Astralis Opens as Heavy Favorite at the Katowice Major

• The Katowice Major starts February 13th
• Will Astralis win their third Major?
• Are there any teams that can realistically challenge for the championship?

It’s that time again Counterstrike fans. The Katowice Major is the first of the 2019 season, and it will set the tone for the year to come. It’s no surprise that Astralis is the favorite heading into the event, but is there another team that may be able to upset the Danes and add a Major trophy to their cabinet? Let’s take a look at the odds.

Odds to Win The Katowice Major

Can Astralis go Back-to-Back?

The Dominance of the Danish superteam Astralis in 2018 was truly something special, winning 10 events as well as the first ever Intel Grand Slam. They are heavily favored to head into the 2019 season and continue in their winning ways, as they should be. They are the benchmark for teamwork and consistency, and barring something crazy, should continue their run for the foreseeable future.

But what other teams stand a chance to thwart their chances at winning back-to-back majors? MiBR and Liquid are the two I would pick with the best chances to do so.

Please join us in welcoming @Stewie to Team Liquid #LetsGoLiquid

📺 https://t.co/46DdpUkBgD
📖 https://t.co/iBeAaeUFsp pic.twitter.com/DRDcBt3tbY

— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) December 21, 2018

Liquid recently made a roster change, trading for American superstar Stewie2k, making them one of the strongest teams on paper. It remains to be seen how they will gel as a team, and what roles each player will take on after adding another great fragger, but if they are able to figure it out in time for Katowice they definitely stand a chance at taking down the Danish titans.

MiBR is also fresh off some roster changes and heads into Katowice with an all-Brazilian lineup, seeing them reunite with TACO, coach Zews, and though not officially confirmed, Felps. This roster has played together before and saw their fair share of success, winning multiple events under the SK Gaming banner.

https://twitter.com/mibr/status/1076198328407412736

The Brazilians always seem to find success immediately after roster changes, and slowly taper off over time, so they should come out guns a blazing at what will be their first event as a team.

Both teams definitely have the skill to take down Astralis, but it will take more than that. They will need to illustrate top tier teamwork to be able to take down arguably the greatest Counterstike team of all-time in Astralis.

Pick: Astralis (+145)

Odds to Reach the Final at The Katowice Major

Who Else Will be Playing Come Sunday?

Other than Astralis, who is more or less expected to reach the Grand Finals of the Katowice Major, there are a few other teams that may be worth taking a look for that second spot in the final.

Like mentioned above, both MiBR and Liquid stand a very good chance of making it to the Grand Final, but it’s also worth taking a look at Na’vi, mousesports, and FaZe.

MiBR and Liquid stand a very good chance of making it to the Grand Final, but it’s also worth taking a look at Na’vi, mousesports, and FaZe.

All three teams when firing on all cylinders are dangerous, but their problem is that they are pretty inconsistent. It really depends on whether we see them at their full potential.

OFFICIAL: @AdreNcs will stand-in as FaZe CS:GO's 5th player through the Major, & @YNk has signed on to coach the team ✍️

Our first games with the new-look lineup will take place at the iBUYPOWER Masters in Los Angeles, California from January 19th-20th.

Welcome! #FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/k3wW2cwq3y

— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) January 6, 2019

FaZe recently added AdreN as a stand-in for the Katowice Major, and YNk as their new head coach. It remains to be seen how they will perform with the changes, but they were not really playing too well to end the 2018 season with the roster that they had, after they had seen a solid amount of success in 2017 and early 2018.

Keep an eye on FaZe at the IBP Masters tournament on January 19th, as it will give a good indication of how the changes went, and whether they should be seriously looked to reach the final, or even win the Katowice Major.

Pick: Astralis (-200) / MiBR (+300)

Region of Winner at The Katowice Major

Will Europe Claim Yet Another Major?

Given that two of the more heavily favored teams to win the tournament, being Astralis and FaZe, are both from the EU the odds to bet anything else might not be that smart of a play. There is some value in picking the Americas as both Liquid and MiBR stand a solid chance at taking home the chip, but I would stay away from this one as it isn’t that likely, and betting EU doesn’t provide much value.

Pick: EU (-225)