StarLadder has resumed and unfortunately our Gambit handicap bet fell by the wayside as TyLoo managed to reach 13 rounds on Cobble. Gambit appeared sluggish in their victory, whilst CLG brushed aside 5Power. FaZe did the job as we expected against Immortals to get us back on track. CSGO Betting’s analysts have evaluated this afternoon’s matches, so here are our StarLadder betting tips for the second half of day two.
G2 (11/20, 1.55 Betway Esports) vs HellRaisers (29/20, 2.45 138 Esports)
These two teams met in the ESL Pro League recently, and HellRaisers came out on top both times. They won Inferno in overtime, 19-15, and Overpass 16-9. However, this was online so not much weight can be given to these victories. The veto phase of this match will be extremely interesting because both teams have demonstrated a preference for banning out their opponents stronger maps. G2 don’t play Mirage, so that will be removed. They are also unlikely to want to play Cache after watching HellRaisers’ performance on it yesterday against FaZe combined with a six match winning streak on it. HellRaisers will ban Nuke, given G2’s strength on it, and should also take out Train.
This leaves Inferno, Overpass and Cobble. Neither side have been particularly good on Cobble, so it will probably come down to the banning order as to which map we play. HellRaisers would rather play Overpass, whilst G2 would rather play Inferno. Both French teams were historically good on Overpass, though we would not want to be getting involved at the prices on that map. G2’s CT side when the teams met online was dreadful, but given that they have had another 10 days’ to practice, we wouldn’t want to be getting involved backing HellRaisers either. On the other hand, G2 looked so dominant on Inferno yesterday that we would expect a repeat performance. They looked considerably better on CT than they did when the two teams met online so should be backed if Inferno is played.
fnatic (EVENS, 2.00 138 Esports) vs Na’Vi (4/5, 1.80 Betway Esports)
Na’Vi will ban Cache, and Fnatic will remove Nuke and Overpass in the opening phase. Na’Vi seem unlikely to want to play Inferno, which they have only played three times in official matches, and were not brilliant on yesterday. Their shaky recent form on Cobble, where they used to be strong, makes that their likely third ban. This will leave Fnatic with the choice between playing Train or Mirage. They beat Na’Vi 16-12 on Mirage in ESL Pro League, but otherwise have been poor on it. Their opponents have been inconsistent on Mirage but have showed a much higher peak in recent times. In order to win on the map, Fnatic would have to rely on Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell repeating his 26-15 performance from their online fixture.
When the two teams met on Train in ESL Pro League, Na’Vi won 16-7, and their recent form is much better than Fnatic’s. The swedes would need to return to their form from the start of the year if they are to win on Train. As such, Na’Vi appears to have a more favourable veto and there is no doubt that they have the individual skill to go toe to toe with Fnatic. They appear overpriced to win this match.
Ninjas in Pyjamas (1/10, 1.10 Betway Esports) vs MVP Project (6/1, 7.00 Mr Green Esports)
MVP Project are simply not a good enough team to be competing at this event. They showed nothing in their game against Virtus Pro yesterday and their defeat at China Top to Fnatic academy shows their true level. They would probably be best ending up on Overpass or Cobble, and NiP will likely oblige them. The ninjas like both maps and definitely won’t get to play Nuke. Even giving away 7.5 rounds, NiP are fancied to pick up a 16-8 or better victory.
Virtus Pro (19/20, 1.95 Mr Green Esports) vs SK Gaming (9/10, 1.90 Betway Esports)
For the neutral, the best game of the day is saved until last. Two powerhouses go up against each other in what could well be a repeat of their most recent match at IEM Katowice. That day, VP came out on top on Inferno, 16-14. The early phase of the veto should be the same as that day, with VP removing Cache, Overpass and Cobble, and SK removing Nuke and Train.
It will come down to whether SK would rather get revenge for their previous loss on Inferno, where they have since beaten OpTic 16-8, and where VP has been inconsistent, beating Astralis and Mousesports but losing to Space Soldiers and EnVyUs, or whether they would rather opt for Mirage, where they lost 16-13 at Dreamhack Vegas. VP have been inconsistent on Mirage, and given the slight advantage in firepower that SK has, they can be expected to avenge their previous losses.
StarLadder Betting Tips:
G2 -2.5 rounds vs HellRaisers with 138 at 3/4 (1.75)
Na’Vi to beat Fnatic with Betway at 4/5 (1.80)
NiP -7.5 rounds vs MVP Project with Ladbrokes at 9/10 (1.90)
SK Gaming to beat VP with Betway at 9/10 (1.90)
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