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Beginner live blog
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Gabby Chan Counter-Strike 2 Two weeks ago
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 | Elimination stage preview With the Opening Stage concluded, the final 16 teams in the Perfect World Shanghai Major will now compete in the Elimination Stage. A more intense Swiss round is set to begin soon.
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Gabby Chan Counter-Strike 2 Nov 27, 2024
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 | Opening stage preview With all the regional RMRs officially concluded, the 16 teams competing in the Opening stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 are now confirmed. Let’s dive into the first-ever CS2 Major to take place in China!
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Gabby Chan Counter-Strike 2 Nov 20, 2024
Beginner's guide to CS2 tournaments | Economy system and utilities The economy system is one of the core features of Counter-Strike. From CS 1.6 to CS:GO, it has evolved over several generations into its current form. Despite the switch from MR15 in CS:GO to MR12 in CS2, Valve has shown no intention of adjusting the economy system. Therefore, the economy system in CS2 remains the same as it was in CS:GO.
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Gabby Chan Counter-Strike 2 Nov 13, 2024
Beginner's guide to CS2 tournaments | Tournament format and team tactics Watching CS2 tournaments is relatively beginner-friendly compared to other esports titles. There are no characters with complex abilities, and the maps are mostly static, with few interactive elements. CS2 games are straightforward, featuring Terrorists (attackers) who play against Counter-Terrorists (defenders).
Victory is achieved either by eliminating the enemy team, planting and protecting the C4 bomb until it explodes for the Terrorists, or defending the bombsite by defusing the bomb for the Counter-Terrorists. The intense gunfights in CS2 provide an exciting experience for the audience.
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Gabby Chan Counter-Strike 2 Oct 10, 2024
IEM Rio 2024 Playoffs betting preview IEM Rio 2024 is heating up! After fierce competition in the 16-team group stage, the last six teams have advanced to the playoffs. This article will preview the playoff teams, predict the opening matches and share some betting insights.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh Counter-Strike 2 Jan 12, 2024
IEM Katowice | Tournament Guide IEM Katowice is one of the most recognized events on the CS2 pro calendar. In this guide, we will explain what the event is, which teams are participating in the 2024 tournament, the route to the final and who the favorites might be.
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Archie Henry Counter-Strike 2 Jan 3, 2024
Top 20 Counter-Strike Players of 2023 | Top 10 to 1 The countdown has begun, bringing together the remaining 10 players of the top 20 for 2023.
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Archie Henry Counter-Strike 2 Dec 29, 2023
Top 20 Counter-Strike Players of 2023 | Top 20 to 11 The year is almost at an end, which means it’s time to predict who will be in the HLTV Top 20 players for 2023.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh Counter-Strike 2 Nov 22, 2023
How to bet in-play on Counter-Strike 2 | CS2 Live betting guide At Pinnacle, we offer a wide arrange of different in-play betting markets on Counter-Strike 2 (CS2). Read this live betting strategy guide to get yourself fully accustomed to the markets we have on offer, and what to look out for before placing your bets.
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Pinnacle: 25 Year Anniversary Show | Tournament Overview Pinnacle is celebrating its 25 Year Anniversary with the Pinnacle: 25 Year Anniversary Show! Find out everything you need to know about our latest Dota 2 event in this Tournament Overview.
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The International 12 - Tournament Guide The International Dota 2 Championships is back, and we could not be more excited. There are 20 teams from across the world competing for the title, but who will lift the trophy?
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Luis "peacemaker" Tadeu joins Pinnacle Luis "peacemaker" Tadeu has done it all in Counter-Strike. As a professional player across three Counter-Strike titles, he has coached some of the most decorated names in the scene, and appeared as broadcast talent at some of the biggest competitions to date. Now he takes on yet another role in esports, as we welcome him to the Pinnacle family as an influencer.
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Pinnacle Cup VI | Tournament Overview The Pinnacle Cup is back for its sixth online edition! Some of the best CS:GO teams will be competing for a share of the tournament’s $50,000 prize pool. Find out more about Pinnacle Cup VI in our official event guide.
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Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes 4 | Tournament Overview Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes returns! After the success of the first three events, we’re back with our fourth Dota 2 tournament. Find out everything you need to know about the event in this Tournament Overview.
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Ben “Noxville” Steenhuisen Dota 2 Sep 5, 2023
Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes 3 | Noxville's Event Preview It’s time for Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes 3, and Ben “noxville” Steenhuisen has taken a look at all of the participating group stage teams. Which teams does he see making the playoffs? Read all about it in his Event Preview!
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Archie Henry CS:GO Aug 11, 2023
Gamers8 | Betting Preview A new tournament, outside of ESL and BLAST organised events, has emerged in the form of Gamers8. This is much more than just a CS:GO tournament, as competitions in other games have been taking place under the Gamers8 name for the last month. What is most appealing about this tournament is the $1,000,000 prize pool, a figure only seen at the highest level of events. Another interesting aspect of this tournament is the single-elimination format the organisers have chosen to adopt the whole way through - the brackets will seem familiar to those who watch events like the World Cup. This means no second chances – one loss and you’re out.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jul 19, 2023
IEM Cologne Play-in | Betting Preview Counter-Strike: Global Offensive returns to the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike” this month, as the world’s greatest come together to battle it out at IEM Cologne 2023. In the wider CS:GO calendar, only Majors top this tournament for the sheer size of the event and the excitement it draws. Last year’s edition brought us one of the greatest best-of-five series that’s ever happened, but are teams ready to deliver once again?
