9z are favoured: our model gives them 64% against 5star. Bookmakers lean 9z at 89%. Strength slightly favours 9z, record slightly favours 9z, form clearly favours 5star, firepower slightly favours 5star.
Likely mapsNuke · Inferno · Cache
How the model gets there
One number from the signals below. Each row shows which side it pulls toward and how hard; the weights are learned from every match in our history (team strength and roster rating do most of the work), and the blend is shrunk toward the betting market based on how much data backs it, so a thin sample can never read as a lock.
9zpull5star
Team strength1649
158364/36 9Z
Track record56–23
24–1659/41 9Z
Recent formLLLLW
WWWWL84/16 5ST
Roster rating1.14
1.0861/39 5ST
Bookmakers imply 89% for 9z (1.05 / 8.15); we land 25 points lower at 64%: that gap is where we think the value is. This read is 96% our own signal (192 maps of 9z, 100 of 5star).
Bottom line: 9z to beat 5star, but it's closer than it looks. Everything below is the data behind that call.
A hypothetical veto for this matchup, projected from how each team has picked and banned before (Bo3, 9z vetoes first). It's a guide to the likely map pool and each side's win% on those maps, not a guarantee: teams adapt to the opponent and the event.
5star habitually bans Dust2, 9z's strongest maps (Overpass, Dust2, Ancient, Inferno all ≥60%). That's a standing habit (Dust2 31/42), not an opponent read, so expect 9z to fight the veto for Overpass.
Each team's usual first ban: 9z Anubis · 5star Dust2.
Map lab
Three ways the map pool could fall: each side's best-case Bo3 and the most likely draw. Pick a card to load its series odds and the map-by-map head-to-head underneath.
5star51%to win the seriesiMap edgesNuke: 5star 54% toss-up · Inferno: 9z 55% toss-up · Cache: 5star 54% toss-upWhy5star hold the edge across the maps (2 of 3 lean their way).Outcomes9z 49%: 2-0 25%, 2-1 23% · 5star 51%: 2-1 27%, 2-0 24% series odds add up every way a team can win, not just one scoreline
9z 49%It’s nearly a coin-flip. 5star only lead because their pick is strong enough that nicking just one of the close maps wins the series.51% 5star
Nuke
9z46%
5star54%
23-16record17-10
59%win63%
56%CT win60%
46%T win53%
51%pistol63%
78%convert94%
Inferno
9z55%
5star45%
22-12record12-8
65%win60%
58%CT win56%
49%T win42%
53%pistol45%
81%convert94%
Cache
9z46%
5star54%
1-1record4-2
50%win67%
67%CT win58%
46%T win44%
100%pistol58%
50%convert71%
Pistol, eco & sides
win% · convert if won · eco if lost · CT/T per map
ct / t side win% (Nuke skews CT, Dust2 T)pistol won the opening pistolconv then won round 2eco lost pistol, won round 2
Map
9Zct
9Zt
5STct
5STt
9Zpistol
9Zconv
9Zeco
5STpistol
5STconv
5STeco
Nukepool
56%206/369
46%188/411
60%173/289
53%151/285
51%40/78
78%31/40
13%5/38
63%34/54
94%32/34
10%2/20
Infernopool
58%222/381
49%157/318
56%118/211
42%88/208
53%36/68
81%29/36
16%5/32
45%18/40
94%17/18
0%0/22
Cachepool
67%6/9
46%11/24
58%32/55
44%31/70
100%4/4
50%2/4
n/a
58%7/12
71%5/7
0%0/5
Anubisban
63%15/24
38%9/24
47%47/101
57%57/100
50%2/4
100%2/2
50%1/2
45%9/20
67%6/9
9%1/11
Dust2ban
56%224/400
55%218/397
45%24/53
47%23/49
46%36/78
86%31/36
21%9/42
60%6/10
67%4/6
0%0/4
Mirageban
59%134/228
46%80/173
53%39/73
58%40/69
61%23/38
86%19/22
20%3/15
50%7/14
86%6/7
14%1/7
Ancientban
63%161/257
50%114/226
46%96/208
36%73/201
48%22/46
82%18/22
13%3/24
53%21/40
67%14/21
17%3/18
colour = vs averagebelowavgabove
5star wins more pistol rounds: 56% vs 53%. Winning a pistol usually wins you the next few rounds too, so this is a small head start.
Win the pistol → 5star usually win the next round too (92% vs 78%). Lose the pistol → 9z fight back to win the next round more often (14% vs 4%).