This article is part of our DraftKings CS:GO series.
Games (EDT):
- 8:00 a.m: Team Vitality (VIT) vs. Natus Vincere (NaVi)
- 11:25 a.m: FaZe Clan (FaZe) vs. Fnatic (FNC)
- 3:05 p.m: Gen.G (GenG) vs. Evil Geniuses (EG)
Team Vitality (0-0) vs. Natus Vincere (0-0)
The first match of the day jumps ahead to Group D as NaVi take on Vitality to open the group, with both teams looking to put away their hardest opponent in Match 1. NaVi come in struggling for form, as they fell to Syman and Hard Legion to fall out of the ESL Road to Rio CIS division. Meanwhile, Vitality made the playoffs of RtR before falling to 2-1 to G2. NaVi are slight favorites and s1mple, in particular, will look for a determined performance as he heads off against ZywOo in a clash between the top two players of 2019. The map selection should favor these superstars, as the last three meetings have featured both Dust 2, where s1mple and ZywOo's individual brilliance can shine brightly, and Inferno, where the depth and team play can even the series out. In a match with the two brightest stars in Counter-Strike, the supporting cast may play the biggest part, with both electronic and shox having the ability to take over a match and provide the push their superstars needs to take a series. RpK could also provide excellent value, with the French veteran sitting at only $7,500, the second cheapest of the match.
Games (EDT):
- 8:00 a.m: Team Vitality (VIT) vs. Natus Vincere (NaVi)
- 11:25 a.m: FaZe Clan (FaZe) vs. Fnatic (FNC)
- 3:05 p.m: Gen.G (GenG) vs. Evil Geniuses (EG)
Team Vitality (0-0) vs. Natus Vincere (0-0)
The first match of the day jumps ahead to Group D as NaVi take on Vitality to open the group, with both teams looking to put away their hardest opponent in Match 1. NaVi come in struggling for form, as they fell to Syman and Hard Legion to fall out of the ESL Road to Rio CIS division. Meanwhile, Vitality made the playoffs of RtR before falling to 2-1 to G2. NaVi are slight favorites and s1mple, in particular, will look for a determined performance as he heads off against ZywOo in a clash between the top two players of 2019. The map selection should favor these superstars, as the last three meetings have featured both Dust 2, where s1mple and ZywOo's individual brilliance can shine brightly, and Inferno, where the depth and team play can even the series out. In a match with the two brightest stars in Counter-Strike, the supporting cast may play the biggest part, with both electronic and shox having the ability to take over a match and provide the push their superstars needs to take a series. RpK could also provide excellent value, with the French veteran sitting at only $7,500, the second cheapest of the match.
- VIT Players to target: ZywOo ($14,100 Captain, $9,400 Flex), shox ($10,200 Captain, $6,800 Flex)
- NaVi Players to target: s1mple ($15,300 Captain, $10,200 Flex), electronic ($10,200 Captain, $6,800 Flex)
FaZe Clan (2-0) vs. Fnatic (1-1)
The second match of the day comes back to Group C, where FaZe and Fnatic will battle to stay in the upper bracket. The match looks to be balanced on a knife's edge, with FaZe coming in as the ever-so-slight favorites. New addition Bymas is gelling well with the team as he stands in for olofmeister, though the results have been far from pretty. The 2-1 victory over GODSENT is understandable, especially with new-man farlig playing at a top level already, but the 2-1 victory over Team Spirit was mired in controversy. FaZe Clan were thoroughly trounced on Map 1 before the star player for Spirit, mir, disconnected at the business end of Map 2. FaZe Clan went on to take both Maps 2 and 3 in Overtime, playing against Team Spirit with emergency stand-in, Dima. Fnatic have been in poor form, losing 2-0 to Spirit to open the group before clawing back a victory against GODSENT, following a Map 1 defeat in Overtime. If Fnatic want to upset FaZe, it will most likely be on Inferno and Overpass, two extremely team-oriented maps the Swedes could use to shut down the individual brilliance of FaZe Clan. If FaZe can take the series onto Mirage or Dust 2, the international roster will look to overwhelm Fnatic with sheer firepower. This match should come down to the form on the day in one of the closest matches of the group stage, with NiKo and Brollan, the two stars of the match, having the potential to single-handedly tip it in either direction.
- FaZe Players to Target: NiKo ($13,200 Captain, $8,800 Flex), coldzera ($10,500 Captain, $7,000 Flex)
- FNC Players to Target: flusha ($12,600 Captain, $8,400 Flex), KRIMZ ($12,000 Captain, $8,000 Flex)
Gen.G (0-1) vs. Evil Geniuses (0-1)
The final match of the slate is a North American clash, with both sides sitting at 0-1 in Group B. Gen.G come in after a 2-0 defeat at the hand of 100 Thieves, while Evil Geniuses fell on the wrong side of a nail-biter against Cloud9. This match should be close, with EG coming in as favorites, especially with the form of Brehze and CeRq in recent weeks. Gen.G will look towards their American core of koosta and Autimatic to provide the star power they've used so well to shoot up the North American rankings. This match looks to be one where skill expression could be key, with both teams favoring Dust 2 and Nuke, where one player's individual performance could take over the map. The value in this match should come from the depth of talent that both teams offer; BnTeT at $10,500 is solid, as well as Ethan at $9,900, assuming he has a turn-around after an abysmal performance against Cloud9. Overall, if this match goes off recent form, it should be extremely tight, and one huge performance from a veteran, such as tarik or daps, could decide it.
