Astralis (-323) v OG (+231)
Bans: Mirage (Astralis), Vertigo (OG)
Picks: Inferno (Astralis), Nuke (OG)
OG has made another change to their lineup with FlameZ coming over from Endpoint to complete their new-look lineup which will be without NBK and Issaa who were previously benched. OG is actually in a bootcamp for the first time in a full-year which is definitely a plus. Throw in that OG heavily upgraded their firepower with Niko > NBK and FlameZ > Issaa and you have an OG roster that could be really dangerous coming into this single-elimination playoff bracket. Astralis on the other hand is limping into this matchup on the back of two straight 0-2 losses to Gambit and Furia. Ultimately I think OG actually has the firepower advantage here as I really have not liked what I’ve seen out of Astralis from everyone but Device. It’s a risky proposition to roll with OG in this spot given that they just signed FlameZ around 3-4 days ago but it’s a proposition which will draw lower ownership in a slate where I truly don’t think there are many reliable dogs. This is the dog with the most potential tomorrow and with the firepower upgrades and the bootcamp I think they can pull this one off. Favorite plays from OG are Valde, Mantuu, FlameZ and Niko is my favorite cheap play of the bunch. All in all I think the form continues from Astralis as they need to make a lineup change which is funny because it’s exactly what OG just did.
DFS Picks: Valde, Mantuu, FlameZ/Niko
G2 (-385) v Endpoint (+268)
Bans: Overpass (G2), Nuke (Endpoint)
Picks: Dust 2 (G2), Inferno (Endpoint)
I would be more intrigued with Endpoint had they not just lost their best player (FlameZ) to OG. Also not loving the fact that Hunter is officially back as he is projecting for the most DKP on G2 tomorrow BY FAR. Niko has swapped over to the AWP, Jackz is back in the lineup and Hunter is officially back to his old ways as he has been very vocal about the fact that Jackz allows him to play much more like himself. KennyS has been benched also so don’t accidentally play him, okay? Endpoint is fielding a stand-in for this tournament which is Thomas and it does help that he played with the core-4 from Endpoint last year for roughly 9 months before he left for Envy which crashed and burned quickly. I have a feeling people will be picking on Endpoint as a dog tomorrow which I think is a big mistake. G2 is one of the best teams in the world and they have two of the most daunting players to play against in the world in NiKo and HuNter. I don’t like a 3-stack here though just the 2-stack for me tomorrow. Let’s touch on map pool before we move on to the final matchup. IF G2 picks into Dust 2 then they will be taking advantage of a map where Endpoint has lost 3-games in a row albeit to some really tough competition like BIG, Astralis and DBL PONEY (NBK’s new team). G2 has lost 2 in a row on Dust 2 but they do own wins over Astralis and EG and they did play some really tough teams on the map like TL, Gambit and Complexity. Inferno is where the narrative changes drastically. G2 has won 5 in a row on the map and they have done so over the likes of TL, FaZe, NIP and BIG. Endpoint is coming in with a streak of their own on Inferno (4-wins in a row) but it has been vs much weaker competition like Trident, 100PG, EG and BIG (same as G2). Final note, ignore the past matchup between these two because that series was without NiKo on the roster. It is worth noting though that HuNter dropped 59 kills and went +23 in the one single series vs Endpoint.
DFS Picks: NiKo, HuNter
Team Liquid (-333) v Dignitas (+238)
Bans: Train (TL), Mirage (Dignitas)
Picks: Vertigo (TL), Nuke (Dignitas)
Dignitas just got beat down 16-9, 16-8 in what was a 2-0 sweep at the hands of HAVU. Now sure, Dignitas can beat tier 2-3 teams like Sinners, Movistar Riders and Tricked but where they run into problems is vs top-tier teams which is shown by their losses to Havu and EG recently. Liquid on the other hand is finally finding their footing and it’s been mainly on the back of ELIGE as he has been forced to pull out his best LeBron James on the cavs performances possible. But it isn’t just ELIGE I am worried about because the map pool isn’t doing Dignitas any favors tomorrow either. Vertigo is likely to be picked by TL and they have won 6 of their last 7 on the map with the lone loss being a 12-16 to G2. Dignitas on the other hand has lost 5-straight on Vertigo and the majority haven’t really been close affairs. Next up Nuke where Dignitas just had an 11-game winning streak broken by HAVU 9-16. Team Liquid is a bit more human on that map but still wins in 4 of their last 5 over opponents like FaZe and OG is nothing to scoff at. Their lone loss in their last 5 was a 16-19 nail-biter vs Vitality. Also worth noting the Team Liquid camp is still out in Europe which bodes even better for this team as I believe Dignitas will not be boot camping for this tournament tomorrow. Love TL here tomorrow and really like Stewie2k as a sneaky play tomorrow as he has improved his fragging exponentially with Fallen taking over as the team’s In-Game Leader.
DFS Picks: ELIGE, NAF, Stewie2k
The DFS Hitman 