Gain insight into upcoming Counter-Strike 2 matches with our analysis of the event, teams and players, as well as Pinnacle’s odds.
BLAST Premier: World Final 2023
Cloud9 vs. ENCE
Cloud9 have yet to play in BetBoom Dacha 2023 at the time of writing, so the information in the above section still remains the same for this event. I’d suggest keeping a close eye on them in Dubai and making your betting decisions based on their result there.
Cloud9 are valued at 1.520* in their opening game against ENCE.
ENCE recently finished their run in Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 with some mixed results. They started slowly with an unexpected loss to HAVU, but were able to make it to the playoffs with wins over GamerLegion and fnatic. This line-up is going to need time to adjust to a new IGL and Coach, so until we’ve seen them play in a few more events, it’s going to be difficult to rank ENCE amongst the goliath teams attending this event.
ENCE are valued at 2.420* in their opening game against Cloud9.
Team Vitality vs. NAVI
Vitality are the most recent winners of a BLAST event, taking first place in the BLAST Premier: Fall Final. Their win in Copenhagen showed that Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut has well and truly adjusted to Counter-Strike 2. Not only was he on fire, but Lotan "Spinx" Giladi and Shahar "flameZ" Shushan also looked fantastic. As they look to continue their title-winning ways into CS2, Vitality are Pinnacle’s favorites to win the entire event, valued at 2.960*.
Vitality are also favored in this opening match, being valued at 1.363* to beat NAVI.
NAVI have played one event following the addition of Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov, and he looked deadly! NAVI will be looking back at the BLAST Premier: Fall Final and seeing key areas to improve on. They lost their opening game to Cloud9, and an opening loss to Vitality would see a rematch with C9. Given the vulnerable state that ENCE are in, and the fact that Andrij "B1ad3" Ghorodensjkyj has had time to review their most recent performance, you should still expect them to qualify to the playoffs.
NAVI are valued at 2.970* in their opening game against Vitality.
FaZe Clan vs. Heroic
FaZe were finally beaten in Copenhagen, which saw an end to their 18 win streak. While many would have loved to see the streak continue, it ending before the departure of Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken (rather than because of his departure) doesn’t lead to questions like “what if he stayed?”. However, as FaZe lose one incredible player, they gain another in David "frozen" Čerňanský. It has been a long awaited move for “frozen” to get a spot on a top Tier-1 team, and where better than to be reunited with Finn "karrigan" Andersen and Robin "ropz" Kool? I wouldn’t expect the performance of FaZe to drop too much due to the familiarity of the players and how well structured the team already is.
FaZe are valued at 1.208* in their opening game against Heroic.
Heroic are a Frankenstein’s monster sort of team right now. They’re made up of a player contracted until the end of the year, a player on loan and a stand-in. Casper "cadiaN" Møller playing in their last event gave them a familiar structure with a core of Heroic players, but now only two remain. If you had no hope in Heroic at the BLAST Premier: Fall Final, you should expect even less of them at this tournament.
Heroic are valued at 4.170* in their opening game against FaZe.
MOUZ vs. G2 Esports
MOUZ had a terrible showing at Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 and the recent loss of “frozen” may have been the cause. MOUZ have once again produced an incredible talent that FaZe wants. They are reportedly using Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin as their stand-in, a player that fnatic were interested in until learning of his buyout. It will be extremely difficult for MOUZ to replace “frozen”. All eyes will be on whoever takes his spot long term.
MOUZ are valued at 2.480* in their opening game against G2.
G2 have made changes ahead of their return to S-Tier competition. Nemanja "nexa" Isaković takes the place of Justin "jks" Savage, a move many are unsure about. It seems more changes are in the pipeline, as their coach Jan "Swani" Müller is expected to step down after this event. All the changes and a lack of data on G2 against other Tier-1 teams makes it difficult to figure out what to expect from them.
G2 are valued at 1.500* in their opening game against MOUZ.
ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023
Complexity Gaming vs. TheMongolz
Complexity have had one of the most impressive starts to Counter-Strike 2, especially considering how they were performing in CS:GO at the beginning of the 2023. Their fantastic run of form, often powered by Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, wasn’t as apparent at Elisa Masters Espoo 2023. Despite continuing to be beaten by MOUZ and FaZe Clan, they’ll have a chance on home soil to obtain their first CS2 trophy. They come in at second to win the entire event, being valued at 3.000* by Pinnacle.
