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The triumph marked NaVi’s fourth major event win of the year, adding to their already impressive record after victories at PGL Major Copenhagen, the Esports World Cup, and ESL Pro League Season 20.
Champions once again in 2024
@natusvincere
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
The international Counter-Strike roster once again demonstrated their tenacity, pulling off an incredible comeback on the fourth map, Ancient, to seal the series.
NaVi’s journey to the championship wasn’t straightforward.
They faced a challenging road to the finals, dropping a map to Team Liquid in the group stage and suffering a loss to FURIA Esports in their seeding match.
However, they rebounded during the playoffs, overcoming Virtus.pro in the quarter-finals and surviving a tense semi-final clash against HEROIC.
This marked their sixth consecutive grand final appearance, showcasing their consistency and resilience throughout a gruelling schedule.
The grand final began on MOUZ’s pick, Inferno, where the teams engaged in a scrappy back-and-forth battle.
Despite MOUZ securing a narrow 7-5 lead at the half, NaVi’s successful 2v4 retake swung the momentum in their favour, allowing them to edge out a 13-11 victory.
The second map, Dust2, saw NaVi dominate with a 10-2 offensive half, closing it out swiftly with a 13-2 win.
MOUZ showed signs of life on Mirage, carving out an early 6-1 lead and extending it to 8-4 by halftime.
A spectacular ace by ádám “torzsi” Torzsás in the second pistol round set the stage for MOUZ to take their first map, 13-6, narrowing NaVi’s series lead to 2-1.
With the series hanging in the balance, the fourth map, Ancient, seemed poised to push the contest to a decider.
MOUZ built a commanding 10-2 lead at halftime, driven by standout performances from Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo and Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin on defence.
However, NaVi refused to back down.
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen rallied his team, and fueled by an outstanding showing from Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov, NaVi launched a dramatic comeback.
They won eight consecutive rounds in the second half, turning a 2-10 deficit into a 13-11 victory, securing the championship in regulation.
“We spoke about it the whole tournament, no matter how much you’re down, you can still win,” NaVi’s Justinas “jL” Lekavicius said.
“But it also works both ways, no matter how much you are up, you can still lose, so keep focus.”
His words encapsulated the resilience NaVi displayed not just in the grand final but throughout the tournament.
Following NaVi’s victory, jL was awarded with his second straight MVP after claiming the same award at ESL Pro League Season 20 in September.
HIS SECOND IN A ROW.@jLcsgo_ IS YOUR #IEM RIO 2024 #ESLProTour DHL MVP!
@DeutschePostDHL pic.twitter.com/6JPS61KH0c
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
For MOUZ, this grand final appearance was their first since BetBoom Dacha Belgrade in May, marking a significant improvement after a lacklustre ESL Pro League Season 20.
While they fell short of claiming the title, MOUZ’s young lineup showed promise, especially in their performances against formidable teams throughout the event.
Despite the heartbreak of losing from a 10-2 lead on Ancient, Jimpphat expressed optimism for the future, stating, “I don’t think we have that fear [of the stage] anymore. We have so much experience already that I think it’s basically overcome.”
NaVi’s win at IEM Rio 2024 solidifies their status as the top team in CS2, having successfully navigated a turbulent playoff run to claim their fourth title of the year.
The victory also keeps their Intel Grand Slam hopes alive, needing two more tournament wins to secure the million-dollar bonus.
As they continue their quest for greatness, NaVi has proven once again that they thrive under pressure, turning seemingly insurmountable deficits into triumphant victories.
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They now have the chance to reach their sixth consecutive grand final, but first, they must face HEROIC, who come into the match as massive outsiders.
.@natusvincere are going to the SEMI FINALS at #IEM Rio after taking down @virtuspro 2-0
13-4 Inferno
13-11 Ancient pic.twitter.com/QUnddXFUQO— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 11, 2024
Mihai “?iM?” Ivan expressed the Counter-Strike team’s focus on taking it one game at a time, saying, “We don’t want to think about (the grand final streak). If we make it, it’s very good.”
