CS:GO 2019 Americas Minor Championship Odds: Is There Value Outside of NRG?

• Can NRG get it done this time around?
• Will we see the rise of another Brazilian squad?
• Is there another American squad that may be a sleeper pick?

America is usually the butt of all Counter-Strike jokes. But there are some teams in the Katowice Americas Minor that are no joke.

Kicking off on the January 22nd, the Americas bracket looks pretty solid at first glance, with NRG being the clear favorite.

At the Americas Minor for the FACEIT London Major, NRG was also considered to be more or less a shoo-in to qualify for the major.

But they choked in spectacular fashion falling short to Complexity and eUnited, missing out on the Major at a time where they were considered a top-3 team in North America.

Odds to Win Americas Minor Championship

*Odds taken 12/23

Now even though NRG is the favorite, and rightfully so, there are for sure other teams that are capable of knocking them out in back-to-back Minors.

So Many Brazilians, So Little Time

Brazil has been a breeding ground for CS:GO talent, ever since Fallen, the GodFather of Brazilian Counter-Strike brought some light to the region.

Since then they have been pumping out talent left, right, and center, with 4 of the 8 teams competing in the Americas Minor hailing from Brazil.

Some of the Brazilian teams to take a closer look at here would be INTZ and Furia.

INTZ is lined with talent that has experience playing at the highest level in Felps, and kNg, playing in past Majors with both SK Gaming, and Immortals respectively.

Though, as of late, Felps has been rumored to be reuniting with his former teammates in MiBR. So definitely worth keeping an eye on, because without Felps, this team loses a lot of firepower.

Furia, on the other hand, is more of an up-and-coming team, with kscerato who has been hailed as the next Coldzera. A term that has been thrown around for a few Brazilian up-and-comers, but with only 17 maps played on lan, he hasn’t proven that he’s worthy of that title yet.

Are There Other American Squads That Have a Chance?

eUnited and Envy are the other two American teams in the Minor, both teams that have made changes recently.

eUnited went out and dropped Dazzle, in favor of Swole Patrols Cooper, and Envy picked up an entirely new team after moving on from their all-French squad.

#TeamEnvy CS Roster:

Players: @Envy_Nifty | @jdmarzano | @semphisss | @reltuC | @Dronecsgo
Coaching Staff: @boxrTailored | @EleyCSGO pic.twitter.com/YyHWhWDgAs

— Envy (@Envy) September 27, 2018

I wouldn’t put much stock in the Envy side, as they have looked rather disappointing so far. They have managed to get a few wins over some Tier 2/3 teams, but they have not quite meshed so far.

They may be come out and surprise everyone here, but it’s hard to say. At +1200 tossing a few bucks on them may be worth it.

eUnited, on the other hand, may be worth taking a look at to reach the finals, but to outright win it’s a long shot.

NRG is simply in a different tier than eUnited, and barring another disaster like the last Americas Minor, expect NRG to outright win this qualifier.

Pick: NRG (+150)

Odds to Reach Finals in Americas Minor Championship

Will it be an America vs Brazil Final?

The odds for NRG to reach the finals are not worth betting on at all at -450.

They are expected to be there and, barring a meltdown, should get there with relative ease. So with one of the spots in the finals more or less a lock, let’s look at who can join NRG in the finals of the Americas Minor.

INTZ stands the best chance according to the odds, but that solely relies on whether the Felps to MiBR rumors are true, which they are expected to be. If he does transfer back to the Brazilian superteam, expect their odds to increase.

Felps to be the 5th MIBR. According to our information FURIA asked too much for kscerato and MIBR players appreciated what Felps showed with INTZ.https://t.co/RZJd79Z21D

— neL (@neLendirekt) December 16, 2018

The other team I see making a run to the finals here would be eUnited.

Led by watermelon brain Canadian IGL, FNS, they look like a team that can slightly edge out the competition, as they have wins over some premier teams in Na’vi and MiBR in the past few months.

Envy is also a team that stands an outside chance here, it really depends if they’re able to figure it out before the Minor and bring some new looks in game.

At +500 they may be worth taking a better look at, as they do have players that have competed on the Major stage in 2018, in Nifty and JDM.

Pick: NRG (-450) / INTZ (+175)*

*If Felps stays on roster. If not, take a look at eUnited (+200) or Envy (+500)

Looking for a different Katowice Minor?

• CIS Minor Katowice Odds
• Europe Minor Katowice Odds