ESL Challenger League Europe, North America Picks, Predictions May 12-17

• Copenhagen Flames are favorites but should not take the Falcons lightly
• There’s little to choose between AGO and SAW as they aim for improvement
• TeamOne might fancy their chances against No. 93 Unjustified

TeamOne

Unjustified vs TeamOne Prediction

Unjustified, ranked 93 in the world, will be facing TeamOne, ranked 60, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 12 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will be facing each other in Group A.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides. TeamOne will be heading into this as firm favourites not only because of their superior ranking but because Unjustified head into this match having lost their last four matches.

Unjustified Have Been in Poor Form

Unjustified will desperately want to get out of the rut that they currently find themselves in. After going on an impressive winning run just last month, it’s all changed so drastically for the team. This sums up the volatility of a team’s form in the CS: GO circuit. There is no time to rest and Unjustified can’t feel sorry for themselves heading into this tie.

They’ll need their star man, Cyrix, to lead the way. Cyrix has done fairly well in recent months by averaging 0.76 kills per round, 0.66 deaths per round, a KAST of 71.6% and damage per round of 78.8. He has an all-time K/D ratio of 1.08.

TeamOne Have A Superior Record On Almost Every Map

TeamOne will be really disappointed if they don’t win this match. They’re facing a side that’s going through the motions right now. The Brazilian side has a superior record on every map bar Mirage compared to the American side. However, TeamOne’s record on Mirage isn’t that bad. They have 67% win rate compared to Unjustified’s 80%, which isn’t a massive disadvantage.

TeamOne will be hoping that their star man, pesdalo, can ease them to a win. He has averaged an impressive 0.79 kills per round, 0.67 deaths per round, 84.4 damage per round and KAST of 68.7% in recent months. He has an all-time K/D ratio of 0.98.

BHOP vs Carpe Diem Picks

Carpe Diem

BHOP vs Carpe Diem Prediction

BHOP, ranked 91 in the world, will be facing Carpe Diem, ranked 52, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 12 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 but that hasn’t stopped Carpe Diem from heading into this tie as strong favourites. Both teams have been on an inconsistent run and have lost their last match. They’ll want to change that.

BHOP’s Reck Deals a Lot of Damage

Bhop’s star man, Reck, will have to carry the side. In recent months, he has averaged 0.79 kills per round, 0.72 deaths per round, a KAST of 73.8% and dealt a very impressive 85.2 damage per round. This is striking considering he has an all-time K/D ratio of only 0.98. That’s likely to go up over time as Reck is only 18 years old and will get better as the time passes.

Carpe Diem Will Have to Use Their Experience

Carpe Diem are the far more experienced team, with BHOP having no real win record in three of the maps available. That alone should give Carpe Diem a massive advantage. However, they shouldn’t take BHOP lightly as there’s little between BHOP and Carpe Diem on the other maps. In fact, their win rate is the same on two of the maps: Inferno and Overpass.

Carpe Diem will be hoping that their star man, CLASIA, who has averaged 0.77 kills per round, 0.66 deaths per round, KAST of 70.7% in recent months and has dealt 82.7% damage in that time can get them over the line.

Copenhagen Flames vs Falcons Pick

Copenhagen Flames

Copenhagen Flames vs Falcons Prediction

Copenhagen Flames, ranked 14 in the world, will be facing Falcons, ranked 63 in the world, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 17 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group C.

Copenhagen Flames are a top side and will go into this match as favorites but not by a lot. The two sides have met each other nine times and have won four each with one match going into overtime.

Copenhagen Flames Can’t Show Any Complacency

Danish side, Copenhagen Flames, are coming off the back of a loss and were also on the losing side when they last met Falcons. They’ll know that they can’t show any sign of weakness and their star man, roej, best exemplifies the threat they carry.

Roej has dealt a highly impressive 87.7 damage per round in recent months while also averaging 0.79 kills per rounds, 0.67 deaths per round and a KAST of 70.8% in that time. He also has an all-time K/D ratio of 1.09. He’s by far got the most impressive stats in the last couple of months and will have to be the one to make the difference in this tie.

Falcons Have Nothing to Fear

Falcons do not have anyone like roej in their side but each member of the side has to do their part to overcome the challenges posed by Copenhagen Flames. Their star man is hAdJi, who has averaged 0.72 kills per round, 0.65 death per round, has a KAST of 71.8% and dealt damage of 79.2 per round in recent months. He has an impressive all-time K/D ratio of 1.11.

Falcons will head into this like they’re equals and rightfully so. They have an even head-to-head, won their last match against Copenhagen Flames, have won their last two matches in the CS: GO circuit and aren’t expected to win. Betting on them wouldn’t be the riskiest move.

SAW vs AGO Pick

SAW

SAW vs AGO Prediction

Saw, ranked 34 in the world, will be facing Team One, ranked 33, in the group stages of the ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America on 17 May, 2022, in a best of three match. The two will face each other in Group C.

The rankings would suggest that there is very little between the two sides but the only way to find out is by letting the two have a go at each other. The two sides have never faced off before, which should make this a very interesting battle.

SAW Are Slight Favourites Despite The Lower Rank

SAW has a big advantage on two maps over AGO. They have a win rate of 81% on the SAW map, whereas AGO have one of 0% after playing three matches. SAW will be hoping that turns into 0 out of 4. SAW has also got an 83% win rate at Vertigo compared to AGO’s 57%. AGO also has a very poor record on Mirage but SAW haven’t played a match on that map yet.

They’ve won their last match and will be hoping that they can pull together as a team. They starman, MUTiRis, doesn’t have the stats that jump out. He has averaged 0.71 kills per round, 0.64 deaths per round, has a KAST of 71.4% and dealt 78.2 damage per round in the last three months.  They’ll need everyone to work in unison to get past AGO.

Ago Will Want to Get Out of Their Current Rut

AGO have lost their last two matches and will not want to make that three in a row. They don’t have the experience of SAW and will hope that their 18-year-old star, F1KU, will do the needful. The Pole looks like he’s still in school but shouldn’t be taken lightly. He has averaged 0.76 kills per round, 0.70 deaths per round, has dealt 84.9 damage per round and has a KAST of 69.2% in the last few months. He also has an all-time K/D ratio of 1.04.

AGO have nothing to lose and will be hoping that they can use this attitude and some like F1KU’s youthful exuberance to overcome SAW. There is very little between the two going by the records. There’s more to gain from betting on AGO but SAW seems like the smart bet for now.

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