?Team SMG gained a large following of Dota 2 fans last season thanks to their consistency, but Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng and co. will face a tough challenge this Friday when they clash with Xtreme Gaming. The all-Chinese roster enter the Huya Dota 2 Winter Invitational as a relatively unknown threat, but also a squad that demands respect.

Fielding former Sparking Arrow Gaming duo in Wang “J” Wenjun and Sun “Srf” Runfa, who teamed up by former Vici Gaming teammates in Ding “Dy” Cong, Xiong “Pyw”‘ Jiahan, and Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun, Xtreme Gaming seem to be a second attempt at creating a Chinese Dota 2 superteam, after Elephant fell flat at The International 10. While we don’t know how well Xtreme will do this season, they have successfully qualified for the upper division of the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), which is nothing to sneeze at.

Team SMG are known to do well against stronger teams, but at $2.28, we have to side with the new Chinese superteam to deliver.

?Vici Gaming enter the new season with a much weaker roster, and while they still have some solid pieces, Vici will likely struggle to claim a top-two finish in Group A. They might prove us wrong, but to do so, Vici can’t afford to lose against Team MagMa.

MagMa enter the Huya Dota 2 Winter Invitational following an impressive top-two finish in Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Tour 1 Division II. Although they couldn’t beat Xtreme Gaming (0-2), MagMa looked very convincing in the remaining outings and proved that they deserve to carry the tag as one of the strongest teams in the region.

On paper, Yang “poyoyo” Shaohan and co. look like the most likely victors, but we haven’t seen them play yet, so it’s fair to question whether they’re really as strong as the latest Dota 2 betting odds suggest. We know that MagMa are good enough to put up a fight, so a draw is a real possibility, but at $6.04, we have to add a smaller wager on the outsiders to cause an upset.

?Clashes between the main roster and its academy team are always exciting, but they tend to end in only one way. As the Dota 2 betting odds suggest, Invictus Gaming should win, and while we have no issue with that, it’s shocking to see them priced as high as $2.06.

For whatever reason, IG are not getting much respect from the top esports betting sites this tournament, which is confusing, knowing that Zhou “Emo” Yi and his crew placed in the top four at The International 10 just two months back.

Ring rust is a factor, and it will likely affect IG’s performances at the start, but by the time they clash with iG.Vitality, Emo and co. would have already played two games. There is quite a significant skill gap between these two squads, and there is no reason to believe IG can’t win.

?OB Esports x Neon have left a lot to be desired with their performances this season. Since placing in the top four at BTS Pro Series Season 9 Southeast Asia in November, OB.Neon have managed only one win across six outings and are now on a five-game losing streak.

Over that stretch, OB.Neon fell against BOOM Esports (twice), Fnatic, Execration, and Motivate.Trust Gaming. Admittedly, OB.Neon had a rough schedule, but that’s no excuse for their poor performances.

This will be Invictus Gaming’s first official match since The International 10 in October, so some ring rust is expected. Even so, there is no reason to doubt a team that placed in the top four at the TI10. IG should be winning games like this one with their eyes closed.

?Like the bout between Invictus Gaming and OB Esports x Neon, this one features a second-tier squad in Team SMG and a rusty Dota 2 juggernaut in Vici Gaming. In this instance, however, there is a good chance we might see an upset.

Team SMG are in solid form, having won two fixtures in the top division of the Southeast Asian Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Tour 1 with clean sweeps of Fnatic and Motivate.Trust Gaming. They failed to show up against T1 (0-2) and BOOM Esports (0-2), but those are two of the strongest teams in the region, so that’s hardly concerning.

At first glance, the offered Dota 2 betting odds seem a bit off, but we have to note that Vici Gaming are no longer the same roster that finished in the top six at The International 10 in October. The team still features some solid pieces, but we will continue to doubt Vici before seeing the new-look squad in action.

Vici Gaming will need some to shake off the rust, and the synergy can’t be great either, which should present Team SMG with an excellent opportunity to cause some damage. SMG to win one map at $1.55 is a solid bet, but there’s more value with a straight bet on the outsiders.

KeSPA Cup 2020

?The second round of KeSPA Cup 2020 will begin with a clash between KT Rolster and Fredit BRION (formerly hyFresh Blade). Given that BRION hail from Challengers Korea (CK), it’s hard to be overly excited about their chances to upset KT Rolster, but it’s not an impossible task.

