Cloud9 vs FaZe Clan: ESL Pro League Season 17 Playoffs

Over a month of CSGO in ESL Pro League Season 17, and it all boils down to Cloud9 vs FaZe Clan in a Best of 5

It’s been a long, arduous month for everyone involved with ESL Pro League’s 17th season. With 78 Best of 3 series having gone by, you’d be forgiven if you’ve forgotten most of what happened in the month-long tournament. What everyone remembers is that FaZe Clan are taking on Cloud9 tonight in the Grand Final, and with CS2 here and a very real possibility of this being the last ever ESL Pro League played for CSGO looming, the final should be absolutely ballistic. Get ready if you’re about to indulge in some CSGO betting, because here’s our preview.

Cloud9 

The CIS side has surprised many by making it through to the Grand Final, but it’s undeniable that the opponents they faced in the Playoffs weren’t exactly those from the top of the rankings. Now they’re set to face that doesn’t just dominate, but can come back from a thrashing to dominate. It’s going to take every ounce of skill and resolve C9 has to beat the juggernauts, and hopefully the last couple of matches will have helped them prepare for the onslaught that’s about to come.

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Players

Vladislav ”nafany” Gorshkov

• HLTV Rating: 1.03
• Impact Rating: 1.09
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 68.9%
• Average Damage Round: 74.2
• Kills Per Round: 0.66

Dmitriy ”sh1ro” Sokolov

• HLTV Rating: 1.26
• Impact Rating: 1.21
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 76.3%
• Average Damage Round: 78.8
• Kills Per Round: 0.77

Timur “buster” Tulepov

• HLTV Rating: 1.08
• Impact Rating: 1.03
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 72.0%
• Average Damage Round: 73.3
• Kills Per Round: 0.68

Sergey ”Ax1Le” Rykhtorov

• HLTV Rating: 1.16
• Impact Rating: 1.15
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 72.5%
• Average Damage Round: 80.6
• Kills Per Round: 0.73

Abai ”HObbit” Hasenov

• HLTV Rating:1.06
• Impact Rating: 1.13
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 71.4%
• Average Damage Round: 80.0
• Kills Per Round: 0.72

Player To Watch

Given his amazing turnaround at this tournament, one could be tempted to go with nafany, but we’re opting for the more reliable and destructive Ax1Le.

FaZe Clan

It’s hard being the only real superteam on a scene that’s based more on putting like-minded individuals together, and FaZe are no stranger to the kind of problems that can face a team that crams many stars and their egos together in one place. However, they have finally found their footing in recent times, and winning here would put a very important, appropriate icing on top of the cake they’ve had baked and ready for a while. Their comeback against Natus Vincere will have pumped them full of confidence, and all they have to do is play their best game.

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Players 

Håvard “rain” Nygaard

• HLTV Rating: 1.03
• Impact Rating: 1.16
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 69.9%
• Average Damage Round: 80.0
• Kills Per Round: 0.71

Helvijs “broky” Saukants

• HLTV Rating: 1.10
• Impact Rating: 1.01
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 72.7%
• Average Damage Round: 73.0
• Kills Per Round: 0.70

Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken

• HLTV Rating: 1.11
• Impact Rating: 1.08
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 73.8%
• Average Damage Round: 76.9
• Kills Per Round: 0.73

Finn “karrigan” Andersen

• HLTV Rating: 0.91
• Impact Rating: 0.92
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 66.8%
• Average Damage Round: 68.8
• Kills Per Round: 0.62

Robin “ropz” Kool

• HLTV Rating: 1.15
• Impact Rating: 1.10
• Kill/Assist/Survived/Traded: 72.5%
• Average Damage Round:78.5
• Kills Per Round:0.74

Player to Watch

He has been beastly throughout this whole tournament, so we’re naming broky as the player to watch on FaZe at this event.

ESL Pro League Season 17 Playoffs: Cloud9 vs FaZe Clan  Predictions

It’s a very difficult call to make, but we’re going to take a risk by predicting Cloud9 to win 3-1. 

Maps 

FaZe and C9 are likely to ban Vertigo and Nuke respectively, so the maps to be played will be Ancient, Anubis, Mirage, Inferno and Overpass.

Score 

Map 1: FaZe to win with Cloud9 <11.

Map 2: Cloud9 to win with FaZe >10.

Map 3: Cloud9 to win with FaZe >11.

Map 4: Cloud9 to win with FaZe >13

Top Fragger

Given how much praise we’ve heaped on Ax1Le, we’ll stick with him as the top fragger for this match.

ESL Pro League Season 17 Playoffs: Cloud9 vs FaZe Clan Match Links

Keep an eye on ESL’s Twitch or YouTube channels. The broadcast is set to begin at 10:00 ET/09:00 CST/07:00 PT.

Keep an eye on our site for a lot more news, analyses, previews and more.