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jul 6, 2023
BLAST Premier Fall Groups | Tournament Overview BLAST Premier Fall Groups returns to kick-start competitive CS:GO now that the player break is over. Every Counter-Strike fan has been eagerly awaiting this tournament, mainly due to the amount of roster updates we’ve seen since the BLAST Premier Spring Final took place in early June. What’s most surprising isn’t just the number of changes, but the changes themselves. NAVI dropped three players, Team Liquid now have a European core, and Team Vitality replaced Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen after winning the Major.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh Dota 2 Jun 30, 2023
How to bet in-play on Dota 2 | Live Dota 2 betting tips Betting on Dota 2 is popular within the realm of esports due to the game's action-packed, strategic gameplay, which perfectly complements the thrill of online betting. In this guide, we will focus on the in-play form of betting on Dota 2.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jun 20, 2023
Is the new LEC format working? | League of Legends Let’s not beat around the bush, the League of Legends MSI was brutal for LEC fans. G2 Esports and MAD Lions were completely outclassed, and were embarrassed by the Chinese and Korean teams. T1’s 17-minute annihilation of Spring Split Champions MAD was an especially painful pill to swallow.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jun 15, 2023
LEC Summer Split | Preview The LEC finally returns this week, as the third and final split of 2023 gets underway. With the brand new LEC Season Finals getting closer, as well as the World Championship, the next month will be absolutely critical.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jun 14, 2023
Milio and Yuumi Activated in Pro Play League of Legends is famous for its vast array of champions a player can play. Sometimes, these champions aren't always balanced in the way the developers intended. This can make them too strong in pro play, as was the case for Yuumi and Milio prior to MSI.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jun 14, 2023
League of Legends | Mid-Season Patch It has been another confusing year. It seems like we’re just along for the ride with Riot Games in the ever-changing League of Legends (LoL) development cycle. After failing to produce the start of season cinematic for 2023, a staple for the series, the general fear from the LoL fanbase was that the game has been put on the backburner. The off-season did little to inspire hope as well, with Riot merely reintroducing a removed feature, the Chemtech Drake, and making changes to a few items. Suffice it to say, many were left unsatisfied.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jun 9, 2023
LPL Summer Split | Overview The performance of LPL teams at MSI 2023 was night and day compared to Worlds last year. An all-LCK final has become an all-LPL final, and China is currently the most dominant region in the world. They appear to be one step ahead of the meta, and due to this, performed better in the draft. The next step is to prove that the region can not only stay ahead, but also make an appearance at Worlds that isn’t just a single front-runner whose counterparts choke for no reason in the Group Stage. They need to drop the “one-team region” moniker.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jun 9, 2023
LCK Summer Split | Overview After a disastrous MSI, it’s time for the teams of the LCK to recuperate coming into summer. In stark contrast to Worlds 2022, the last international tournament, where both finalists were LCK representatives, both the first and second seeds fell foul to China’s runner-up in the lower bracket in this year’s MSI, leading to an all-LPL final.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jun 8, 2023
LCS Summer Split | Preview It’s hard to believe it, but the League of Legends World Championship is only a few months away. Although, after a humbling at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), the LCS teams might wish they had even longer to prepare.
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Archie Henry CS:GO May 24, 2023
IEM Dallas | Betting Preview IEM Dallas is a big event in the ESL calendar, awarding a direct qualification spot for IEM Cologne to the victor. Sixteen teams will be taking part in two double-elimination groups, but which of these teams is best prepared after the Paris Major?
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Pinnacle Cup: Brasil | Tournament Overview The Pinnacle Cup returns to CS:GO, and this time with a focus on South America! Some of the best CS:GO teams from Brazil will be competing for a share of the tournament’s $25,000 prize pool. Find out more about Pinnacle Cup: Brasil in our official event guide.
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Archie Henry CS:GO May 11, 2023
Crazy CS:GO Major Stats The BLAST.tv Paris Major is now fully underway, and some teams have already been eliminated from the competition. Across the entirety of CS:GO’s lifespan, there have been 19 Majors, and there will never be another one after Paris. Here are some crazy statistics that show just how impressive the professional CS:GO scene and those competing in it are.
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BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 | Tournament Overview The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 will be the last CS:GO Major before we move over to Counter-Strike 2 later this year. In this guide, we will explain what the event is, which teams are participating, the route to the Grand Final, and who the favourites might be.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Apr 29, 2023
MSI Bracket Stage | Betting Preview Defying tradition, MSI 2023’s new format avoids a Rumble Stage entirely. Abandoning the previous three stage tournament - Play-ins, Rumble, Bracket - viewers can now expect the Play-in Stage to be followed by immediate best of fives, which will be played in a double elimination bracket. This format is reminiscent of Worlds’ Playoffs, with a hint of CS:GO Group Stages.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Apr 28, 2023
MSI Play-In Stage | Betting Preview Each year Riot Games holds two international tournaments, MSI and Worlds. This year, for the first time ever, MSI will take place in London. It also introduces a new format and it all begins next week!
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Archie Henry CS:GO Apr 28, 2023
Juve: "We shouldn't even have made Overtime" After an impressive showing at the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMR A, we got hold of Into The Breach’s Coach, Gustavo "Juve" Alexandre, for an interview. If you’d prefer to watch the video interview, you can do so below.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh Mobile Legends Apr 27, 2023
How to Bet on Mobile Legends: A Beginner's Guide | Betting Tips Mobile Legends is one of the most popular mobile games in the world, with millions of players worldwide. But did you know that you can also bet on Mobile Legends at Pinnacle?
