Riot Gaming, the developer of League of Legends, said while crowds are returning for LEC it would be in a limited capacity and precautions would be taken to limit the spread of covid-19.

The esports company said there would no restrictions surrounding stage games, with teams now all allowed to play from the arena, with safety concerns around social-distancing allayed for now.

“We’re thrilled to announce that the LEC is opening its doors for a limited number of fans to watch the Spring 2022 Finals,” Riot Games said.

“While we are closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are finally confident that we can ensure a safe environment for our fans to celebrate the Spring 2022 Finals in a one-off event.

“In order to ensure the highest safety, we are limiting the number of attendees, and fans will be required to adhere to regulations in place at the venue, which can be found in the event information on the ticketing platform.”

The only covid rule that is likely to impact attendance, is one that requires everyone to wear a mask while they are not consuming food.

Tickets for the most anticipated league event in Europe go on sale on Friday, June 10 at 9am CT on the main Eventbrite website. Fans can buy up to four tickets for 12 euros each, including costs. There will be no full weekend tickets available, so you will have to buy entry for each day individually.

G2 Esports will defend their title against the rest of the squad in this split, while eager, motivated teams like Fnatic, Team Vitality, MAD Lions, and others strive to seize the crown in an intense battle for a spot at the 2022 LoL World Championship.
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For Summoner’s Rift supporters in Berlin and players on Summoner’s Rift, the summer is just getting started, and you can be there to see it all when the season opens on June 17.

More esports news

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Nerd Street Gamers Open Three New Locations With Five Below

Nerd Street Gamers, in partnership with specialty chain store Five Below, have cut the ribbon on three new esports facilities. They’ll be located in Georgetown, Texas; St Louis, Missouri; and in NSG’s native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two of the facilities will be within pre-existing Five Below stores, while the St Louis location is set to open next month.

For Five Below, the move allows the company to have a stake in the booming esports industry and stay relevant. Meanwhile, NSG were itching to put $12 million in seed capital to good use after a successful 2019 funding round.

If the partnership proves successful, it could go on to fuel expansion to another 70 locations in the coming years. It’s the sort of collaboration that North America needs as a region to foster new talent and stay competitive.

Asia esports news

Riot Games Announce 2021 Plans For Valorant In SE Asia

Valorant publisher Riot Games have announced their 2021 plan for esports in Southeast Asia. To further the game in the region, the company will partner with seven local organizations. Together, they’ll create an official competitive Valorant esports structure.

The plan covers both professional and collegiate esports tournaments. Partners hail from the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand. The professional plan includes the organization of exclusive tournaments. The collegiate arm will take aim at student events.

Official partners include Mineski, AcadArena, The Gaming Company, Professional Gamers League, Eliphant, Talon, Taiwan Mobile, TeSL, ESL, and ONE Up. The move is expected to increase interest from Asian bookmakers and drive up esports betting in the region.

Africa esports news

Hannibal Knights To Face The Black Lotus In ESWC Africa Semi-Finals

The League of Legends ESWC Africa tournament is underway, and round three playoff matches are all set. The 13-field team has been whittled down to the last four participants.

Prominent Moroccan team Fox Gaming will face off against the Tunisian MYIDOL Esports. Meanwhile, underdog team Hannibal Knights will play 2019 champions (and fellow Moroccans) The Black Lotus.

The semi-final matches will take place over the weekend. The Knights vs Lotus match will take place on Sunday, with the winner going on to face either Fox Gaming or MYIDOL Esports in the final.

The tournament has a modest prize pool of only US $10,000 this year, with $5,000 going to the winner. African esports betting sites will do plenty of business for this one.

Europe esports news

Esports Athletes Allowed Into Germany Despite Travel Ban

After recent waves of COVID-19 infections, Germany effectively shut down travel into and out of the country. However, Esports-Bundes Deutschland (ESBD) has now confirmed that esports athletes will receive special exemptions that allow them to enter.

The ruling applies to athletes with German esports visas and supervisors of athletes under 18. It’s a surprisingly broad exemption. It’ll make it easier for esports tournaments (and sportsbook action) to return to relative normality.

