Cloud9 to keep up their impressive form



Cloud9 have to be the top contenders to win the event, especially as they just won ESL Pro League Finals. They’re by far the most in-form team heading into the event.

On recent results, Cloud9 could arguably be one of the world’s top three teams.

The addition of autimatic has been a revelation for the Americans, and he was rightly crowned MVP in Brazil. For me, he’s the missing piece of Cloud 9’s puzzle.

Securing a spot at IEM Oakland and winning IBUYPOWER Masters should be a breeze for Cloud9. With the quality of the competition at iBUYPOWER Masters, anything less would be considered a failure.

Cloud9 to win IBUYPOWER Masters -

FaZe have a new leader



I believe FaZe will also progress to IEM Oakland, not because they’re in a particularly good form, but because their raw skill will be too much for other teams to handle.

They may have qualified for ELEAGUE, but their performance at the ESL Pro League Finals left much to be desired.

Now they’ve had a couple of weeks to practice with Karrigan under their belt, they should start looking like more of a team rather than five individuals.

If Karrigan has got his star players working together, FaZe will top their group and walk their way to IEM Oakland.

FaZe to win IBUYPOWER Masters -

Tyloo relishing the chance to compete



Every time Tyloo face western opposition they always look strong. We saw a great example of this at StarLadder when they made short work of Na’Vi.

It’s hard for me to comment on their form heading into iBUYPOWER Masters as they don’t always attend the same tournaments as we do.

What I can say though is that they prepare more than any other team, they want to make the most of every international event they get a chance to compete at.

Plus a favourable group means they should pick up a few points – although finishing above Cloud9 might be too much to ask.

Tyloo to beat Echo Fox -

Immortals looking to bounce back



Immortals haven’t been tearing it up lately, but they’ll be eager to redeem themselves after a poor showing at ESL Pro League.

Their star players, HEN1 and felps have always struggled to maintain a good level of consistency against top level teams.

Luckily for them, a group also containing TSM and Renegades should be pretty easy to navigate – provided they’ve recovered from their poor showing in Brazil.

Immortals to beat FaZe -