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Archie Henry CS:GO Apr 21, 2023
The best CS:GO players that have never won a Major Despite so many tournaments having taken place over the game’s lifespan, there are still some players who have never won a Major. Some of the best players in the game are on this list, so we thought we’d highlight some of them for you.
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ESL One Berlin Major 2023 | Tournament Overview The hype just keeps getting bigger and bigger for the ESL One Berlin Major 2023! Which team will you be cheering on?
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Kristian Medina Valorant Apr 19, 2023
The maps in VALORANT explained Discover VALORANT’s nine unique maps in our comprehensive guide, covering essential features, strategies, and advice on how to enhance your gameplay and VALORANT betting knowledge.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh League of Legends Apr 17, 2023
Mastering League of Legends: Understanding Win Conditions To achieve victory in League of Legends, it is crucial to understand and execute win conditions. Read on to discover what win conditions are, why they matter, and how you can use them to dominate the Rift.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Apr 6, 2023
LCS Power Rankings: Playoffs Round 2 After both LCS Spring Playoff best-of-fives ended in 3-0 stomps, these might be the easiest Power Rankings we’ll write all year. However, nothing is ever set in stone, and the playoffs could still have a twist or two awaiting us.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Apr 6, 2023
A guide to the roles in VALORANT As a new tactical first-person shooter game with an emphasis on abilities, VALORANT players use a unique mix of terminology to match the roles found within the game. In this guide we go over those roles and how they function within the game.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Apr 6, 2023
VALORANT Power Rankings The VALORANT Power Rankings covers the top teams in VALORANT esports, discussing key aspects of their gameplay, notable players, and results. Find out more about the best teams in VALORANT in our Power Rankings.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Apr 5, 2023
League of Legends | Red Side vs. Blue Side Side selection is a very interesting part of League of Legends, especially when you consider its impact from a competitive standpoint. As a topic, it’s rather inconsistent in its prevalence within the general discussion of game balance, often only mentioned by a team that have recently lost an important match. But as side selection also determines draft order, it can have big implications on the outcome of games. The priority of each side often depends on the current meta.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Mar 31, 2023
LEC Power Rankings: Week 3 What a crazy end to the LEC Spring regular season.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Mar 30, 2023
LPL Playoffs Preview As the last major region to participate in playoff games this year, the LPL looks to do it bigger and better. With ten teams out of the original 17 through to the playoff bracket, only the top four will earn themselves a second chance with a double elimination bracket. Having placed first and second, JD Gaming (JDG) and Edward Gaming (EDG) have earned an automatic slot in the double elimination stage (or round four of the brackets). Every other team must play through the gauntlet, and the lower the seeding, the more games the team has to win. Each victory will present them with another match against a team one seeding pairing ahead of them.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Mar 24, 2023
LCS Spring Split Playoffs Preview It’s an exhilarating time in North America as the LCS Spring Playoffs are about to commence. The final week of the regular season brought pure chaos and THREE tiebreakers, but now that the dust has settled, six teams are left with two spots at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) up for grabs.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Mar 24, 2023
LCK Playoffs Preview It certainly feels strange to be discussing the beginning of the playoffs in a world where G2 Esports have already qualified for MSI. With a new format this year for big events, twice as many teams from each region get a shot at making it to the biggest of stages. While this may seem like a relief to most, it’s also added pressure.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Mar 22, 2023
LPL Power Rankings: Week 9 With two games left to go for each team, it’s all to play for going into Week 10 of the LPL. As the top 10 teams look to make the playoffs, there’s tough competition for the final spots. As mentioned last week, Anyone’s Legend were the first team to be eliminated from playoffs contention. But this week, the 10th place team now hold a record of seven wins, thus eliminating all other teams who cannot reach this mark in the week to come.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Mar 16, 2023
LCK Power Rankings: Week 8 We’re at the end of Week 8, with only two matches left to go for each team in the LCK. The disparity in performance around the playoff cut-off period means that we essentially know which teams have qualified for the playoff bracket already. Given that only the top six teams from the regular season qualify, and the difference in wins between the sixth and seventh team sits at four games, it’s safe to say that nothing will change in two games.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Mar 13, 2023
Can money guarantee success in the LEC? Money can buy you success, but it can’t guarantee it. The LEC Winter split lasted just a couple of months, but that was still long enough to prove the aforementioned point, seeing as the gargantuan rosters of Fnatic and Excel Esports were the only teams that failed to qualify for the Group Stages.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Mar 10, 2023
LEC Spring Split Preview After just a week off, the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) is back with the Spring split as the crazy pace of the new format continues.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Mar 9, 2023
Is "Upset" the missing piece for Vitality? If the rumours are true, then the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Spring split could be blown wide open, and we could be witnessing a reunion six years in the making. The last time Elias “Upset” Lipp came close to playing with Luka “Perkz” Perković was with G2 Esports as an ADC substitute back in 2017.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Feb 14, 2023
ESL Pro League Season 17 | Tournament Overview ESL Pro League one of the largest tournaments in CS:GO by length and the amount of teams participating. It should by now be a familiar site on the Counter-Strike calendar, as we reach it’s seventeenth season. A number quite extraordinary when you consider CS:GO is only 10 years old. This guide will explain everything from the teams competing, the tournament favourites and how to win ESL Pro League Season 17.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Feb 10, 2023
Chaos and Drama in the LEC | Winter Split Groups Preview Tense games, huge upsets, and even a pentakill. The LEC Winter Split has had it all. After three weeks of intense and chaotic games, we can assume there’s plenty of chaos and drama to come and that’s guaranteed with the new Group Stages format.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jan 31, 2023
LCK Power Rankings: Week 2 This week, the LCK has seen a few returning champions, and even more fresh faces in the champion select. However, it is true that these first-time support picks helped T1 earn revenge on Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu’s DPlus KIA in this week’s grudge match.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jan 30, 2023
Regional Major Ranking: How does it work? BLAST released pre-sale tickets this week for the upcoming BLAST.tv Paris Major. The release of tickets means teams are on their way to the open and closed RMR qualifiers, but how are BLAST running these qualifier events and the all-important RMRs too?
