DraftKings CS:GO Friday Cheat Sheet

Games (EDT)

• 8:00 a.m: FaZe Clan (FaZe) vs. Natus Vincere (NaVi)
• 11:30 a.m: Gen.G (GenG) vs. Team Liquid  (TL)
• 3:00 p.m: Cloud9 (C9) vs. MiBR (MiBR)

FaZe vs. NaVi

The first match of the slate is the DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe lower bracket final, with the international side of FaZe Clan facing the world No. 1 side, NaVi. FaZe Clan have perhaps the most volatile roster in the major regions of CS:GO right now, featuring two young additions in broky and Bymas, alongside a superstar veteran core. If that young duo can play to their very best, FaZe have the potential to take any match, even a big upset over NaVi. If not, it could look a lot like when BIG Clan 2-0'd FaZe with ease Tuesday. NaVi, on the other hand, are the world No. 1's and have been in fine form, despite a close defeat to G2, where the French side just took the edge. s1mple in particular has been exceptional for NaVi, and is the only player right now who rivals ZywOo for the title of the best in the world. electronic has also been making his case as the best rifler in the world, putting in stellar performances to provide NaVi a multi-faceted threat that has kept teams guessing. These teams have played relatively frequently, and have a semi-consistent map veto, so you should expect a Dust 2 and Nuke presence, with Overpass or Inferno as the likely decider. These are maps where the stars of these sides can take over, where a s1mple, or a NiKo, can simply run away with the map and leave it one way. With such a star-studded match, it's impossible to look past those two names, both coming in at high, but reasonable salaries.

Prediction: NaVi 2-1

FaZe Players to Target: NiKo ($13,200 Captain, $8,800 Flex)

NaVi Players to Target: s1mple ($12,600 Captain, $8,400 Flex)

Gen.G vs. Team Liquid

The second match of the slate goes over to North America, in the lower bracket of DreamHack Masters Spring, featuring a surprise elimination match. The North American No. 1 side, Team Liquid, find themselves in a precarious spot against a very hard-to-beat Gen.G side in the first round of the lower bracket. Team Liquid are the heavy favorites going into Friday's match, but Gen.G have shown that they can beat anyone, and have yet to face Team Liquid, so the element of surprise should favor the newly-formed Gen.G side. The biggest difference between these two sides is likely to be firepower, as EliGE and NAF from the Team Liquid side provide one of the most potent duos in North America. Opposing that duo from Gen.G will be koosta and BnTeT, a two-on-two match that heavily favors Team Liquid. The firepower discrepancy continues down the line as the supportive side of Team Liquid, nitr0, Stewie2k, and Twistzz should all have significant advantages over their Gen.G counterparts. If Gen.G want to complete the upset, the map veto will be crucial, especially ending on a map like Mirage or Nuke, where Gen.G can find tight angles to take favorable fights. Team Liquid on the other hand will look towards Inferno or Vertigo, two maps where they have a heavy advantage over Gen.G in both experience and play style, with very open conflicts.

Prediction: Team Liquid 2-1

GenG Players to Target: koosta ($11,700 Captain, $7,800 Flex), BnTeT ($9,900 Captain, $6,600 Flex)

TL Players to Target: EliGE ($13,500 Captain, $9,00 Flex), NAF ($12,000 Captain, $8,000 Flex)

Cloud9 vs. MiBR

The final match of the slate is once more in lower bracket round one, of DreamHack Masters Spring - North America, and features the Brazilians of MiBR taking on the North American side of Cloud9. MiBR come into Friday's match as the favorites, in what could be a one-sided match with MiBR not losing in their last five matches, while Cloud9 have only won two of their last five. This match played out on June 5th, and went 2-1 in the favor or MiBR, with dominant performances on Dust2 and Inferno to close out the series. MiBR, bolstered by new addition trk, with their veteran firepower of FalleN and fer have been indomitable recently taking down teams with classic Brazilian flair. trk in particular has been a revelation for the side, as they have incorporated the rifler into the team and he has begun to produce strong performances to help MiBR climb back up the North American ladder. Cloud9 on the other hand have struggled recently despite solid performances from their leading duo, oSee and floppy, the North American side has struggled for consistency from the support/AWP side of the team, with Sonic in particular struggling for consistency. If Cloud9 want to upset the Brazilian side they will have to look towards superstar performances from floppy and oSee, otherwise it's unlikely they will match the sheer firepower from MiBR. The biggest mismatch of the series should be the AWPer's, as Sonic has struggled mightily, and even his very highest performances have been unable to touch the level of Fallen, who has been MiBR's top player in the last three months. 

Prediction: MiBR 2-1

C9 Players to Target: floppy ($12,300 Captain, $8,200 Flex), oSee ($10,800 Captain, $7,200 Flex)

MiBR Players to Target: FalleN ($12,900 Captain, $8,600 Flex), fer ($11,400 Captain, $7,600 Flex)