00 Nation’s transition to an international roster seemed like a great move when Thomas “birdfromsky” Due Frederiksen and his crew won Pinnacle Cup V. However, since then, the squad has been in a downright spiral and hasn’t won or come close to winning a single event.

That includes a last-place finish at CCT Online Finals #3 and ninth-16th at CCT East Europe Series #2. Over that stretch, 00 Nation have lost against Sprout (0-2 and 1-2) and OG (1-2), so it’s not like they’ve struggled against many teams. But considering the quality of opponents 00 Nation beat during Pinnacle Cup V, it’s clear that something isn’t right.

ECSTATIC have not accomplished much over the last month either, and they have played much weaker opponents. So even though ECSTATIC don’t have a worse record, they’re still a weaker team.

At a better price, backing the outsiders to win would be a solid choice. But even though 00 Nation are in shaky form, they have a much higher ceiling than ECSTATIC.

500 enter CCT East Europe Series #3 in shaky form. The Bulgarian CS squad has not won a single notable tournament since European Development Championship Season 7 in February and have not placed higher than sixth over their last three.

However, 500 have found some traction recently and are 4-2 across their last six outings, with wins against Anonymo Esports (2-0) and BetBoom Team (16-13). It’s a small bounce back in an otherwise concerning stretch of iffy results, but winning a few games to get back on track might be what 500 need.

MOUZ NXT enjoyed a run of six consecutive wins in early October, but they’ve since managed just one victory across the next five against Turow Zgorzelec (2-0) in CCT East Europe Series #3: Closed Qualifier. Even more concerning is that MOUZ NXT have recently lost against weaker teams than 500.

Neither team is in a good spot ahead of this match, and while 500 are rightly priced as favourites with online betting sites, this should be a close game. The two squads don’t share a map pool, suggesting they should win their pick and that we’ll see all three maps played.

Team Falcons are reportedly close to forming a super team with Danny “zonic” S?rensen as the head coach. And some major changes are needed, considering the Falcons haven’t won much this season.

At the end of September, Team Falcons crashed out of CCT East Europe Series #2 in ninth-16th place, and a couple of weeks prior, they finished Thunderpick World Championship 2023: European Series #2 in 17th-24th. On a more positive note, the Falcons are 6-3 across their last nine outings, with wins against 9Pandas (twice), Turow Zgorzelec, B8, and los kogutos.

Results-wise Team Sampi are in a similar spot, but unlike Team Falcons, Erik “The eLiVe” Sith’s crew placed second at CCT East Europe Series #1 and won Tipsport Cup Prague Fall 2023: Online Stage at the start of the month. Still, Sampi are 4-9 since the start of September.

On paper, Team Falcons look stronger, but they shouldn’t be so pricey, which likely has to do with the brand recognition. At the offered betting odds, backing the underdogs offers more value.

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Last month, 00 Nation parted ways with their entire Brazilian CS:GO lineup in favour of a European roster led by former Copenhagen Flames in-game leader Thomas “birdfromsky” Due Frederiksen. The new squad quickly proved its worth and won Pinnacle Cup V at the end of August, jumping 53 spots on the CS:GO world rankings to no.34.

Team Singularity have not made any changes since February 2023, although the team did lose in-game leader Tomasz “freo” Wolski, who left a month ago. Singularity have since played with a couple of stand-ins, winning European Pro League Season 10: Division 2 and placing second at HATOR Series #1, but they’ve yet to find a permanent replacement.

Team Singularity are in a tough spot, missing an in-game leader, but it’s not like this team would have a realistic chance against 00 Nation, even with freo. 00 Nation’s new European lineup has played just one official tournament but looked very good, so it’s hard to doubt their chances to crush Team Singularity on Friday.

9z Team were in excellent form in July, winning KaBuM! Legends and CCT South America Series #8. But since the start of August, Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez and co. have failed to find as much success.

An early exit from TG Masters Fall 2023 followed by a 9th-16th finish at CCT North Europe Series #7 puts a huge question mark over 9z Team and their ability to deliver in the ThunderPick World Championship. However, most CS:GO bookmakers are projecting the South American side will do well in this matchup.

MASONIC have won just one tournament in 2023 – MistGames Heroes of Lofoten in April – and they haven’t looked good over the last two months. In the first Thunderpick World Championship 2023 qualifiers, they crashed out in 25th-40th place and have since exited CCT Central Europe Series #7 in 23rd-24th and HATOR Series #1 in 13th-16th.

Besides the Danish squad’s poor results, MASONIC are also struggling with roster stability, having lost five players since May. They signed a new squad in July, but even that project didn’t last long, with Andreas “Hansi” Hansen leaving the team to join Alpha Gaming five weeks after his arrival.

9z Team haven’t looked amazing lately, but they’re in a good spot to win this series. 9z Team to sweep is a bit of a bold pick, but at $2.60 with top esports betting sites, it’s a solid value bet.

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According to a report by Dust2 Brasil, the deal between the two CS:GO teams is nearly complete. If all goes as planned, 00Nation will be acquiring 9z’s top AWPer, Lucas “nqz” Soares, while 00 Nation’s star AWPer Santino “try” Rigal will be returning to his previous team 9z. The swap is set to shake up the competitive landscape in the world of esports, as both Karma and Apollo are well-known and highly skilled players.

Nqz has been a key member of 9z’s lineup in the past few months since joining the team in June 2022 from B4 Esports, consistently putting up impressive performances and helping the team achieve numerous victories. He is known for his precise and aggressive playstyle, making him a valuable asset to any team.

Try, on the other hand, has been a staple of 00Nation’s lineup for nearly a year, having joined the team in January 2022, and has been instrumental in the team’s success. He is known for his impeccable aim and strategic thinking, making him a formidable opponent for any team.