Natus Vincere’s victory started even before gameplay, as the veto ended in their favour.
Virtus.pro picked Inferno, a map they had played only three times in the past three months, while Natus Vincere had win rates over 80% on both Ancient and Mirage.
Inferno began with Virtus.pro winning the pistol round, but Natus Vincere responded with a second-round force buy, spearheaded by iM’s Five-Seven double, leading to a 9-3 half.
The pattern continued in the second half as Virtus.pro’s pistol win was nullified by iM’s multi-kill, and he sealed the map with a 1v3 clutch, delivering a dominant 13-4 victory.
On Ancient, Virtus.pro took their third pistol round and jumped to a 4-0 lead.
However, Justinas “?jL?” Lekavicius’ 1v2 clutch shifted momentum, and the half ended 7-5 in Virtus.pro’s favour.
Natus Vincere won their first pistol of the series in the second half, reaching match point after two more jL clutches and eventually clinching a 13-11 win despite some late difficulties.
In other tournament news, reigning IEM Rio champions Team Vitality were eliminated in the quarter-final by MOUZ after a 2-1 (Mirage 7-13, Nuke 13-11, Inferno 13-10) loss.
.@mousesports reverse sweep @TeamVitalityCS to reach the SEMIFINALS at #IEM Rio 2024
7-13 Mirage
13-11 Nuke
13-10 Inferno pic.twitter.com/yurPF1gaPb— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 11, 2024
Vitality initially dominated MOUZ’s map pick but faltered as the match progressed.
MOUZ showed great composure, extending their tournament run and setting up a rematch against FURIA Esports, the hometown favourites.
Kamil “?siuhy?” Szkaradek expressed confidence despite FURIA’s crowd advantage, stating, “We’re on fire and with a lot of confidence. Even though it’s a rematch, we’re going to get there.”
MOUZ’s comeback against Vitality began on Nuke, where they gained an early lead, but Vitality brought the deficit down to two rounds by halftime.
Despite Vitality’s efforts to tie the game, MOUZ edged out the win in the final round of regulation.
The final map, Inferno, saw Vitality make costly mistakes, winning only two rounds on the counter-terrorist side.
Although they mounted a brief comeback in the second half, MOUZ secured victory in the 23rd round, thanks to Jimi “?Jimpphat?” Salo’s key frags in a B-site retake.
IEM Rio 2024 semi-final matches
- HEROIC ($4.33) vs Natus Vincere ($1.20) @ 12pm BRT
- FURIA Esports ($2.20) vs MOUZ ($1.62) @ 3:15pm BRT
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Astralis, who had previously defeated Eternal Fire in the opening round, fell victim to two consecutive 0-2 defeats against HEROIC and Virtus.pro.
A glaring concern for the Danish Counter-Strike squad has been the form of Nicolai “device” Reedtz, the AWPer, who recorded an average rating of just 0.84 since Casper “cadiaN” M?ller took over as in-game leader.
It's @virtuspro that deal the knockout blow to @AstralisCS as they 2-0 them and they are eliminated from #IEM Rio.
19-16 Ancient
13-9 Mirage pic.twitter.com/KnamUpG0jG— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 9, 2024
Eternal Fire, having previously made back-to-back finals at BetBoom Dacha and ESL Pro League S20, also exited the tournament after defeats to Astralis and The MongolZ.
The match between Virtus.pro and Astralis began on Ancient, where the Russian team initially surged to a 7-2 lead.
Although Astralis closed the gap to just two rounds by halftime, Virtus.pro was able to secure the map in double overtime, overcoming multiple map point opportunities.
The second map, Mirage, saw Virtus.pro quickly establish a 12-8 lead, eventually winning 13-9 after a clutch 1v2 from Denis “electroNic” Sharipov sealed Astralis’s fate.
The MongolZ faced Eternal Fire in a three-map series filled with lopsided results.
The Mongolian team dominated Anubis with a 13-2 victory before Eternal Fire struck back on Mirage with a 13-8 win, bolstered by a strong counter-terrorist side.
