DraftKings CS:GO Thursday Cheat Sheet

Games (EDT)

• 12:00 p.m: OG (OG) vs. GODSENT (GOD)
• 3:00 p.m: North (N) vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP)
• 3:00 p.m: FURIA (FUR) vs. Cloud9 (C9
• 6:00 p.m: Gen.G (GenG) vs. 100 Thieves (100T)

OG vs. GODSENT

The first match of Thursday's slate is the second lower-bracket semi-final between OG and GODSENT, with the winner playing either Fnatic or Heroic. These two sides are the two upset sides of the tournament, with one falling out of cs_summit6 and one securing an unlikely top four appearance. This match is one of the tightest of the slate, though GODSENT come in as the slight favorite off the heroic performances of new addition farlig. The teams last met in March, and the veto is likely to be very different in the semi-final, with Inferno, Overpass and Dust2 a likely veto as both teams look to let their stars shine. Overall, GODSENT should have the edge, but this match is balanced on the shoulders of the two Danes, as farlig and valde compete to take over the best-of-three and earn a top-four finish. Look for the depth on each side to offer value, as Maden, valde, STYKO and ISSAA all have the potential to put up stellar performances.

Prediction: GODSENT 2-1

• OG Players to Target: valde ($10,200 Captain, $6,800 Flex), ISSAA ($8,700 Captain, $5,800 Flex)
• GOD Players to Target: farlig ($15,600 Captain, $10,400 Flex), STYKO ($9,900 Captain, $6,600 Flex)

North vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas

The second match of the day stays in Europe, though it falls out of the championship bracket as North and NiP play for seventh place, and a respectable end to their cs_summit6 runs. NiP are the large favorites, and with the form of nawwk and Plopski, it's hard to argue against the Swedish side, especially with the Danes missing Kjaerbye, their superstar rifler and former major MVP. In a map where depth will be key, especially for North, look towards MSL and aizy to provide the firepower with the support of stand-in Kristou, a young Dane who has impressed in his time on North. NiP are a scary team, one of the toughest in the world, and the heavy favorites on the back of threats across the lineup, with nawwk shining, Plopski and REZ in terrifying form on the rifles and hampus providing key frags in the mid-round. The veto is likely to end up on Overpass and Vertigo, with Inferno being a relatively neutral decider, though still favoring NiP. Nuke is a long shot as the deciding map, but an awkward one for both teams, as they've struggled mightily there.

Prediction: 2-1 North

• N Players to Target: aizy ($14,400 Captain, $9,600 Flex), cajunb ($9,900 Captain, $6,600 Flex)
• NiP Players to Target: REZ ($11,100 Captain, $7,400 Flex), nawwk ($10,500 Captain, $7,000 Flex)

FURIA vs. Cloud9

The third match of the day, and the first in North America, is the fifth-place decider, one between two sides that had aspirations for the title. This match also looks to be relatively one-sided, with FURIA, despite their poor form, the heavy favorites off the back of excellent play from HEN1 and KSCERATO. Cloud9 fell to the fifth-place match after back-to-back losses to Gen.G and 100 Thieves, while FURIA were unable to best EG and Liquid, two of the strongest sides in North America. These teams haven't played in over a year, presenting an interesting match, especially on the rifles. One of the weaknesses of this Cloud9 side has been their struggles with rifling; floppy is a superstar, but past him, oSee has had to move to the AWP, motm is inconsistent with massive upside, while Sonic and JT struggle to have consistent impacts. FURIA are indomitable on the rifles, with the duo of yuurih and KSCERATO nearly untouchable other than against the very best sides in the world, such as BIG Clan, Fnatic or G2. The map veto will play massively in Cloud9's favor, as they remove FURIA's best map, Mirage, as their perma ban, and beyond that the veto is likely to end on Train, Vertigo and Inferno, a very even spread. FURIA should have the class to take this match, but nothing is certain and cs_summit6 has been filled to the brim with upsets.

Prediction: 2-0 FURIA

• FUR Players to Target: KSCERATO ($13,800 Captain, $9,200 Flex), yuurih ($11,700 Captain, $7,800 Flex)
• C9 Players to Target: floppy ($11,100 Captain, $7,400 Flex), motm ($8,700 Captain, $5,800 Flex)

100 Thieves vs. Gen.G

The final match of the slate is the lower-bracket final in North America between Gen.G and 100 Thieves, one of the most interesting matches of the day that has the potential to absolutely produce excellent value. These two sides have identical form charts: two losses, two wins and then a defeat to send them to the lower bracket final - Gen.G lost to EG, 100 Thieves to Team Liquid. Don't let the form guide put you off though, North America has become extremely potent and hard to predict at the top end - Team Liquid, EG, MiBR, FURIA, Cloud9, 100 Thieves, Gen.G, all of these teams have the ability to take maps or matches off each other. 100T are the slight favorites, but that is so dependent on jks; when he is on form, he is once of the best riflers in the world and pulls respect from any team he goes against, but if he's off, 100T look toothless. Gen.G, on the other hand, will look towards koosta and autimatic to form their firepower core, with daps and s0m as two of the stronger supports in North America. The veto is an interesting one, likely to end up on Vertigo, Train and Inferno, a veto that should favor the experience of a long-standing 100 Thieves side. daps has been known to pull out excellent anti-strats though, and could be the catalyst for another Gen.G upset.

Prediction: 2-1 Gen.G

• 100T Players to Target: jks ($11,700 Captain, $7,800 Flex), jkaem ($9,600 Captain, $6,400 Flex)
• GenG Players to Target: BnTeT ($11,100 Captain, $7,400 Flex), autimatic ($11,400 Captain, $7,600 Flex)