The computer game StarCraft II, which saw the light of day in 2010, has become one of the most popular computer strategies of the last decade. The game was presented as a trilogy, with the most popular part being the latest Legacy of the Void expansion. StarSraft continues to make waves in the eSports world – tournaments gather a large audience of players from different countries, and the prize funds run into thousands of dollars. Did not leave the game without attention bookmakers – you can bet on tournaments in both domestic and foreign bookmakers.
Table of Contents
The Rules of the Game
The rules in StarCraft II correspond to the canons of the strategy games genre. The player chooses one of the possible races, which will play, and then the goal is the same for all – to develop their base as quickly and efficiently as possible. Players mine resources, build new buildings for them, create and improve units. To win, the player must destroy all of the opponent’s units and buildings.
Tournaments and prize pools
Starcraft tournaments are held all over the world. Some tournaments allow any gamer to participate – just open a StarCraft II account and join a tournament at a specific venue. The prize pools of such tournaments usually range from $50 to $200. Some tournaments are in “closed” mode – participants get to the tournament by invitation, and the prize pools run into thousands of dollars. In the top three largest tournaments at the world level are:
- North American Star League. The tournament takes place in the United States, the prize pool is $100,000 and private players can buy access to the live broadcast for only $10.
- DreamHack. The tournament takes place in Sweden and attracts 64 of the best players from around the world and requires qualifying rounds for participation. The tournament has a prize pool of 60,000 “green”.
- Intel Extreme Masters. March tournament sponsored by the world-renowned processor manufacturer. Participants undergo qualifying games, and then draw a prize fund of 83 thousand dollars.
Previously, the most prestigious tournaments were organized by the Blizzard Corporation, which released the game. Since 2020, the World Championship Series ceased to be held, giving way to other corporations.
What to look out for when betting?
Many factors carry weight in strategies, so it is advisable for bettors to pay attention to the following aspects.
The races: who is the stronger?
The game is played with three factions: Zerg, Protoss and Terrans. Each race has its own gameplay backstory, unique features and abilities. The company claims all the factions are equal and have no advantage in face-to-face encounters, but recently Blizzard has admitted that in the “Protoss-Terran” confrontation, the former get an advantage. Otherwise, the balance of power depends on the skill of the players.
Let’s take a look at the StarCraft factions, their game storylines and unique abilities:
- The Terrans are the descendants of humans, who have received the usual units of weaponry and buildings. The race has the ability to fix buildings, repair equipment and restore units. The race is versatile, advanced in every way, and also has invisible units.
- Zerg are insect-like creatures, the prototypes of which were Earth ants and bees. Endowed with the ability to think. The race is very strong, getting strong units, the ability to move underground, but as a minus gamers point out the difficult control.
- Protoss are the first-born, a wise ancient race responsible for maintaining peace in the galaxy. The faction quickly builds buildings, can use a special booster that speeds up construction or mastering improvements, gets strong units and powerful air power, but training new units is quite costly.
The creators work to maintain a balance between factions, so power overruns are usually quickly eliminated. Gamers can play as one race for an entire career or experiment with factions.
Player Style: Personal Performance as a Major Factor in Winning
A gamer’s skill determines the balance of power in the Starcraft universe. Some gamers produce high results all the time, while others are able to take a shot at a particular tournament and then retreat into the shadows. Gamers have their chips. For example, famous gamer Ruff chooses terrans and is known for his unconventional approach to using buildings, while another top cyber athlete Neeb prefers protoss and builds several bases to put pressure on his opponent.
Meta: About the patches
Maintaining the balance between races isn’t the developers’ only concern. The game receives constant updates, responsible for fixing existing bugs and improving the game’s performance and efficiency. After a patch is announced by the company, professional players and commentators give their feedback on what has changed in StarCraft II.
Ladder: Player Rating
Starcraft 2 has a gamer rating that reflects the balance of power at the moment. The table is constantly changing based on the results of tournaments. However, gamblers should not rely on the rating as a key strategy, since the table shows the cyberplayer’s success in the past tournaments, while the skills of his opponents may increase. It is not uncommon for underdogs to beat the leaderboard.