However, Inferno saw The MongolZ regain control, winning decisively 13-4 to eliminate Eternal Fire.
They strike hard and true as we see @heroicgg beat @TeamVitality 2-0 to advance straight through to the #IEM Rio 2024 Semi-Finals!
13-11 Mirage
13-5 Abubis pic.twitter.com/KM4m4lhexF— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 9, 2024
Meanwhile, HEROIC and FURIA Esports advanced to the semi-finals after winning their respective groups’ upper bracket finals.
HEROIC defeated Team Vitality in a two-map series (Mirage 13-11, Anubis 13-5), showing resilience by rallying from a 2-10 deficit on Mirage to clinch the map in regulation.
FURIA, the hometown heroes, took down the world’s No.1 team, Natus Vincere, in convincing fashion with a 2-0 series win (Nuke 13-10, Mirage 13-5), powered by an outstanding performance from Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, who boasted a 1.56 rating across the series.
.@mousesports take down @FaZeEsports 2-1 on their way to the #IEM Rio 2024 Playoffs
13-7 Dust 2
14-16 Mirage
13-7 Nuke pic.twitter.com/e0b79ImxvC— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 9, 2024
Just two playoff spots remained up for grabs, and it would be MOUZ and Virtus.pro who secured their places after victories against FaZe Clan and The MongolZ, respectively.
MOUZ’s win against FaZe marked their first success in Counter-Strike 2 against the team after seven prior attempts.
Despite FaZe’s comeback to claim Mirage, MOUZ maintained composure and closed out the series on Nuke.
Virtus.pro secured their spot in the playoffs with a dominant 2-0 victory over The MongolZ, claiming the opening map (Ancient) 13-10 before smashing their Mongolian opponents 13-3 on Dust2.
IEM Rio 2024 quarter-finals
- Virtus.pro ($3.30) vs Natus Vincere ($1.30) | October 11 @ 12pm BRT
- Team Vitality ($1.48) vs MOUZ ($2.50) | October 11 @ 3:15pm BRT
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Led by Dan “?apEX?” Madesclaire, the Counter-Strike squad advanced to the upper bracket final, where they’ll face HEROIC for a spot in the semi-finals.
A clean second map sees @TeamVitalityCS take down @1mongolz 2-0 in order to reach the group B upper bracket final at #IEM Rio 2024
19-17 Inferno
13-8 Nuke pic.twitter.com/YH3XyKQ2Jn— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 8, 2024
Meanwhile, The MongolZ will try to bounce back against Eternal Fire in the lower bracket.
Vitality has struggled since their IEM Cologne win, failing to reach the finals of ESL Pro League Season 20 and BLAST Premier Fall Final.
However, in Rio, they appear to be rediscovering their form.
The MongolZ put up a fight on Inferno, coming back from a 7-10 deficit to force overtime, but Vitality’s superior teamwork and strategy helped them prevail.
Nuke was a more straightforward affair, with Vitality’s dominant counter-terrorist side sealing the win.
Mathieu “?ZywOo?” Herbaut delivered a standout performance across both maps, ensuring his team’s progression.
In the lower bracket of Group B, Virtus.pro eventually overpowered 9z Team in a three-map series to eliminate the South American squad and continue their run of poor performances.
9z claimed the opening map, Ancient (13-6), before VP bounced back on Inferno (13-11) to level the series heading into Mirage.
However, the competition ended there, as VP dominated the third map and strolled to a massive 13-2 victory, setting up a clash with Astralis in the lower bracket semi-final.
.@eternalfiregg defeat @G2CSGO in order to eliminate them from #IEM Rio 2024 in 13-16th place
13-4 Anubis
13-6 Mirage pic.twitter.com/IsHZD7kcgA— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 8, 2024
In another notable result, Eternal Fire upset G2 Esports with a 2-0 victory, winning Anubis (13-4) and Mirage (13-6) to eliminate G2 from the tournament.