Before the ruling, only individuals from the EU, UK, and Switzerland were allowed into Germany. Travellers coming from other territories needed extraordinary reasons to be granted entry. Fortunately, esports have now officially been deemed a substantial-enough reason for entry.

South America esports news

Rainbow Six Esports LATAM Tournaments Finish Regular Stages

All four LATAM Rainbow Six professional esports tournaments are closing regular stages this week. South American and Mexican Main and B series Rainbow Six divisions are wrapping things up. Final matches are set for October 13-18.

The South American B series division tied things off two days ago, though final standings aren’t available yet. The same goes for the Mexican B Series, with final matches taking place earlier this week. The more competitive Main Series has South American final matches scheduled for the coming days. The Mexican Main Series will finish off October 17-18.

Winners will go on to the Rainbow Six Esports LATAM Playoffs. This knockout phase will determine the ultimate regional champion for 2020. Check out the top-ranked South American esports betting sites for the latest odds.

Oceania esports news

Spawn Resigns From ORDER

Jake “Spawn” Tiberi, a professional League of Legends analyst, has officially resigned from ORDER. Spawn co-founded the Australian-based esports organization several years ago alongside the likes of Rogue, Swiffer, FBI, Spookz, and Tally.

Their first bout together was in 2017, when ORDER successfully acquired Regicide’s Oceanic Premier League slot. Now, after Riot Games announced the dissolution of the OPL, Spawn has announced his departure from the team. Tiberi intends to pursue international opportunities with other teams.

This may be an isolated incident or the first in a wave of defections from former OPL figures. Riot Games’ disbandment of the region’s premier LoL competition casts a long shadow over Australian esports.

The post Latest esports & gaming news – Friday, October 16 appeared first on Esport Bet.

It is the first time the German side have achieved that feat, and it comes on the back of an impressive run of form since Counter-Strike esports tournaments shifted to online play as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online tournaments are known to produce more upsets than LAN events, and BIG have taken full advantage of the format by winning five titles since the turn of the year. That list includes three high-profile competitions: DreamHack Open Leipzig 2020, DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe, and now cs_summit 6 Online: Europe.

At the cs_summit, the German squad finished second in the group stage but went on to produce a strong run through the playoffs. There, Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz and his crew won the first two rounds against GODSENT (2-0) and Fnatic (2-0) but were unfortunate to lose to Team Vitaly (1-2) in the upper bracket finals. They bounced back, however, edging out OG (2-1) to set up a 3-2 revenge win over Vitality in the grand finals.

By winning cs_summit 6, BIG pocketed 2,000 Regional Major Ranking (RMR) points to go eighth in the standings behind FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, ENCE, GODSENT, Astralis, G2 Esports, and Vitality, who have earned 3,535 RMR points thus far to guarantee a spot at the US $2 million ESL One: Rio 2020 Major in November 2020.

BIG’s performance through cs_summit 6 was just as impressive as their run at DreamHack Masters Spring, where tabseN and co. topped their group, swept FaZe twice, and reverse-swept G2 Esports in the best-of-five (Bo5) grand finals with 16-5 on Nuke, 16-6 on Dust II and 19-17 on Mirage.

The latest CS:GO world rankings update shows BIG at the top of the standings with 851 points, which is just three points ahead of Vitality in second and 96 points ahead of Evil Genuises in third. The former no.1 team and IEM Katowice champions, Natus Vincere, are fourth with 738 points, while G2 Esports are now ranked fifth with 689 points.

The best-performing player for BIG across the past three months has been Florian “syrsoN” Rische (1.21 rating), followed by Ismailcan “XANTARES” D?rtkarde? (1.20), tabseN (1.18), Tizian “tiziaN” Feldbusch (1.06) and Nils “k1to” Gruhne (1.05).

CS:GO world rankings – top 10

1. BIG – 851 points
2. Team Vitality – 848 points
3. Evil Geniuses – 755 points
4. Natus Vincere – 738 points
5. G2 Esports – 689 points
6. Fnatic – 640 points
7. FaZe Clan – 579 points
8. Team Liquid – 578 points
9. FURIA – 540 points
10. Astralis – 500 points

The post BIG take top spot in CS:GO world rankings appeared first on Esport Bet.

