The 10th and final edition of Eden Arena Malta Vibes is going live in a matter of hours. We decided to weigh in with our predictions and analysis once again, as we have been for the past seven weeks. Here, you will find some of the safest picks for this event so do not miss out.
© Eden Arena Malta Vibes
As per usual, eight opening matches determine the further elimination and winners matches in each group. However, there is no need for us to cover every single one of these matchups. A short summary and overview of strength curves will suffice.
Group A favorites the two time Malta Vibes winners in Gambit Youngsters. They are joined by FATE Esports, HellRaisers* and Apeks in a group that has little to talk about. Apeks has played in six other Malta Vibes events over the past three months and is yet to place anywhere near the top. FATE had a solid run back in Week 3 finishing 2nd, but has since barely made it out of groups. The Gambit Youngsters have won Week 4 and Week 5 back to back and are the prime favorites to come out 1st in this group.
*Nordavind was supposed to be part of Group A but has been replaced by HellRaisers
Group B is all about mibr. The Brazilians have fallen on hard times as of late, failing to make any significant result this year. Additionally, their coach Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia has just received a 6-month ban by ESL and Dreamhack for abusing a spectating bug. He was promptly suspended by the organization and is likely not going to support his squad at Eden Arena Malta Vibes. Despite mibr being a favorite at this event, they might fall on hard times among all this ruckus. The second time to likely make it out group B is Endpoint.
Group C is the most stacked one at the competition. ForZe, MAD Lions and Heretics all found themselves fighting it out in a single group. Only two days ago ForZe and MAD played the Week 9 final and now they have to battle it out to simply make it out of groups. The Heretics are also looking to bounce back after being eliminated by Fnatic at ESL One Cologne 2020. x6tence is the last team in this group and likely the last team after all the matches are played. Tough luck for the former Copenhagen Flames roster, ending up in the hardest group at this event.
Finally, Group D has the most newcomers to the “Vibes” and a team that is likely ending up the champion of the event. Sprout just had an amazing run at Cologne 2020, sending both BIG and OG to the loser bracket in back to back series. If they maintain the same form this week they are likely winning the whole event. They are joined by sAw, c0ntact and North who have all remained relatively inactive this summer. We are likely seeing North coming out of this group as well, helped by their newest acquisition of Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson from the NiP.
We have three interesting matches we are confident we can down safe predictions on.
This is by far the safest prediction out of them all. Let’s start with the breakdown. In their last 5, Gambit Youngsters only won two matches. The competition they faced was more than good. On the other hand, HellRaisers are riding a two-win streak but they played against lowered tiered opponents.
Since this match is played in the best of 1 format, we have a general idea on how things could turn out. First and foremost, we will see these two teams compete on either Inferno, Vertigo or Dust 2. All of these maps are comfort picks for Gambit Youngsters and they should win this best of 1 match without breaking a sweat.
Sadly, current odds reflect that. Most bookmakers are offering similar odds regarding this pick.
Prediction: Gambit Youngsters to WIN
Despite MiBR receiving a major backlash for their performance in the last couple of months, we believe that this is a match they must win. In their last 5 bouts, the Brazilian CS:GO roster only won two matches. Just like MiBR, PACT also won only two out of their last 5 played. When it comes to map pool, we value MiBR depth and flexibility. They can play quite a few maps, especially against low tier teams and that is PACT.
To summarize, this should be a relatively easy match for the Brazilians. Individually, they are a much better team and despite not being in the form of their lives, MiBR will find a way to dispatch of PACT with ease. The Polish-based roster of PACT simply is not on the level MiBR is. From our point of view, odds are more than good and they will drop for sure.
Prediction: MiBR to WIN
On one side of things, we have a team that made it deep into ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe. On the other hand, c0ntact is nowhere to be found as of late, and it is only a matter of time before radical changes take effect. In their last 5 matches, c0ntact only won one. Sprout, however, won two of their last 5, but they only competed against the top teams in the world. Map pool is also heavily favoring Sprout in this one and they will for sure get a comfortable pick for themselves.
To summarize, we are expecting a very easy victory for Sprout. C0ntact will play this match with smooya and Spinx. These two guys are on trial with c0ntact and this should take a lot from their overall synergy. All in all, an easy win for Sprout.
Prediction: Sprout to win
Combining all three matches will net you a x3.1 coefficient at GG.bet and x2.76 at Betway. Either way a good payout for a simple betslip.
Read next: What to do about the increasing problem of player burnout in Esports
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