Michael Lee takes a bit of a detour with today’s esports betting predictions as he takes a look at three Rainbow Six matches in Team BDS vs Team Secret, Outsiders vs Heroic and Rogue vs MNM Gaming. The teams will face off on Monday, April 18, in the seventh round of European League 2022 - Stage 1.
Esports Betting Tips: Monday, April 18th
Team BDS vs Team Secret
Rainbow Six European League 2022 Stage 1
Team BDS are one of Europe’s top Rainbow Six teams, but we have yet to see them show up at this tournament. With a 2-1-1-2 record, BDS are in danger of losing their spot at the Major, and unless we see them turn things around this week, the European League 2021 – Finals champions might not make it to Sweden.
BDS’ poor performances and results across all Rainbow Six Stage 1 indicate that the past results don’t mean much, mainly due to the changed format of the competition and online play. That doesn’t mean that Team BDS have no chance of bouncing back, but they seem to have one glaring issue (similar to Soniqs), a small mal pool.
Team Secret are in an even worse position, with only two wins and seven points. They’re 2-2 over the last four, but 0-2 across the last two playdays, with defeats against Heroic (2-7) and Rogue (2-7).
Losing back-to-back games with 2-7 isn’t a good look, but Secret had to face Heroic and Rogue, which are the current top teams of EUL. Moreover, they won against MNM and Outsiders, which are decent results.
I find it very hard to bet against Team BDS, mainly because they’ve shown before how high their ceiling is. At the same time, the Team BDS we’re watching at the EUL Stage 1 isn’t the same Team BDS that dominated the league last year.
Unless BDS turn things around and show a bit more, they will not have an easy time on Monday. I still believe they can win, but I don’t expect to see a one-sided performance.
Team Secret +2.5 Maps
$1.83
Outsiders vs Heroic
Rainbow Six European League 2022 Stage 1
Heroic enter the final week of European League 2022 Stage 1 with a near-perfect record (5-0-0-1), which puts them just one more win away from qualifying for the Stockholm Major. To put it into the perspective of just how dominant Heroic have been so far, they’re at the top of the league standings, two points clear of Rogue, and five points ahead of Looking For Org and G2 Esports in third and fourth place.
Does Heroic’s incredible run suggest this is the best team in Europe? Not necessarily, but they have been on a tear and look set to book their tickets for Sweden on Monday.
Heroic have proven to be very tough to beat, and they must be feeling happy that they’ll now have to face Outsiders, not necessarily because Outsiders are weak, but rather because Heroic are given a chance to kill the chances of one of their immediate competitors.
Outsiders have gone 3-3 across their last six outings, which isn’t terrible, nor is it very good, especially relative to the expectations put on this roster. Outsiders can still beat any team in the league, but no matter how you look at this match, Outsiders’ chances to upset Heroic seem slim.
I don’t like to overreact to good form, but since the addition of Aleksi “UUNO” Työppönen this offseason, Heroic have looked much better. They’re very tough to beat, and it will take a lot more than Outsiders for Heroic to come even close to losing their second match of EUL Stage 1.
Rogue vs MNM Gaming
Rainbow Six European League 2022 Stage 1
Rogue might not be as impressive as Heroic, but this team has shown enough to earn my respect. With a 3-2-0-1 record and 13 points, Rogue are in an excellent spot to pocket their ticket for the Stockholm Major, but they still have more games left, and anything less than a perfect run could put them in danger of losing the race.
We have to remember even though Rogue have managed an impressive haul of 13 points; they’re just three points clear of Looking For Org and G2 Esports and four points ahead of Outsiders and Team BDS, which are four teams more than capable of catching up to Pascal “Cryn” Alouane and his team.
On the topic of Cryn, the 28-year-old has been simply phenomenal this tournament. The German Rainbow Six pro is having a tournament of his career, averaging a 1.44 rating on the stage and a +42 in kills/deaths, which is +20 above the closest competitor.
But it’s not like the rest of the team isn’t stepping up. And the most impressive thing about Rogue’s strong showing is that they have managed to put themselves in a favourable position despite losing Kevin “Prano” Pranowitz to G2 Esports this offseason. Fittingly, Rogue’s only defeat came at the hands of G2 early into the stage.
MNM Gaming upset Looking For Org on Thursday (8-7) in one of the most intense games of EUL Stage 1. MNM deserved to win, and they had already won against another juggernaut in Team BDS (7-3) a week prior, so I wouldn’t call it a fluke. But can MNM keep the momentum going and defeat Rogue?
I wouldn’t count on MNM producing an upset win, but I do have faith in the Brit-majority team to put up a fight. A bet on MNM with a +2.5 round handicap is the call.
MNM Gaming +2.5 Rounds
$1.80