Outside of acquiring Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon as a replacement for Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho, KT Rolster have not made any significant roster changes ahead of the 2021 season. That is somewhat concerning, especially with the departure of ADC Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram.

KT Rolster have also promoted six academy players to their main squad this month, which suggests they will likely field their B-team for the KeSPA Cup rather than their preferred starting lineup. This should give Fredit BRION a solid chance to win for an upset win at decent odds.

?T1 have confirmed they’re sending their academy squad to the KeSPA Cup, while Hanwha Life Esports are expected to field their starting lineup. Hanwha have also made a few significant roster changes during the offseason, namely the signing of two ex-DRX players in mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon and ADC Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu.

Although T1 field a fairly solid academy team, we shouldn’t expect any surprises. It’s unknown which roster Hanwha Life will use for the KeSPA Cup, but it’s safe to expect a balanced mix of main and academy roster players, which should be enough for a comfortable win.

?Both teams enter this match with their academy roster, and while T1’s squad looks slightly stronger on paper, they’re not worth a bet at these odds. Most of Gen.G’s academy players have previous League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) experience, so they should be very competitive.

The only notable advantage T1 could potentially have comes in the top lane, where they field Kim “Roach” Kang-hee, but we don’t believe he will have a major impact on the fixture from his position. A bet on the outsiders makes more sense to us.

Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational

?Team MagMa will clash with Neon Esports for the third time this year and for the first time since Wednesday, when they bested Neon 2-1 during the Moon Studio Carnival Cup. It marked MagMa’s first head-to-head victory after two 0-2 losses in late November and early December.

It’s not like MagMa made any significant roster changes that helped them defeat Neon last time out, so it’s fair to say that their recent success came down to form. On that note, MagMa enter this match in very questionable shape with a 2-3 record from their last five outings, which includes losses against Dalanjing Gaming, LBZS and Ink Ice.

Regardless, Neon Esports’ form is even worse with only two wins in their last 10. Due to Neon’s uninspiring results, we don’t feel comfortable siding with them, but since both sides seem a bit shaky, a three-map series is likely on the cards.

?The odds on Royal Never Give Up to win this bout seem very generous. Although Team Aster have improved significantly across the last two months, they’re still a bit too inconsistent for us to say they belong amongst the top bracket of Chinese Dota2 esports teams.

What’s more, RNG are 6-1-3 up in the head-to-head stakes this year and have swept Aster in both of their last two meetings. It’s worth noting that RNG announced Su “Flyby” Lei as a stand-in for Sun “Srf” Runfa during the Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational, but that’s hardly a downgrade considering FlyBy has been averaging the highest KDA (4.71) on the team. At these odds, we have to side with RNG to win.

Esports multi bet tips for Tuesday, December 22

European Development Championship Season 1

Natus Vincere Junior have come a long way this year and now look like a proper tier-two CS:GO esports team. Recent achievements include a silver medal from Eden Arena: Malta Vibes – Week 5 and a top-four finish at the CTRL PLAY LEAGUE.

Movistar Riders seemed a bit off in their loss against ESPADA in the group stage and even dropped 22 rounds in their series with BEZ ZP. Regardless, they seem to have improved judging by their 2-0 sweep of ENDPOINT in the quarter-finals.

Both teams are in good form, which makes us believe this match will be a coin-flip. NaVi Jr should be slightly favoured, but with Valerii “B1T” Vakhovskyi out of the team while he helps NaVi’s main roster fight their way through Intel Extreme Masters Season XV – Global Challenge, NaVi Jr seem poised to drop at least one map.

BTS Pro Series Season 4: Southeast Asia

Team Dog fought their way into the BTS Pro Series upper-bracket finals with an impressive reverse-sweep win against T1 (2-1) on Thursday. Similarly, TNC Predator had to work hard to defeat Fnatic (2-1), but it’s fair to say they were the better team on the day.

The odds at esports betting sites heavily favour TNC, and we would argue they might even be a little overpriced due to their 1-1 stalemate with Team Dog on Sunday. Still, we don’t recommend a bet on the head-to-head market in this one.