Complexity are valued at 1.155* to beat TheMongolz in their opener.
TheMongolz play some of the best Counter-Strike you are going to see in the Asia region. They continue to dominate the Mongolian scene, and have conquered the likes of TYLOO and Lynn Vision recently to win ESL Challenger League Season 46 Asia Pacific. This win secures them an invite to ESL Pro League Season 19, a tournament they will relish the chance to be involved in. In Atlanta, they have drawn a group with Complexity, GamerLegion and Apeks, a trio of teams favored considerably higher than themselves. In opening best-of-ones, chaos can become an ally of the underdog, but I’m not quite sure if it will be enough to take down Complexity.
TheMongolz are valued at 5.610* in this opener against Complexity.
Bet on Complexity vs. TheMongolz
Apeks vs. GamerLegion
Prior to the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, this matchup was viewed as the best of Tier-2. Despite losing players to other teams after their impressive performances at the previous Major, both Apeks and GamerLegion have been able to maintain rankings in the top 20. Apeks are currently ranked higher, but have struggled to find any real success since losing Justinas "jL" Lekavicius to NAVI. Since that loss, they’ve made coaching changes, and replaced Martin "STYKO" Styk with Ådne "sense" Fredriksen. These changes almost secured a tournament victory at Elisa Masters Espoo, and a weakened GamerLegion could help them obtain a spot in the playoffs.
Apeks are valued at 1.442* in this opening match.
GamerLegion are on the unfortunate end of visa issues. This isn’t anything new for events being held in the USA, but as a result, GamerLegion will play without Sebastian "volt" Maloș. While Apeks have struggled to find form after losing players, GamerLegion have had a much worse time. Currently, Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski is the best performing player on the team. When that player is your In-Game Leader (IGL), it’s something to be concerned about for any team. Based on the form of this team and the stand-in situation, they may find themselves in a battle to avoid last place against TheMongolz. However, the opening best-of-ones could be won by individual performance, and “Snax” sure knows how to deliver in the USA.
GamerLegion are valued at 2.820* in their opening match.
Monte vs. BESTIA
After multiple semifinal and final appearances from Monte, they finally picked up a CS2 trophy in the form of ESL Challenger Jönköping. However, they’ll be challenged in Atlanta if their aim is to pick up a second trophy before the year ends. Virtus.pro will be their biggest competition, especially as they reside in the same group as Monte. Most will expect Monte to make it out of this group, but how far can they go?
Monte are valued at 1.061* in this opener against BESTIA.
BESTIA are a relatively new organization in Counter-Strike, having only entered in February of this year. Many of their players previously played in Isurus, but now, under a new banner, this relatively unknown team have a chance to prove that they can rise to the occasion against some of Europe’s toughest competition. However, I would remain reserved about placing faith in BESTIA to achieve any results at this event. Even M80 may be a step too far for them.
BESTIA are valued at 10.750* in this opening match against Monte.
M80 vs. Virtus.pro
M80 are have a strange mix of players for an international team. Most modern international teams are made up of predominantly European players, but in M80’s case, they have two Americans, one Dane, one German and one Guatemalan. Only ATK have been able to rival this team for diversity (for a brief period). Much like BESTIA, M80 have been thrown in at the deep end of this tournament with Monte and Virtus.pro. However, I would still favor them higher than BESTIA in this group.
M80 are valued at 4.830* in their opening game against Virtus.pro.
Virtus.pro are the favorites to win ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023, valued at 2.550* to win it all. Since their debut in CS2, VP have placed first at the Roobet Cup 2023, reached the semifinals of ESL Challenger Jönköping 2023 and secured two second place finishes at the Thunderpick World Championship 2023 and BetBoom Dacha 2023. Based on these results, you would expect Virtus.pro to claim another trophy before ending the year. That being said, there are many teams who are aching to end the year with a tournament win that could take VP down.
Virtus.pro are valued at 1.189* to win their opener.
*Odds subject to change.
