Hungary’s first international eSports tournament begins on March 23, featuring eight teams from around the globe competing for a share of almost $600,000. With the players and first-time organisers both determined to put on a spectacle this should be a weekend remember. Read on for expert insight into the V4 Future Sports Festival odds.
The eight teams heading to Budapest (which is unusually small for such an event) reached it one of two ways. Four teams were invited directly and four teams reached it through their regional qualifiers.
Looking to promote eSports in the region, the qualifiers were reserved for local teams in order to give them their first taste of competition against some of the world’s best. From the qualifiers, two slots were given the Czech Republic and Slovakia, one to Poland and one to Hungary.
Teams who received direct invites:
- FaZe Clan
- HellRaisers
- mousesports
- Virtus.Pro
Teams who qualified through their regional qualifiers:
- eXtatus (Czech and Slovak Qualifier)
- Dark Tigers (Czech and Slovak Qualifier)
- x-kom Team (Polish Qualifier)
- GameAgents (Hungarian Qualifier)
V4 Future Sports Festival betting: The format
The eight teams have initially been divided into groups of four based on two seeding pots. The pots were decided by whether the teams were invited or not. The group stage will feature a best-of-two (BO2) round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the single-elimination best-of-three (BO3) playoff and a best-of-five (BO5) final.
BO2 matches can be a safer format for bettors as your money will be returned if the game ends 1-1 and this format enables insightful eSports bettors the chance to find value by using knowledge of the teams and their map pools.
Since the playoffs are single-elimination, losing one match means that team is eliminated from the tournament. The BO3’s format means teams need to win two maps to progress, which does make it less likely for an underdog to win. Teams will be able to veto their least favourite map, ensuring the games should be played out on maps popular for both sides.
The final will follow the same format as IEM Katowice (BO5), which is preferred as it ensures the deserving team will likely win. Lasting multiple hours, this format really tests a team’s focus and map pool, meaning both teams need to be prepared on potentially five maps in order to take home the trophy and their share of the prize money.
Who are the favourites to win V4 Future Sports Festival?
With few top teams attending, the favourite to win the tournament is FaZe (1.675*) who despite losing in a few finals lately, still possess more firepower than any other team in attendance – this is demonstrated further by their overall HLTV rating of 1.11, the highest for any team in 2018 so far.
Ropz has shown he is one of the best young players in the world in 2018 with a rating of 1.16 being the highest for any player under the age of 20.
Suffering defeat at the hands of fnatic in the final of IEM Katowice was disappointing and their loss to Cloud9 at the Major was heartbreaking but it is about time they showed the rest of the world why they should be considered the best. Reaching seven finals in eleven events is a level of consistency matched by no one else currently.
Despite few expecting much from mousesports (3.300*) after NiKo left for FaZe, they have surprised many recently with their impressive victory and performances at StarSeries i-League. NiKo was a huge loss and his rating of 1.23 for 2017 (the second highest of the year) echoes that.
Ropz has shown he is one of the best young players in the world in 2018 with a rating of 1.16 being the highest for any player under the age of 20. With sunny and oskar (1.33 rating so far this year) performing more consistently again, they are one to watch as we go further into the tournament.
HellRaisers (6.600* to win the event) would need to put on their best performance to date if they are to succeed in winning an event such as this. ANGE1, a decent in-game leader, will be looking to show FaZe their mix of nationalities can also bring home titles.
Their main issue might be with their map pool as they can beat anyone on Overpass but equally, struggle as much on other maps – they have beaten fnatic, Gambit and NaVi in their last three games on Overpass, but have 0% win rates on Nuke and Train with their current roster.
Plenty of outsiders at V4 Future Sports Festival
Dark Tigers (253.910*) could look a bit out of place at this event with their level far below the rest of the competitors. Having almost no results to their name (let alone any victories over similar level opponents), even progressing past the group stage would be one of the biggest surprises in eSports history. Taking a total of 12 rounds over two maps against eXtatus in the Czech Championship last year is one of the reason s Dark Tigers’ odds are so high.
x-Kom Team (101.560*) will be aiming to surprise people at this event. Although losing the majority of their recent games, close matches against Epsilon, HAVU and Quantum Bellator Fire does show on the right map they can be dangerous. Being a new team, their map pool is quite weak and this is where they could come undone against better opponents.
The only Hungarian side in attendance, GameAgents (81.250*) will want to make their fellow Hungarians proud with a strong performance at this event. Roster issues do not help their preparation but in Zero (the former HellRaisers player) they have someone with proven skill and experience at an elite level. Will they excite the home crowd? A bit of luck and they have a chance.
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*Odds subject to change
