Army Geniuses enter this bout with a 2-2-1 record and eight points, which is good for sixth place in the standings. Although Army Geniuses could have done much better, they still won against Phoenix Gaming on Tuesday, handing the Chinese Dota 2 roster their second loss of the tournament.

Neptune Gaming are 2-0-1 with wins against Lilgun and Summit Gaming, while their only defeat so far came on Tuesday when Neptune lost against Phoenix. However, the game was very close, and Neptune had excellent chances to win. Even though it’s hard to praise a team that choked, it’s not fair to say that Neptune are much weaker than Phoenix.

Talent-wise, there isn’t much to separate Army Geniuses and Neptune Gaming, nor can we set them apart based on their recent showings. As the latest Dota 2 betting odds suggest, a draw is the most likely outcome, but -117.65 is not a good price, so we have to take a shot with the outsiders.

Although Neptune Gaming might be a middle-of-the-table team, 496 Gaming deserve the same tag as a squad that is good but not great. They’re 3-1-2 after six outings, with wins against Rush b, Yangon Galacticos, and KOBOLDS, who 496 defeated on Tuesday.

Across the six outings, 496 Gaming have proven that they can compete with the strongest teams at the tournament. But there were moments when 496 seemed a bit out of sync, which is normal for a squad that came together only a month ago.

496 Gaming have potential, but they are not consistent enough, making it tough to side with them. On the other hand, Neptune Gaming already won against Summit, Lilgun, and they looked strong against Phoenix Gaming on Tuesday, so we have to have faith in them to deliver against 496.

Crocodile are 0-2-8 across their last ten outings, so we don’t have an issue with the esports betting sites pricing them as underdogs for this bout. But +566 seems a bit too high.

Admittedly, Crocodile haven’t won a single match since Wednesday, December 8 (against Team Pirates), but there is more to their record than meets the eye. Crocodile played well during Moon Studio Snow League a couple of weeks back and produced two highly competitive series against Ragdoll and the eventual tournament champions, LBZS.

Besides that, Crocodile looked solid against Lilgun on Saturday and were just one teamfight away from winning the first map of the series. So while Crocodile might be 0-2-8, they went toe-to-toe with teams stronger than 496 Gaming.

A smaller position on Crocodile is worth a shot at the offered betting odds. A map handicap bet on Crocodile is worth considering as a safer alternative.

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