The final masters tier DreamHack event of the year is just around the corner as 16 of the best CS:GO teams in Europe are set to battle it out from November 30 to December 6.
It’s also set to be one of the last premier events of 2020, so we can expect a ton of high-level action and maybe even some surprising results as a few teams will be aiming to capitalize on one of their last chances to grab a trophy this year.
Who’s Playing at DreamHack Masters Winter Europe?
We’ll see 16 of the world’s best at DreamHack Masters Winter Europe, including the usual European favorites like Astralis and Heroic, as well as top North American teams Evil Geniuses, Furia and Liquid.
Despite being dubbed a European event, this is one of the first fully international tournaments since the coronavirus outbreak derailed LAN events at the start of the year. The North American teams are all arriving in Europe in mid-November, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem with jet lag or lack of time to prepare, setting us up for a very competitive tournament.
The event itself will feature the usual two eight-team groups, with four from each advancing to an eight-team single-elimination playoff. There is one key difference, however, as the grand final will be played in a lengthy best-of-five, meaning it may favor teams with more experience and a larger map pool.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Astralis | +375 |
| Heroic | +480 |
| G2 Esports | +550 |
| Furia | +550 |
| Evil Geniuses | +650 |
| Complexity | +650 |
| Team Liquid | +1000 |
| Mousesports | +1700 |
| FaZe | +2200 |
| Sprout | +2300 |
| Spirit | +3000 |
| Ence | +3000 |
| Gambit | +3900 |
| C0ntact | +5000 |
| North | +6900 |
| Godsent | +8000 |
Odds as of November 17 at Sportsbook
A Tough Tournament To Call
Astralis enters the event as one of the best currently and historically as the top CS:GO squad in the last few years. However, at +375 they see quite large odds to win it, which just goes to show how competitive the event is set to be.
The second favorite, Heroic, isn’t too far behind at +480 and then we even see two teams at +550. The odds are large thanks to unexpected victors in the majority of recent tournaments. Heroic took home DreamHack Open Fall, FaZe won IEM New York Europe and Astralis came out on top in the ESL Pro League.
A few other notable names also have a chance. The new and improved G2 has been taking down just about everyone, while Evil Geniuses and Furia are looking to transfer their dominant form in North America to Europe.
Realistically, just about any team at the event could take it and it’s quite a toss-up between the top five in particular. All it takes is a good few days, and a general lack of consistency across the board doesn’t put anyone in the driver’s seat.
Will NiKo Elevate G2 Esports?
G2 Esports is currently in a very interesting spot when it comes to tournament results. With the signing of superstar NiKo, the team has looked revitalized and completely turned its form around.
The team went from losses against Godsent and FaZe to defeating Astralis, Furia and MiBR in just over a week, thanks to the arrival of NiKo. They also recently secured a playoff spot at IEM Beijing Europe and look to push on in the tournament.
While they’ve been looking very good, they still haven’t played a full tournament with the new squad, so it remains to be seen how well they can perform. We may just be seeing a high thanks to a roster shakeup, or possibly it’s the start of a new dominant team. It’s very difficult to tell and DreamHack Masters Winter Europe will be a key event when it comes to finding out how far G2 can go.
Can An Underdog Win DreamHack Masters?
Everyone loves an underdog story and we see quite a few squads at DreamHack Masters that have the potential to make something happen.
Of course, the favorites are the favorites, and we’ll likely see one of the top few teams take it all. However, we’re also likely to see a few matches go in an unexpected direction and there is a chance for an underdog to shine.
Complexity is one of the few that can upset the best. The team has been rebuilt after a sudden departure and is looking better than ever. They managed to demolish Fnatic and took down Natus Vincere at IEM Beijing Europe. We’ve yet to see how far they can go, although they already look very promising.
Mousesports have a solid shot at making some noise as well, having recently come back from a break and already managing to take down BIG and take maps from both Astralis and G2.
One final team to keep in mind is Gambit. They’ve not had many impressive results on the big stage yet, but they are a young and dangerous squad. Gambit has two very strong youngsters in Sh1ro and Ax1Le and is backed by Major winning experience from Hobbit. They’ve lost just one match in their last 16 and that was against a top side in Natus Vincere. We’re sure to see a breakout event from them soon, and this may just be it.