PENTA were last seen in the Counter-Strike landscape in 2017, when they fielded an international roster consisting of Kevin “kRYSTAL” Amend, Jesse “zehN” Linjala, Pawe? “innocent” Mocek, Niko “naSu” Kovanen, Kevin “HS” Tarn and Miikka “suNny” Kemppi.

Despite their international success, which included CS:GO Major playoffs appearances at DreamHack Winter 2014 and ESL One Katowice 2015, the team started to crumble after finishing in 12th-14th place at PGL Major Kraków 2017.

In August 2017, suNny left for mousesports and HS went to OpTic Gaming. A month later, naSu signed on as head coach of GODSENT, which led to PENTA terminating the contracts of the remaining players and disbanding the team on October 4.

After three years out of the CS:GO scene, PENTA returned this week with a roster featuring former EURONICS members ?red?, Patrick “?pdy?” Merken and Yannik “?neviZ?” Baumh?fner, as well as two unproven German talents in Sebastian “?xenn?” Hoch and Andreas “?synx?” Trapp. Taking over the head coach position is Alexander “TerrorBanane” Gr?ser.

The trio of red, pdy and neviZ saw a fair amount of success at EURONICS, albeit in lower-tier competitions. Their most notable achievements in 2020 include a second-place finish at WINNERS League – Season 3: Europe Main Division, a semi-final appearance at ESEA Season 33: Open Division – Europe and fifth-sixth place at ESL Meisterschaft: Spring 2020.

Joining the trio are ex-Planetkey Dynamics rifler xenn and former epikk esports member syNx. Although both have over five years of experience, neither has played for a high-profile team in Germany or abroad.

“Firstly, I want to thank PENTA for the transparent negotiation process which led to a quick agreement,” said PENTA’s in-game leader, red.

“We are very happy that we can call such an established and well-known organisation our new home. This is a special day for PENTA, which will finally return to CS:GO, as well as us since it’s an honor to represent that brand!”

In 2014, PENTA Sports became the first German squad in history to finish top eight at a CS:GO Major tournament, many years before BIG and mousesports achieved the same feat at PGL Major Kraków 2017 and ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018 respectively.

“Back to the roots! PENTA’s history spans over 6.5 years. It all started with CS:GO and we made history by reaching the top-8 in Major tournaments as the first German team ever,” said Andreas Schaetzke, Managing Director at PENTA.

“During the last few years of not being represented in CS:GO we always kept a wary eye on the scene and its development. Even more important to us is to combine our ‘PENTA approach’ with the right personalities. Therefore, I am very delighted to finally return to CS:GO and I am very sure that the upcoming matches will make our hearts leap for joy. Let’s just hope there is no more jiggling during defuse situations!”

PENTA will make their official return to the CS:GO scene on Friday, June 19, when red and his crew are scheduled to play Unicorns of Love at 99Liga Season #15: Division 1.

The post PENTA Sports return with all-German CS:GO roster appeared first on Esport Bet.

ESL One: Cologne was scheduled to start on July 23 at the Lanxess-Arena, but those plans were scuppered with Germany’s announcement that lockdown measures would remain in place until the end of August at least. Instead, the CS:GO event will be played behind closed doors during the final weeks of the European summer.

“In the spirit of esports and to keep the competition for players going, this summer’s ESL Pro Tour Masters Championship in Cologne will be transformed into a broadcasted tournament without a live audience on 21-30 August,” read the announcement.

While some parts of Australia could begin easing restrictions in the next few weeks, the state government of Victoria has taken a conservative stance and appears unlikely to budge anytime soon. As such, IEM Melbourne will not take place until August next year.

“IEM Melbourne will no longer take place in 2020, and instead has been rescheduled to 2021. The decision has been reached in light of the current global health situation, and is in line with local restrictions on gatherings,” said the ESL statement.

“We will be heading to Rod Laver Arena at the 2021 edition of the Melbourne Esports Open, which will take place over the weekend of August 21-22, 2021.”

