Spirit Upset Team Liquid in a Beautiful Manner
This squad previously got a lot of attention when they made a heroic run to the semi-finals of PGL Major Antwerp, where they narrowly fell to eventual champions FaZe. The departure of Abdul “degster” Gasanov, one of the main catalysts in Spirit’s run, shortly after the Major event cast some doubts on whether Spirit could pull off the same feat this time around, but w0nderful proved more than capable as a replacement and has helped the team make it through to the playoffs again.
When things started well for them in the first map, Team Spirit wasted no time in extending their lead once on the T side, cruising to a 14-6 lead to immediately increase pressure on Liquid to almost unbearable levels. Spirit sealed the victory shortly afterward, 16-10, to move the series on to Liquid’s pick of Mirage.
It was Liquid’s turn to put Spirit on the ropes as the second map of the series got underway. The North American team responded to the pistol round loss immediately with a force buy in round two. From there, nitr0’s men remained in control for the rest of the first half. Not long after, Spirit began to close the gap once on the T side, winning five of the first six rounds, but back-to-back double and triple kill rounds from oSee and EliGE put a halt to the Russian side, helping Liquid pick up a victory.
Now looking at the last map of the series, a quad kill from magixx ensured Spirit a win in the last pistol round of the series, but Liquid kept their composure and answered back with three rounds of their own to briefly gain the lead, 10-9. That edge didn’t last long, however, and magixx and chopper were key in turning the tides in favor of their side. Team Spirit’s players were able to consistently shut down bombsite attacks to win the series.
Cadian and co. Cruised Through the Legends Stage
Sure, they couldn’t withstand Cloud9’s aggressive playstyle, picking up a disappointing 2-0 defeat in the round 3 high match. But their games against Fnatic, Outsiders, and Team Liquid proved that they are more than capable of making it deep into the playoffs. Let’s take a look at what happened in their game against Outsiders, because I consider that one to be a remarkable performance from the Danish side.
Without much struggle, Heroic put together another dominant CT half on Overpass against their Russian counterparts. It could have been a different story if not for jabbi, who won a crucial 1vs3 clutch with the economy at breaking point for both sides. That was the final nail in the coffin for the Outsiders T side, who went into the interval behind by eleven rounds.
A quad-kill by fame was the start of the Outsiders’ comeback attempt, which lasted for just seven rounds. With the game seemingly slipping out of Heroic’s control, sjuush showed up with two massive rounds to get his team over the line and into the 1-0 pool of teams.
If we take a deep look at how they’ve been playing recently, it’s safe to say that Heroic is better than the sum of its parts, not only when it comes to their tactical approach to the game, but they’ve shown they are on the same page. Stavn used to be the player that got all the attention due to his individual prowess, but now that Jabbi is on the team, and due to the change in roles, the whole team seems to be in a more comfortable position to put up consistent performances.
Team Spirit vs Heroic Match Information
- Game: Team Spirit vs Heroic
- Date: Friday, November 11
- Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Team Spirit vs Heroic Live Stream: Twitch.tv
Team Spirit vs Heroic Prediction
Making it back into Major playoffs was no small feat, and now if Spirit can channel the brilliance displayed in Belgium and w0nderful continues to show progress against the best players in the world, then another historic run could well be in the cards. I think that Team Spirit is capable of upsetting some of the best teams in the tournament on a good day, though that inconsistency can be their demise as well.
Heroic’s form began to climb since the start of the IEM Rio Major, and while not being able to take down Cloud9, one of the tournament favorites, they are looking very solid. My biggest concern for them is that they don’t always manage to remain stable if things start to go south for them early on in the match. I think that Team Spirit’s playstyle might be able to directly counter them, which is why I think that the Russian team is making it to the semifinals.
The IEM Rio Major Playoffs are right around the corner, so make sure to stay tuned as we’ll be sharing our esports picks with you! Don’t forget to bet on esports at BetUS Sportsbook & Casino. We’ve plenty of CSGO odds for you to consider.
