The Rio Major playoffs will soon go live, and that means that Pick’ems are already open for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players to guess.
Only eight teams remain in the fight for 1.25 million dollars and the most prestigious title in CSGO esports. If you’ve been following WIN. gg’s predictions so far, you already have a silver coin and a free souvenir token to claim. The playoffs are the make-or-break point between gold and platinum, with two free souvenir gun skins on the line. With such high stakes in mind, these are our Pick’ems for the Rio Major playoffs.
We heavily reviewed previous matchup history, recent form, and historical performance for our picks. This is the most intense competitive experience for any CSGO player, so previous championships and podium placements are also weighted heavily after the first round.
The best playoffs Pick’ems for the Rio Major
The first matchup is fairly easy, as the Outsiders recently defeated Fnatic 2-0 in the challengers stage. While maps could play a role, Outsiders is practically guaranteed to get a repeat of Overpass, where the Russian squad won 16-1. Just below that game is mouz and Cloud9, which is a matchup without much precedence. However, considering Cloud9’s stellar legends stage performance, we expect it to take the series in the end.
The lower half of the first round starts with Team Spirit versus Heroic. This is actually a back-and-forth matchup with two matches a piece over the last 19 months. While tricky, we believe Heroic stands a better chance at victory as long as captain Casper “cadiaN” Moller bans Dust 2. After that is FURIA and Natus Vincere, which is the most contentious matchup in the whole major. While the crowd will definitely favor its home team, CSGOAT and major champion Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev rarely lets his fans down. So go with Na’Vi even if the crowd won’t.
The semifinals are a bit trickier. Assuming Outsiders versus Cloud9, C9 handily won this matchup at both the Antwerp major and IEM Cologne. Both teams are also relatively even on major experience. Outsiders will likely take a map, but smart money says Cloud9 will advance to the grand final.
Heroic and Natus Vincere have a fierce rivalry in the European CSGO scene, but Na’Vi has won three of their four matches in 2022. In addition, Heroic has historically performed slightly subpar on LAN, while Natus Vincere only benefits from in-person play. Once again, it’s difficult to doubt s1mple. Pick Natus Vincere, and don’t look back.
These Pick’ems paint the Rio Major playoffs ending with Natus Vincere and Cloud9 in the grand final. This is probably also the most difficult outcome to guess. C9 narrowly won their legends stage best-of-one 16-14 on Mirage, which is one of Na’Vi’s strongest maps. However, that was somehow the very first time that matchup saw play in 2022. While extremely difficult to call, Natus Vincere’s combined decades of major experience and the Stockholm Major championship give it the edge. We predict that Na’Vi will claim its second CSGO major in Rio de Janeiro.
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