After being postponed in 2020 to the disappointment of eager fans, the hottest tournament on the Major Championship Circuit is now scheduled to begin on August 5, 2021. The International, abbreviated as TI, will be thrown open in Stockholm with a prize pool of $40 million!
With the excitement of this prestigious tournament building up, betters and bookmakers are at work calculating odds and placing bets. You can introduce yourself to the same on this dota 2 betting site. You can read reviews and comments by experts like Evelyn Balyton in the field of esports betting.
Champions from several contests in the Dota Pro Circuits await invites for this decisive tournament every year. These battles are entry passes to Valve-sponsored tournaments. Six regional leagues, namely Europe, China, South East Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), North America and South America, will fight each other for rankings in a best of three series.
The regional teams in each league will compete against each other in a robin hood format. The upper-division winners will get a spot in the major, while the runner-ups can compete on the group stage. Contestants in the upper division are only competing for a spot in the upper-division by next year. Let us look at these leagues, their track records and expectations in TI 2021.
- Europe- OG, Team Secret
- China- Elephant, Invictus Gaming
- Southeast Asia- TNC Predator and Fanatic
- CIS- Virtuous Pro, Natus Vincere
- North America- Evil Geniuses, Quincy Crew
- South America- Thunder Predator, Beastcoast.
1. Europe
European teams drew loud cheers when they entered the Singapore Major 2020 tournament. OG is an exceptionally talented contestant in the upper division, given that they almost won the EPIC League and OGA Dota PIT Season 4. OG has recently mentioned that they would be including a fifth player on their team, possibly flameZ. This news has given hope to fans that the game might tilt in their favor.
Team Secret, who mostly shone in 2020, and secured fourth place in the Singapore Major 2021, is also a potential victor. Apart from these, Team Liquid and Team Nigma also show promise, although one would be less sure of them based on past performance.
In the lower division, we have Spider Pigzs with talented players like Mitch, dnz and ThugG. Brame Banner is also a good bet, with Skylark, SsaSpartan and Focus teaming together in this one. Though demoted to the lower division, Viking GG has been showing off their form in the past few months. There’s another team with a better shot; the Hellbear Smashers featuring tough gamers like Ace and Misery, who have competed since the early days of Dota 2.
2. China
The recently formed China Dota 2 Professional Association has stimulated intense competition in China in the past year. There are eight teams in the upper division and 4 in the lower division. Elephant, formed toward the end of 2020 and led by early achiever fy, is the biggest center of attention. Invictus Gaming have also gained high popularity after a spectacular triumph over the Evil Geniuses from North America in the grand finals of Singapore Major 2021. PSG.LGD, Vici Gaming and EHOME are also quite capable of rising to the top ranks. Other teams that could disrupt this hierarchy include LBZS, Aster and MagMa.
3. Southeast Asia
South Asia is still nursing its pandemic wounds; hence the competition is a bit slumped down. In 2019, major teams like Reality Rift and Greek Fam were disbanded for this reason. There are a total of 16 units evenly distributed across the upper and lower divisions.
The dominant players are TNC Predator and Fanatic, who were a big deal before the pandemic. But recently, they have suffered blows because of experienced players leaving the squad. However, TNC is trying to redeem itself, as demonstrated by their victory at the BTS Pro Series Season 4 in December.
4. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
The CIS cluster, too, doesn’t have much to show for the past year. Virtuous Pro got kicked out of the Singapore Major 2021 when they came in eighth place. They would have won if it wasn’t for the tough fight from Thunder Predator of South America. But they appear to be at the top of the regional competition right now.
Another key contestant, Natus Vincere, withdrew because three of the players tested covid positive. But now they have a talented young gun like RAMZES666 on their team, which gives us a reason for optimism.
AS Monaco Gambit missed their spot in the wild card stage. PuckChamp and Winstrike are still strengthening their recently secured place in the upper-division. Experienced players like Dendi and Solo are leading their teams in the lower division.
5. North America
North America appears to be the most powerful league of the six. They outperformed everyone else in the Singapore Major 2021. Evil Geniuses bagged the prize, and Quincy Crew was in the playoffs. Evil Geniuses are regional favorites because of their impressive track record and multi-national roster.
There are a total of 16 teams in the upper and lower divisions. Undying and 4 Zoomers showed promise in seasons one and two. Undying missed a spot in the major due to a tie-breaker. We don’t know what to expect of PentAce and Black N Yellow since their lineup has undergone significant transformations.
6. South America
The highlight of the South American region is Thunder Predator, who played a fantastic turnaround game to secure a position in the top five. Beastcoast would be the next best thing to bet on. They could not compete in season one because of covid, but as long as they survive to season two, they can get a slot in the TI.
