Welcome back to EGamersWorld.
We continue our breakdown of the biggest commercial championship of 2023 - Riyadh Masters 2023. We are at the Play-In stage of the tournament.
9 Pandas and OG will play as part of Group B at the Riyadh Masters 2023 Play-In. The match will be played in a bo2 format.
Both teams have had very different seasons. 9 Pandas managed to qualify for every Major of the year and had a very decent performance. OG played at the only Major event, where by the way they showed a very good game.
The teams will open the 3rd round of the Play-In. Before that, both sides played 2 matches each.
Let's see how this match will end. Will there be a winner here and if so, who will be the winner.
Let's go.
Form 9 Pandas
We start the analysis of the match with the analysis of the game form 9 Pandas. In this match, the residents of Eastern Europe will play as favourites.
Bookmakers are confident in the success of the Pandas. The odds on the victory of the top Eastern European team is at 2.3.
For Bo2 confrontation such a parameter means a significant advantage 9 Pandas. And they have it rightfully.
9 Pandas started the year in third place in DPC 2023: EEU Division 1 Tour 1. However, at the first international tournament of the year - The Lima Major 2023 - while still under the banners of HellRaisers, they managed to get out of the group playing with stand-ip. \
In the second season of DPC, 9Pandas made it to the top 1, beating all direct competitors, namely Team Spirit and BB Team. In addition, 9Pandas surprised everyone at The Berlin Major 2023. In Germany, the Pandas made it to the Top 3, which was the best result for the region in a year.
The third DPC cycle of 9Pandas ended with qualification to the last Major of the season - The Bali Major 2023 - with a third-place finish in the home league. Next up was the DreamLeague S20
- 9Pandas roster: RAMZES, kiyotaka, MieRo, Antares, Solo .
All year long the team has been gaining in performance and this applies primarily to the international scene. At DreamLeague S20 it was top 7, and at Bali Major 2023 it was top 6.
Before the game against OG 9, Pandas will play Quest and Xtreme. Given Quest's replacement, the Pandas have a good chance of coming up to the game against OG with a 2-0 lead in the standings.
9Pandas' most popular characters
The most piqued character of 9 Pandas is Skywrath Mage. He has appeared in Pandas games 6 times and has 3 wins.
He is followed by Bounty Hunter (4 matches, 50% wins), Tiny (3 matches, 66% wins), Bloodseeker (3 matches, 33% wins). Also in the pool are Chen and Doom (2 matches each, 100% wins), and Enchantress (2 matches, 50% wins).
OG Form
The 9 Pandas will be facing off against the OGs. Europeans in this game to play as number two.
Bookmakers confirm the back of OG. The chance of winning the team in this match is estimated at odds around 6.
Such a figure leaves almost no chance for OG. I agree that they do not reach 9 Pandas by the level of play, but 6 somehow looks too fatal. Still, we have bo2.
At DPC 2023: WEU Division 1 Tour 1 OG couldn't guarantee themselves a top 4 spot and consequently missed out on The Lima Major 2023. Things seemed to pick up during the second round of DPC 2023: WEU Division 1. Then OG made a strong-willed comeback and made it to the Top 4 after tiebreaks.
At the Berlin Major, the team played with two stand-ins and made it to the top 6, but it seems that those stand-ins were the secret to their success. After returning to regular season matches with a full roster, OG looked critically bad, but at the last moment they improved.
At DPC 2023: WEU Tour 3, OG Long Team went down to the wire, but managed to keep their place in the top division by finishing in the top 5 in the third round of the professional season. By the way, at the last DreamLeague S19 OG also took the 5th place and this is an indicator, but it is unlikely to be repeated in the new season.
- OG roster: Yuragi, bzm, DM, Ceb, Taiga .
After a year-long extravaganza, Ceb is the new OG player. OG resorted to their ultimatum weapon during DreamLeague Season 20, but it didn't help them and OG finished in the top 20.
Before the match against 9 Pandas OG will play against Quest and Beastcoast. In my opinion, the best OG can claim is 2 draws.
Most Popular OG Characters
Among the favourite OG characters: Keeper of the Light (6 matches, 83% wins), Phantom Lancer (5 matches, 60% wins).
Among the most successful: Crystal Maiden (4 matches, 100% wins), Underlord (4 matches, 100% wins), Alchemist (3 matches, 100% wins), Storm Spirit (3 matches, 100% wins), Void Spirit (3 matches, 100% wins).
Head-to-head history of OG - 9 Pandas
The teams played each other at DreamLeague Season 20. Then 9 Pandas celebrated a clean victory.
Outcome of the match
In this match the most logical option would be to bet on the victory of 9 Pandas. However, given the nice odds, I would risk a +1.5 bet in favour of OG. This is their 3rd match already and I'm sure they will warm up in time. This should be enough to take at least a win.
Bottom line: +1.5 on OG.
