Natus Vincere, MiBR & FaZe Atop 2019 CS:GO StarLadder i-League Odds

• StarLadder i-League Season 7 starts March 30th.
• Is it worth looking at Na’vi?
• We’ve selected the top value picks to win in Shanghai.

StarLadder i-League Season 7 is set to being March 30th in Shanghai. 16 of the world’s top teams will battle it out in hopes of taking home the $250,000 prize for fist place in China.

Heading into the event there are a few clear-cut favorites to take the ‘chip, but I wouldn’t put much stock in a few of those options. First, let’s take a look at the odds to take the title in Shanghai.

StarLadder i-League Season 7 Odds

No Hope for Na’vi?

Heading into StarLadder, Na’vi, are tied as the favorite to take the event outright alongside the Brazilian squad, MiBR. Though Na’vi has looked like the world number two team at different points throughout 2018, I don’t think they will be able to replicate that success in 2019.

It seems like there are some internal issues within the squad as they have struggled lately. Most recently falling to North 2-0 at the GG.Bet Ice Challenge, Na’vi quite simply looked bad. The duo of s1mple and electronic, are pretty much relied on to carry the other three members every map, and if they’re not able to drop over 25 kills each, then good luck to Na’vi winning the map.

Maybe after Katowice, Na’vi end up making a roster change to pick up more fire power, but until then I wouldn’t put much stock in them. They head into StarLadder tied with the highest odds, but I would caution you in picking the CIS side to take it all.

Real Contenders

There are some value picks that I will go into later to win StarLadder i-League Season 7, but first there are two teams I want to highlight that I think stand a good chance at taking home the title in China.

The first team I would seriously consider looking at is MiBR. I have gone on about these guys in previous articles, but they are the truth. The old SK Gaming reunited early in 2019, and though they have yet to play a map together on LAN, the expectations are high.

Everyone is expecting MiBR to perform as they did in 2017, and finally challenge Astralis on a consistent basis.

Everyone is expecting MiBR to perform as they did in 2017, and finally challenge Astralis on a consistent basis. Though it remains to be seen if they will be able to reach the level that they did when they previously fielded this roster, they are definitely worth taking a look at to take StarLadder Season 7.

The other team that I would consider seriously looking at in Shanghai would be BIG. After adding XANTARES to the roster, the Turkish superstar has been on another level. If he and tabseN are able to consistently play to their potential, then BIG is going to be a team to look out for in 2019. Consider BIG to take StarLadder Season 7, especially when they’re sitting at +1000 to do so.

Value Picks to Take StarLadder i-League Season 7

Alongside MiBR nand BIG, the two other teams I could see coming out on top in China that offer a bit better value are NRG and ENCE.

NRG is a team that recently broke into the top-5 of the world ranking, and quite frankly could’ve been slotted there during a few stretches in 2018. Lead by young Bulgarian superstar AWP, Cerq, NRG is a team that I would never take lightly. They have the potential to hang alongside all the big dogs in CS:GO, and considering the world’s number one and number two won’t be in attendance in Shanghai, NRG may be able to win another title in China.

ENCE, on the other hand, are a team that are relatively new to the top level of Counterstrike. Only recently breaking into the top-15, currently at ranked 11th, the Finns are a serious threat in any tournament they enter. Having found success in 2018, winning two events against pretty solid competition, they will only get better as time goes on. With Astralis and Liquid both out of StarLadder i-League Season 7, ENCE may be able to add another trophy to the cabinet come April 7th.

Pick: NRG (+1400)

Odds to Reach Finals of StarLadder i-League Season 7

Who Will Be the Last 2 Standing?

Since I believe NRG are going to make a run in Shanghai, it’s time to look at who will be joining the North American squad in the finals at StarLadder i-League Season 7. Any of the teams I listed as a threat to win the tournament should be considered to also make the finals, but of those teams MiBR and BIG should be looked at more seriously.

Both are teams that have found success in the past, MiBR more so than BIG, but regardless they have each found themselves in finals in 2018. I think the X factor for BIG will be XANTARES. Truly one of the best aimers in the game, if he is able to show up big in China, they may be able to make a run into Sunday.

For my money though, I would have to go with MiBR as the other team to make the finals. The old SK roster found so much success, and I can only see the Brazilians returning to their top form once all their players are reunited.

Picks: NRG (+650), MiBR (+150)