The ESL also declared that fans who have already bought their tickets will be able to use them for next year’s editions. If a ticketholder cannot attend the rescheduled event, they can claim a full refund by the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA) and various tournament organisers are currently in talks about changing the dates of the summer and winter player breaks. The summer break was originally scheduled for June 29 to July 31, but it could be shifted to July 15 until August 15 now that ESL One: Cologne has been moved.

The post ESL One Cologne and IEM Melbourne rescheduled due to COVID-19 appeared first on Esport Bet.

FORG1VEN announced his return to the professional LoL scene in April 2019, after leaving the scene back in 2016 in order to fulfil his national military service obligations. While the initial rumours suggested the Greek LoL legend would remain unsigned, Schalke 04 picked him up as part of their rebuild ahead of the 2020 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) season.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the new-look Schalke squad, especially as FORG1VEN was once considered one of the best ADC mains in the world. Unfortunately, the German squad failed to deliver in the opening two weeks of the LEC Spring Split, losing all four of their fixtures.

In the hope of finding some stability and better results, Schalke 04 decided to promote jungler Lukas “Lurox” Thoma from the academy team earlier this month. They lost both of their Week 3 games, however, which cemented them as the worst team in the league, besides Team Vitality.

A streak of six consecutive defeats took a toll on the squad’s morale and it was only the matter of time before someone broke ranks. FORG1VEN was the first player to express his frustration, announcing last Thursday that he was removing himself from the squad due to Schalke’s inability to satisfy his need to compete at the highest level.

“In my 7+ LoL career, I always played to win and be competitive,” said FORG1VEN.

“As of now at least, the current roster doesn’t fit these principles. Schalke is unable/unwilling to make changes to fit that goal, so we mutually agreed that I step down until and if they are willing to do so.”

So far this season, FORG1VEN has put up some of the worst statistics out of all ADC mains in the LEC. Ahead of Week 4, his numbers showed 1.76 KDA (second-worst), 9.59 CSPM (sixth-best), 68.2% KPAR (third-worst) and 20.5% KS (second-worst).

As his replacement, Schalke promoted Nihat “Innaxe” Aliev from the academy team. He was the driving force behind Schalke Evolution’s impressive start to the Prime League Pro Division 2020 Spring Season, where they won seven out of the opening eight games. Out of all ADCs in the league, Innaxe has been averaging by far the highest KDA (11.75) and also led in KPAR (74.6%).

While there were many fans that doubted Innaxe’s ability to replace FORG1VEN as Schalke’s main ADC, the youngster proved his worth in his 2020 LEC debut. On day one of Week 4, Innaxe managed to hold his ground against Rogue’s Steven “Hans Sama” Liv even though Schalke went on to lose the match. However, the German squad went above and beyond all expectations when they faced G2 Esports on Sunday.

Coming into the bout with a 0-7 record, Schalke startled the reigning LEC champions. The underdogs stomped Rasmus “Caps” Winther and company into the dirt in just under 42 minutes with a 27-8 scoreline.

Innaxe played a pivotal role, finishing the match with a phenomenal 8/2/11 record. The Bulgarian ADC passed his first test as Schalke’s new ADC with flying colours, yet only time will tell whether he can fill FORG1VEN’s shoes for the entire season.

The post Schalke claim first LEC win after Innaxe replaces FORG1VEN appeared first on Esport Bet.

In an announcement that surfaced on Monday, PUBG Corp. cited safety of the players, staff and fans as the number one priority.

“With the health and safety of our players, employees, and fans as our top priorities, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone April’s PGS: Berlin event,” read the statement.

“The dates and times of regional qualifiers may also be subject to change. The plan to host four PUBG global esports events in 2020 remains unchanged, and we are actively exploring options for when a replacement event can be held.”

PUBG Global Series: Berlin was slated to begin in March 2020 as the opening event of the new PGS, which was billed as the next step towards expanding the PUBG esports scene. The series features four major global events, starting with Berlin and ending in with the grand finals in November.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared as a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the PGS schedule will see slight adjustments in a bid to avoid risking the health of players and other people involved. While the dates and regional qualifiers are subject to change, the plan to host four PUBG global events in 2020 remains untouched.

