Michael Lee is back, and today, he brings us his top picks for the first round of Rainbow Six Siege Berlin Major 2022 on Monday, August 15. In this betting preview, he looks at DAMWON Gaming vs Ninjas in Pyjamas, SANDBOX Gaming vs Soniqs, and FURIA vs Astralis.
Esports Betting Tips: Monday, 15th August
DAMWOIN Gaming vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
Six Berlin Major 2022
Featuring DWG KIA, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Rogue, and XSET, Group A looks like it has no clear winner and no clear worst team. But if I had to pick a team that is most likely to finish the group in last place, it would be Ninjas in Pyjamas.
They have not achieved much this season and have only recently found some traction, placing third in Copa Elite Six Stage 2 and fourth in Brasileirão 2022 - Stage 2. That was just enough for Ninjas in Pyjamas to qualify for the Major, which is still a praiseworthy achievement, but I wouldn’t expect them to make a deep run in Berlin.
DAMWON Gaming have also had an up-and-down season, but they have looked much better than Ninjas in Pyjamas. Since their ninth-12th-place exit from Six Invitational in February, DAMWON won APAC North 2022 Stage 1 and Stage 2, claimed another title at Korean Open 2022 – Spring, and finished third in the Korean Open 2022 – Summer.
At the start of August, the Korean squad also attended Gamers8, where they lost against Spacestation Gaming and Team Liquid but have looked good in their losses.
I wouldn’t expect either of these two teams to produce a deep run in Berlin, but I can confidently say that DAMWON Gaming are stronger than Ninjas in Pyjamas. There is a chance that Ninjas in Pyjamas wake up and prove me wrong, but I have no faith in this team before I see something.
DAMWON Gaming to Win
$2.10 (1 Unit)
SANDBOX Gaming vs Soniqs
Six Berlin Major 2022
There is no doubt that SANDBOX Gaming is by far the worst team in Group B, which might be weird to say, considering they’ve done well over the last three months. In May, SANDBOX won Rainbow Six Gyeonggi Cup, then placed second in APAC North Stage 2, and won the Korean Open 2022 – Summer.
However, even with their domestic success, SANDBOX don’t have enough talent to compete against G2 Esports, Soniqs, and FaZe Clan.
Soniqs have failed to win a single tournament title this year, but they placed top six at Six Invitational 2022 in February and finished NAL - Season 2022 - Stage 2 in second place. That might not sound like a big deal, but Soniqs finished NAL Stage 2 with a 4-1-2-2 record, tied in points with Astralis and Oxygen Esports.
They even won against Oxygen Esports (7-4) in July, which alone indicates how solid Soniqs can be. I wouldn’t count on them competing for a top-four finish, but Soniqs are in my book an excellent mid-table team, that can take games off big favorites and ease past bottom teams.
The opening rounds of R6 Majors often produce a couple of upsets, but that’s a bad excuse to bet on SANDBOX Gaming against Soniqs. Take Soniqs to win and cover the 2.5 round handicap.
Soniqs -2.5 Rounds
$1.85 (1 Unit)
FURIA vs Astralis
Six Berlin Major 2022
FURIA have not won a single R6 event this year, but they’ve come close a couple of times. The Brazilian squad finished third in Copa Elite Six - Season 2022: Stage 1 and placed second in Brasileirão 2022 - Stage 2 in July. But besides that, their only other notable achievements include a fourth-place finish at Brasileirão 2022 - Stage 1 and Copa Elite Six - Season 2022: Stage 2.
Astralis, on the other side, have won both NAL Stages and even claimed silver from Six Charlotte Major 2022, which is seriously impressive. But despite their success, Astralis are priced at very generous odds for this match, which leads me to believe that FURIA might be a bit overrated.
Although FURIA hail from a strong region, they’re not one of the top South American teams, so it’s hard to use the region angle for this prediction. Moreover, it’s not like North America is very weak, so you have to show some respect to Astralis, who is the undisputed best NA R6 squad at Berlin Major.
We don’t have to do anything fancy here. I like Astralis to defeat FURIA, and 1.72 is a solid price to pay.
Astralis to Win
$1.72 (1 Unit)
