ECS Season 4 Finals betting preview

A total of eight teams qualified for the ECS Season 4 Finals from both the European and North American regions. Qualification was achieved via two online ten-team groups, with each team playing eighteen matches in total.

The extended online qualification system means that the teams who managed to qualify for the finals have shown a high-level of consistency - they will now head to Mexico to prove their ability on LAN.

FaZe may have lost to SK Gaming in a best of five final at the ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals but they certainly have the firepower to overturn any opponent at this event.

The eight teams travelling to Cancun have performed well within their regions, with the only notable exclusion being the in-form SK Gaming, who have missed out on attending the finals by finishing fifth in their group. 

This event is the final big tournament before the player break, and teams attending will want to conclude 2017 with a win. Additionally, ECS S4 Cancun is the last event before the January 2018 ELEAGUE Major, and it is the final chance for fans and analysts to gauge how teams are performing. This is an event that no fan will want to miss. 

ECS Season 4 Finals betting: Tournament structure

It’s important as a bettor to have a strong understanding of a tournaments structure. At this event, the teams have been split into two groups.

Group A

Group B

The event spans three days. The first day begins with two matches per group, with the winners facing off in a ‘Winners’ Match’ that will allow the victor to progress straight into the semi-finals. These matches are all best of ones. 

On the second day, there are elimination matches for the losers of the initial group matches, with the losing team eliminated. The winner of that match will face off against the loser of the initial Winners’ Match in a ‘Decider Match’, with the team achieving victory in that match progressing through to the semi-final (all of the matches on the second day are best of three). 

On the final day, there will be two best of three semi-finals, followed by a best of three Grand Final - the best of three format means teams are able to prove themselves over two or three maps and won’t lose out because of one costly mistake. 

Analysing the two groups 

This event uses a two-group system. Whilst both groups will be hard-fought, Group B seems to the most competitive, with three teams capable of winning the tournament. 

Group A contains the team that finished the ECS Season 4 qualification process at the top of the European group, Fnatic (7.210* to win the tournament outright). Their online form has been excellent and the Swedish roster performed admirably to finish top of the standings. Although they have been inconsistent on LAN setups, they should still be able to progress through the group stage with relative ease. 

The second team that will look to progress through Group A and into the semi-finals is the mix roster of OpTic. The team have shown glimpses of form and they’ll look at the likes of Mousesports and Luminosity as games that will be tough, but ones that they should emerge as the victors.

Group B holds the main contenders in the ECS Season 4 odds. FaZe, Cloud9 and Astralis are all teams capable of winning the event, and they’ll all have to fight hard if they wish to continue past the group stage. 

FaZe are the favourites to not only win their group but the entire event (currently priced at 2.050*). The mixed European roster has shown their firepower and individual ability, reaching the final in two of the three recent events, only to fall to SK Gaming and NiP in a best of five showdown on both occasions. They don’t have to worry about either of those teams coming into this event and will have their sights set firmly on lifting the trophy.

Mousesports haven’t played much event Counter Strike in comparison to many of the other teams in attendance and resultantly have had plenty of time to prepare for this event.

In terms of ability, Cloud9 are capable of beating any team at this event in the correct circumstances, but they’ve struggled with consistency in recent matches. 

Astralis are a bigger price than bettors might expect (6.400*) but that’s because they are without their star player, device, due to illness. At recent events, they’ve played with stand-ins and had mixed success, and this event will be no different - a full strength Astralis would certainly be capable of victory.

RUBINO will be filling in for the Danish roster, and this means that the team will have had to adapt to fill the hole that device has left. dupreeh has been using the awp with mixed success, and the team as a whole have been inconsistent without their star player. They have the ability to go far at this event, but their chances of beating the likes of FaZe or Fnatic in a best of three look slim. 

Why FaZe are favourites to lift the trophy

FaZe may have lost to SK Gaming in a best of five final at the ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals, however they certainly have the firepower, with the likes of NiKo, rain and olofmeister, to overturning any opponent at this event.

For all the European squad have in terms of individual skill, they are lacking in teamwork and they are yet to find ways to fully gel as a unit. They’ve lost out to teams like SK Gaming and NiP in recent finals, and in those losses they struggled to play well as a team. Despite this, their team play has been gradually improving, and they’ll feel confident that they’ve got the ability to win this event.

Fnatic is perhaps the main danger given that they finished top of the European qualification stage with an impressive 14 wins in 18 matches. The Swedish team are one of the most improved teams coming into this event, and at the ESL Pro League Finals they managed to beat both FaZe and Astralis in best of one matchups. Their success has stemmed partly from flusha’s improvements in recent weeks, with the Swede beginning to find his previous Major-winning form. 

Who is capable of causing an upset?

When at their best, Cloud9 have the talent to take on any outfit. The North Americans have struggled with consistency over recent months, and have a tough task getting out of Group B. The team does possess a significant best of one upset potential, however, they could come unstuck when the tournament progresses to its best of three or five format.

OpTic will certainly be aiming to progress through the group stage and into the semi-finals. Group A isn’t as competitive as Group B, and with the talent they have they would expect to progress to the knockout stages. They are yet to reach their potential with teamwork letting the side down, but if they can fix this then it’s possible for the team to go far in Cancun - they are currently 13.940* to come away with the win.

Mousesports (6.400*) could be the surprise package in Mexico. The team haven’t played much event Counter Strike in comparison to many of the other teams in attendance and resultantly have had plenty of time to prepare for this event. Additionally, with star talent they possess in the form of ropz and oskar, they could cause some upsets. They should be competing with OpTic for a spot in the semi-finals, and the team have the capability to get some solid best of one results.

*Odds subject to change.