CS:GO IEM Katowice 2019 Legends Stage Odds & Props

• CS:GO New Legends Stage gets underway February 20.
• Which teams present the best value to qualify for the Champions Stage?
• See the odds for all teams to qualify and some extra props below

With the New Challengers Stage of IEM Katowice in the books, it’s time to look at the second stage of the Major, the New Legends Stage.

This stage is made up of 16 teams, eight of which retained Legends status from the previous Major, and the other eight qualifying through the opening New Challengers Stage.

There are some teams that are pretty heavily favored to make it through to the playoffs in Katowice, and others that provide some serious upset value. Let’s start by taking a look at what teams should make it through to the Legends Stage.

Odds to Qualify for New Champions Stage

*All odds taken 2/19

It’s Too EZ

There is a short list of teams that should be an absolute lock to make it through into the playoffs at IEM Katowice. Two that are without a doubt a lock are Astralis and Liquid.

These two teams have been the world’s number one and two teams, respectively, for the better part of a year. If either of these teams fails to qualify, it will be a choke of a lifetime.

The Other Guys

There are a few other teams that should make it through, barring anything crazy happening. The teams that fall into this category are: MiBR, FaZe, NRG, and Na’vi.

All of the teams have had success in the past year, with each of the squads picking up at least one event win. Some were at smaller events, but regardless each team held a trophy above their head in 2018 or early 2019.

The only team I feel a little bit unsure about of the bunch is Na’vi. Though they have the number one and number four players in the HLTV 2018 player rankings, they don’t really seem to be in a good place heading into Katowice.

After falling short in a tier-4 tournament just a few weeks ago, there has been some video and quotes that have surfaced that are less than inspiring. IGL Zeus has said, “It feels like we’re treating the Major like just another event.”

Not really something you want to be hearing from the team leader heading into the first of the two Majors in 2019. Though s1mple and electronic should be able to drag Na’vi through to the playoffs, you may want to at least consider taking another team in this spot.

Filling Out the Last Spots

The last two spots I believe will be made up of BIG and ENCE, but there are certainly other teams that may be worth looking at that provide better value than the two EU squads.

Some other teams to consider taking to fill out the last two spots are Renegades, Vitality, and AVANGAR.

Renegades came out on fire in the New Challengers Stage, taking one of the two 3-0 spots. They have looked very solid after adding Liazz and Gratisfaction, and given their performance so far and the value they offer, taking the boys from down under may end up paying dividends.

Vitality looked pretty good in the opening stage of the Major, with huge performances coming through for Zywoo and apEX. If the two main stars are able to keep their play trending in the right direction, then the French squad could very well find themselves in the playoffs of their first Major.

AVANGAR, being the team with the second-highest return, offer upset potential in the second stage of the Major. Led by Jame, the CIS squad was able to make it through the first stage with relative ease, and if they are able to improve on some little things they may just find themselves in the playoffs come next week.

Picks: Astralis (-10000) / Liquid (-1667) / FaZe (-467) / MiBR (-312) / NRG (-179) / BIG (-105) / ENCE (-105) / Renegades (+177)

To Qualify Specials

Any Specials Worth Looking at?

Looking at the available specials for the second stage of the Major, there aren’t really any with good value that I can see coming to fruition.

The only one I would consider taking is the HLTV top five teams to advance. But even then I still have my reservations about Na’vi making it through.

The only other one I would think about throwing a bit of money on would be for NRG to go 3-0. It all depends on who they draw to play. If they end up with a stacked first three games, they may find themselves dropping a series. It really all depends on who they eventually end up playing.

I would caution to stay away from any of the props in the second stage of IEM Katowice, but if you were looking to at least put some money on one, look no further than the two mentioned.

Odds to go 3-0 in New Champions Stage

Can the Danes go Undefeated?

The easy pick here, which the majority of people will probably end up taking, is Astralis. I mean it’s kind of hard not to coming off of the year they just had. But there are some other teams that could also get it done.

Liquid is another team that should be seriously looked at to come out with a perfect 3-0 record. With the addition of Stewie2k, the North Americans look very strong heading into Katowice.

Already having beat Astralis once this year, they certainly have the confidence heading into the Legends Stage in Poland.

Pick: Liquid (+217)

Odds to go 0-3 in New Champions Stage

Welcome to the Donut Factory

To me there is really only one pick here, and it really does pain me to say it because I love the organization, but compLexity should without a doubt be the pick to come away without a win.

Having put together a new roster just a few months ago, adding Rickeh and n0thing, the NA side has competed twice so far in 2019 with poor results. They were able to have a few close matches with some pretty good teams, but in the Legends stage I just don’t see them getting it done this time around.

Pick: compLexity (-200)