VCT 2022 EMEA & North America: Betting Tips and Analysis
The regional battles are coming to an end at VCT 2022 Stage 2. With the group stage ending in North America and EMEA, the teams’ playoff journeys begin this week. The first-day calendar and predictions of the VALORANT tournament’s knockout phase in both regions are as follows.
Acend vs M3 Champions
Predictions: Acend to win
Odds: 2.00
Betting Site: Odds provided by Thunderpick
When: June 17, 2022 – 16:00 CEST
VCT 2022 EMEA Stage 2 Playoff competition will begin with Group A’s runner-up Acend and Group B’s second runner-up M3 Champions facing off. The favorite of the series, which will be played as the best-of-three, is Acend.
Of course, there is a reason for that. Completing Stage 1 with disappointment, Acend made serious changes in its squad in the off-season. It took some time for the team to adjust to the new additions to their roster. Although the 2021 World Champion is still far from its old appearance, it managed to win the matches it played. Additionally, the team got better day by day.
On M3 Champions side, things didn’t go well at either stage. They started well in Stage 1 but lost form in the second half of the season due to external factors. This bad form continued until Stage 2. Although the Russian representative managed to make it to the playoffs, its performance isn’t promising and it is very difficult for M3 to win against Acend.
Team Liquid vs FunPlus Phoenix
Predictions: Total maps played over 2.5
VALORANT Odds: 1.90
Betting Site: Odds provided by Thunderpick
When: June 17, 2022 – 19:00 CEST
This is the closest match in the EMEA Playoff Bracket and the hardest to predict. FPX isn’t as dominant and flawless as it was in the last stage, but Team Liquid has its flaws as well.
With the conclusion of VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters, Liquid parted ways with longtime coach Sliggy and brought the team’s star player ScreaM to the in-game leader role. The team went through this process less painful than expected and got 4 wins in Group B, qualifying for the next step.
On the other hand, FPX is not as powerful as it used to be. The CIS-based team, who performed brilliantly in Stage 1, finished Stage 2 group stage with two losses. However, this does not mean that this series will be one-sided. It’s hard to predict the winner, but it’s almost certain that we’ll see three maps in this series.
FaZe Clan vs 100 Thieves
Predictions: 100 Thieves to win
Odds: 1.65
Betting Site: Odds provided by Thunderpick Esports
When: June 16, 2022 – 22:00 CEST
In North America, FaZe Clan and 100 Thieves will kick off the playoff process. The two teams, who could not find a place for themselves in these stages for a long time, will look for ways to make their fans happy.
The two teams haven’t played against each other recently. Therefore, neither one has an advantage over the other. Additionally, both teams finished their groups with three wins and two losses. However, FaZe Clan struggled to get results in a slightly easier group than its rival.
100 Thieves started Stage 2 with a completely different structure. Due to the unsuccessful results, the organisation first changed the entire technical staff and then added new names to the roster. The team made a good start to the season with the hype given by the new structure but showed weaknesses in some matches.
100 Thieves is closer to a win in this series where neither side stands out completely.
Ghost Gaming vs Evil Geniuses
VALORANT Predictions: Ghost Gaming to win
Odds: 1.60
Betting Site: Odds provided by Thunderpick
When: June 17, 2022 – 01:00 CEST
Ghost Gaming will continue their amazing adventure at VCT 2022 North America Playoffs. After making it to the main stage at the last moment from the second Open Qualifiers, the young squad also won consecutive wins in groups. Their only defeat was against group leader XSET.
Another team that has increased its performance compared to the previous season is Evil Geniuses. Wasting the 2021 season with failures, the team managed to qualify for the main stage of Stage 1 thanks to a new restructuring. However, they closed the season without any wins here. In Stage 2, the team improved its game considerably. They went to the next level both individually and as a team harmony.
While Evil Geniuses’ trajectory is pretty promising, Ghost Gaming looks much stronger and they are the favorites in this series.