Legacy and PARIVISION meet again at the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta, just eleven days after their encounter at ESL Pro League Season 24. Both teams arrive with something to prove following contrasting performances in Poland, and their Group B opener offers an immediate opportunity to establish themselves in the tournament.

Legacy looking to recover from a difficult ESL Pro League

September was an outstanding month for Legacy. The Brazilian organisation won FISSURE Playground 3, defeating G2 3–0 in the grand final after victories over FURIA and MIBR earlier in the tournament. It was a significant achievement for a team that had already finished third at the Esports World Cup in August.

However, their return to competition at ESL Pro League was considerably less successful.

Legacy opened their campaign with a 2–1 defeat against PARIVISION before beating ShindeN 2–0. Consecutive defeats to 1WIN and M80 then ended their tournament, leaving them with just one victory from four matches.

There was an important complication. In-game leader Andrei ‘arT’ Piovezan missed ESL Pro League while recovering from meningitis, forcing Legacy to compete with Pedro ‘bobz’ Rocha as a substitute.

HLTV reported ahead of Thunderpick that arT was expected to return to the lineup. His leadership could help restore the structure that contributed to Legacy’s success in September, although the team must still demonstrate that it can reproduce those performances.

PARIVISION showed improvement against stronger opposition

PARIVISION also experienced setbacks at ESL Pro League, but their route through the tournament offered more encouragement.

After beating Legacy 2–1 in their opening match, they suffered defeats against Spirit and FURIA. However, they recovered with consecutive 2–1 victories over G2 and Natus Vincere, securing a place in the quarter-finals.

Their campaign eventually ended against Vitality, who won 2–0. Nevertheless, beating two established European opponents in successive matches demonstrated PARIVISION’s ability to compete at a high level.

The team features an experienced core built around Dzhami ‘Jame’ Ali, Evgenii ‘FL1T’ Lebedev and Abay ‘HObbit’ Khassenov, alongside Ivan ‘zweih’ Gogin and Vladislav ‘xiELO’ Lysov.

Jame remains particularly important to their approach. His measured style of calling and preference for controlled rounds can make PARIVISION difficult to play against, especially when opponents struggle to convert early advantages.

The victories over G2 and NAVI suggest that the lineup is beginning to find greater consistency following HObbit’s arrival in September.

Recent meetings favour PARIVISION

The teams’ latest encounter provides a useful reference point ahead of their meeting in Malta.

On 3 October, Legacy made an excellent start to their ESL Pro League series, winning Dust2 13–5. PARIVISION responded on Inferno before completing the comeback on Ancient to secure a 2–1 victory.

It was not the first time PARIVISION had beaten the Brazilians in a close series. They also won 2–1 at PGL Bucharest in April, recovering after losing the opening map.

Those results demonstrate that Legacy are capable of challenging PARIVISION, but the Russian-led side have repeatedly found a way to win the decisive moments.

The return of arT could change the dynamic of this encounter. Nevertheless, PARIVISION have the advantage of having recently faced Legacy and successfully adapted after a difficult opening map.

A competitive Group B awaits

Thunderpick World Championship 2026 features eight teams competing for a $1 million prize pool between 14 and 18 October.

Legacy and PARIVISION have been drawn into Group B alongside FURIA and BETBOOM. With several dangerous opponents in the group, beginning the tournament with a victory would provide an important advantage.

Legacy enter the event ranked seventh in HLTV’s world rankings, four places above PARIVISION. Their higher position reflects the quality of their recent tournament achievements, particularly the FISSURE Playground title.

However, rankings do not tell the entire story. PARIVISION’s victories over G2 and NAVI came more recently, while Legacy’s last three ESL Pro League matches included defeats against PARIVISION, 1WIN and M80.

For PARIVISION, the main challenge will be maintaining the level they demonstrated during the later stages of ESL Pro League. Their controlled approach can be effective against aggressive opponents, but they cannot afford another slow start against a Legacy side capable of taking control of individual maps.

Verdict

Legacy deserve respect following their impressive September performances, and the expected return of arT should make them a stronger opponent than the team PARIVISION defeated earlier this month. However, PARIVISION have won both of their meetings with Legacy in 2026 and arrive after securing notable victories over G2 and Natus Vincere. Their greater recent consistency against strong opposition, combined with Jame’s experience in managing close series, makes them an appealing choice to win this best-of-three encounter.

Tip

PARIVISION to win