G2, fresh off their BLAST Fall Final win, appeared unprepared and disjointed, with key player Nikola “?NiKo?” Kova? posting his worst Big Event rating ever.
In contrast, Eternal Fire displayed excellent coordination, led by Ali “?Wicadia?” Haydar Yal??n, Ismailcan “?XANTARES?” D?rtkarde?, and ?zgür “?woxic?” Eker.
HEROIC also earned a playoff spot with a dominant 2-0 win over Astralis, setting up a clash with Vitality in the upper bracket final.
After a back-and-forth start on Mirage, HEROIC found their rhythm and overpowered Astralis in both maps.
.@heroicgg close it out the series 2-0 against @AstralisCS to advance straight to the #IEM Playoffs
13-9 Mirage
13-7 Ancient pic.twitter.com/JUHN5UhTDn— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 8, 2024
FaZe Clan kept their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Team Liquid with a 2-0 win, taking Inferno (13-6) and Dust2 (13-7).
Liquid, struggling to find form with their new lineup, were no match for FaZe’s strong individual performances, especially from Helvijs “?broky?” Saukants and Finn “?karrigan?” Andersen.
FaZe will now face MOUZ for a playoff spot after MOUZ narrowly defeated Complexity 2-0 in a pair of overtime thrillers.
MOUZ, despite their victory, will need to tighten up after nearly squandering multiple map points against Complexity.
Their elimination match against FaZe promises to be a thrilling encounter, as both teams aim for a spot in the playoffs.
Wednesday’s IEM Rio fixtures
- Astralis ($1.61) vs Virtus.pro ($2.20) @ 11am BRT
- The MongolZ ($2.62) vs Eternal Fire ($1.44) @ 11am BRT
- Team Vitality ($1.20) vs HEROIC ($4.33) @ 1:30pm BRT
- FURIA ($4.50) vs Natus Vincere ($1.16) @ 1:30pm BRT
- FaZe Clan ($1.65) vs MOUZ ($2.15) @ 4pm BRT
- Winner of Astralis/Virtus.pro vs Winner of The MongolZ/Eternal Fire @ 4pm BRT
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FURIA Esports kicked off their IEM Rio campaign with a surprising win, defeating FaZe Clan 13-7 on Dust2 to send the European squad to the lower bracket.
FURIA capitalised on FaZe’s ongoing struggles, displaying aggressive play, particularly from Marcelo “?chelo?” Cespedes and Kaike “?KSCERATO?” Cerato, who were pivotal in their victory.
Despite some resistance from FaZe, especially in the first half, the Brazilian team’s dominance on the counter-terrorist side was too much for FaZe to overcome.
On the B stream, MOUZ narrowly defeated paiN Gaming 13-11, also on Dust2, after a hard-fought match.
PaiN, led by Lucas “?lux?” Meneghini’s impressive multi-frags, gave MOUZ a real challenge.
MOUZ’s Dorian “?xertioN?” Berman played a key role with a crucial quad-kill to swing momentum, and ádám “?torzsi?” Torzsás secured the win with a clutch 1v2 in the final round.
Despite paiN’s strong performance, MOUZ advanced, leaving paiN to battle for survival in the lower bracket.
.@mousesports open up #IEM Rio 2024 with a 13-11 victory over @paiNGamingBR on Dust II! pic.twitter.com/tQxCKFnOg5
— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 7, 2024
Meanwhile, Team Liquid and Natus Vincere secured dominant victories against Complexity (13-6) and Imperial Esports (13-2), respectively, setting up a playoff decider between the two.
Complexity started strong but quickly faltered against Liquid’s aggressive play, particularly with Roland “?ultimate?” Tomkowiak’s clutch plays.
Natus Vincere breezed past Imperial, with Ihor “?w0nderful?” Zhdanov’s stellar performance on Nuke sealing the deal.
Astralis also moved on to the upper bracket semi-final, defeating Eternal Fire 13-11.
