Spirit vs Aurora

💣 Team Spirit head into the BLAST SLAM VIII playoffs riding a three-match winning streak, having taken down Team Nemesis 2-1, swept 1win 2-0, and edged past Team Yandex 2-1. Aurora also got off to a strong playoff start with a convincing 2-0 win over 1win, but just days earlier they suffered a clean sweep against PARIVISION. The most recent head-to-head at The International also went Spirit’s way — 2-0.

That said, I wouldn’t rush to back Spirit with a handicap: Aurora have already beaten them 2-0 this season and even managed to take a map off them at BLAST, so this isn’t exactly a comfortable matchup for the favorites. Still, Spirit have shown greater consistency in Bo3 series lately, stringing together three straight wins at this event and recently finding a winning formula against Aurora on back-to-back maps. Over the full distance, Spirit retain the edge. My pick: Team Spirit to win.