PUBG Corp. also unveiled they are actively working to set a date for a replacement event, although no information about it has been made public. That said, we can expect it to take place sometime before July, when the second PGS major tournament will be played.

This is just one of many incidents where the coronavirus has affected the esports scene. In January, EDward Gaming coach Ming “Clearlove” Kai announced he would not be able to join his team in the second week of the League of Legends Pro League (LPL). The whole LPL was postponed shortly after, while League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) has been played without live audiences.

The coronavirus has also left its mark on the Overwatch League, which has cancelled Shanghai Dragons’ homestand weekend this month and Guangzhou Charge’s homestand series in March. Charge also decided to move their practice facilities from China to South Korea in a bid to keep their players and staff safe.

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The announcement surfaced on Twitter on Thursday, February 6. Lurox is set to make his debut in the LEC this Friday when Schalke take on Misfits Gaming in the third week of the LEC Spring Split.

The move should not come as a shock to anyone, as Gilius simply failed to stack up with the competition. Schalke 04 lost to Excel Gaming, Origen, Fnatic and MAD Lions in the opening two weeks of the split, with Gilius averaging 2.08 KDA (third-worst), 4.35 CSPM (league-worst) and 265 GPM (league-worst).

Those numbers are not up to par with Schalke 04’s goals for this season. Although the organisation’s leadership claimed it was not Gilius’ poor results that inspired the swap, we can take those claims with a grain of salt.

“We have decided to give Lurox a shot at the big stage, going for this LEC weekend,” said Tim Reichert, the Chief Gaming Officer & Managing Director of Schalke 04.

“We have said from the very first moment that we think he might be ready.

“It’s not about the performance of Gilius that Lurox will play, it’s completely different – it’s about Lurox’s performances.

“We will back him up as good as we can, we will give him the confidence he needs to give us the first win this weekend.”

Whether Lurox will see more success than Gilius is anyone’s guess, but based on what he has shown with Schalke 04’s academy team, Schalke Evolution, there is reason to believe the 20-year-old German jungler will be an immediate upgrade.

Lurox started his career as a professional LoL esports player in June 2017 when he joined SPGeSports. After the roster disbanded, he enjoyed a short stint with KIYF eSports Club before moving back to SPGeSports. In June 2018, Lurox joined ad hoc gaming, where he remained until Schalke Evolution signed him at the end of the season.

Lurox enjoyed immediate success at Schalke Evolution, winning Summoner’s Inn League – Season 3 and finishing as runners-up at ESL Meisterschaft 2019 Summer. Towards the end of 2019, the German team also pocketed a bronze medal at the Premier Tour 2019 Winter Cup, won the ESLM 2019 Winter season and finished the playoffs in third-fourth spot.

While all solid results, Schalke Evolution have switched into a higher gear this season and established themselves as the frontrunners of Prime League Pro Division 2020 Spring. The team won all of the opening five fixtures of the season and Lurox played an integral part, averaging 6.13 KDA (best among junglers), 5.58 CSPM (third-best) and 342 GPM (second-best).

Dylan Flaco, the head coach of Schalke 04, believes Lurox is a perfect addition to the team and brings great leadership skills, which is something Schalke 04 desperately need in order to address their inconsistencies and establish some stability.

The battle for dominance between the top European LoL teams will continue this Friday. G2 Esports are the only undefeated team in the LEC Spring Split, while Vitality and Schalke 04 are still searching for their first wins of the year.

The post Lurox to replace Gilius at Schalke 04 in LEC Week 3 appeared first on Esport Bet.

• Dota 2 betting odds: Evil Geniuses +159 at BetOnline | ViCi -192.31 at BetOnline
• Dota 2 betting lines: EG +1.5 at -204.08 | ViCi -1.5 at +150
• When: January 23, 2020 at 16:30 CET
• Watch live: Twitch

EVIL GENIUSES VS VICI GAMING DREAMLEAGUE SEASON 13 PLAYOFFS BETTING PREVIEW

Two of the most technically gifted teams in the Dota 2 esports scene will take to the stage this Thursday when ViCi and Evil Geniuses duke it out in round two of the DreamLeague Season 13 upper bracket playoffs. The match will be played as a best-of-three, with the winner locking up a spot in the upper bracket finals.

