NiP vs. Cloud9 Betting Predictions – Odds, Picks and Value

It’s a new day, boys and girls… and that means a whole new set of CSGO betting options! CS_Summit 7 is still the only notable (active) tournament, so we’ll be focusing on the next round of matches. The elimination round is upon us, with NiP vs. Cloud9 picks being our focal point today.

If you don’t like the complexity of this event and the participating teams, you’ll be happy to know another CSGO event starts tomorrow. I’m referring to DreamHack Open January EU, a smaller event featuring eight up-and-coming teams. And don’t let the EU in its name fool you – it’s set to feature both EU and NA participants.

Back to the subject, NiP vs. Cloud9 picks! Even though we’re looking at the elimination match, there’s still a chance of both teams advancing through to the last chance stage. You see, all three third-place teams and the best fourth-place team are through… there’s still a theoretical chance of staying in the event for both teams!

NiP vs. Cloud9 Betting Predictions

Don’t think that’s something that’ll negatively impact their performance. Our NiP vs. Cloud9 predictions are still as complex as they come, with mere nuances bound to decide the contest! If betting on nuances is your thing, and that’s often going to be the case for CSGO betting options, then make sure you read the whole piece!

Where to Bet on CSGO?

You’d like to experiment with NiP vs. Cloud9 predictions but you’ve never placed an online bet in your life? Worry not, our CSGO bookmakers page ought to give you a helping hand. Beginners will definitely benefit more from reading our guide, but experienced bettors are welcome too. An informative piece is good for you, no matter our level of experience, trust me!

Expectations

Let’s be realistic here, everyone expected NiP and Cloud9 to lose their opening round matches. FURIA and Virtus.pro were just too good, and I sincerely hope you’ve snatched hefty returns on both of these. Considering their opening-round fiascos, both teams don’t have immense expectations for the remainder of the event. They’ll want to reach the last chance stage, that’s for sure… but I doubt we’ll see either of them in the playoffs.

As for this particular match, even though most esports bookmakers have the exact same odds on both ends (which just goes to show you what a tight match this is going to be), most people expect Cloud9 to go through. It’s mainly because of Nip’s poor performance in the opening round, but there are other reasons too… one of which is map pool discrepancy!

Map Depth

Statistically, Cloud9 should win the banning phase without breaking a sweat. Xeppaa and the boys have superior stats on Dust 2, Nuke, and Mirage, although both teams have been pretty bad on that one. Overpass is going to be NiP’s first choice, but I’m afraid Cloud9 will counter it with their banhammer right away.

Which two/three maps are we going to see here? Well, if both teams go for aggressive bans, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up on Nuke, Train, and Mirage… Mirage being the decider pick although both teams are well below 50%-win rate over the last three months. Not that many played maps though, just seven in total, which means map pool depth stats aren’t as detailed as we’d like. These stats typically affect our picks, but we have to take them with a grain of salt here because of a lack of matches on both ends.

Roster Strengths and Weaknesses

The thing with Cloud9, the reason why everyone had low expectations for them coming into this event, is the fact their newest arrival Xeppaa came in just days before the event. But, the situation panned a bit differently. Yes, Cloud9 did lose the opening-round match against FURIA, but Xeppa played a good match promising even better stuff in upcoming fixtures. NiP vs. Cloud9 picks need to account for Xeppa’s newfound form, that’s for sure!

What about NiP; what about their opening-round performers? Plopski is the only name worth mentioning here. He ended the match with 32 kills, 11 more than the second-best fragger on the team, REZ. Plopski was the only player who actually played the match. He was the only bright spot… but it’s safe to say NiP will need more than him to swing past Cloud9 in the elimination bracket. Can they find their rhythm following such a blowout? I don’t think so…

NiP vs. Cloud9 Picks

This match could easily go either way, but I’m sure you’ve already realized that a long time ago. Both NiP and Cloud9 hope to snatch the decider round in which they’ll play against the loser of VP vs. FURIA.

Why do I believe Cloud9 has the edge here?

Well, the map pool stats don’t give a definitive answer, but it’s still swinging towards Cloud9’s direction. Most importantly, the overall roster strength and readiness skew the odds in C9’s favor. Plus, NiP’s opening-round match against Virtus.pro was an absolute catastrophe – C9 at least made an effort against FURIA.