Counter-Strike is set for an all-American tournament with CS Summit 8 providing us a classic eight-team event from May 20-30. The event holds more weight than usual events, as it’s one of the new regional major ranking (RMR) events, where teams are competing for circuit points to qualify for the next major.
This means we’ll see a very high level of competition, with each team giving it their absolute all to earn vital points in an attempt to qualify for the game’s most prestigious event. As such, each match will be very competitive and prime for wagering options.
Before we look at the event in more detail, make sure to check out our guide on all things CS:GO betting, and let’s jump right in.
Who’s Playing at CS Summit 8?
Eight teams are participating at CS Summit, including all of the best in America. We’ll see the classic favorites like Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and Furia, as well as some up-and-comers like Extra Salt, Bad News Bears and paiN Gaming.
Each team earned its spot at the event through either previous ranking, or by performing at a competitive qualifier. This means things are set to be very competitive, as these teams are the best of the best in the region.
When it comes to the event itself, we’ll see a fairly standard CS:GO format. Teams will first be split into two groups, played in a GSL format. This means winners face other winners, while losers face losers, and the better a team performs, the fewer matches they need to play to advance.
Three teams from each group will move on to the playoffs, which are played in a double-elimination format. This simply means that two losses eliminates a team and the last team left standing at the end wins.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Furia | +155 |
| Team Liquid | +220 |
| Evil Geniuses | +475 |
| Extra Salt | +700 |
| O Plano | +1000 |
| Extremum | +1200 |
| paiN Gaming | +1200 |
| Bad News Bears | +2500 |
Odds as of May 19 at Sportsbook
Red-Hot Furia Looks to Dominate
Furia is the favorite here and it’s easy to see why. They enter as the highest-ranked team, currently No. 7 in the HLTV world rankings, and they are in quite solid form.
Their last two events have seen strong performances, with a third-place finish at Spring Sweet Spring, and a fifth at DreamHack Masters, where they nearly took down eventual champion Natus Vincere.
The Brazilian squad is well warmed up and with the team showing good form, it could very well be the one to take the CS Summit trophy.
Sportsbook
Has Liquid Capitalized on its Time Off?
While Furia enters in hot form, Liquid is likely the coldest team at the event. This isn’t due to poor performances, but rather a lack of matches altogether. Liquid’s last competitive match was played on April 13, meaning they will have had over five weeks of inactivity going into CS Summit.
Of course, a break doesn’t mean the team hasn’t played at all. They’ve no doubt had countless practice matches and each player would have also been practicing individually on top of that. All this time actually means prep time specifically for this event, which could be hugely beneficial to Liquid.
The question is: how well has the team used its time off? If they’ve been knuckling under and perfecting their play, we could see a whole new Liquid here. However, if they’ve struggled over the last few weeks, it’ll be a tough event for them.
Are oBo and Michu What Evil Geniuses Need?
Evil Geniuses enter the event as a team with some of the biggest changes of any squad at CS Summit. They recently made two transfers, bringing in oBo and Michu for two of their strongest members, Ethan and tarik.
The team had recently endured somewhat of a slump, so it was clear a change was needed. However, bringing in a fairly inexperienced youngster and a player who has failed to shine at the top can be a big risk.
This event will be the most important that this roster has played so far, and with a few weeks of prep time for the team, it’ll be interesting to see if the two new players can help fix the team’s problems.
