forZe (World rank: #17) vs. Akuma (World rank: #19) 

Moneyline Odds: forZe (-275) | Akuma (+200) 

Map Handicap: N/A

Map Total: N/A 

  • This is a best-of-three series for group stage of StarLadder CIS RMR 2021 Group A.
  • forZe - Rating past three months: FL1T 1.18 | zorte 1.11 | Jerry 1.06 | almazer 1.05 | KENSI 1.04
  • Akuma - Rating past three months:  SENSEi 1.36 | DemQQ 1.12 | Sergiz 1.09 | Psycho 1.01 | j3kie 0.99

H2H Data:

  • These rosters have never faced each other. Some of the core members from each team played each other when forZe faced CR4ZY in June 2020 with forZe winning 2-1 (13-16 Train / 16-10 Inferno / 16-8 Mirage), but I am not putting any weight on that series since it was over a year ago and the rosters have both changed.

Analysis:

Akuma put up some great results at EPIC League CIS 2021, but then they were accused of cheating at that event, so it is tough to get a read on them right now. I am expecting their numbers as a team to decline, but SENSEi is clearly still a highly talented player and is not someone we can ignore at only $7,200 on Draftkings. I am expecting forZe to win this series because they have looked great recently having won 31 of their 43 maps played since June 2nd. It is tough to have a strong take on Akuma other than I think they will look worse than in the past since they should no longer be cheating, assuming that is what they were doing (FWIW, I 100% think they were cheating based on opinions of respected pros and clips that I have seen. They were essentially accused of using radar hacks to get info on where their opponents were). ForZe are the target for me here with FL1T, zorte and Jerry all looking like good plays. I will mix in some exposure to SENSEi as a one-off too since his ceiling is one of the highest on the slate.  

 

Nemiga (World rank: #51) vs. Gambit (World rank: #1) 

Moneyline Odds: Nemiga (+720) | Gambit (-1100)

Map Handicap: Nemiga +1.5 (+200) | Gambit -1.5 (-250) 

Map Total: Over 2.5 (+245) | Under 2.5 (-310)

 

  • This is a best-of-three series for group stage of StarLadder CIS RMR 2021 Group A.
  • Nemiga - Rating past three months: lollipop21k 1.13 | iDISBALANCE 1.13 | Jyo 1.00 | boX 0.93 | mds 0.91
  • Gambit - Rating past three months: sh1ro 1.26 | Hobbit 1.22 | Ax1Le 1.20 | nafany 1.08 | interz 0.97

H2H Data:

  • These rosters faced each other on May 23rd at EPIC League CIS 2021 and Gambit swept 2-0 (16-12 Vertigo / 16-11 Inferno). Hobbit was the highest rated player with a 1.35 Rating while Ax1Le had the most kills with 52 across two maps.

Analysis:

Gambit have won nine series in a row and have won 27 of their 32 maps played in the past month, so they have been dominating to say the least. The one thing to be cautious with is that we have not seen Gambit play in this tournament yet and they might not be in bootcamp as far as I know, which could mean Hobbit might be at risk of ping issues. I am not going to speculate too much but I just wanted to mention that as a possible source of variance. There is also some firepower on this Nemiga roster with lollipop21k, but they are completely outmatched here strategically, and the odds show it. Gambit makes a lot of sense as a target here and Ax1LE is my favorite play especially based on his pricing. Sh1ro looks like a smash play, but he is really tough to get to at $11,000. You really cannot go wrong with anybody on Gambit here though. Lollipop21k is not at all a priority for me, but he had the most kills on his team last time and he could always be in for a big day. iDisbalance has been inconsistent but he also has potential upside with the AWP in his hands. Still, I would get Ax1Le and Gambit into your lineups as much as possible and stay away from Nemiga here. 

 

100PingGods (World rank: #53) vs. Virtus.pro (World rank: #5) 

Moneyline Odds: 100PG (+655) | VP (-980) 

Map Handicap: 100PG +1.5 (+180) | VP -1.5 (-225) 

Map Total: Over 2.5 (+225) | Under 2.5 (-285)

 

  • This is a best-of-three series for group stage of StarLadder CIS RMR 2021 Group B.
  • 100PG - Rating past three months: smiley 1.08 | dukefissura 1.07 | w1nt3r 0.98 | icem4N 0.97 | sorrow 0.95
  • VP - Rating past three months: Jame 1.17 | YEKINDAR 1.06 | Qikert 1.01 | buster 1.00 | SANJI 0.92

H2H Data:

  • These rosters have never faced each other.

Analysis:

Virtus.pro is at bootcamp and YEKINDAR is finally on site with them, which gives me even more confidence in their ability to dominate here. 100PG has had some impressive performances in the past, but they have no business competing with a powerhouse team like Virtus.pro. Dukefissura would be my favorite play on 100PG, but I do not plan on having any exposure to 100PingGods. Instead, I will have heavy exposure to Virtus.pro and YEKINDAR is my favorite play for DFS. He is an incredibly aggressive player and I think he will have plenty of opportunities for kills here, though his entry stats have cooled off recently. Jame is almost always a solid option if you have the salary to fit him into your lineup. As for the rest of VP, I like buster, Qikert, then SANJI in that order. This series should be an easy 2-0 sweep for VP, and I would be shocked to see 100PG win a map. 

 

Entropiq (World rank: #16) vs. Spirit (World rank: #15) 

Moneyline Odds: Entropiq (+125) | Spirit (-155)

Map Handicap: Entropiq +1.5 (-230) | Spirit -1.5 (+190) 

Map Total: Over 2.5 (+105) | Under 2.5 (-130)

 

  • This is a best-of-three series for group stage of StarLadder CIS RMR 2021 Group B.
  • Entropiq - Rating past three months:
  • Spirit - Rating past three months:

H2H Data:

  • These rosters faced each other on May 19th at EPIC League CIS 2021, and Spirit swept 2-0 (16-7 Overpass / 16-8 Dust2). Sdy led the way with 43 kills and a 1.56 Rating, while El1an still had a positive K/D ratio and had the second most kills on the server despite his team losing both maps.

Analysis:

Spirit is definitely the better team overall; this just depends on which version of Spirit shows up on Sunday. If Spirit plays to the best of their ability, then they should sweep Entropiq like they did last time, and mir & degster should be smash plays. Spirit has been a bit inconsistent, but I think they will show up here. Spirit should get at least two maps that they like into the map pool for this series, which means they should take it 2-1 if they do not sweep. El1an still looks like a good play on Entropiq and Forester is someone to consider, but Spirit will be the main focus for me. I like sdy a lot at only $7,000 and I think mir and degster have tremendous upside. This could be a pretty competitive series so I might limit my lineups to only one or two players from this series, and Spirit is the preferred stack for me. Magixx and chopper are decent options but are not my favorites within the context of this slate. If you do have exposure to Entropiq I would limit it to a one-off with El1an or Forester.

 

 

**Tony’s core plays to build your lineups around**: YEKINDAR, Ax1Le, buster, sdy

*Favorite Stacks: Virtus.pro, Gambit, forZe

*Other captain options: Jame, mir, degster, FL1T, zorte, sh1ro, Hobbit, El1an

*Other value options: SENSEi, qikert, nafany, Jerry, magixx, interz, Forester