ESL Challenger North America 2022 Picks, Betting Predictions May 25

• paIN and TeamOne will be far too strong for their opponents
• Strife should get the better of BHOP
• There’s some value in picking Axoltls over Mythic

Strife

BHOP vs Strife Predictions

BHOP, ranked 99 in the world, will be facing Strife, ranked 87, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 26 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group B.

The two sides have faced each other twice before with Strife coming out on top in both matches and winning one of them 16-1. Both sides have a lot of work to do in order to go higher up the rankings and will be hoping for a strong win in this.

BHOP Need to End Their Three Game Losing Streak

BHOP has been quite poor in recent games. Losing without really providing a threat against their last two opponents in Party Astronauts and Carpe Diem. It’ll not be easy against a side that has beaten them in the past but they’ll have to take some confidence heading into this from the second match against Strife, where they pushed them close and ultimately lost 16-13.

BHOP’s star man in recent months has been 19-year-old Silas but he isn’t good enough to carry this side on his own. He’ll need his teammates to help him out badly. In the last three months, he has averaged 0.71 kills per round, 0.69 deaths per round, had a KAST of 71.5% and dealt 76.0 damage per round. He has an all-time K/D ratio of only 0.95. He’s still quite young and should get better over time.

Strife’s FetzJ Has Been on Fire in Recent Months

Strife’s 24-year-old Estonian FetzJ has been excellent in recent weeks and months. He has averaged 0.87 kills per round, 0.58 deaths per round, had a KAST of 70.7% and dealt 85.7 damage per round. He also has an impressive all-time KD ratio of 1.10. If he’s in form, Strife will win this match quite handsomely. There’s just no one on BHOP’s roster who is as devastating.

Strife should not be too complacent heading into this match because they are coming off the back of a loss. They should focus on what worked for them the last time the two sides and just do it again. This game is theirs to lose. They are firm favorites and this is a fairly easy pick.

Axoltls vs Mythic Picks

Mythic

Axoltls vs Mythic Predictions

Axotlts are an unranked side and will be facing Mythic, ranked 104 in the world, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 26 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group B.

The two sides have never faced each other before. Axoltls played their last competitive match nine weeks ago but were quite impressive around that period with wins against ATK and Third Impact. Mythic head into this match off the back of two losses.

Axoltls Are a Bit of an Unknown Quantity and Could Spring a Surprise

Axoltls haven’t really established themselves in the CS: GO circuit. They have an impressive win rate of 75% on Vertigo and 65% Mirage in the last 3 months.

They beat ATK, who are ranked 59 in the world quite comprehensively last time out in a best of three match. Their star-man is 20-year-old Tender. He has averaged 0.83 kills per round, 0.72 deaths per round, had a KAST of 68% and dealt 86.6 damage in the last three months. He has an all-time K/D ratio of 1.04. This is pretty good stats and Mythic will be wary of taking them lightly.

Mythic Have a Great Record on Vertigo

Mythic have a 100% record on the Vertigo map after playing four games, which should be quite interesting since Axoltls haven’t put much of a foot wrong here with three wins out of four on the some map.

Mythic have been on a slightly poor run recently, having lost on the trot to 49th ranked Carpe Diem and 99th ranked BHOP. Mythic’s star man is 27-year-old Cooper, who has been in fine form for the last three months with a kill per round average of 0.76 and death per round average of 0.63. He also has a KAST of 73.3% in that time. He has a highly impressive all-time K/D ratio of 1.16.

Mythic’s should head into this match as favorites and the odds clearly suggest the same but there’s good value in picking Axoltls in this match despite having not played a match in over two months.

paIN vs UYu Picks

paIN

paIN vs UYu Predictions

paIN, the Brazilian side ranked 26 in the world, will be facing an American side UYU, ranked 115 in the world, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 26 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group A.

The two sides have never contested in a match against each other before, which should make this fairly interesting. Pain are heavy favorites heading into this match. This has all the makings for a straightforward win for the Brazilian side.

PaIN Have Been a Bit Hit and Miss Recently

The Brazilian side were on a 7-game winning streak not too long with some big victories over the likes of 13th ranked Liquid and 7th ranked Furia but are now back to being a bit up and down but won their last match in the CS: GO circuit against unranked side Brazen.

Their star man has been 24-year-old pro, nython. The Brazilian has averaged 0.77 kills per round, 0.62 death per round, had a KAST of 73.5% and dealt 77.1 damage in the last three months. He has a highly impressive all-time KD ratio of 1.15.

UYU Are on a Bad Run of Form

The American outfit are gaining some good experience but might feel a bit discouraged in recent weeks. They’re currently on a four-game losing streak and will be hoping to show some fight against paIN.

Their key player is Alvin, who has averaged 0.69 kills per round, 0.64 deaths per round, had a KAST of 69.6% and dealt 71.5 damage in the last three months. He has an all-time KD ratio of 0.99.

Ex-NYU don’t really have a chance here. It’s a David vs Goliath situation. Best not to waste much time thinking too hard about who is going to win this one.

TeamOne vs Brazen Picks

TeamOne

TeamOne vs Brazen Predictions

TeamOne, another Brazilian side ranked 48 in the world, will be facing an American side, Brazen, ranked 115 in the world, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 26 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group A.

The two sides have contested against each other twice this year with TeamOne coming out on top on both occasions. They won by a score of 16-13 and 16-9.

TeamOne Have Won Their Last Two Matches

TeamOne will be hoping to make it three wins on the trot as they’re clear favorites heading into this match. Their last two victories were against good opposition: 51st ranked Gaimin Gladiators and 15th ranked Imperial.

They’ll be quite confident heading into this game but can’t get too comfortable. They’ll be led by 22-year-old pesadalo. His all-time KD ratio of 0.98 isn’t great but he’s been really good in recent months. He has averaged 0.76 kills per round, 0.67 deaths per round, had a KAST of 69.2% and dealt a highly impressive 82.2 damage in the last three months. He’ll be hoping to up those stats even more against opposition like Brazen.

Brazen Have Lost Their Last Three Matches

There is no place for hiding in the CS:GO circuit. Brazen have lost their last three matches and the last thing they’d want is to face another opponent who has a favorable head-to-head record but they should approach this game with nothing to lose.

They should just focus on what they can improve on. Key to that will be 21-year-old Grape. He has averaged 0.64 kills per round, 0.66 deaths per round, had a KAST of 67.9% and dealt 68.9 damage in the last three months. He has an all-time KD ratio of 0.92.

This will be an impossible task for Brazen. Unless TeamOne has a disastrous outing, this should be easy pickings for the Brazilian side. It’s another safe bet.

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