Powered by Victor “?Staehr?” Staehr’s performance, the Danes overcame Eternal Fire’s second-half comeback, led by Ismailcan “?XANTARES?” D?rtkarde?.
Despite the close match, Astralis closed it out and now faces HEROIC for a playoff spot, who surprised many with a 13-10 over G2 Esports in their opening round clash.
In other results, The MongolZ edged out Virtus.pro (13-10) to earn a matchup with Team Vitality, who smashed 9z Team 13-3, while Virtus.pro dropped to the lower bracket to face 9z.
FaZe survived a scare in the lower bracket, defeating paiN 2-1 in a gruelling series.
Although FaZe’s victory was hard-fought, they remain in contention, while paiN’s tournament run came to an end on day one after close losses to MOUZ and FaZe.
FURIA, despite a turbulent year, secured a spot in Rio’s Farmasi Arena after defeating MOUZ 2-1, marking their third consecutive stage appearance in their home city.
Kaike “?KSCERATO?” Cerato was a standout in their wins against FaZe and MOUZ, helping propel the team forward.
FURIA now has the chance to secure a semi-final berth with a win against Natus Vincere.
VAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
2-1 OVER @MOUSESPORTS
WE ARE THE FIRST TEAM TO #IEM RIO PLAYOFFS!
— FURIA (@FURIA) October 7, 2024
Complexity and Imperial Esports clashed in the penultimate series of the day, and it was the North American squad that bested the home town team in a three-map series, 2-1.
After trading maps, the clash was decided on Ancient, and it was Complexity who proved too good for their Brazilian opponents, closing the series with a dominant 13-5 victory to remain in the tournament.
Concluding the opening day, Natus Vincere took on Team Liquid a playoff spot in the upper bracket semi-final of Group A.
Both squads claimed big wins on their own map picks, with Liquid taking Inferon 13-4 and NaVi claiming Dust2 13-5.
However, the final map, Ancient, was closer than it should have been as NaVi sprinted out to an 8-1 lead early before swapping sides at 8-4.
Liquid made a run in the second half and levelled the series at 11-apiece before NaVi closed out the series with back-to-back round victories.
Tuesday’s IEM Rio matches
- Team Vitality ($1.22) vs The MongolZ ($4.00) @ 11am BRT
- Virtus.pro ($1.50) vs 9z Team ($2.50) @ 11am BRT
- Astralis ($1.72) vs HEROIC ($2.00) @ 1:30pm BRT
- G2 Esports ($1.44) vs Eternal Fire ($2.62) @ 1:30pm BRT
- MOUZ ($1.75) vs Complexity ($2.00) @ 4pm BRT
- FaZe Clan ($1.82) vs Team Liquid ($1.92) @ 4pm BRT
]]>
FAZE CLAN vs FURIA ESPORTS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | FaZe $1.45 at GG Bet | FURIA $2.73 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 11:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
FaZe Clan and FURIA Esports last met in May, when FaZe won 13-7, and barring any surprises, they should have an easy time beating FURIA on Monday. Even though FaZe have not looked great over the last few weeks, they have outperformed FURIA, who only produced solid games against weaker opponents.
Still, FaZe Clan have not looked very convincing in their recent wins, even against teams of similar quality as FURIA. So, while this is their game to lose, Finn “karrigan” Andersen and co. should not be favoured that heavily in a best-of-one series.
FURIA Esports to win
MOUZ vs PAIN GAMING CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | MOUZ $1.55 at GG Bet | paiN $2.43 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 11:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
MOUZ have been very up and down this season, and they reached a new low last month when they placed 17th-20th at ESL Pro League Season 20 with defeats against Complexity (twice) and Imperial Esports. PaiN Gaming, unlike MOUZ, have not once contested a podium in a significant event this season, but they are in great form.
Despite the recent hiccups at ESL Challenger League Season 48: South America, Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt and co. have been posting promising results with a top-eight finish at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne and a fourth-place finish at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2.
