Virtus.Pro vs Space Soldiers – Blast Pro Series Istanbul

Six of the most recognized CS:GO teams will fight for Supremacy in BLAST Pro Series Istanbul.

The most interesting thing about this competition is its compact nature. By compact, we mean that the competition will take place for 24 hours. Usually, eSports competitions last for an average of two to three days. However, BLAST Pro Series Istanbul is expected to end in around 24 hours. Therefore, we will see multiple matches being played out at the same timings. To remain true to their schedule, the organizers of the BLAST Pro Series have even pre-decided the maps that will be played out in the group stage.

The matches of the group stages are set to be played in the best-of-one format while the grand finals will follow the best-of-three format.

There is another exciting rule that is being implemented in the competition: The top three teams from the table will progress to the playoffs. The team at the third place will pick their opponents for the playoffs from the bottom three teams. So out of six teams, the bottom two teams in the group stages will be eliminated while the fourth team will be selected by the team that finishes at third place.

The players should expect very little rest during the competition, but it will be exciting to see back to back action of some the renowned CS:GO teams. From 28-29 September, the Ülker Sports Arena in Istanbul will host the Blast Pro Series 2018. The team will be competing not only for the ultimate glory but will also be eyeing the lion’s share of the $250,000 USD prize pool.

The reason we have picked this matchup for you is the fact that both teams have been terrible throughout the year. One team, Space Soldiers have gotten some silverware along the way but Virtus.Pro just can’t get things going their way. It will be a good practice to predict which team will come out on top in this encounter after comprehensively looking at the statistics of both teams.

Virtus.Pro vs Space Soldiers (BLAST Pro Series: Istanbul 2018, September 29, 2018 – 06:40 PDT, Best of One)

Virtus.Pro

The year has been quite tough for the people who support Virtus.Pro. The team has made multiple roster changes throughout the year which saw legends TAZ and Byali bidding farewell to the team. Even after making so many changes, the team just can’t get on the winning foot. Some critics have even predicted that if Virtus.Pro fails to secure a decent finish in this competition then they might go full-disband.

The problem seems to persist in the team chemistry and tactics since the day Virtus.Pro has signed some very talented players. This sounds good on paper but in the game, these signings have failed to deliver good results. A week ago, the team finished dead last in the FACEIT Major. VP failed to win even a single game in the competition. Now, they are up against the likes of Astralis and MiBR, which only means an early elimination for the team. The team has failed to finish in the top 10 of any major competition this year. They have also been defeated by the teams that are 30 places below them. In this competition with some high performing teams, they won’t have any hopes of even making it to the playoffs.

Space Soldiers

Space Soldiers have their fair share of ups and downs in the 2018 season. They won the DreamHack Open Austin 2018 while finishing at second place at the World Electronic Sports Games and Play2Live Cryptomasters. However, the team finished one place above the bottom last team Virtus.Pro in the FACEIT major. Just like Virtus.Pro the Turkish side, was winless in all of their games. The reason to why they finished one place above VP was because they lost their games with a little less margin.

However, the team has their fair share of bad luck coming to this competition since their star man “ngiN” was unable to play for the team because of Visa Issues. The team had to play with their coach in one of the biggest competitions.

Now the team arrives well rested to the BLAST Pro series. The early elimination from FACEIT means that the teams had more hours to train for this competition. It should be kept in mind the Space Soldiers are the only Turkish representatives in the competition. They will have tremendous support from their home supporters. This only further weakens the chances of Virtus.Pro. We could have brought the early elimination advantage for Virtus.Pro but they spent a lot of time looking for a new player.

Speaking about player changes, Space Soldiers have shown a lot of faith in their lineup. Four of their players have been part of the roster since 2016, while the latest signing was Calyx who joined the team in mid-2017. This strong foundation of the team could be the reason to why Space Soldiers have 100% record against Virtus.Pro in 2018.

Map Prediction

The map to be played on is Dust2. This map is one of the most successful maps of Space Soldiers, even though they have only played 9 times on it and hold a 66.7% win-rate while Virtus Pro lineup has only played on this map three times and won once. This indicates their winning percentage of only 33%.

With ngiN back in the team and the home crowd advantage, the well-structured team of Space Soldiers will be looking to take on the most unimpressive team of the 2018 competitive season. Space Soldiers have beaten them a lot of times this year. Therefore, they come to this game with tremendous confidence.

Space Soldiers 1 – 0 Virtus.Pro

Odds on bookmakers

Bookmakers	Space Soldiers Odds		Virtus.Pro Odds
	European	American	European	American
EGB.com	1.46	-217	2.42	+142.00
Betway	1.40	-250	2.40	+140.00
Loot.bet	1.47	-212	2.60	+160.00
GG.bet	1.49	-204	2.59	+159.00
Bet365	1.40	-250	2.75	+175.00