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh CS:GO Jan 26, 2023
IEM Katowice | Tournament Overview IEM Katowice is one of the most prestigious events on the CS:GO pro calendar. In this guide, we will explain what the event is, which teams are participating in the 2023 tournament, the route to the grand final, and who the favourites might be.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jan 26, 2023
When will the LEC produce a Worlds winner? Eleven years of hurt, but that never stopped fans dreaming. Despite multiple final appearances, the LEC is still waiting for its first taste of World Championship (Worlds) glory - sorry Fnatic fans, Season 1 doesn’t count and you know it.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jan 25, 2023
LCK Power Rankings: Week 1 The opening match for the 2023 LCK Spring split was between the world champion Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and his former team, DRX. His new team, Dplus KIA, remain the only team to have not dropped a single game so far this split. Could this be because of picks like Elise, who hasn’t been picked in the LCK in over a thousand days.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jan 19, 2023
LEC Winter Split Preview Things in the LEC look incredibly different with the 2023 season about to begin. There are new players, new teams, and a brand-new format that could improve international performance. The name has even changed as the E in LEC now stands for EMEA, the region’s new name following the merger of Europe, CIS, Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jan 19, 2023
LCS Spring Split Preview At last, the offseason is over and the LCS is returning to our screens for another year of frenzied and chaotic action. Now moving to Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, nobody is quite sure what to expect from the league moving forward.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jan 19, 2023
LPL Power Rankings: Weeks 1 and 2 The LPL has kicked off and some teams have already played two games. Due to the high intensity, seven days a week format of the Chinese league, our first LPL Power Rankings will cover weeks one and two. Our list includes what we believe to be the best 10 teams (out of a possible 17) based on the games that have kicked off the season.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh CS:GO Jan 18, 2023
IEM Katowice | Overview of Previous Winners With IEM Katowice 2023 around the corner, we look back at this legendary Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament and the many illustrious winners throughout the years. The event started back in 2014 and has been back every single year since then.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jan 17, 2023
LCK Spring Split Preview Coming into the new year for the LCK, there's a lot to look forward - from many big names departing the league to a variety of young academy prospects being given their shot on the main stage. The 2023 Spring split will give some indication of not only who will dominate Korea, but who will be likely to win Riot Games' first global tournament of the year, the Mid-Season Invitational. If you've been a regular viewer of the LEC or LCS and want to see what the next level of competitive League of Legends looks like, the LCK is the place for you.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Jan 17, 2023
LPL Spring Split Preview If you’re unfamiliar with the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), this is the perfect year to get stuck in. The league’s tagline is “Crazy is Our Game”, so you can be assured that the safe scaling and lane focus that is prevalent in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) or the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is not the aim of the game here. No matter the meta, you can expect early-game Junglers, assassins locked in blind, and level-one fights that rival your bronze placements.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jan 12, 2023
BLAST Premier Spring Groups | Betting preview The BLAST Premier Spring Groups event is just around the corner and promises to deliver plenty of high-quality games. Featuring 10 of HLTV’s top 20 ranked teams, we’ll get some of the world's best competing at the first event of the year. This tournament is initially split into three groups, followed by a single-elimination bracket. Now we know the opening matches, we can give you our thoughts on the competition.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jan 11, 2023
BLAST Premier Spring Groups | Tournament overview BLAST ended 2022 with the final S-tier event of the year, which makes it only fitting for them to kickstart 2023 with the BLAST Premier Spring Groups. It will feature 10 of the top 20 teams from the HLTV World Ranking, one of them being G2 – the BLAST Premier World Final victors.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Dec 21, 2022
20 Best CS:GO Players of 2022 | Top 10 to 1 In our last article, we gave our predictions for who might fill positions 20-11 on HLTV’s Top 20 list in 2022. We’ve already seen names like Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis, Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken, and Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato. If you’ve found your way here from that article, you may have formed your own opinions on where you think players may be on the official HLTV Top 20 list, which will likely be released in early January.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh CS:GO Dec 8, 2022
How to bet in-play on CS:GO | Live betting guide At Pinnacle, we offer a wide arrange of different in-play betting markets on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Read this live betting strategy guide to get yourself fully accustomed to the markets we have on offer and what to look out for before placing your bets.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Nov 29, 2022
Jungle Pets and Chemtech Drake! | League of Legends Preseason 2023 Another year, another preseason. With League of Legends being now over 13 years of age, Riot Games are looking to make sweeping changes to their most successful title. When it comes to the most successful esports titles in the world, you adapt or you die.
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Jacob Crick League of Legends Nov 28, 2022
Roster Moves and Super-teams | LCK Offseason 2023 The LCK offseason began on November 21 and it’s shaping up to be a busy one. There are big names whose contracts have come to expiration and a large shuffle ahead, with many teams – including current world champions DRX – releasing their entire rosters into the pool of free agency. Notable names facing contractual expiration include Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, and Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. Some of the LCK's most memorable and storied players are up for grabs and even though it’s only been a couple of days, lots of big signings have already been announced.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Nov 28, 2022
How to watch... Rocket League So you’re wanting to get into watching an esport, and while making your decision you stumble upon Rocket League. Fast paced action, soccer but with cars – you fall for it almost immediately. But you’re missing the finer points on the stream – we’re here to help.
