Luminosity and BIG meet in the upper-bracket semi-final of Stake Ranked Episode 4 after both teams won their opening matches in Barcelona.

Luminosity produced the stronger performance, beating B8 without dropping a map. BIG also advanced, although they needed all three maps to overcome fnatic.

Luminosity continue their strong run

Luminosity entered the tournament in good form and have now won four of their last five matches.

Their opening victory against B8 was another impressive result. B8 were considered favourites before the series, but Luminosity looked comfortable throughout the match and secured a clean 2–0 win.

This was not the first time Luminosity had beaten B8 recently. They also won 2–0 when the teams met at Logitech G Play Connect, taking Inferno 13–10 and Ancient 13–9.

The team appears comfortable on several maps, which gives them an advantage in a best-of-three. Luminosity can avoid their weakest option while still building a strong veto around Inferno, Ancient and Dust2.

Individual form is another reason to support them. Players such as afro, AZUWU and lux have all delivered strong performances during their recent run. Luminosity do not need one player to carry every map, making them difficult to shut down.

BIG booked their place in the upper-bracket semi-final with a 2–1 victory over fnatic.

The German team got the result they needed, but the series also showed why they are difficult to trust completely. BIG have now won only two of their last five matches and have struggled to produce the same level across an entire best-of-three.

BIG are still ranked slightly above Luminosity and have enough experience to make this competitive. They should also benefit from already playing a full three-map series on LAN.

However, their recent form has been less convincing than Luminosity’s. BIG may need another close series if they are going to reach the upper-bracket final.

Luminosity deserve to be favourites

There is very little separating the teams in the betting market. Luminosity are slight favourites, but the price is still attractive after their performance against B8.

BIG are capable of taking a map and turning this into a long series. Their narrow victory over fnatic showed that they can recover when a match becomes difficult.

Luminosity still look like the more reliable team. They have won four of their last five matches, beaten B8 twice without dropping a map and appear to have more players performing well at the same time.

The veto could be close, but Luminosity should have enough options to find two maps where they are comfortable. If they maintain the level shown in their opening match, they can secure another victory and move into the upper-bracket final.

Verdict

BIG have the ranking and experience to make this competitive, but Luminosity arrive with better form and produced the stronger opening performance.

This may require three maps, but Luminosity have shown enough consistency to be trusted to finish the series. A 2–1 victory looks like the most likely result.

Tip

Luminosity to win