TNC to win 2-0 might be a better pick, but they’re not nearly consistent enough for us to take a shot on that either. Team Dog to win one map and over the line is a much better pick, in our book.

Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational

Invictus Gaming have yet to lose a single match this tournament, and it seems highly unlikely that will change on Saturday. So far, IG have beaten Team MagMa and Phoenix Gaming, whereas Neon Esports defeated Execration on Tuesday and lost to Phoenix on Thursday.

The last time these two sides met was in October, when Neon forced a 1-1 stalemate, but that does not mean much considering IG were struggling with their form at the time. Anything less than a 2-0 sweep for IG will be a huge disappointment.

These two sides last met in July, when CDEC Gaming locked in their fifth head-to-head win of the year with a 2-0 sweep. It also marked CDEC’s fourth consecutive triumph against Royal Never Give Up, which might suggest the trend will continue on Saturday, but we don’t believe that will be the case.

CDEC are not nearly as strong as they were before the departure of their entire roster in September. While the current squad is somewhat competitive, CDEC only seem to do well in low-tier tournaments.

That is not to say RNG are a far superior team, but they are holding on well in the online era of Dota 2 esports and consistently do well against weaker opponents. RNG should be in for a field day.

Esports multi bet tips for Saturday, December 19

European Development Championship Season 1

?K23 enter this match with an 8-2 record in their last 10 outings. During that stretch, Sanzhar “neaLaN” Iskhakov and co. lost only to Apeks and Wisla Krakow, and they have since defeated Copenhagen Flames (twice), ALTERNATE aTTaX, AVEZ and ENDPOINT in a five-game winning streak.

SKADE hold a 2-3 record in their last five outings, which might not look too good, but their losses came against SJ Gaming, HellRaisers and Gambit Esports, who are all arguably stronger than K23. The Bulgarians have been fairly solid across the last month, so they are worth a shot at odds.

?Saw are billed as heavy favourites against Budapest Five, which seems fair on form. Since last Thursday, the Portuguese have lost only to Virtus.pro (1-3) and had no issues when faced with Movistar Riders, Nemiga Gaming, forZe and most recently ESPADA.

Budapest Five hold a 3-3 record in December. That includes losses against ENDPOINT, MBAPPEEK and Team LDLC and wins against Illuminar Gaming, forZe and semi-pro Hungarian squad Békéscsabai E-Sport Egyesület.

Regardless of sAw’s form, we don’t believe this match will end in a 2-0 sweep. They consistently drop maps in their games, and even when they don’t, the score is usually very tight. Budapest Five to win one map and cover the line is a good bet in our book.

Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational

?These teams last met in October, when Neon Esports took the series lead but were forced into a stalemate after IO’s comeback on the second map. It marked their second meeting of the year after Neon bested IO during the ESL One Thailand 2020 Asian open qualifiers with 1-0 in a 62-minute game.

IO have only one match on their record this month, and even that was against a semi-pro team in Oceanus Gaming. Neon, on the other side, appeared in 10 official games in the past week alone, facing some of the strongest squads from the region.

Neon might not be the most consistent team out there, but they seem ready to secure a clean sweep on Friday.

?Execration are still looking to claim their first win of the tournament after narrow losses against Neon Esports and Team MagMa, but doing so on Friday will be a tall order.

Phoenix lost their opening fixture against Invictus Gaming but have since beaten team void, Team MagMa (twice), Access and Team Sirius to extend their winning streak to five.

While it would be fair to say that Execration are equal to Phoenix quality-wise, we have to side with the form team in a tight betting market.

Perfect World Dota2 League Season 3 – Division A

?After a forfeit win against Galaxy Racer and a 2-0 sweep of Ink Ice on Saturday, Dalanjing Gaming enter this match looking to claim their third victory of the tournament.

Team MagMa, on the other side, lost to Ink Ice (0-2) last Friday, but they were likely a bit fatigued since they had to play one more game that day. That theory was all but confirmed when MagMa swept Galaxy Racer in their next bout.

We are not saying Dalanjing are a bad team, but they should not be priced at such low odds against a squad that is competing in some of the toughest Chinese Dota 2 esports tournaments on the calendar. At this price, siding with MagMa is a no-brainer.

??Esports multi bet tips for Friday, December 18