This article is part of our DraftKings CS:GO series.
GAMES (EDT)
- 10:30 a.m. Winstrike vs. Hard Legion
- 10:30 a.m. Syman vs. Nemiga
- 2:00 p.m. G2 vs. FaZe
- 2:00 p.m. GODSENT vs. North
Winstrike vs. Hard Legion (Semi-Final, CIS)
Winstrike will take on Hard Legion in this do-or-die matchup to decide who advances to take on Spirit in the final of ESL One: Road to Rio CIS. There is no prior match history between these two teams, but the bookmakers have Winstrike as a slight favorite. Winstrike have a clear advantage in the map veto against Hard Legion, with both Nuke and Vertigo being strong maps for them. These are two maps that Hard Legion barely play, so Winstrike will have a definite edge on their map pick. Hard Legion will likely opt for Overpass, with a slight chance for Mirage, and while these are far from great maps for Winstrike, they are still good enough to potentially steal it. El1an is going to be your safest play in this matchup with the maps that we are likely to see, but it is also reflected in the pricing at $8,800. In my most recent article, I recommended taking Lack1 or bondik over Hobbit at the lower price, and despite Hobbit getting a set of favorable maps, both Lack1 and bondik ended up outscoring him. Hobbit should have a good chance at bouncing back with a good performance, especially if we end up on Mirage or Nuke, but Lack1's and bondik's proficiency on Vertigo should not be underestimated, and with this
GAMES (EDT)
- 10:30 a.m. Winstrike vs. Hard Legion
- 10:30 a.m. Syman vs. Nemiga
- 2:00 p.m. G2 vs. FaZe
- 2:00 p.m. GODSENT vs. North
Winstrike vs. Hard Legion (Semi-Final, CIS)
Winstrike will take on Hard Legion in this do-or-die matchup to decide who advances to take on Spirit in the final of ESL One: Road to Rio CIS. There is no prior match history between these two teams, but the bookmakers have Winstrike as a slight favorite. Winstrike have a clear advantage in the map veto against Hard Legion, with both Nuke and Vertigo being strong maps for them. These are two maps that Hard Legion barely play, so Winstrike will have a definite edge on their map pick. Hard Legion will likely opt for Overpass, with a slight chance for Mirage, and while these are far from great maps for Winstrike, they are still good enough to potentially steal it. El1an is going to be your safest play in this matchup with the maps that we are likely to see, but it is also reflected in the pricing at $8,800. In my most recent article, I recommended taking Lack1 or bondik over Hobbit at the lower price, and despite Hobbit getting a set of favorable maps, both Lack1 and bondik ended up outscoring him. Hobbit should have a good chance at bouncing back with a good performance, especially if we end up on Mirage or Nuke, but Lack1's and bondik's proficiency on Vertigo should not be underestimated, and with this being the more likely map choice for Winstrike, I still favor them here over Hobbit at the lower price.
On the Hard Legion side, Forester and Krad are going to be the safest options since they make up most of the team's fragging, with rAge having some upside at a lower price.
- Winstrike Players to Target: El1an ($8,800), bondik ($7,200) / Lack1 ($6,400)
- Hard Legion Players to Target: Forester ($8,800), Krad ($7,200)
Syman vs. Nemiga (5th/6th place decider, CIS)
Syman will take on Nemiga in a match to decide who walks away with some extra RMR points. Nemiga took down Syman in the last meeting against this team back in October, but both teams had different lineups and even a stand-in on the side of Syman, so I would not put too much thought into the result of that match. Both of these teams have pretty similar map pools, but the fact that Nemiga have started incorporating Vertigo gives them a bit of an edge in the map veto. lollipop24k and speed4k are generally going to be your go-to plays on Nemiga with Jyo chiming in with good performances now and then. Jyo has a lot of potential on the maps that we are likely to see against Syman alongside lollipop24k, but sadly he has received a bit of a price bump due to his recent performances. However, it is still worth having some exposure to him in GPPs in case people gravitate towards speed4k at the lower price.
On the side of Syman, both n0rb3r7 and Keoz have the most upside with maps like Inferno and Mirage being likely. Sadly, n0rb3r7 is now priced closer to his real value compared to the discount we have received on him in the past. It is really tempting to play a guy like mou at this price, but sadly he does not set up that well on the maps that we are likely to see in this one.
- Syman Players to Target: n0rb3r7 ($8,400) / Keoz ($7,600)
- Nemiga Players to Target: lollipop24k ($8,400), Jyo ($7,600) / speed4k ($6,800)
FaZe vs. G2 (Consolidation final, EU)
FaZe will take on G2 in a match to decide who moves on to play Astralis in the grand final. FaZe swept G2 in the group stage, while G2 got the better of FaZe in ESL Pro League by a 2–1 scoreline. Interestingly, G2 picked and lost Dust2 in both of these prior meetings, and with how their map pools look, it would be surprising to see them give it a third try. FaZe will likely opt for Mirage or Nuke, but no matter what, both teams will probably get a set of maps where they are comfortable. NiKo is surprisingly cheap at just $8,200, and with the maps that we are likely to see in this matchup, I so no reason why you should not roster him. There is a chance that FaZe opts for Nuke instead of Mirage, and this is a map where NiKo has been fantastic in 2020, scoring 0.83 kills/round with a 1.25 K/D ratio. rain has serious upside at just $6,000 if we end up on Dust2 and Mirage, two maps where he usually thrives on the CT side. Both coldzera and broky are good plays as well, but I slightly favor coldzera due to how likely Dust2 is in this matchup.
The set of maps that we are likely to see in this matchup are pretty much perfect for huNter-, who is completely dominant for his side on Mirage, with 0.83 kills/round and a 1.28 K/D ratio. He is no slouch on Nuke either in case FaZe would opt for that instead, posting a team-high 0.79 kills/round in all matches for G2. kennyS has been surprisingly poor on Mirage, which makes him far less appealing than usual, but he does have good potential on both Dust2 and Nuke. nexa is quite interesting at $7,000 due to how likely Dust2 is to be played since this is a map where he always looked excellent for G2.
AmaNEk has some potential if we end up on Nuke, but we have gotten a better price on him in far better spots, and JaCkz is not too appealing with the maps that we are likely to see in this one.
- FaZe Players to Target: NiKo ($8,200), rain ($6,000), coldzera ($7,400)
- G2 Players to Target: huNter- ($8,600), kennyS ($8,600) / nexa ($7,000)
GODSENT vs. North (7th/8th place decider, EU)
North are still without Kjaerbye, and will be forced to play with their coach, Jumpy, here in this decider match against GODSENT. GODSENT came out on top with a 2–1 scoreline the last time these two sides met, and they should have an even better chance at taking them down now. However, North have looked surprisingly decent with Jumpy, and with how GODSENT have looked recently it would not be too surprising to see them exceed expectations. Dust2 and Vertigo were the maps last time around, but there is a slight chance that GODSENT opts for Overpass over Dust2. Regardless, Maden is the player who has excelled across the maps that we are most likely to see, posting 0.77 kills/round on Vertigo, Overpass and Dust2. However, he has received a steep price at $8,600, so it may be worth taking a chance on zehN or STYKO if you want to have some exposure to this match.
Both aizy and MSL have done their best to keep North afloat during the stand-in situation, and they do have some value due to the room that they get to shine without Kjaerbye in the team. However, rostering any North players in this matchup is going to be a risk.
- GODSENT Players to Target: Maden ($8,600), zehN ($7,600) / STYKO ($7,000)
- North Players to Target: aizy ($8,200) / MSL ($7,400)
