BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 Preview
Less than a week after the ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals craze came to a close, we’re expecting yet another top-tier CSGO tournament. 2018 has been a great year for the CSGO competitive scene with first signs indicating 2019 will be even better. That’s why, today, we’ll be focusing on BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 preview and all the things you can expect from this relatively new type of tournament.
BLAST Pro Series events feature the usual group stage plus playoffs (just grand finals in this case) alongside a series of 1v1 matchups to break the monotony of conventional CSGO tournaments. We’ve already had the chance to witness these matchups during the previous BLAST Pro Series tournaments so we know what sort of a spectacle they really are. As far as betting on this tournament goes, I’m happy to inform you there are numerous betting websites already featuring BLAST Pro Series Lisbon matches. That said, let’s take a closer look at the best ones so you know where to bet your money on!
Where to bet on BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 | Best Esports Bookies
I could go on and on about the esports bookies that will feature various bets for this particular tournament, but I guess that would take too much of your precious time. Yup, there’s just so many of them… Instead, how about I just show you the best ones?
- Top US Betting Sites
- SportsBetting.ag
- BetOnline.ag
- Bovada
In addition to regular match-winner and outright winner bets, lots of these bookies feature exclusive specials too. Things like rounds handicap, pistol round win, map-specific bets etc. Pro Standoff matchups are bound to have several specials as well, further upping the entertainment of CSGO fans and bettors alike. Needless to say, special bets are a great way of spicing up your accumulators, putting you at the edge of your seat during the most intense matchups. That’s basically what CSGO betting is all about, right?
BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 Preview |Interesting Facts
- BLAST Pro Series is going to last for 2 days straight, starting on Friday, December 14th and ending on the very next day. There really is no other tournament that manages to fit 16+ matches across just two days so kudos to BLAST Pro Series and all of its organizers.
- BLAST Pro Series Lisbon is the first ever notable CSGO tournament held in Portugal. A country that’s known for its national soccer team and electric fans is definitely a place worthy of some class A CSGO action.
- PRO Standoff matches are going to pose as special treats for CSGO fans worldwide. They are scheduled on the second (last) day of the tournament and will be played in front of a live audience at the Altice Arena in Lisbon.
Tournament Format and Schedule
Friday, December 14
As far as I’m informed, the first day of this tournament will be played behind closed door. There won’t be that much action though. The first two group stage rounds will feature just a couple of matches. 6 to be precise. All of them will be played as Bo1 series with the first round matches starting at 8 pm CET and second at 9.30 pm (also CET).
Saturday, December 15
Saturday will continue in the same tone – three additional group stage rounds to determine the overall teams’ placements. After the group stage comes to a close, the third-placed team will get to choose opponents for their Pro Standoff clash for $20,000. We’re talking about five separate 1v1 duels with weapons changing with each passing duel. There’s no doubt Pro Standoff is what separates BLAST Pro Series events from all other CSGO competitions out there.
Last but not least (obviously) is the Grand Finals match. Two top placed teams from the group stage will have to battle it out against each other for $125,000 in prize pool money. This match is scheduled for a Bo3 series meaning we’ll be up for a true CSGO spectacle, most likely the last one in 2018.
BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 Teams Overview
This tournament really does a great job as far as attracting top-quality team is concerned. Team Liquid is the only notable name that is not going to be participating here, with all other top dogs being present and ready to make a stand. That said, here’s some brief info on each team:
Astralis
Let’s face it – Astralis is a force to be reckoned with at the moment. Well, not just at the moment but for the better part of this year. After bringing in Magisk from North, the team composition started dominating and winning pretty much every tournament they competed on. With that in mind, I don’t think they’ll have the same desire as they had in ESL Pro League S8 Finals. After all, they’ve won $1,250,000 just last week and they must be exhausted physically and psychically.
NaVi
It’s pretty clear that S1mple is doing all the hard work for this NaVi team. Flamie and Edward didn’t show their A-game during these last few months, especially on LAN events. Their recent spell of bad performances speaks a lot, which is why I can’t see them doing anything notable in Lisbon.
MiBR
MiBR is in the process of becoming an all-Brazilian team once again, trading Stewie2K for TACO and zews (coach) from Team Liquid. There’s still one non-Brazilian player left (Tarik) but it’s left to be seen whether or not he’ll get traded in this pause period.
FaZe
It’s no secret FaZe Clan is in a huge slump. Failing to qualify for the most recent ESL Pro League and ECS events gives the assumption something is terribly wrong within their team. NiKo is doing good but even he’s had several lousy matches recently. Still, I believe they’ll get right back up to their usual selves and probably taking this one home.