Evil Geniuses have had a bumpy road through the group stage of the Leipzig Major, where they started with a shock loss against Natus Vincere. They managed to find their stride, however, and bested both paiN Gaming and Team Liquid to grab a place in the upper bracket.

Nigma gave EG a run for their money in the opening round of the DreamLeague S13 playoffs, but the North American side’s superior skill and drafting won through in the end.

ViCi enter Thursday’s bout following a tough first-round clash with their compatriots Invictus Gaming. ViCi and IG took a crushing defeat each in the first two maps before ViCi sealed the series in the third and final game. It was the first time the two teams had ever met in a Dota Pro Circuit event.

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ViCi won the first map but were caught flat-footed in game two due to their poor draft. Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the incredible performances from their core duo Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang, who once again played a pivotal role in ViCi’s success.

ViCi’s unique strategy seems to be doing wonders for them. They are known to take full advantage of their deep champion pool, which allows them to constantly switch the draft and keep their opponents guessing what version of ViCi they will play against.

While that alone makes ViCi a dangerous tournament team, they also have Bai “rOtK” Fan as their coach, which gives them a significant coaching edge over most of the teams they play against, including EG.

EVIL GENIUSES VS VICI GAMING DREAMLEAGUE SEASON 13 PLAYOFFS PREDICTIONS

Esports bookmakers have ViCi priced as favourites, which is not surprising when they were responsible for eliminating EG from two tournaments this season.

ViCi and EG have already met three times this season. Their first clash came in November at the MDL Chengdu Major, where ViCI defeated EG 2-1 and sent them tumbling down to the lower bracket. They clashed again in December at the ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational in Singapore, where EG defeated ViCi in the group stage but fell flat when the two teams renewed hostilities in grand finals.

Despite ViCi’s impressive record against the North American outfit, that does not mean EG have no chance of winning here. One thing we need to consider is that EG held a 5-2 edge over ViCi in the 2018/19 DPC season.

Another thing worth noting is that EG made several roster changes for the 2019/20 DPC that have improved team chemistry and made them stronger in terms of raw technical skill, which leads us to believe they might have a solid chance to win here.

The major concern for EG is the quality of the coaching personnel. While ViCi have an exceptional head coach, we don’t have a lot of faith in Sam “BuLba” Sosale. His tendency to call out questionable draft picks puts EG in trouble more often than not.

Betting on ViCi here is a low-risk decision; however, in a hunt for better odds, we find map betting more suitable. ViCi should come out ahead, but EG have more than enough individual quality to snip at least one map off their adversaries and force a decider.

Prediction: Over 2.5 maps – +102 at BetOnline

The post Evil Geniuses vs ViCi Gaming betting tips – DreamLeague Season 13 appeared first on Esport Bet.

Betting favourite: Team Secret +175 at BetOnline
When: Tuesday, January 21 – Wednesday, January 22
Where: Leipziger Messe – Leipzig, Germany
Watch live: Twitch

DREAMLEAGUE SEASON 13 LEIPZIG MAJOR PLAYOFFS BETTING PREVIEW

The group stage of DreamLeague Season 13 Leipzig Major is behind us, meaning it’s time for the 16 Dota 2 esports teams to enter the gruelling double-elimination playoffs.

The teams have been seeded into upper and lower brackets based on their performance in the group stage. The lower bracket fixtures will be played as best-of-one (Bo1), while the upper bracket clashes will all be played as Bo3.

Here are our DreamLeague S13 playoffs betting picks and predictions, with odds from BetOnline.

Nigma vs Evil Geniuses betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 10:30 CET

Nigma (-140.85) earned their spot in Leipzig by winning the WePlay! Bukovel Minor and managed to keep their momentum going to secure the first seed in Group A.