The potential move has received mixed reactions from fans and analysts. Some believe that the swap will benefit both teams, with nqz bringing his aggressive playstyle to 00Nation and try bringing his strategic thinking to 9z. Others are skeptical, pointing out that the teams will have to adjust to their new players and may take time to find their footing.

If it occurs, this would mean that nqz has chosen to join 00 Nation instead of Fluxo, who were reported to have also attempted to acquire the player.

After voicing his desire to return to 9z, try reportedly negotiated a move that would also see 00 Nation acquiring nqz. This news comes after 00 Nation had disappointing results at the IEM CS:GO Rio Major, where they suffered three defeats in the Challengers Stage against FURIA, IHC, and Bad News Eagles. In response to these disappointing results, 00 Nation reportedly began discussing potential roster changes.

Although 9z had a decent run in tournaments in Brazil, they were only able to secure two wins during the Challengers Stage, defeating Imperial Esports and Evil Geniuses. However, they lost to GamerLegion, BIG, and Fnatic and were unable to qualify for the next stage of the event.

00 Nation will commence their 2023 season campaign with an appearance at the ESL Pro League Season 17: South American Conference Stage on January 18th. It is expected that the team will make any official announcements prior to the start of the competition.

Overall, the alleged player swap between 00Nation and 9z is a major move that has the potential to shake up the competitive scene in esports. Only time will tell if the swap will pan out, but fans and analysts alike are sure to be closely following the developments as the new season begins.

The organization, also known as ZeroZero Nation, was acquired in July 2021 by Nordavind. The Sebastian Geurts-owned franchise revealed that it was introduced to Adidas in 2021 through the brand’s collaboration with the Norwegian football club Valerenga. 00 Nation led the charge of the creative work for the announcement of the collaboration. Adidas supplied gear for the club in the 1990s and again between 2011-2015.?

?The Chief Commercial Officer at 00 Nation, Steffen Willumsen, revealed that the current popularity surge of esports, especially among the younger generation, is one of the major reasons traditional sportswear brands are seeking out organizations to partner with.? ?According to Will, the brand’s decision to collaborate with them clearly showed that the franchise had significantly grown over the past year.?

?Willumsen said: ?”The partnership with Adidas is, without doubt, a landmark partnership for us as it is close to a manifestation of us moving exclusively from esports over to both competitive gaming and lifestyle verticals such as fashion.”? ?

00 Nation’s diversity shift has not come as much of a surprise. The company’s move to rebrand from Nordavind to 00 Nation in September 2021 signaled its desire to go into both the world of esports and that of gaming.? ?The organization is primarily Norwegian but has a strong presence in Brazil, mostly competing with Brazilian rosters in CS:GO and Rainbow Six Siege. They revealed their intention to leave the Rocket League scene earlier this week.? ?

In a press release, the Senior Brand & Omnichannel Activation Manager at Adidas Norge, Oda Fredrikstad, said, “We at Adidas work hard to engage Generation Z through our pillars; sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and credibility. We feel that 00Nation is a natural choice for us in the work of engaging in the future, and we are very much looking forward to it!”?

?Prior to their deal with Adidas, 00 Nation worked with big-name brands like Lenovo, DNB, and Microsoft XBOX. The Norwegian organization announced that the peripherals brand, Redragon, was made a sponsor of one of its Brazilian teams in a release last month.? ?

Adidas, on the other hand, had worked hand-in-hand with several other brands before its partnership with 00 Nation. The leading sports brand notably worked with Team Vitality in 2017.? ?Adidas got into the esports world as a pioneer due to its position as the first official supplier of the professional esports team. The collaboration of the duo led to the making of annual Adidas product lines in the colors of the team.

?Adidas has also worked with G2 Esports. The European organization is one of the leading esports brands and, as of 2020, the eighth most valuable company in esports. ?The multi-year agreement saw Adidas become the sole clothing provider for G2 and manufacturer of the organization’s official 2021 jersey.

Korean team DWG KIA was also among the sports brand’s previous partners.

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The franchise has appointed Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia (formerly of MIBR) as Global Esports Director. Additionally, Fred Tannure (formerly of Flamengo) and Chico Tattini (previously of Rensga and INTZ) have been appointed as Head of Marketing and Head of Partnerships, respectively, for the new Brazil-focused team.??

Also, Cleber “Fuzi” Fonseca – one of the owners of CNB eSports Club – has been appointed as Marketing Manager for 00 Nation. In the meantime, Victor Freire, Ed Vicentini, and Nuno Miranda will be joining the operations team.

??The restructuring of the executive team is in line with the organization’s renewal of its CS:GO team, which now includes well-known Brazilian players such as Marcelo “Coldzera” David and Epitácio “TACO” de Melo.??

READ: Best esports betting sites for Brazil

Sinigaglia and Tannure spoke about the future of the 00 Nation’s roster and their plans for the newly acquired players. The leaders of the organization have stated that one of their goals is to establish a connection with their target demographic, and they plan to do this by simultaneously cultivating a robust competitive spirit and producing content that focuses on lifestyle.??

“We want to create a community for 00 Nation that still does not exist here. We want people really supporting the team,” Tannure said.

Sinigaglia also emphasized that its Brazilian division is not shut down and that new hires will be made as the project progresses.

??“We can make good initial work with the names we have. As we expand, we will look into the market for people we believe to have the profile of the company we are building,”?? he said.

In addition to the announcements regarding personnel change, 00 Nation also revealed that the peripherals brand Redragon will be sponsoring their CS:GO and Rainbow Six teams in Brazil.?? Tattini, who had previously dealt with commercial deals involving INTZ and Rensga, and Tannure, who has already worked with Redragon in Flamengo Esports, were the ones who initiated contact.

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