HEROIC begin Stake Pulse Beat II against Johnny Speeds in the opening match of Group B.

There will still be plenty of Swedish interest on the server. Johnny Speeds field a full Swedish lineup, while Brollan, nilo and susp represent the Swedish core of HEROIC. The favourites enter the match with more recent activity, stronger results and a clear advantage in the rankings.

HEROIC continue to find their level

HEROIC arrive in Stockholm ranked 34th by HLTV and 27th in the VRS standings.

Their recent results have been mixed against stronger opposition. They defeated 1WIN and K27 by 2–1 before losing a competitive three-map series against Virtus.pro.

Against lower-ranked teams, HEROIC have been much more convincing. Their recent run includes 2–0 victories over BESTIA, Drama, Nuclear TigeRES, magic and Color. They also recorded a 2–0 win against Astralis earlier in the summer.

Brollan and MartinezSa provide experience, while nilo has been their strongest performer over the past three months with a 1.16 rating.

Johnny Speeds return after a long break

Johnny Speeds are ranked 61st by HLTV but sit much lower in the VRS standings at number 114.

Their lineup features several familiar Swedish players. hampus and draken provide experience, while Rack, Svedjehed and bsover complete the team.

The biggest concern is their lack of recent matches. Johnny Speeds have not played an official series with this core for approximately seven weeks. Their last run included victories over G2 Ares, Metizport and Lilmix, but ended with a 2–0 defeat against Betclic.

Starting a LAN tournament against HEROIC after such a long break leaves little room for a slow opening.

The map pool favours HEROIC

HEROIC have played considerably more official maps during the last three months.

They hold strong win rates on Dust2, Mirage, Inferno, Nuke and Ancient, while Johnny Speeds have played no more than three maps on any individual battleground with this lineup.

Johnny Speeds may still find a competitive map pick. Across a full best-of-three series, however, HEROIC’s preparation and wider map pool should make the difference.

Verdict

HEROIC are not always reliable against teams they are expected to beat, but their recent record against lower-ranked opposition is strong. They have completed several 2–0 victories and should be sharper after playing regularly throughout September.

Johnny Speeds have enough experience to keep one of the maps competitive, but returning after seven weeks without an official match is a difficult position. HEROIC should control the veto and avoid a third map.

Tip

HEROIC -1.5 maps