Evil Geniuses (+110) started their Leipzig Major venture with a loss against NaVi but bounced back by winning against paiN and Team Liquid, thus securing a spot in the upper bracket.

These two rosters have not met before, but their form in the group stage suggests this could be a close one. While both teams have a legitimate chance of winning, a clean sweep to either side looks unlikely.

Prediction: Over 2.5 maps – +104 at BetOnline

Invictus Gaming vs ViCi Gaming betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 13:30 CET

The meeting between Invictus Gaming (+296) and ViCi Gaming (-416.67) will be one of the biggest mismatches of the playoffs.

ViCi entered the Leipzig Major as the main favourites and had a solid run in the group stage, while IG put up a show in Group C where they bested Alliance and edged past Reality Rift.

If IG were to face any weaker team, we would give them a chance, but the reigning World Pro Invitational champions have showed little to no weakness so far this season. While an upset is possible, we don’t believe it’s plausible.

Prediction: ViCi -1.5 maps – -112.36 at BetOnline

Beastcoast vs paiN Gaming betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 17:30 CET

Beastcoast (-200) are set to clash with an old enemy in PaiN Gaming (+155) for the second time since the start of December. Their first meeting ended in a stalemate, while the second finished 2-1 in paiN’s favour.

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Neither team impressed in the group stage, but they seem to match up nicely, which should result in a close bout that can go either way. With that in mind, we will gladly take the generous odds and side with the underdogs to repeat their success from December.

Prediction: paiN Gaming to win – +155 at BetOnline

Team Aster vs Chaos EC betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 19:00 CET

Based on what Team Aster (-227.27) and Chaos EC (+165) produced in the group stage, it’s hard to argue with the betting odds here.

While Aster had their iffy moments when they lost to Fnatic twice, we can’t ignore their 2-0 win against TNC Predator. Chaos, meanwhile, lost to beastcoast and ViCi to finish bottom of Group B.

Don’t expect any surprises here. Chaos EC failed to impress in the group stage and we don’t believe they will be able to leave a dent in Aster either.

Prediction: Team Aster to win – -227.27 at BetOnline

Reality Rift vs TNC Predator betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 20:30 CET

Considering how poorly TNC Predator (-227.27) started their Leipzig Major venture, it’s hard to justify their incredibly low odds here. On paper, they are a far superior team to Reality Rift (+145), but in reality, we don’t feel like that is the case.

TNC might be the favourites, but they are not worth your money at those odds. With generous odds on the underdogs, we don’t need to think twice about backing Rift for the upset.

Prediction: Reality Rift to win – +145 at BetOnline

Team Liquid vs Virtus.pro betting tips

Tuesday, January 21 – 22:00 CET

This one can go either way, but the CIS rosters seems to be very underrated by esports bookmakers.

Virtus.pro (+111) failed to make much noise in the group stage, but we would not feel comfortable siding against them after their strong display at the ONE Esports World Pro Invitational last month.

We believe Virtus have the tools to upset Team Liquid (-147.06), who have not shown anything noteworthy since they lost their TI roster to Nigma.

Prediction: Virtus.pro to win – +111 at BetOnline

Team Secret vs Fnatic betting tips

Tuesday, January 22 – 10:30 CET

Team Secret (-400) had a strong start to the Leipzig Major and are now the tournament favourites. Fnatic (+267), meanwhile, failed to show anything noteworthy in the group stage besides their two wins against Aster.

In the group stage Fnatic made easy work of some weaker teams but fell flat against Nigma, which leads us to believe they will have a tough time against a team of Secret’s calibre.

Prediction: Team Secret -1.5 maps – -131.58 at BetOnline

Natus Vincere vs Alliance betting tips

Tuesday, January 22 – 13:30 CET

The last fixture of the first round of playoffs will see NaVi (-175.44) clash with Alliance (+131) in what is projected to be a fairly one-sided match.

NaVi had an incredible run in the group stage, where they bested EG and TL, while Alliance left a lot to be desired having lost to IG.

While it is hard to side with Alliance after their iffy display in the group stage, they match up nicely with NaVi and should push this series the distance.

Prediction: Over 2.5 maps – +112 at BetOnline

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