Stake Ranked Episode 3 kicks off with HEROIC's new roster

Stake Ranked Episode 3 will commence on Wednesday in Barcelona, Spain. The tournament boasts a prize pool of $100,000 and will follow a double-elimination format, featuring best-of-three matches up until the best-of-five grand final.

This event will showcase HEROIC's revamped roster, with Antonio "MartinezSa" Martinez and Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin making their debut. HEROIC is scheduled to meet 3DMAX in their first matchup.

Other teams competing include paiN, Gentle Mates, Wildcard, and the defending champions Ninjas in Pyjamas, who are returning for their second LAN appearance with academy player Roman "n0te" Hamze after their early exit at the XSE Pro League in Guangzhou.

Gentle Mates will field Joey "CRUC1AL" Steusel as a stand-in following the transfer of MartinezSa to HEROIC. The French organization is currently negotiating the sale of its roster and plans to exit Counter-Strike. A strong performance at this tournament could significantly aid their efforts in improving their VRS rank after losing one of their key players.

The opening matches for the event will set the stage for a competitive tournament ahead.