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Archie Henry League of Legends Nov 23, 2022
European League of Legends to become EMEA Championship 10 years of European League of Legends has brought immense success to the region and the organisations competing in the LEC. It comes as no surprise that League of Legends wants to continue their success in Europe and they’re looking to do this by expanding the region to include Turkey plus CIS and MENA countries. This is happening to expand the pathway for talent from smaller and less-represented regions into the big leagues.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Nov 3, 2022
IEM Rio Major Team Feature - FaZe For the IEM Rio Major 2022, we take a look at some of the teams participating. We’ll analyse how they secured their spot at the major and what may lie in store for them at the tournament? Up next in this series of team previews are the international team FaZe, under the watchful eye of Finn "karrigan" Andersen.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Nov 2, 2022
IEM Rio Major Team Feature - Team Liquid For the IEM Rio Major 2022, we take a look at some of the teams participating. We’ll analyse how they secured their spot at the major and what may lie in store for them at the tournament? Up next in this series of team previews are the North American Team Liquid, with their legendary IGL Jonathan "EliGe" Jablonowski.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Nov 1, 2022
IEM Rio Major Team Feature - Ninjas in Pyjamas For the IEM Rio Major 2022, we take a look at some of the teams participating. We’ll analyse how they secured their spot at the major and what may lie in store for them at the tournament? Up next in this series of team previews are the Swedish team Ninjas in Pyjamas, with their new IGL Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Oct 27, 2022
IEM Rio Major 2022 - Betting Preview After its cancellation in November 2020, CS:GO is finally getting a major championship in Brazil. On October 31, 2022, the Challengers Stage at the IEM Rio Major will begin. Brazil has been a long-awaited venue for fans of the game as its teams have consistently been pushing into the world’s top 20 since Luminosity Gaming won their first major championship in 2016.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh CS:GO Oct 21, 2022
IEM Rio Major 2022 - Tournament Guide The IEM Rio Major 2022 is one of the biggest and most prestigious esports events of the year. In this guide, we will explain what the event is, which teams are participating, the route to the Grand Final and who the favourites might be.
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Pinnacle League of Legends Sep 23, 2022
League of Legends World Championship guide The League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) is one of the biggest and most prestigious esports events of the year. In this guide, we will explain what the LoL World Championship involves, look at the past winners, and check out the betting markets for the 2022 edition.
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Kristian Medina Strategy Jun 6, 2022
A guide to the Pinnacle Cup Championship The Pinnacle Cup Championship will see the competition take place in LAN format! Some of the best CS:GO teams from around the world will be competing for a share of the $250,000 prize money. Find out more about Pinnacle Cup Championship in our official event guide.
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Pinnacle Cup Championship Team Spotlight - Imperial The Pinnacle Cup Championship is the flagship esports tournament series created and hosted by Pinnacle. In this series we're putting the spotlight on some of the participating teams - this time it's Imperial.
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Pinnacle Cup Championship Team Spotlight - Heroic The Pinnacle Cup Championship is the flagship esports tournament series created and hosted by Pinnacle. In this series we're putting the spotlight on some of the participating teams - this time it's Heroic.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends May 5, 2022
Mid-Seasonal Invitational 2022 Preview The Mid-Seasonal Invitational is bringing the League of Legends champions from every region together for yet another thrilling tournament that will create storylines for the remainder of the year. Jack Stewart takes a look at some top contenders of this year's edition.
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Kristian Medina Educational Mar 17, 2022
The ultimate guide to betting on Arena of Valor With a global player base, Arena of Valor (AOV) is a 5v5, mobile-based, MOBA esports title. In this guide we cover the basics of betting on Arena of Valor, the popularity of AOV esports and more.
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Kristian Medina CS:GO Mar 1, 2022
What is the Pinnacle Winter Series? The Pinnacle Winter Series is a CS:GO tournament series by Pinnacle that invites up-and-coming and top esports teams to compete. Find out all of the information about the tournament in our guide.
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Kristian Medina Strategy Feb 15, 2022
The ultimate guide to betting on Free Fire Free Fire is one of the fastest-growing mobile esports titles in the world. In our ultimate guide to betting on Free Fire, we go over all of the details you need to know.
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Kristian Medina Educational Nov 19, 2021
First-Person Shooter terminology First-Person Shooter (FPS) is a video game genre that refers to shooter games played from the first-person perspective. Three of the most popular FPS titles include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, VALORANT, and Rainbow Six: Siege. In this glossary of terms for FPS games, we outline some of the most popular terms used.
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Pinnacle Strategy Nov 18, 2021
Esports predictions Round ups and predictions for the biggest upcoming events and matchups in esports. Inform your bet with our dedicated esports predictions. Read on to find out more.
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Kristian Medina CS:GO Nov 15, 2021
What is the Pinnacle Fall Series? Looking for more information on the Pinnacle Fall Series? Read our guide to the Pinnacle Fall Series, covering tournament format, teams, and more.
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Kristian Medina Strategy Nov 5, 2021
A guide to the Pinnacle Esports Hub The Pinnacle Esports Hub gets an upgrade with a brand new user interface, integrated on-page livestreams, and much more! Read our official guide to the Pinnacle Esports Hub.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Oct 11, 2021
Worlds 2021 - Roleswaps, rivals and redemption for Fnatic With a rich history at the LoL World Championship, Fnatic have been a perennial contender at the tournament. In his latest feature, Jack Stewart outlines the team's journey and the challenges they have faced.