Map: Taking Advantage of a Map
The game offers a variety of maps, and different maps give small advantages to certain factions, but advantages are conditional, because the better a player knows the map topography, resource location and other aspects, the easier it is for him to get a sharp start and achieve rapid development of buildings and units.
Types of bets in StarCraft 2
Betting on Starcraft 2 differs from other cybersport events because the game follows its own rules and has a number of features. At most tournaments, meetings are held in duel mode (gamers play one-on-one). Sometimes there are battles in which one match takes place in a 2 on 2 or more format.
Outcome: Determine the winner of the encounter
The winner of a meeting is determined depending on the mode. There are tournaments where players need to get to two, three or four wins. Kapper bets on the victory of a particular player in the confrontation. There can be no draw result. You can bet on the overall victory, when the score in games does not matter, or on the score in the series – for example, to predict that one of the cyber athletes will defeat his opponent without a draw. Bets on the outcome of the meeting imply taking into account the following aspects:
- the form of the gamer at the time of the tournament;
- Efficiency of the gamer (it is better if the trader evaluates fresh duels);
- Statistics of face-to-face meetings between opponents;
- rating of the players.
Total duration
Bettors get the opportunity to predict the duration of the battle. Such bets on StarCraft II are very popular, but the average duration of the game directly depends on the updates. At the time of the trilogy’s release, gamers managed to play a match in 20 minutes. A decade later, one game often stretches for an hour. When predicting the duration, the bettor takes into account the gamer’s playing style and the peculiarities of the patch.
Total cards won
Cappers predict how many cards a particular gamer will win over the course of a tournament. The outcome is difficult to predict, so the total won cards are usually bet on by professional cardholders, who do deep analysis. You should not make conclusions from the first meetings. Often a player “awarded” the title of outsider is able to reach the final.
Gamer’s personal result
This type of outcome is also difficult to predict. Cappers predict what places at the end of the championship will take individual players in bets. For example, the bettor assumes that the player will win gold, silver, bronze or take the lowest positions. It is possible to guess such an outcome in case of a long analysis of statistical data.
How to choose a player for betting?
The following aspects are among the key aspects considered by the bettors to make a bet on a certain gamer:
- Winning percentage or win rate. The capper analyzes the percentage of wins of a particular player – the higher the win rate, the higher the chances of winning the championship in the end.
- Ratings. There is an international table with the rating of the best players. But do not rely solely on the rating – often “dark horses” beat out the leaders.
- Form of the player. A capper evaluates the form the gamer is in at the tournament – the player’s emotional state and preliminary preparation affect the final results.
- Race. Despite the expected balance, some gamers prefer to play for a particular race, but do not always manage to “win” it in the draft.
Exclusive StarCraft 2 betting strategies
Predicting this eSports discipline involves the use of a number of strategies in betting.
Against the favorite: why do favorites often lose?
Rating and win rate help to determine the favorite of the meeting or the tournament as a whole, but experienced punters use this data for the opposite purpose. Bettors often bet against the favorite, as the percentage of outsider wins is quite high. “Dark horses” often achieve wins over short distances – if the game is up to two wins. Longer distances, up to three or four wins, imply a higher probability of victory for the favorites.
Map: Who has the best terrain?
There are many maps available in Starcraft, with several being played within the confines of a single contest. Professional gamers approach the study of each map responsibly – they study the routes, the location of resources and the secrets of a particular area. The statistics shows that some factions win more often on certain maps. For example, the Dusk Towers map is usually won by the Terrans, while the Golden Wall terrain is usually won by the Protoss.
Mirrors: Enemy in Reflection
It is common for two of the same races to face off in a single combat. The decisive factor will be the percentage of gamer wins against the same race. For example, the famous cyber athlete Ruff likes to play for terrans, and against other terrans the gamer looks on his head higher. When two identical races meet, the skill of the player becomes crucial.