NiP
Ninjas in Pyjamas didn’t have the best of years in 2018. Their biggest accomplishment was on the last BLAST Pro Series tournament in Copenhagen where they lost in the Grand Finals match against NaVi. ECS S6 Finals saw them eliminated in the semifinals against Astralis in what was a pretty solid match for their standards. Still, judging by the renown of their opposition, I don’t think they’ll make a proper statement in Lisbon.
Cloud9
Even though Cloud9 brought in veterans such as Flusha and kioShiMa, they are yet to perform on the big stages. Their biggest achievement in 2018 is surely the Grand Finals upset against fans on their home soil on ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018. But that was all the way back in January… Since then, this Cloud9 team was nowhere to be seen as far as big wins are concerned.
Group Stage | Round 1 Picks
This is it, boys and girls – we’ve come to the last part of my BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 preview. As the title suggests, I am referring to the Group Stage Round 1 picks. All three Round 1 matches seem rather interesting so let’s quickly go through each of them! I reckon there’s plenty of you who came here just for these picks so, without further adue, here are my thoughts on the Round 1 Group Stage matches:
NaVi vs NiP
Last time these two teams played against each other was just a month ago during the Grand Finals match of BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2018. As you all know, Natus Vincere won that match in a convincing 2-0 manner, becoming the reigning BLAST Pro Series champion. But will they manage to repeat their success in Lisbon too? So far, no teams have managed to win back to back BLAST titles. Can NaVi be the first?
Well, if their first match against NiP is going to be any sign of what’s to come, I’d say they have no chance of making it to the Pro Standoff show match let alone the Grand Finals. S1mple is a God, there’s no point in denying that; but lately, his teamers stopped showing up at the crucial matches. If that doesn’t change pretty soon, I reckon S1mple will start looking for a new team…
NiP, on the other hand, will be looking to build upon their recent ECS performance. Perhaps not the ideal tournament for this Swedish side, but they still got to the semifinals before losing to Astralis. Generally speaking, esports bookies seem to favor NaVi (cca -145), most likely because this match is set to be played on Overpass. However, I for one believe NiP could take this one despite not having as good of a track record on Overpass as NaVi. They’re currently standing at +150 on BetWay which is a pretty good value for a single slip.
MiBR vs Cloud9
Cloud9 players aren’t playing their best CSGO at the moment. Flusha and kioShiMa were brought in to try and push the team to new heights… So far, that push is nowhere to be seen. Their statistics coming into this match are outright terrible. Last 6 months were an absolute disaster for C9, having a positive (50% is arguably positive, to be honest) w/l ratio on just one map – Mirage. Luckily for them, their first BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 match against MiBR will be played on Mirage… but will it matter considering their overall poor run of form?
MiBR is doing quite well on Mirage as well. Much better than C9 for that matter. Out of their last 23 matchups on Mirage, MiBR has won 15, lost 7 and drew 1, having 65.2% w/l ratio at the moment. However, it has to be said that the current MiBR roster is playing their final game together. For those of you who don’t know, Stewie2K is going off to Team Liquid with TACO coming in shortly after this tournament comes to a close.
Fer is still out due to a medical situation so swag was already announced as a stand-in for MIBR. While this could affect the way MiBR approaches this match, I doubt it will make that much difference to the end result. With that said, I believe MiBR, even without fer, will pull this one in their favor. Bookies think so too – MiBR stands at -167 while Cloud9 stands at +175. The former is a pretty good deal, don’t you think?
Astralis vs FaZe
And finally, the last Group Stage Round 1 match in my BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018 preview. The most interesting one too – Astralis go up against FaZe. Astralis, the most dominant CSGO team in the world goes up against FaZe, the most underperforming CSGO team in the world. The stage couldn’t be better for these two teams to finally meet each other again after more than a month since their last match. Let me remind you – their last head to head match was during IEM Chicago when FaZe defeated Astralis with 2-0 on the scoreboard.
There are two big questions coming into this match; questions I honestly can’t answer with certainty. First – can Astralis be bothered to get their A-game on just a week after winning the greatest prize pool in the history of CSGO… Second – can FaZe rise to the occasion after being absent from the competitive scene for more than a month?
As far as the actual prediction for this match goes, I suppose I have to give you guys something. Looking at BetWay’s odds, I just can’t justify the mere -250 on Astralis here. Sure, they are the favorites, no doubt about that… but -250 is low considering they’re facing FaZe. Dust 2 is a strong map for both of these teams, but last time when they went head to head on it, FaZe suffered a 16-4 humiliation.
But the occasion was completely different back then. Astralis is now completely beaten up, exhausted and will probably struggle to find motivation after conquering Intel Grand Slam and ESL Pro League S8 Finals just last week. On the other hand, FaZe is hungry for top-level competitive gameplay which is why I give them a slight advantage here. Not to mention FaZe currently sits at +280 on BetWay, pretty solid return if you ask me.
Leave a Reply