The VRS Impact of FPG2 and StarLadder StarSeries Fall

The VRS Impact of FPG2 and StarLadder StarSeries Fall

Recent LAN events FISSURE Playground 2 (FPG2) and StarLadder StarSeries Fall have made significant shifts in the HLTV Valve Ranking System (VRS), especially affecting who is likely to receive invites for the upcoming Major and other top-tier events. 

Key Changes from FPG2

Liquid pulled off a big rise: before FPG2 they were as low as 29th in the VRS; after their strong showing (including a semi-final), they leapt up seven places, improving their Major attendance chances.

Virtus.pro, despite not making the playoffs in Serbia, gained enough from wins to bring themselves back among the top 16 EU teams projected to receive a Budapest Major invite.

FURIA had already been in a strong position, but their win at FPG2 pushed them into the top four and close to Vitality in global VRS.

The MongolZ overtook Vitality for first place globally among the Big Events after making their second grand final in successive Big Events.

Effects from StarLadder StarSeries Fall

All six European teams at the event had a chance to secure Major invites before the event; Natus Vincere’s win ensures they are locked into a Stage 2 start at the upcoming Major. 

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) benefited strongly: the points they earned (184 from this event) give them an ~86.8% chance of qualifying for the Major. 

B8 also improved: a top-3 finish gives them ~51.2% Major invite chance, joining a cluster of teams (like HEROIC, SAW, BetBoom, fnatic) fighting for the final slots from Europe. 

In the Americas, Passion UA also made gains, improving their invite-odds with their performance. 

Critical Observations & VRS Mechanics

HLTV’s VRS uses several sub-factors (bounty collected, bounty offered, opponent network, LAN wins) plus adjustments like head-to-head results. 

Because of how head-to-head penalties/rewards work, teams that have fewer matches or are lower ranked sometimes find it much harder to catch up, especially against higher-ranked opponents. Smaller mistakes in key rounds can swing outcomes heavily. 

Notable Player Quotes & Reactions

Mihai “iM” Ivan (Natus Vincere):

“It doesn't matter if it's higher opponents or lower opponents, we just need to get some wins.”
He described StarSeries Fall as a chance for NAVI to regain confidence. 

Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer (Ninjas in Pyjamas):
After NiP’s runner-up finish, he reflected:

“We were in the series, but we had too many key rounds lost, and mistakes… On Nuke, we lose T pistol … On CT we lose the second round … We needed to find a way to activate both [r1nkle and xKacpersky], and I think we succeeded.”
He also had criticism for the VRS system, saying that head-to-head adjustments make it very hard for teams lower down to break through. 

Danil “molodoy” Golubenko (FURIA):
While there were no long interviews in the VRS piece, FURIA members have been praised elsewhere: for example, FURIA’s AWPer molodoy’s performance was highlighted in coverage of FPG2, especially in sniper duels and his improvement. 
There is also a quote from molodoy after FURIA’s win in FPG2:

“When I joined I knew we had a very good team, now I win my first tournament… Thank you guys for the support, I love Brasil …” 

Implications Going Forward

The next important VRS-ranking date is October 6, which will lock in invites for the Budapest Major Stage 3 and Playoffs, as well as BLAST Rivals.

Events like ESL Pro League Stage 1, DraculaN S2, Birch Cup, Riga Open, FERJEE Rush, Fragadelphia Blocktober are also on the schedule and will provide more chances to earn VRS points. 

Teams on the bubble (NiP, B8, etc.) will need both consistency and strong results to cement their invites. Even one or two bad maps or key round losses can have outsized impact because of how the VRS weights head-to-head and LAN performance.