Considering MOUZ’s shaky form, this is an excellent opportunity for paiN to claim another big scalp.
paiN Gaming +2.5 rounds
NATUS VINCERE vs IMPERIAL ESPORTS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | NaVi $1.18 at GG Bet | Imperial $4.83 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 12:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Imperial Esports reached the final 12 at ESL Pro League Season 20, which is commendable, but they did not have to beat any great teams – besides the shaky MOUZ. Since then, Imperial have produced mediocre results in domestic competitions, which does not inspire much confidence.
Natus Vincere are notorious for slow tournament starts, but they are the current no.1 ranked Counter-Strike team in the world and in exceptional form.
The quality difference between the two teams is significant enough to justify a wager on Natus Vincere to cover a 4.5-round handicap.
Natus Vincere -4.5 rounds
TEAM LIQUID vs COMPLEXITY GAMING CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | Liquid $1.60 at GG Bet | COL $2.32 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 12:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Team Liquid and Complexity have met twice since August, and both series ended in favour of Liquid. Most recently, Liquid crushed Complexity with 13-7 on Anubis and 13-2 on Nuke in the ESL Pro League Season 20 playoffs, and according to the Counter-Strike betting sites, this fixture should end similarly.
Complexity have found some success lately; however, the majority of their significant victories came against struggling sides, such as FaZe Clan, MOUZ, and Astralis. Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski can play at a high level, but they do not seem to be able to overcome their regional rivals.
Team Liquid -2.5 rounds
G2 ESPORTS vs HEROIC CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | G2 $1.28 at GG Bet | Heroic $3.63 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 13:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
G2 Esports reached the semifinals in Malta and last week added a gold medal from BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024, which explains why they are one of the leading candidates to win Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024.
HEROIC, on the other side, have not come close to accomplishing anything even remotely as impressive. Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski and his crew did well during ESL Pro League Season 20, but overall, they have not shown much over the last month, even against weaker opponents.
Besides the evident quality difference, there is also a map pool gap, as G2 Esports have a better win rate on six of the seven maps in the rotation. This should be an unwinnable match for HEROIC.
G2 Esports -3.5 rounds
TEAM VITALITY vs 9Z TEAM CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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|---|---|
| Best Odds: | Vitality $1.15 at GG Bet | 9z $5.37 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 13:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Like the fixture preceding this affair, the favourites are priced at much shorter odds for a good reason. Team Vitality’s ranking has dipped slightly over the last month due to their fifth-eighth-place finish at ESL Pro League Season 20 and a semifinal appearance at BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024; however, the Bees are still no.3 squad in the world.
9z Team have been making some noise in international events lately, yet they have not won or come close to winning a big event. Don’t expect any surprises on Monday.
Team Vitality -5.5 rounds
VIRTUS.PRO vs THE MONGOLZ CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | VP $1.93 at GG Bet | MongolZ $1.85 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 14:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Virtus.pro and The MongolZ last met during ESL Pro League Season 19 when the Russians won with a reverse sweep. The rematch is expected to be just as close but slightly favouring MongolZ.
The Mongolian squad travel to Rio de Janeiro following a strong showing at ESL Pro League Season 20, where they placed top-12 after a close defeat against Eternal Fire. Virtus.pro also made some noise in Malta (13th-16th), but all that is overshadowed by their loss against HEROIC in the playoffs.
The MongolZ should be favoured, but this has the potential to be a very competitive game.
Over 21.5 rounds
ETERNAL FIRE vs ASTRALIS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | EF $1.63 at GG Bet | Astralis $2.26 at GG Bet |
| When: | October 7, 2024 | 14:00 BRT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Eternal Fire reached the ESL Pro League Season 20 finals just three weeks after claiming a silver medal from BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2, which helped them reach no.7 spot on the global Counter-Strike standings. And with results like that, it is fair to expect the Turks to do well in Rio.
Astralis have also had their moments this season, but way back in April-June when they made the semifinals of four consecutive S-Tier tournaments. Since then, their form has dipped, although things could get better once Casper “cadiaN” M?ller gels with his new teammates.
