The ESL Pro League is about to come to an end, wrapping up Season 6 after the seventh week of play. It has been a tough year if you’re a gambling man, as in both EU and NA we have experienced some large shifts in team consistency. Not only have there been a lot of roster changes and drama across the board (looking at you Immortals) but especially in the EU, teams are too close to call. When one win or loss can change the entire standings and make a team jump multiple spots, it’s really hard to pick and chose who to put your money on.
What Can We Predict?
If you don’t know how the ESL Pro League system works, it’s quite simple. The top 6 teams (in each region) after week 7 move onto the playoffs, the 14th (last) placed team gets kicked out and the 12th and 13th placed teams (in each region) get put into relegation. As it stands right now, Natus Vincere and Ghost will both need miracles (let alone insane performances) in order to not get kicked out of the ESL.
So we can call who won’t win in Week 7, but relegation is tricky. Another easy prediction is, who will come out on top in Season 6.
In NA it’s safe to say that Fnatic, FaZe Clan and North will not need to worry if they lose a majority of their matches in Week 7. That means watch out for them trying something new and mixing it up. They don’t want to lose obviously but they now have a chance to see what sticks (and what doesn’t) going into the playoffs. Another big reason for teams to do this, is so in the playoffs teams don’t know what to expect and it makes it easier to not get baited and outsmarted.
Easy Pick ESL Pro League Week 7
Natus Vincere
In the EU it is really easy to take the favorite, especially in the NaVi matches. Natus Vincere is going up against Astralis, BIG and FaZe Clan. You might think that the easiest match will be against BIG but that is not the case. BIG has performed very well in their last two Majors (EWC 2017 and DreamHack Denver 2017) coming 2nd in both and walking away with almost $40,000 USD. NaVi will not win against Astralis and FaZe unless (as I just mentioned) try stupid stunts and don’t take it seriously. I feel as if this won’t happen as likely with Astralis but FaZe having all that cushion, I wouldn’t be surprised.
So it’s safe to say that a pick against NaVi, is an easy pick.
Fnatic
Fnatic has been looking hot in online play but will that transition into the playoffs? (which are LAN) Well, that’s going to be a strong “not good” followed by a “they’ll still make the top 10”. Fnatic does perform well in LAN but they haven’t been doing better than 5th in their most recent tournaments. In fact, it has been 5 months since a finish better than 5th in a premier or major.
I don’t think they’ll bomb but if Fnatic is odds favored, I’m taking the underdog.
