After Europe and CIS Minors, everything is set for Asia Minor. Once again we will have 8 teams fighting it out for two spots at IEM Katowice Major Main Qualifier and their share of $50,000 prize pool. However, only two teams will earn their ticket for the Major Main Qualifier.
Some CS:GO enthusiasts will shy away from this event, simply because skill levels are nowhere near European Minor, but I assure you, we will see plenty of action here at Asia Minor.
We tried our best to provide you with the best odds, and from what we were able to find out, gg.bet is stepping up big time for Asia Minor, and they definitely have the best odds on the market.
Asia Minor – IEM Katowice winner odds:
- Renegades – 1.60 @ gg.bet
- Grayhound – 4.00 @ gg.bet
- ViCi – 5.50 @ gg.bet
- MVP PK – 6.50 @ gg.bet
- CyberZen – 11.00 @ gg.bet
- GOSU – 26.00 @ gg.bet
- Aequus – 115.00 @ gg.bet
- Beyond – 151.00 @ gg.bet
As you can see, bookmakers are favoring Renegades to win the entire thing. Even though these odds are not so high, they are definitely justified. Australians are definitely the best and the most skilled team in this event. Needless to say that they are the most experienced team in this event. They have been a part of several Majors so far, while the same can not be said about their opponents. To conclude, betting against Renegades would be the same as throwing money in the bin. So if you are interested in free money, betting on Renegades to win Asia Minor would definitely earn you some profits.
Groups and format:
Asia Minor is no different from other IEM Katowice Minors out there. Once again we will see 8 teams split into two groups 4. Standard double-elimination format(GSL) has been put in place. Top two teams from each group will advance through to the playoffs, where they will fight for those two tickets and their share of the total purse.
Every opening match will be played in the best-of-1 format, while every other game will be played in the best-of-3 series.
Group A
- Aequus
- CyberZen
- Grayhound
- Renegades
Just as we mentioned above, Renegades are favourites in this one. They simply have no competition in group A, and it would be a surprise if they do not top their group with two swift victories. However, we could see a fight between CyberZen and Grayhound for the second place. Both of these teams are pretty evenly matched, hence why gg.bet offered similar odds on them to win the entire thing. This will definitely be a thriller between these two teams. To conclude, Aequus has nothing to do in this event, and they are just a placeholder. They will probably be the first team to be eliminated in this event, and betting against them could yield profits.
Group B
- Beyond
- GOSU
- MVP PK
- ViCi
Contrary to group B, this group should be a blood bath. Even though Beyond will probably lose both of their matches and be eliminated in no time, other teams have a big chance in this one. Bookmakers are favouring MVP PK to win this group, but if they are not on point, they might find themselves on that third place. Both ViCi and GOSU could surprise everyone and I would not be surprised if both of these teams advance through to the playoffs.
First match-ups and predictions
- Grayhound – CyberZen
- Renegades – Aequus
- Beyond – MVP PK
- ViCi – GOSU
CyberZen – Grayhound
Both of these teams are skilled enough to make this opening match highly competitive. However, Grayhound faced stronger competition in the last couple of matches, while CyberZen only played around the Chinese scene, hence why they have beaten lower tiered teams.
Even though they played against less prepared and skilled, CyberZen was able to win 5 in a row. Furthermore, they were able to beat MVP PK in a best-of-3 series and to be honest, they won that series without even trying. On the other hand, Grayhound has been in a poor form as of late. They won only 2 out of their 5 last matches. They also have 2 defeats in a row, but as we mentioned above, they faced stronger competition, such as Kinguin and TyLoo.
Map pools are quite similar for both of these teams, and we will see a pretty much straight forward map veto. I expect this best-of-1 match to end up either on Mirage or Dust 2.
To conclude, CyberZen is a decent team in the Asian region, but they were never able to do anything else on the big stage. On the other hand, Grayhound is one of the best teams in Australia and they played against tougher opponents and I see this as a big advantage in their opener against CyberZen. They also have a similar map pool to CyberZen and they will not be surprised by any means. Lastly, better individuals and more experience on the big stage should help Grayhound win this one fairly easily.
Betting prediction: Grayhound to win
Odds: 1.46
Bookmaker: GGBet
Date: 22nd of January, 10:00 CEST
