A best-of-five series between Team Vitality and Natus Vincere at ESL Pro League could be just as lucrative as it will be exciting.
Every match of ESL Pro League Season 14 has led to this final best-of-five series. Team Vitality clawed past several podium contenders for a shot at the $175,000 first-place prize. Natus Vincere bulldozed over its foes with grace in pursuit of the Intel Grand Slam. This match is already hype, but a well-placed wager could make it even more exciting. Cash in on the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive action with a smartly-placed wager on Na’vi vs Vitality.
Head to Stake.com to find the absolute best odds on the ESL Pro League Season 14 grand finals.
It’s no surprise that the IEM Cologne LAN champion advanced to the grand finals. Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is on track to average 1.49 kills for every death, the best such average at ESL Pro League Season 14. In addition to his 90.7 damage per round, Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy is an economic powerhouse with 0.54 deaths per round and a 54.1% headshot rate.
Na’Vi is indisputably the best CSGO team in the world, but the Russian-Ukrainian roster didn’t make it to the podium unscathed. The squad lost a shocking 0-2 to BIG and came within two rounds of falling to Heroic in the semi-finals. It’s difficult to bet against s1mple, but a safe payout is a small payout. Stake appropriately rates Na’Vi at 1.25 odds to beat Heroic.
The past few tournaments have not been kind to Team Vitality. The French squad hasn’t landed on a podium since January of this year. ESL Pro League Season 14 marks a return to form. Stake rates Vitality’s chance for victory at 3.60 odds. That may seem steep, but remember that Vitality has all the momentum in the world in an online tournament.
The squad is built around AWPer Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. ZywOo is arguably the second-best player in the world behind Na’Vi’s own superstar s1mple. ZywOo’s performance at Pro League includes 84.6 damage per round with .85 kills. His 1.45 KD ratio is buoyed by KĂ©vin “misutaaa” Rabier and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who both trade volume for impact. Team Vitality is still the underdog against Natus Vincere, but that hasn’t stopped it from upsetting Astralis, Team Spirit, and Gambit Esports at ESL Pro League Season 14.
Natus Vincere has a slight advantage for maps. The Eastern Europeans have perfect records on Ancient, Inferno, and Nuke. Vitality is skilled on those last two maps as well, but captain apEX’s favorite battleground Mirage will most likely be banned. Assuming Vitality and Na’Vi ban Ancient and Mirage, the first three maps played should be a mix of Nuke, Inferno, and Overpass. This may slightly favor Na’Vi, as Vitality shouldn’t get access to Vertigo until later in the series.
Team Vitality has earned a rightful spot in the grand finals, but it’s difficult to bet against Natus Vincere. The team is on a roll and is fresh off a $1 million tournament victory. The switch to online and Vitality’s recent victories hint at an upset, but the French side is still fighting uphill. Add in the map situation and Na’Vi are the favorites by a considerable margin. A simple $20 match bet on Natus Vincere will earn $25 on Stake, but the same wager on Vitality will earn $72.
Despite the potential earnings, a safe bet on Natus Vincere would have paid off in just about every match at ESL Pro League Season 14 thus far.
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