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As part of the group stage of The Berlin Major 2023, we've put together a betting tip for Team Liquid vs 9 Pandas, playing each other on day two of ESL One Berlin Major 2023.
Preliminarily, things are pretty obvious in this matchup. 9 Pandas has little chance of winning, but that's what b2 is for, to give the underdogs a chance.
Let's see if the best team in Eastern Europe will be able to take advantage of it. Let's begin.
Team Liquid form
Let's begin our review of the matchup by analyzing Team Liquid's form. Here they play as favourites, and 9 Pandas won't be able to change that.
The odds are stacked against them, with the bookies indicating that the Liquid are the clear favorite, but the more telling aspect is their overall performance.
The Liquid remain the unchallenged leader in Western Europe, with two wins on DPC 2023. On the international stage, however, they are constantly being thrown into the fray.
The Gaimin Gladiators are the main culprits, steadily beating Team Liquid. The Liquid's main rival has won four of their last five matches.
They defeated TL in the top-seeded final and the grand final of The Lima Major 2023, leaving Liquid without the Champions Cup. At that time, the loss could be attributed to an incomplete Liquid squad, however, at DreamLeague S19 TL played with a full roster and still could not outplay their eternal rivals, Ledgeiv with a score of 2-3.
However, the loss at DreamLeague S19 should not be regarded as something critical. Liquid gained valuable experience in the 7.33 patch and it will certainly be a plus in the upcoming games of the Berlin Major 2023.
- Team Liquid line-up for The Berlin Major 2023: miCKe, Nisha, Zai, Boxi, Insania .
All Liquid performers are in place and ready to finally emerge victorious, not just of the series, but of the tournament. There's a lot of work ahead and giving away points in matches like this one is unacceptable. The Liquid are well aware of that and, given their wide pool and ability to adapt, manage to beat a lesser title contender.
Team Liquid's most popular heroes
Liquid quickly adapted to the meta of patch 7.33. The team took Chen (75% win rate) four times. Enchantress and Disruptor have a perfect win rate with 3 appearances, and Pangolier, Underlord and Shadow Fiend are slightly worse, winning 2 matches out of 3.
The successful characters include Necrophos, Beastmaster, Undying, Monkey King, Rubick, Sven and Ember. They all appeared in spades 2 times each and won both matches.
Ready to make a safe bet on Liquid's obvious win - pick them to win the match at low odds. We'll take a look at 9 Pandas' form and try to see if they can clinch the card in the clash.
Form 9 Pandas
Team Liquid will face off against 9 Pandas, who are also Eastern Europe's best team. However, this title will not help them become Team Liquid's equal.
9 Pandas, as expected, will play as the underdog. You don't need to take a guess here, apart from the bookmakers' estimates, there are the team's actual results.
9 Pandas, while still with HellRaisers, were the top 3 team in Eastern Europe in the first season of DPC 2023, which gave them a ticket to the Lima Major 2023. The team reached the Major tournament with a substitute in the first position (Yuragi took part in the championship with HR).
At that time, HR still managed to reach the play-offs, which can be called a very decent result in such circumstances. From then on, the performance continued to grow.
In the next round of DPC 2023, the team won the local East European League, earning a ticket to the Berlin Major 2023. In addition, 9 Pandas gained a permanent carry, which was Ramzes.
- The 9 Pandas line-up for Berlin Major 2023: Ramzes, Kiyotaka, MieRo, Antares, Solo (?) .
The participation of captain Solo in the first days of the tournament remains in question. Alexey is having visa problems, so he will probably miss the tournament, and the most predictable replacement for him would be RodjER. The latter's candidacy is supported by the congratulations of ESL on his arrival at the tournament. Perhaps it's a gaffe on the part of the organisers, but it doesn't seem to be that simple.
The most popular 9 Pandas heroes
The most chosen heroes of 9 Pandas were Enchantress (4 matches, 75% wins), Tusk (4 matches, 75% wins), Alchemist (3 matches, 100% wins), Crystal Maiden (3 matches, 100% wins), Legion Commander (3 matches, 100% wins).
Given the imprint of Solo, who even if he misses the tournament debut, should have had time to build up a pool of strategies, 9 Pandas can adapt quickly to the patch.
Ready to believe the underdog - pick 9 Pandas as the high odds winner. However, it's hard to imagine the risk being justified.
Predicted result of the Team Liquid - 9 Pandas match
I don't expect a fight in this match. 9 Pandas have certainly upped their game after playing in the Lima Major 2023, but they are still a long way from Team Liquid.
Another disadvantage for 9 Pandas is the possible absence of Solo in the early stages of the tournament. Against such a formidable opponent as Team Liquid, they need to be fully equipped, and 9 Pandas won't be able to cope without their captain.
Bottom line: victory for Team Liquid.
