Stake Pulse Beat II continues on September 22 with HEROIC vs Johnny Speeds and Virtus.pro vs BBL Esports in Group B.
Stake Pulse Beat II continues on Tuesday, September 22, with the opening round of Group B, when HEROIC face off against Johnny Speeds, followed by a clash between Virtus.pro and BBL Esports.
At Esportbet, you can find free Counter-Strike 2 betting previews and picks for the two games, along with odds from the top-rated esports bookmakers.
HEROIC are expected to shine at Stake Pulse Beat II, as they travel to Sweden as the third-highest-rated team, sitting in 27th spot in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
Johnny Speeds, on the other side, are ranked 113th, after failing to accomplish much in their recent competitive endeavours.
The Swedes are not only much lower rated, but they have played just two games since August 5, when they exited Stake Pulse Beat I in the semifinals.
Both matches since have ended in defeats, with 4-13 against WOPA and 9-13 against Phantom Esports during Pulse Beat III open qualifiers.
HEROIC have not been hugely successful in their recent tournament appearances either, but they are 10-2 from the last 12 outings.
That stretch includes some worrying results, namely the defeats against Virtus.pro and 1w Team, proving that HEROIC can bleed.
HEROIC are worth fading in this event as they might have the brand name, but not the necessary results to inspire confidence that they can consistently win against lower-ranked squads.
However, considering how weak Johnny Speeds have been this season, a 2-0 sweep for HEROIC seems likely.
HEROIC -1.5 maps
Virtus.pro are listed as -106.38 underdogs on the best CS2 bookmakers to defeat BBL Esports on Tuesday.
There is, however, little to suggest that they will struggle.
Virtus.pro are not the same powerhouse they were years before, but they have been finding some success in lower-rated tournaments of late.
Notably, VP finished ESL Challenger League S52 Europe in second place, and they made it through the Thunderpick World Championship global qualifiers this month.
On a five-game winning streak, VP have demonstrated strong form.
And with a better map win rate on Cache, Dust2, Mirage, and Ancient, Virtus.pro should be in a fine spot to handle BBL Esports, who recently exited Logitech G Play Connect 2026 in the first round of the playoffs.
Virtus.pro to win
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
