Gambit’s return online and Entropiq’s debut on tier-1 stage – Group D preview at ESL Pro League Season 14

Gambit Esports

After finishing IEM Cologne 2023 There are a number of questions left to the composition of Gambit Esports. On the one hand, the roster Vladislava nafany Gorshkova successfully debuted on LAN, leaving the group and getting into the top 6 at the end of the championship. On the other hand, in four matches in Cologne, the Russians played 12 maps (the maximum possible number). And if the confrontation with G2 Esports it could not be different – in Germany the team NiKo was at the peak of her game form, then in meetings with Ninjas in Pajamas and mousesports the fight was expected, frankly, less. Well, defeat by FaZe Clan in the quarterfinals, I propose to completely put it out of the brackets as an anomaly – I doubt that there will be at least 1% of fans who bet something else on the way out olofmeister and the company in the playoffs, and at least one victory of the team in the group. One way or another, the debut of Gambit Esports on the LAN took place, and, again, not in the worst way. Top 6 is a good and quite working result for the first major tournament in the careers of most of the team’s representatives. But ESL Pro League Season 14 will have a completely different, new story.

First, Gambit is returning to a much more comfortable environment. Say what you like, but offline events are quite energetic and, more importantly, emotionally costly event, which requires serious preparation for a successful performance. Online is another matter entirely, especially when it comes to Gambit Esports. The nafany team gained cruising speed towards the first line of the rating of the best teams in the world and successfully achieved its goal on the Internet, which means that the 14th season of the ESL Pro League should become a more comfortable competition for the team from the CIS.

Secondly, the experience of IEM Cologne 2023 should have the most positive effect on Gambit Esports. Yes, I have already been discussing this “experience” for many teams in Cologne, but the current situation forces me to do this, because the German championship is the most important over the past year and a half for the entire professional scene, which has changed dramatically during this time. The matches at IEM Cologne 2023 certainly helped Gambit Esports uncover some problems in their game that were simply impossible to find online. At the same time, as I wrote above, the nafany roster still made it to the playoffs, won several series, which means it proved to everyone around that its results on the Internet were not an accident, but a pattern.

At ESL Pro League Season 14, Gambit Esports will have a great opportunity to calmly get out of vacation and start returning to the peak, because this time the draw was definitely on the side of the CIS team. In Group D, the Russians will face as many as three representatives of the deadliest region in CS: GO – America. The final six teams will also feature Ninjas in Pajamas and compatriots Gambit from Entropiq. But first things first.

In the first match of the group stage, Gambit Esports will face the Brazilians from Team One… Instead of lyrical digressions in the form of arguments about the gap between European and American Counter-Strike, I propose to turn to dry statistical facts. In 2023, Gambit Esports and Team One met twice for a total of three maps. All three ended with the same score – 16: 5. Can you guess who won? As a hint, I suggest taking a look at the pre-match odds this time.

Odds: Gambit Esports (1.04) – Team One (8.45)

A day later, Gambit Esports will face off against Team Liquid… On the one hand, the composition Gabriel FalleN Toledo Is the only ray of hope shining from North America. On the other hand, the team still fails at international events, and recently rumors about another reshuffle have begun to appear around it. One way or another, Gambit looks much more preferable, and I am not the only one who thinks so.

Odds: Gambit Esports (1.34) – Team Liquid (3.03)

On the third day of the ESL Pro League Season 14 group stage, the nafany roster will continue an impromptu journey across America – Brazilians from FURIA Esports… I don’t remember if I voiced the idea that American CS is dead, but on paper this matchup looks like an easy three points for Gambit Esports. The experts agree again.

Odds: Gambit Esports (1.29) – FURIA (3.28)

In the fourth round, a Russian derby awaits spectators – Gambit Esports will fight Entropiq. The teams met twice in 2023, and there were no surprises in these matches – both games went to the sh1ro roster. There are no obvious reasons why Entropiq will interrupt the streak, especially considering the fact that this tournament will be the first tier-1 event for the hooch team. The only chance for Entropiq may appear if Gambit guarantees itself a ticket to the playoffs after the first three matches (99.9% probability) and loses focus, but this is hard to believe.

Odds: Gambit Esports (1.19) – Entropiq (4.17)

In the final match of the group stage, Gambit Esports will converge with Ninjas in Pajamas, and something tells me that it is in this match that the team will be determined, which will reach the playoffs from the first place in Group D. The Swedes probably want to take revenge on the Russians for the defeat at IEM Cologne 2023, and nafany and the company will most likely try to prove to the public and to themselves that the close match in Cologne is a misunderstanding. By the way, analysts also believe that this time Gambit will perform much more confidently.

Odds: Gambit Esports (1.44) – Ninjas in Pajamas (2.60)

Entropiq

At the end of the first half of the season, Entropiq looks like one of two teams from the CIS that is about to make a breakthrough. And if forZe, the first of this pair, has already guaranteed itself a slot in the playoffs, then for Dmitry hooch Bogdanov’s roster it is still ahead.

For the first six months, Entropiq performed at tier-2 tournaments with varying success and now got the coveted chance to try their hand at the best teams in the world. By the way, a few days before the start of the matches at the ESL Pro League Season 14 group stage, the hooch team won the Malta Vibes Knockout Series # 1, which will surely give her self-confidence. Besides, as I said before, Group D at EPL is a kind of gift for its European members. Below is an estimate of Entropiq’s odds in each individual matchup.

On the first day of the game, the hooch roster will face the Brazilians from FURIA. The South Americans did not play official matches with IEM Cologne 2023, where they could not qualify from the group, but Entropiq, as I said, managed to get in good shape before the start of the EPL. The only chance for FURIA is to bet on the classic Brazilian aggressive Counter-Strike that Entropiq players have never encountered before. But if the hooch competently prepares his players, then the Russians will have very real chances to start the tournament with an important victory.

Odds: Entropiq (1.86) – FURIA (1.86)

In the second round, Entropiq faces a much more formidable opponent, and it seems that in this match the Russians will face a real problem. Ninjas in Pajamas, led by device, continue to look for their own style, but there is a suspicion that the Scandinavians managed to put the game behind Player’s Break, especially since at IEM Cologne 2023 the team looked very good in places. In short, Entropiq will be very, very difficult, with which experts willingly agree.

Odds: Ninjas in Pajamas (1.34) – Entropiq (3.03)

I will turn the calendar over and on the third of September I will see how Entropiq refutes analysts’ predictions and overcomes Team Liquid. In the first two rounds, the Americans will play first with NiP, and then with Gambit Esports, and with a 99% probability they will occupy the last line in the standings. It is at this moment, when FalleN and his teammates are in a state of depression, that Entropiq will have the perfect chance to win the first victory in an international tournament over a team with a big name.

Odds: Team Liquid (1.44) – Entropiq (2.60)

In the final round, team hooch will play against the weakest opponent in Group D – Team One. Brazilians perform on the local stage with varying success, and all their forays into Europe ended in a complete fiasco for them. Most likely, for Team One this match will no longer have a tournament value, but Entropiq may well approach the confrontation with two victories and will be maximally motivated to win. The chances of this are pretty high. In any case, experts say so.

Odds: Entropiq (1.29) – Team One (3.28)

Odds are taken from the website of the betting company Parimatch and are relevant at the time of publication of the material.