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The ESL Pro League Season 18 is in full swing, with Group A having completed the first of four triple-elimination brackets to determine the seeding for the Playoffs, which starts in two weeks.
Team Vitality, Movistar Riders, Astralis, and FURIA Esports were the first four teams to qualify for the playoffs, setting the stage for eight new competitors to step into the arena and battle it out for their shot at the ESL Pro League Season 18 title and taking a step closer to the million dollars up for grabs in the Intel Grand Slam Season 5.
BIG vs. Monte
- When: Wednesday, September 6th – 10 AM ET
- Odds: BIG (-115) vs. Monte (-113)
The opening match of Group B is going to be an absolute banger as BIG and Monte face off in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. BIG is at the event as a permanent partner team and currently sits at 27th in the ESL Global Counter-Strike Rankings.
They will face off against the 11th-ranked Monte, who earned their spot in the tournament by winning the ESL Challenger League Season 44: Europe.
Monte started the ESL Challenger League with wins over Apeks and SAW. They’d fall to 9INE in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. In the Lower Bracket, Monte made an incredible run, taking down some of the top competition in the tournament in Apeks, PALOMA, FORZE, SAW, and 1win before getting their rematch with 9INE in the Grand Finals. In the Grand Finals, it was all Monte as they were the ones this time to get the victory after a 3-1 match.
HEROIC vs. Rooster
- When: Wednesday, September 6th – 10 AM ET
- Odds: HEROIC (-7500) vs. Rooster (+2500)
Unlike the other early game, HEROIC vs. Rooster is seen as a pretty one-sided matchup, with oddsmakers currently having the HEROIC moneyline currently set at -7500. If Rooster is able to take a single map off HEROIC, it would be seen as an upset, as the HEROIC spread of -1.5 is currently set at -900.
The reason the betting lines are one-sided is that HEROIC is entering the match as the 3rd best team in the world according to the ESL Global CS:GO Rankings, while Rooster currently sits at 86th with only 3 points. Though Rooster had a successful and clean run through the ESL Pro League: Oceanic Qualifier, they didn’t have to face any team on the same level as HEROIC.
Evil Geniuses vs. ENCE
- When: Wednesday, September 6th – 1:30 PM ET
- Odds: Evil Geniuses (+800) vs. ENCE (-1600)
The first matchup in the afternoon will feature two permanent partner teams, Evil Geniuses and ENCE, facing off in the first round of the upper bracket. This is another match that oddsmakers and fans view as a one-sided matchup.
Evil Geniuses is entering this one, currently sitting at 43rd in the ESL Global Rankings, while ENCE sits in 4th. Evil Geniuses should be more competitive in the middle and lower brackets. They’re just, unfortunately, up against one of the best teams in the world currently.
MOUZ vs. MIBR
- When: Wednesday, September 6th – 1:30 PM ET
- Odds: MOUZ (-435) vs. MIBR (+335)
MOUZ enters as a sizable betting favorite, not as massive as ENCE and HEROIC, but enough to be considered a heavy favorite, especially because they’re currently sitting in the 10th spot in the ESL Global rankings.
MIBR earned their spot in the Pro League via the ESL Challenger League: North America, where they dominated, only dropping two maps the entire tournament from Groups to the Grand Finals. They’ll hope to continue the magic on Wednesday.