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Ben “Noxville” Steenhuisen Dota 2 Sep 28, 2021
The International 10 Prop bets & Side markets review by Noxville The International 10 is a unique event in many ways but one of the most interesting aspects of it from a betting perspective is the smorgasbord of side markets. Originally inspired by the in-game compendium, there are almost fifty interesting and unconventional markets available, with more being added as the event draws near.
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Kristian Medina CS:GO Sep 16, 2021
CS:GO Predictions Inform your CS:GO predictions ahead of this week’s matches in the competitive CS:GO circuit with insight from Pinnacle’s odds, news and analysis.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends Aug 31, 2021
League of Legends predictions Inform your League of Legends predictions ahead of this week’s LCS and LEC matches with insight from Pinnacle’s odds alongside news and analysis.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jul 15, 2021
A guide to CS:GO roles Understanding your ideal CS:GO role can be tricky - using an AWP (as an AWPer) isn’t for everybody and neither is being the In-Game Leader. Over the years, CS:GO has developed a competitive community that has created primary roles within a competitive line-up, and we are going to break down those roles in simple terms.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Jul 6, 2021
VALORANT Predictions Inform your VALORANT predictions ahead of this week’s matches in the competitive VALORANT circuit with insight from Pinnacle’s odds, news and analysis.
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Dota 2 Predictions Inform your Dota 2 predictions ahead of this month’s matches in the competitive Dota 2 circuit with insight from Pinnacle’s odds, news and analysis.
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Pinnacle Strategy May 12, 2021
Pinnacle Cup: Round Three recap The Pinnacle Cup playoff picture gets clearer with every game played. As we head into our third round of games there are already teams fighting for their tournament lives and others hoping to build momentum for a deep run in the playoff bracket.
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Pinnacle Cup: Power Rankings Some of the best Dota teams from Europe, Russia and the CIS will be playing at the Pinnacle Cup. Here are the official Pinnacle Cup - Dota Power Rankings. Read on to find out more.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Feb 18, 2021
Ascending to God status: Gilius has one more miracle run to make A player who has earnt the moniker of "GodGilius", Schalke 04's Jungler Erberk “Gilius” Demir has established himself as one of the best in the league. Find out more about his rise to the top in Jack Stewart’s feature.
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Thorin Educational Jan 29, 2021
Building the Narrative: Esports and the Super Bowl In his latest column for Pinnacle Esports, Duncan “Thorin” Shields tells us how the biggest events in Esports and the NFL's Super Bowl use similar devices to build a compelling narrative.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Jan 20, 2021
The 2020 CS:GO Power Rankings Review In this special edition of the Pinnacle Power Rankings we recap one of the most unique years in CS:GO history.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 19, 2021
Best Roster Moves of 2020 With the 2021 season rapidly approaching, many teams have made changes to their squads, for better and worse. This article sees us look at a few of the teams that, in our opinion, made the best roster moves of 2020.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 19, 2021
Worst Roster Moves of 2020 With the 2021 season rapidly approaching, many teams made changes to their squads, for better and worse. This article sees us look at a few of the teams that, in our opinion, made the worst roster moves of 2020.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends Jan 11, 2021
LCS 2021 format explained The evolution of the LCS continues in 2021 with a number of changes to the North American franchise league heading into the new year. Find out more about the changes to the LCS in 2021.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Dec 23, 2020
What is the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT)? The VALORANT Champions Tour is the official competitive circuit for VALORANT esports in 2021. The VCT takes place throughout the year with the tour culminating at the VALORANT Champions tournament in December. Read on to find out more about the VCT.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Dec 2, 2020
VALORANT First strike preview VALORANT First Strike is the first official tournament sanctioned by Riot Games' in 2020. First Strike will take place across the globe with regional qualifiers and finals. Who will win the inaugural VALORANT First Strike tournament?
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The hidden depth of MMA and Counter-Strike Duncan "Thorin" Shields opens his first column for Pinnacle focusing on the hidden depth that exists in both MMA and Counter-Strike, and why so many people become new spectators for both.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Nov 5, 2020
Flashpoint Season 2 Preview Flashpoint is set to commence its second season in November, where 12 teams will fight amongst its unique format in their attempts to achieve the $500,000 top prize.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Sep 25, 2020
The pros and cons of international rosters in CS:GO We have come a long way in accepting that international rosters can compete at the highest level in Counter-Strike. Teams like FaZe and mousesports have opened up an avenue which other teams have then followed, with G2 being the latest remarkable example.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Sep 21, 2020
Looking at the CS:GO coaching bug Right at the end of August 2020, just after ESL One Cologne crowned Heroic as its winner, a new scandal rocked competitive CS:GO. A bug in the game meant that coaches of teams could exploit the camera to gain information they were not supposed to be privy to.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Sep 18, 2020
The eternal dilemma of individual consistency Having watched and participated in expert panels for years, I can safely say that consistency is one of the most recurrent terms in the realm of Counter-Strike. In fact, one of the highest praises we can possibly give to a player is to say they’re consistent.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Sep 10, 2020
Rocket League Predictions Inform your Rocket League predictions ahead of this week’s matches in the upcoming Rocket League Championship Series circuit with insight from Pinnacle’s odds, news and analysis.
