Natus Vincere vs AGO: The level difference is too high

March 9 is the start of the next big tournament in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive discipline. ESL Pro League Season 15 takes place from March 9 to April 10. 24 teams will be competing for $823,000 in prize money. The tournament features the best teams in the world, so there's no doubt that fans will be treated to a game of the highest level. All we can do is enjoy the game.

In the opening match of Group D Natus Vincere and AGO will meet. Whether the team that isn't in the top 100 of the HLTV ranking will be able to beat the favorites we will know very soon.

Natus Vincere has not played any official matches for a month. The team has had a difficult 30 days, and it is not enough that it is a Ukrainian organization, and half of the players represent Russia. Nevertheless, it should not affect internal relations, the team is preparing for the tournament and must show their best. And these boys are going to do very well. Natus Vincere still holds the first line in the HLTV ranking. Yes, they couldn't win the last tournament, but the 3-4th place doesn't look so bad. S1mple were one of the best in the tournament and are ready to prove it at ESL Pro League Season 15. Especially considering that Natus Vincere got a pretty easy group. At first glance, the team, even if they wanted to, won't be able to drop anywhere near the top 3, and they are 99% likely to fight for the top 1 with Heroic.

As far as maps are concerned, it doesn't make much difference what to play in a match against AGO. Natus Vincere is obliged to smash their opponent on any map. Given that the Poles don't play Overpass, Natus Vincere should take Nuke with their card. This is the best map in the Born to Win arsenal, on which AGO plays very poorly. It will come as a big surprise to me if the Poles score more than eight rounds on this card. In other options, I don't believe it at all. Nuke is one of the weakest AGO maps and the strongest NaVi map. An ideal option for the Ukrainian team.

AGO in the last three months has slipped a lot in the rankings. That's not a bad thing, but the number 137 certainly does not look good. The Poles are now playing tee-2 tournaments, but you can't say they're doing it well. At Malta Vibes Knockout Series 6 the team finished only 9-16. To give you an idea of the level of resistance in that tournament, 1shot finished second in that tournament. At the Pinnacle Cup 3, the boys lost to Astralis Academy. At the Elisa Invitational Winter 2021, the team finished 16th-18th after Looking For Org and the youth team from fnatic. Terrible results on all fronts. This has all happened in the last couple of months. How AGO plans to beat Natus Vincere with such a game is not clear. Or rather it is clear that there is no way.

In the last three games, AGO picked three different maps and failed to win on any of them. Most likely, the Poles will try to play Inferno. It's the only map where the team got something good lately. Yes, the same Mirage AGO picks more often and it's more habitual for the team, but in the last matches there was nothing good, and NaVi of the last four matches, won three on Mirage. Therefore, more rounds AGO should score on Inferno. Winning on any of the maps is out of the question. The level of the teams is too different.

Natus Vincere is much stronger than their opponent today. I don't think there will be any sensation in the first match. The bookmakers offer 2.25 for Natus Vincere to win with a handicap (-15.5), which looks like a good option.

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