The gap between Shopify Rebellion, TSM, and the rest of the North American scene seems to be worlds apart given the outstanding individuals playing for the Rebels.
Pinnacle backs this notion, giving Shopify Rebellion measly odds of 1.66 to win outright. Close behind them is another North American standout TSM, slotted at second with odds of 1.99.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 15th, 5:00 A.M. (GMT)
Shopify Rebellion’s star-studded roster could not keep up in the Major though, exiting early after suffering back-to-back 2-0 defeats to 9Pandas and South American team Evil Geniuses despite successfully putting themselves in the upper bracket to begin the playoffs after a quality performance in the group stage.
It seemed like their individual prowess proved useless once everyone figured out the meta of patch 7.33 as the tournament progressed. Shopify Rebellion did not look competitive in the two series they played in the playoffs despite being the better team on paper. The team has a lot of figuring out to do as the Tour 3 commences. However, the skill gap between them and the rest of North America is more than enough to cover their lack of meta mastery at the moment.
Their only real rival to the throne is TSM, who bombed out of the group stages, getting last place in group A after winning only two games out of their sixteen maps played. The team most notably won Tour 2 after beating Shopify Rebellion in their best of three match to secure a perfect 7-0 run. The rebels would want nothing more but revenge and to secure themselves more DPC points in hopes to qualify for a TI slot.
Both teams look to qualify to The International via points, as the region will only have one slot coming out of the regional qualifiers. Shopify’s core has played with each other for a long time, only replacing their off-lane in a span of a few years. However, it seemed like Saberlight was the answer to their problems. Saberlight and his ability to dominate the lane has been one of the few bright spots of the North American scene. The huge changes in the side lanes of the map will surely be a challenge for Saberlight if he wants to maintain his skill level.
Despite the eight teams, it is almost a certainty that the North American Tour will come down to these two teams and no one else. Who is the better bet?
