hard group with both mibr and x3o. It's possible for them to upset one of the teams, but it's a lot safer to say they fall to them while beating TRP.

Gravitas Gaming
With their recent top eight finish at the World Cyber Games grand finals in Cologne, Gravitas hasn't seemed to skip a beat following a convincing win at the WCG US qualifiers. While they haven't quite been able to produce a high profile victory against an internationally accomplished contender of MiBRs level, aside from a loss to PoV at the EM Los Angeles event their success against North American teams has been consistent.

A match up against the Brazilians would be a true litmus test as to the fortitude of a team that desperately needs to validate themselves to the global scene. An upset from a reinvigorated zEx or a hungry X3O would cause many to question those aims.

Pros: A strong team that has experience together and have been able to stay sharp with very recent international play.

Cons: A lack of high-profile wins have lead many to believe they may only be contenders within their own country.

Prediction: Smart money puts Gravitas top two behind MiBR, but don't rule out an upset in the finals.