Astralis vs. Complexity: IEM Global Challenge betting analysis

Astralis and Complexity kick off the last big Counter-Strike event of 2020 at IEM Global Challenge 2020. 

Eight of the best teams in the world will fight for a $500,000 prize pool to round off a very different year. The tournament will consist of two groups of four teams, with Astralis and Complexity facing off in group A together with Vitality and BIG. 

The groups seem stacked, which means that it’s crucial to start off the tournament on a good note. This puts pressure on both Astralis and Complexity to perform, but there is no doubt that the Danes from Astralis are favorites to take down the mixed Complexity squad. Astralis has performed very well and looks to be in old form. The team recently went to the finals at BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Finals, where they lost to a strong Vitality squad which they will also face at this event. 

Even though the Danes didn’t win the last BLAST tournament, they did prove that their impressive teamwork is coming together once again. Facing Complexity will be an easier opponent than Vitality, but it’s still a game that needs full focus. This means that players like Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen will still have to show up at a high individual level, while in-game leader Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander needs to come up with some solid strategies. 

Complexity will enter the tournament after almost two weeks’ break. The team didn’t participate at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals, which means that they have had enough time to recharge and focus on the upcoming event. The last time Complexity played was against FURIA at DreamHack Masters Winter, where they lost 0-2 and got knocked out before the semifinals. 

Complexity is still inconsistent since adding Justin “jks” Savage to the team, but still has one of the highest ceilings in the world. Complexity has a lot of great individual players to step up when it matters, and when they all do, they can even take down Astralis. 

The two teams are close in the head to head, but Complexity actually has the better record head-to-head. Complexity has won five games against Astralis, while the Danes have only taken four. The last time the two teams met was in October at ESL Pro League, where Astralis ran with the victory in a convincing 2-0. 

Astralis is huge favorite to take down Complexity at IEM

A match between two world-class teams is usually very even but not when Astralis is involved. According to the bookmakers, Astralis is the big favorite to take this match. This is likely because of Astralis’ recent strength, while Complexity has been very shaky of late. Complexity might be able to come out with an upset if they are refreshed after their recent break and catch Astralis on a bad day after their lost final at BLAST. 

A win for Astralis doesn’t give more than odds 1.16, while a victory for Complexity gives a whopping odds 4.57. According to these odds, the match will be an easy 2-0 for Astralis but obviously the return is significant for a score on Complexity. 

The match between Astralis and Complexity at IEM Global Challenge 2020 kicks off on Tuesday, December 15.