With an experienced in-game leader, Astralis have the potential to start contesting big trophies. But they are not quite there yet.
Eternal Fire to win
]]>
Natus Vincere benched the player on June 30 after seven months of uninspiring results. He will replace Alexey “alex666” Yarmoshchuk on B8 following his departure from the Ukrainian lineup on July 5.
B8 wrote in a welcome post, “We’re thrilled to announce Andrii’ npl’ Kukharskyi’s entry into our CS:GO team from @natusvincere, coming onboard for a long-term period with a priority buyout right.”
“This is a big boost for our team, filling a gap we felt in our recent two RMRs. Anyway, building a strong team and perfecting our gameplay can take some time, but we’re committed to working hard to achieve this as fast as we can.”
npl Joins the B8 CS:GO Squad
We're thrilled to announce Andrii 'npl' Kukharskyi's entry into our CS:GO team from @natusvincere, coming onboard for a long-term period with a priority buyout right.
This is a big boost for our team, filling a gap we felt in our recent two RMRs.… pic.twitter.com/BA0dpQHJ0R
— B8 Esports (@B8esportsGG) July 9, 2023
npl joined NAVI in December 2022 as a sixth player for the team. He eventually replaced Viktor “?sdy?” Orudzhev on the starting lineup in January 2023.
While with NAVI, npl had issues adapting to tier-one competition and reached a 0.92 average rating across 63 maps. He recorded his only positive rating during the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMR. During the event, he posted a 1.34 rating, his highest while with NAVI.
NAVI also reached the semifinals of the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023, and the Electronic Sports League Pro League Season 17 during npl’s stint.
With a new player among their ranks, B8 aim to elevate their current rank in the CS:GO scene. The team previously qualified for the IEM Rio and the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMRs, where they earned impressive wins in the opening matches. B8, however, failed to go much further in the events and, in the process, lost out on Major appearances.
B8 currently consists of npl, Artem “?r1nkle?” Moroz, Mykhailo “?OWNER?” Lymar, Arseniy “?cptkurtka023?”Derevinskiy, and Denis “?amster?” Liashenko. They are set to debut the new team in the Thunderpick World Championship 2023 qualifier. The online event will kick on July 27 to August 13.
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After losing to OG in their first-round match at the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, Vitality went on to win five straight matches to reach the final, defeating BIG (2-0) and Cloud9 (2-1) in their quarter-final and semi-final series, respectively.
When the first map went all the way to round 29 of 30, with Vitality taking their map pick 16-13, it looked like we were in for a great final series.
Heroic needed to win their map pick Inferno to keep the series alive, but after a 5-10 first half, the match was all but over.
No-one on the Vitality roster finished with a negative kill/death difference for the second map, with Emil “Magisk” Reif ranking lowest with an even record.
Vitality went on to win Inferno 16-12 and clinch their first tournament victory since August of last year, when they won ESL Pro League Season 16.
WE ARE YOUR #IEM RIO CHAMPIONS
Paris, we are coming #VforVictory pic.twitter.com/mJLIvatHn6
— Team Vitality
(@TeamVitality) April 23, 2023
To cap off a successful event for Vitality, their star sniper Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his outstanding performance at IEM Rio.
After amassing an event-high 1.31 rating across 15 maps played, the French superstar won his 14th career MVP award.
ZywOo carried Team Vitality to the playoffs, finishing with ratings of 1.61 and 1.45 in their lower-bracket round one series win over FURIA and lower-bracket final win over OG, respectively.
Fro Heroic, the story of the perennial bridesmaids continues after reaching another grand final only to lose again.
The Danes have finished second in three of their last six S-Tier tournament appearances, including IEM Rio Major 2022, IEM Katowice 2023, and IEM Rio 2023.
