9 Pandas and Wildcard will meet in the grand final of the Frost and Fire Europe tournament. 9 Pandas are continuing to gain momentum at the start of the new season, as are Wildcard. Both teams are also set to participate in the first major tournament of this season, namely the BLAST Bounty Spring.

Current Team Form

Wildcard

The average rating for Wildcard at the Frost and Fire Europe tournament over the past month is 6.0. The team previously participated in the Perfect World Shanghai Major in the Opening Stage and Elimination stages. In the Opening Stage, Wildcard showed a decent result, finishing the series with a score of 3-2. However, in the Elimination Stage, the team faced significant difficulties and could not win a single match, ending their performance with a score of 0-3.

In their last five matches, Wildcard secured two victories, defeating SINNERS and Insilio, but fell to teams like GamerLegion, Spirit, and FaZe.

9 Pandas

The average rating for 9 Pandas at the Frost and Fire Europe tournament is 6.1. Previously, the team participated in the Perfect World Shanghai Major European RMR B, where they were unable to advance to the major, finishing with a result of 2-3. Nonetheless, before that, 9 Pandas secured victory in the C-tier tournament European Pro League Season 20.

In their last five matches, the team won three times, defeating EYEBALLERS, GenOne, and Aurora. They suffered losses against NIP and Virtus.pro.

Team Map Pool

Wildcard

Wildcard prioritizes banning the map Mirage, which they have excluded 43 times. Among their picks, the team chooses Ancient (34 times, win rate 62%), Inferno (17 times, win rate 71%), and Nuke (17 times, win rate 65%). The most successful maps for Wildcard are Vertigo (win rate 80%), Inferno (71%), and Dust 2 (69%).

9 Pandas

9 Pandas most frequently ban Vertigo, excluding it in 52 instances. When selecting a map, the team considers the opponents' weaknesses and prefers Nuke (39 times, win rate 67%), Dust 2 (28 times, win rate 75%), and Anubis (25 times, win rate 40%). The best maps for the team by win rate are Dust 2 (75%), Inferno (74%), and Nuke (67%).

Map Choice Prediction: Wildcard are likely to pick Inferno, while 9 Pandas might choose Dust 2, considering the high win rates both teams have on these maps. Nuke could be the deciding map.

Match Prediction

Based on the current form of the teams and map pool analysis, it can be predicted that the match will be tense. Wildcard shows decent results on individual maps, such as Inferno and Vertigo, but overall team stability raises questions, especially after their failure in the Elimination Stage.

9 Pandas look more confident due to victories in recent matches and a high win rate on Dust 2 and Inferno. However, it's worth considering that Wildcard managed to reach the major and performed well by advancing to the Elimination Stage, whereas 9 Pandas did not pass the RMR.

Prediction: Wildcard will win 2-1

Frost and Fire Europe runs from December 27 to January 12, with 20 teams participating. The tournament's prize pool is $40,000. More details about the tournament can be followed through this link.