As Fnatic vs MIBR brings the Group B action to a close on day one of the ECS Season 8 Finals in Texas, here's what you need to know, including live stream information, latest betting odds and predictions
The highlight of day one of ECS Season 8 Finals, going off recent form at least, is arguably Fnatic vs MIBR, going off recent form at least.
Both teams contain legendary names, huge amounts of talent and have legions of fans, and both have had the sort of 2019 that they are far from used to, given their history of successful violence in the server.
Fnatic vs MIBR is due to start at 7.30pm GMT / 8.30pm CET / 2.30pm ET / 11.30am PT on Thursday, November 28th, 2019.
Normally a BO1 can be a bit of a let-down, like being given a starter at a restaurant and then being told the kitchen is closed and you’ll have to forego the main course, but this is a situation where it could actually be good, as both teams need to get off to a good start at an event where the draw could be everything.
Winning your group could see you avoid the likes of EG or Liquid, lose it and you face NA’s finest on home soil.
Searching for clues
How will things play out when the Fnatic vs MIBR live stream starts is anyone’s guess, but there are a few clues we can read into to try and get a better idea of who might come away with the victory here.
Right off the bat we can look at the rankings, and those suggest it should be one-sided, with HLTV having Fnatic as third in the world and the Brazilian former Major champions slumming it in 14th.
Over the past three months, young Ludvig Brolin has really come into his own for Fnatic. For those who don’t know, Ludvig is what his mom calls him most likely, but he’s Brollan in server, and looks like one of the most exciting talents EU has produced in some time, while out of the server he looks more suited to being picked up by a parent after some kind of extramural activity.
If Brollan does pop off, that’s a big part of Fnatic’s game play executed, and the experienced guys on MIBR will need to work hard to unsettle him.
Brollan in the deep
There is nobody on the MIBR team that can get close to Brollan’s stats, with kNgV probably the closest thing they’ve had to a carry since Coldzera followed his one true love to FaZe, but it feels like they need fer to come back to his best if this MIBR is ever going to justify the massive amount of money the Immortals groups spent getting them to the org.
If things go really well for the Swedes we could even see a stomp here, as Fnatic are the kind of team that are hard to stop once they get rolling, so consider the round differential and total rounds markets if you see a decent price.
Getting under the skin of JW, flusha and the rest is not easy, so an MIBR win will most likely be a tighter affair, but is less likely to occur based on the tea leaves.
Strong start could be key
Whoever comes out on top has a great a chance of making the final with the way the format works, and with Astralis in the same group they can dodge the best in the next round and not have to worry about the Danes for a couple of days. The loser is going to have a very tough time making it out in the top two even with Sharks in the mix, so this is a pivotal moment for both sides.
Don't forget, you can find the full ECS Season 8 Finals schedule updated throughout the tournament.
Pictures: StarLadder / Flickr