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TEAM VITALITY vs BIG CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Vitality $1.33 at GG Bet | BIG $3.25 at GG Bet |
| When: | April 21, 2023 | 12:00 BST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESL_CSGO) |
After beginning their IEM Rio campaign with a 17-19 loss to OG in the first round, Team Vitality have recovered by winning their last three matches over MIBR, FaZe Clan, and flipping the script on OG to qualify for the playoffs via the lower-bracket final. Vitality have beaten BIG in both of their best-of-three series, and they are the clear favourites in this one. With some very good performances at recent events, the world no.6 will be hoping that IEM Rio 2023 can be their first win since August of last year.
BIG have performed admirably at IEM Rio 2023, beginning with an upset victory over MOUZ (16-6), followed by a tough victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites in Heroic to book their place in the upper-bracket final. After forcing Natus Vincere into overtime on the first map, the world no.19 was no match for the world no.4 on the second, falling 0-2. BIG enter the playoffs as the lowest-ranked team, but they have the potential to spoil the party, and they may start with Team Vitality in this series.
The series has gone to three maps both times these two teams have played a best-of-three, so that is how we will play for his matchup.
Over 2.5 maps
FURIA vs HEROIC CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | FURIA $2.50 at GG Bet | Heroic $1.50 at GG Bet |
| When: | April 21, 2023 | 15:30 BST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESL_CSGO) |
FURIA will be looking to avenge their IEM Rio Major 2022 semifinal loss from late last year, in which the Brazilians were defeated by Heroic in a three-map series. The world no.11 performed admirably in their first two matches at IEM Rio 2023, defeating Fnatic 19-15 in overtime in round one before dominating FaZe Clan in the upper-bracket semifinals. With their playoff tickets already punched, FURIA faced Cloud9 in the upper-bracket final, which the latter would win 2-1. With a large crowd expected in the Jeunesse Arena to cheer on the hometown team, the ‘sixth man’ effect cannot be underestimated.
Heroic entered IEM Rio 2023 as one of the pre-tournament favourites, but they fell at the first hurdle, losing to BIG in the first round. After defeating TheMongolz in a three-map series, Heroic advanced to the lower-bracket final against Ninjas in Pyjamas, which they won convincingly 2-0. The world no.3 has clearly not been at their best, and with a crucial quarterfinal series against FURIA coming up, they will need to find a way to block out the crowd and repeat their semifinal victory from the IEM Rio Major 2022.
With vengeance on their mind and a packed house of crazy Brazilian CS:GO fans, we will be on FURIA to get the job done.
FURIA to Win
A field of 16 CS:GO teams will congregate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where IEM Spring will kick off on Monday with US$250,000 in prizemoney on the line.
Most esports betting sites have FaZe Clan has the $4.00 favourite to take out IEM Rio 2023, with the likes of Heroic ($4.50) and Cloud9 ($4.75) heavily supported by bettors.
Some of the key leagues and tournaments taking place in the esports world this week include:
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CS:GO IEM Rio 2023
IEM Rio (also known as IEM Spring) will kick off on April 17 and run for a week, with the winner of the event taking home US$100,000 of the US$250,000 prize pool and securing a spot at IEM Cologne 2023. Check out our extensive IEM Spring 2023 betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.
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Dota 2 DreamHack DreamLeague Season 19
The second week of the 19th season of the DreamHack DreamLeague will begin on Monday, with the final games of Group Stage 2 ending midweek. The playoffs kick off on Saturday, with the grand final set to be played on Sunday. Check out our comprehensive DreamHack DreamLeague betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.
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Call Of Duty League Major 4
The fourth Call Of Duty League Major of the year will begin later this week, with the group stage set to begin on Thursday, April 20. The US$500,000 event is the second-last CDL Major of the season. For more information, see our in-depth Call of Duty League betting guide.
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League of Legends LEC Spring Playoffs
The LEC Spring is reaching the pointy end of the season. The upper-bracket final is set to be played on Monday, where Team BDS will take on Team Vitality for a first spot in the grand final. The lower-bracket semifinal is due to be played on Saturday, with G2 Esports taking on MAD Lions. The winner of the LEC Spring 2023 grand final will book their place at the LoL Mid-Season Invitational in London, England, which kicks off on May 2.
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