With our team profiles coming to a close and the StarLadder Berlin Major starting within the next 2 weeks, it’s time to finally reveal our best picks for the Major. Due to the multi stage setup in Berlin, there are several categories that we need to talk about.
If you’re new to CS:GO betting however, you should hop on over to the How to Bet on CS:GO page and read up before reading this page.
The 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major begins with the New Challenger’s Stage. This includes all of the teams that qualified through the regional qualifiers as well as the bottom eight from the New Legends Stage from Katowice. The Betway odds to qualify are as follows.
Now, obviously we aren’t going to touch on every team on that list, as that could take a while. What I would like to do is go through them and highlight any that might have value, or present an interesting question for csgo betting.
CR4ZY, formerly known as Valiance, have been a team on the cusp of relevancy for a while. Seasoned csgo bettors will recognize their names, as they’ve been mainstays of the tier two European scene for a long time. In the last six months or so they’ve kicked it up a notch, and have some good wins over tier two and tier one teams.
Series wins over North, fnatic, NoChance, Sprout, Mousesports, all point to them having taken a step up. huNter and nexa have both been on fire for the last six months, putting up 1.25 and 1.18 ratings respectively.
While I do think -500 is pretty right on for CR4ZY, I still think they’re some of the best value on the list. I have a hard time imagining a scenario where they don’t make the Major, unless they get some terrible bracket luck.
This is probably one of my weakest picks on the list, but hear me out. Yes, HellRaisers have had terrible results with this lineup. Their best win is probably taking a map off Liquid, or a 2-0 win over OpTic, neither of which are encouraging results for a team entering the Major.
But, their roster looks really good on paper. Deceptively good actually. ANGE1 is a competent IGL, who has had success at the Major before. Oskar is someone I’ll always feel comfortable betting on, loWel has put up solid performances in big games, ISSAA practically drips potential. While these pieces are unlikely to come together the way that they’d need to if they wanted to make a run at the StarLadder Berlin Major, they still form a formidable squad, on paper at least.
This is maybe the team I’m most confident will progress through the New Challengers Stage. They have the best top to bottom firepower of any team in attendance, maybe the first or second best IGL in attendance, and (in theory) are going to be the hungriest.
This team has a lot to prove, after being retooled post Katowice due to their disastrous performance at the qualifier. A big win at the StarLadder Berlin Major would go a long way towards validating their rebuild.
Woxic is scary, frozen is scary, ropz is scary. Top to bottom this team is fearsome, and I have high hopes for them moving forward.
These odds astound me. Is there anyone out there who thinks they’re better than Mousesports? I think it would be a stretch to say they’re better than CR4ZY. Their resume basically consists of map wins over Liquid and series wins over MIBR and NRG, which is intensely lackluster.
Yes, I know that G2 has KennyS, and I know that he gives them a shot to win just about any game. But their IGL is not great, their system is bad, there’s no way this team will be able to win three series against solid teams to qualify.
Them being favored this heavily is silly. Stay far away from the Frenchmen, unless you’re betting on them to choke to Renegades.
I questioned including this on the list, but I think I will. forZe have been on an absolute tear in the CIS region, and have won 12 LAN maps in a row on five different maps, which is impressive. The big question for them is how will they fare against better competition. They have dominated Winstrike, Spirit, INTZ, Epsilon, Tricked, and Syman. But can they do the same against CR4ZY, NRG, Furia? I honestly don’t know. I’d say a small bet on forZe might have some value, if you’re interested in such things.
Up next are the winner odds.
I feel like we’ve all forgotten how unbelievable Astralis were at their peak. Well, all of us except the bookmakers I suppose. Yes, the Danes went through a slump, but they’ve been given a month to shake the rust off, reaffirm their stratbook, and work things out with Zonic. Gla1ve totally remade this team once before, I’m sure he can do it again.
This is one of the most stacked roster in CS, each individual players is one of the best in the world at their position. Especially Device, who apparently hasn’t lost a step since Astralis went on their world tour of utter domination.
This team is still extremely strong, at least on paper, and I’d be very surprised if they didn’t make the playoffs. That being said, +300 isn’t great value. Small bet I think.
Speaking of short memories, ENCE was in the Grand Finals of the last Major, remember? Putting them at +1000 just feels disrespectful. They’re one good Aerial tournament away from being in the mix for the title.
While they fell 0-3 to Liquid at IEM Chicago, the rest of their resume is impressive. Wins over FaZe, G2, Furia, Renegades, Vitality, all of that is indicative of a tier one team. Sergej has continued to cement himself as a top five guy, and a Major MVP would make that case undeniable. I like them for a sizable bet.
This is my longest shot. Yes they don’t have the experience, and yes they’d have to go all the way from the New Challengers stage, but I think they have a real shot here. They’ve had plenty of practice, they’re going to come into the event fresh and motivated, they have the talent, they have the IGL.
The best case for them is they steamroll the first stage of the StarLadder Berlin Major, then come into the second stage red hot with all the momentum. Assuming everything breaks right for them they should look almost unbeatable, with the young fraggers playing in Karrigan’s fast and loose system.
Prediction: I like Mousesports for a small/medium size bet, depending on how risky averse you are.
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