Astralis Favored at IEM Beijing; Europe Top Pick for Winning Region

• IEM Beijing kicks off November 7
• Will Astralis be able to find success in China?
• See the odds to win, reach the final and for the winning region below

IEM Beijing is slated to run November 7-10, in China’s capital and will see eight teams battle it out for the $125,000 grand prize and a title that counts towards the Intel Grand Slam Season 3. The teams that will be in attendance are made up of six invitees and another two squads that had to claw through qualifiers to get there.

Heading into the IEM Beijing, Astralis, are the odds-on favorite to come out with yet another title on the year with Evil Geniuses and Vitality rounding out the top three on the odds table. Are the Danes the right choice in China? Or is there another team that offers more value that’s a better bet?

IEM Beijing Odds

Odds taken Nov 5

Serious Threats to Win Out in Beijing

There are a few teams that will be in attendance in Beijing that could very well end up catching fire and walking away with the title, but there are only two teams I would seriously consider to take the title at IEM Beijing; Astralis and Evil Geniuses. Both are teams that have managed to find wins at premier tournaments over the past few months, and rightfully so they are listed in the first and second spots on the odds table to take home the trophy.

Though they are listed as the odds-on favorite, Astralis, are coming off of a rough event on their home soil where they failed to reach the final of Blast Pro Series Copenhagen after finishing with a 2-1-2 record in the round robin stage of the tournament. Many not only expected them to reach the final there, but the overwhelming consensus was that they would end up hoisting the trophy in front of their fellow countrymen.

It really depends which Astralis we see in China, because over the past months they have been pretty inconsistent for their standards. They have still been playing very well lately, not placing lower than fourth since ESL Pro League Finals Season 9, but everyone almost expects them to finish in the top two at every tournament they attend.

If the Danes come out like how they did at the Starladder Berlin Major, there is a very real chance that they bulldoze through the competition with ease, but if they come out slow and not in top form then I don’t see them being able to beat the likes of EG.

Evil Geniuses on the other hand will be riding a high heading into IEM Beijing, coming off of a win at StarSeries Season 8. The North Americans have managed two premier tournament wins in the past month and a half, and truly look like one of if not the best team in the world when they are firing on all cylinders.

They did have a minor hiccup at Dreamhack Malmo, where they were among the first teams eliminated but I would chalk that up to jet lag given they were playing in the final of a Premier tournament just 48 hours prior. I would say EG has the best chance at winning out at IEM Beijing, and their trophy case may just get a little more filled up come tournaments end.

Pick: Evil Geniuses (+275)

Who Will Be Meeting up with the Boys in Blue in the Final?

Now there are realistically three other teams that could end up snagging the other spot in the final, and I would say the likelihood would be in this order; Astralis, FaZe, and Vitality. Not much needs to be said to make a case for Astralis as everyone knows just how dominant they can be.

FaZe are coming off of a win at BPS Copenhagen, and it may be too early to tell for sure, but they may have figured out the perfect system for their new lineup that is full of top level talent.

Vitality have been a force for most of the year, picking up a few tournament wins along the way. With the addition of shox, the load has been lightened off of ZywOo’s shoulders and they don’t have to rely so much on their hypercarry any longer.

Please give a very warm welcome to @ShoxCSGO in our CSGO team #VforVictory

Our ambition remains the same, we're here to be the best team in the World ? pic.twitter.com/LvFQbXMfQJ

— Team Vitality (@TeamVitality) September 28, 2019

Wildcard Picks to Reach the Final

I would say if you’re looking for even more value in this prop to consider both 100 Thieves and ENCE to reach the final. 100T has shown they can compete with the world’s best on any given day, and they may come out of the gate hot given this will be their first tournament under the 100T brand. ENCE, on the other hand, have struggled greatly since they swapped out AleskiB in favor of suNny, but they are very skilled individually and this may be the tournament they figure it out and turn the ship around.

Picks: Evil Geniuses (-150) / FaZe (+350)

Region to Win at IEM Beijing

NA All the Way

Since I think Evil Geniuses will be adding another title to their resume in Beijing, I have to stick to my guns and go with North America as the region to win in this prop.

Pick: North America (+275)