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Michael Moriarty Valorant Sep 1, 2020
Understanding Vanguard: VALORANT’s Anti-Cheat Alongside VALORANT’s highly-publicised launch, Riot Games also made a big deal out of their new, innovative anti-cheat system - Vanguard. It operates a little differently to the anti-cheat offerings in other games, and we’ll explain more on how it works in this article.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Aug 25, 2020
PopFlash x VALORANT Ignition series preview The final VALORANT Ignition series event for North America will be hosted by Flashpoint in their inaugural PopFlash tournament. Eight of the best teams in North America will clash for a chance to earn the lion share of $50,000. Read on to find out more.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Aug 24, 2020
Using professional expertise for CS:GO betting Betting both on CS:GO and in general is a topic I’ve been slightly reluctant to cover and address for a while. I will start off by saying that you should always think any bet through and bet responsibly if it is an activity that you enjoy.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 17, 2020
How is CS:GO popular? CS:GO has been out as a game for eight years, although the Counter-Strike franchise it forms part of has existed for over two decades. Not many games manage to sustain such longevity at the top, so how is CS:GO popular?
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jul 31, 2020
CS:GO weapons guide To take part in CS:GO, you need to get to know the weapons. From the different types of guns all the way to the grenades, mastering these elements will be the only way you’ll reach the top of your game.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Jul 23, 2020
How different tournament formats affect CS:GO betting The competitive scene of each game is very different. It is critical to understand how the scheduling affects not only the players, but a bettor’s ability to find opportunity. This article will look at how the CS calendar operates in its current state, broken into two parts and covering the top level of the scene first.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Jul 10, 2020
RLCS X: Rocket League's new esports format Psyonix have announced a drastic restructure to their flagship competition, the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). Changes include dropping the league format, instituting new “Major” competitions and one, annual, World Championship event.
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Michael Moriarty Valorant Jul 7, 2020
VALORANT Ranks Explained Are you starting to make your journey towards the top of VALORANT? In such a case, it’s probably best to understand the game’s ranking system, in order to figure out how where your skill level is at that moment to continue improving.
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Kristian Medina Educational Jul 6, 2020
What is Handicap betting in esports? There a number of markets to bet on in esports, in this article we cover Handicap betting and explain how a handicap bet works in esports.
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Pinnacle Educational Jun 24, 2020
How the Swiss-System works in esports For those of you that are avid watchers of CS:GO Majors, you may notice that the opening two sections host a format not seen at many other tournaments, the Swiss-system. We’ll look at how it came to be, and where it originated from, before injecting itself into esport tournaments across the world.
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Michael Moriarty Valorant Jun 19, 2020
Is VALORANT a viable esport? With VALORANT’s official release having occurred in the middle of June, naturally everyone’s eyes are looking to where it’ll head next. A big expectation of many is that it’ll explode as an esport, but will it be viable, and what approach will it take? We muse over some potential directions.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jun 11, 2020
What is CS:GO Danger Zone? In 2018, Valve released the Danger Zone update for CS:GO. This update added a new map and a Battle Royale mode to the game. With a whole host of differences between it and the main game mode, learn more about how to get the best out of Danger Zone.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jun 10, 2020
128 and 64 Tick Servers: What's the difference? A long-standing discussion found in many CS:GO circles is the difference server tick rate makes. While the main CS:GO matchmaking runs on 64 tick, many competitive games take place on servers running 128 tick. But what is the difference, and why does it matter?
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jun 3, 2020
What is the LCS and LEC? Representing North America and Europe. the LCS and LEC are the the oldest franchised esports leagues in the world. Read on to find out more about the LCS and LEC.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jun 2, 2020
What is the LPL and LCK? Representing the two largest competitive regions in Asia, the LoL Pro League (LPL) and LoL Champions Korea (LCK) have an extensive history in shaping the game at the top level. Read on to find out more.
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The Dota 2 Hero Dota 2 May 29, 2020
How does Dota 2 ranked work? You have decided that now is the time to take a step into the daunting world of ranked matchmaking. The intimidating 'Ranked' button calls you to play for higher stakes. But before you enter, here is some knowledge to take with you on your journey.
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Jack Davidson Dota 2 May 28, 2020
The Most Expensive Dota 2 Skins Similar to CS:GO, skins are cosmetic items available for purchase within the Dota armoury. These items change the way heroes appear in game and some even affect the appearance wearer’s spells by adding particle effects and unique colouring. Whilst these changes do not provide any power advantage to the player, they are extremely sought after and can fetch a high price on the Steam market.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO May 27, 2020
Best Players in CS:GO Since its release in 2012, and the franchise’s history dating back to 1999, CS:GO has had a vibrant professional esports scene. In that time we’ve seen a number of players hit the top echelons of play. We’ll investigate a few of these players, both from history and of the present day.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO May 15, 2020
Most expensive skins in CS:GO In 2013 Valve released the Arms Deal update for CS:GO in which they introduced weapon skins to the game. These are graphical items available to purchase and trade that make your guns, knives, gloves and other items look different.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends May 13, 2020
Betting on League of Legends Dragons Dragon is one of the major objectives in LoL. In this article, we will discuss the impact it can have on games and how bettors can bet on Dragons in League of Legends. Read on to find out more.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League May 7, 2020
Rocket League Spring Series Predictions With the scheduled RLCS Season 9 finals cancelled due to COVID-19, developers Psyonix have drafted up a new tournament to keep Rocket League Esports active. The Rocket League Spring Series has four tournaments in each of the RLCS regions, and will offer $350,000 in prize pool.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends May 6, 2020
Betting on League of Legends First Blood There are a number of markets to bet on in League of Legends, we breakdown betting on First Blood (FB) and discuss 'What is First Blood'. Read on to find out more.
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Kristian Medina Educational Apr 28, 2020
Esports events in 2020 With the current situation surrounding COVID-19, we take a look at esports in 2020 and the major events that could be taking place for the remainder of the 2020 esports calender.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Apr 27, 2020
CS:GO callouts explained While you may know your Inferno’s from your Dust2’s in the CS:GO map pool, knowing the names of each part of the map may not be in your wheelhouse. Read on to get a better understanding of where exactly these places are that casters and players talk about.
