Many CrossFire (CF) players and fans, both in the local and international scene, are looking forward to this year’s edition of the CrossFire Stars (CFS) Invitational Manila due to a matchup that many want to see: Pacific.Macta versus All Gamers (AG).

And some people even go as far as saying that it is “the Philippines versus China”.

The rivalry has been there since the early days of CF, with Philippine teams being one of the very few who can pose a serious challenge to the dominance of the Chinese CF scene.

On one hand, Macta is looking for redemption after having relatively weak performance earlier this year, dropping games to both local and international opponents. On the other hand, AG, with its heavily-stacked roster, is out to show the world that they can win a CrossFire Stars event abroad.

Macta’s Shot at the Moon

On paper, Pacific.Macta has only a slight chance of winning the above matchup. Individually, all of AG’s players can outclass the Filipinos in strategy and mechanics as shown in their head-to-head results from the past.

However, this time around, Macta has the Filipino crowd behind them, which could prove to be a positive factor in terms of increasing their motivation to win the match. In addition, the Filipino side has the luxury of looking through tons of replays and film on the AG side, allowing them to create specific counter-strategies against the Chinese.

If all the players from the Macta side play their respective roles in the highest level that they can, then they will have a chance to win against AG.

There is no other option for Pacific.Macta. If they want to show the world that they are still the strongest non-Chinese CF team, then they should show it here at CFS Invitational Manila.

AG: Chinese Juggernauts

While the Chinese certainly do not like small maps like Mexico, All Gamers (AG) have an immense when it comes to map knowledge, strat execution and pure aim. All of the players, most particularly their sniper Shuai “70kg” Lang, are beasts in their respective positions and rarely lose to aim duels, regardless of their opponent.

VG was one of the very few teams who were able to get a map off this team. Given the fact that VG’s players are also among China’s best, this shows the level of gameplay needed to beat this team.

As stated above, they are aiming to get a second foreign CFS Invitational title after winning the first one in Brazil back in 2015, when they were still under the HG banner.
 
Conclusions

It is not an easy road for Pacific.Macta as they are facing one of the best CrossFire teams in the world. However, it is a fact that this team was able to take a game off the Chinese back in 2014 and that their predecessors in the form of MSIEvoGT.

Miracles can always happen, as shown in this video where Jupiter “ELGEE” Gaboy wins an one-on-four clutch against German side Alternate at the World Cyber Games back in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VqR5aUaWbs

As for All Gamers, it is a chance for them to prove to the world that they are the undisputed kings of the game and that it will take a godly performance from any team in order to win a map off them, let alone get them out of their golden throne.

Will the Filipinos be able to use their home advantage to finally win a trophy for their country? Or will the Chinese conquer Philippine soil, trampling everyone under their path?

Only one thing is certain.

This will be a hot match.