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Michael Moriarty Educational Apr 21, 2020
Esports in China One of the esports industry’s current growth hotspots is found in China. Regularly challenging, and beating, the likes of North America and Europe in terms of competitors, sponsorship and viewers, it’s worth knowing what’s popular in the country.
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Kristian Medina Valorant Apr 13, 2020
What is VALORANT? VALORANT is Riot Games' newest title and is a 5vs5 Character-based Tactical FPS shooter. Read our article on what is VALORANT and how it has been built with esports in mind.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Apr 9, 2020
What is FPL? Outside of regular competition, a number of professional CS:GO players take part in the FACEIT Pro League (FPL) to engage in some slightly more relaxed, but still competitive, matches. But what exactly is the FPL? Read on to find out.
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Michael Moriarty Educational Apr 8, 2020
Esports in South Korea For those new to esports, you’d imagine the hotspots for the fledgling industry to be North America, Europe and China. That belief would completely miss out the contribution South Korea made to the start of esports as the first country where it hit the mainstream
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Jack Davidson Call of Duty Mar 16, 2020
What is Call of Duty: Warzone? The recently released patch for Activision Blizzard’s long-running franchise Call of Duty added a Free to play Battle Royale mode. This content is free for all users and does not require a purchase of the base game. But what makes CoD: Warzone stand out from the other games in the genre?
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Jack Davidson Dota 2 Mar 12, 2020
A guide to Dota 2 positions & roles The fluid nature of Dota 2 roles can make them seem more complex than they are. Mid players tend to rely on mechanical skill and outplaying their opponents, whereas support take a more tactical approach to out-think the opposition. We’ll break down each role into simple terms so you can understand how each position operates and affects the game.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends Mar 10, 2020
The history of League of Legends esports League of Legends is the leading esports title in the world, Pinnacle reflects on the history of League of Legends esports and how it has evolved from humble beginnings to a global phenomenon.
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Kristian Medina Rainbow Six Siege Feb 7, 2020
Rainbow Six Siege Invitational guide The Rainbow Six: Siege Invitational is the premier tournament in the R6 esports scene. The Six Invitational features 16 teams fighting for a share of the $3,000,000 prize pool. What is the Rainbow Six Siege Invitational? Who won the Six Invitational 2019? Who will win the Six invitational 2020? Read on to find out more. -
Michael Moriarty Educational Feb 6, 2020
What is the GSL style format? A large number of esports tournaments use a group format that’s not used outside of the space. We’ll take a look at the format commonly known as GSL-style groups, how it works, where it came from and how many events use it.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 9, 2020
Looking at Astralis vs Liquid in 2019 Throughout 2019, there were two main powerhouse teams battling it out for the top. Barring a brief gap of a couple of weeks in October, the top spot on the HLTV.org team rankings was held by either Astralis or Team Liquid.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Jan 1, 2020
The major events in League of Legends explained Keeping track of all the major League of Legends (LoL) events can be tricky, and with different formats for each event, potentially even difficult to grasp. In this article, we break down the main events that take place throughout the year.
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Kristian Medina Call of Duty Nov 8, 2019
A guide to the Call of Duty League The Call of Duty League (CDL) is a city-based franchised esports league that features 12 teams from across the United States and around the world. Find out more about the CDL in our guide. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Oct 30, 2019
How does the ESL Pro Tour work? Before ESL One New York 2019, ESL announced their CS:GO tournament plan for 2020. This mostly encompasses the ambitious project of the ESL Pro Tour, where ESL and DreamHack interconnect their tournaments at various levels. -
Michael Moriarty Rocket League Oct 2, 2019
Understanding the RLCS The entire Rocket League esports ecosystem revolves around the Rocket League Championship Series (or RLCS), in which teams compete to reach two world championship finals a year. If you’re new to betting on the circuit, read on to find out more.
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Kristian Medina League of Legends Jul 29, 2019
A beginner's guide to Teamfight Tactics (TFT) What is Teamfight Tactics and how to play TFT? Check out our beginner's guide to TFT, covering Origins, Classes, Gold and the best strategy for TFT. Read on to find out more. -
Dota 2 Betting: How to bet on Dota 2 Dota 2 betting is becoming increasingly popular within esports betting, with Dota's action-cum-RTS style being a perfect match for the excitement of online betting.
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Jack Davidson League of Legends Jul 18, 2019
Teamfight Tactics (TFT) vs. Underlords - What are the differences? The Auto Battler genre has taken two of the biggest gaming communities by storm with both Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics (TFT) and Valve’s Dota Underlords proving massively popular. So, what is the difference between TFT and Underlords?
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Jack Davidson Dota 2 Jul 16, 2019
A beginner's guide to Dota Underlords Dota Underlords is Valve’s official version of the Dota 2 mod Auto-Chess. The ‘Autobattler’ genre has exploded in recent months to become a new genre, as Riot have also released their own version of the autobattler mod. Plus, the original creators of the Auto-Chess mod, Drodo Studio, are releasing a stand-alone version on the EPIC store. But just what is an autobattler?
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Stuart Bridges League of Legends Jul 11, 2019
The different League of Legends roles explained Roles are the cornerstone of how LoL is played and if you are unaware of what the roles are or what they mean, then understanding a game of League of Legends can be difficult. For example, why is that champion just standing there not hitting anything? If this is a question you have ever asked yourself, then this simple guide should explain everything you need to know.