Vici Gaming, the current best squad in the China region, will do battle against Keen Gaming in the MDL Disneyland Paris Major. This upcoming match-up is a best-of-three series that will see the losers go home with 150 Dota Pro Circuit points and the winners advance to the next round of the playoffs, where they will face either Team Liquid or paiN Gaming.
Vici dominated Group C, including PSG.LGD and paiN, without losing a single game. Looking into their draft, only Shadow Shaman and Abaddon being were picked more than once in the group stage. They do not have any limitation problems when it comes to drafting core heroes.
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Vici’s first opponents in the playoffs were Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP), the second seed from Group B. In game one, NiP did their homework and stole Shadow Shaman from Vici, who then picked Earth Spirit to work with Abaddon as dual core.
Moving to the game two, Vici Gaming went with the classic but gold combo picks, Phantom Assassin and Magnus. Without breaking a sweat, they won the game after Paparazi reached BeyondGodlike’s streak by securing 10 kills without dying.
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Vici’s draft was bad because they picked all range heroes without a frontliner after banning Drow Ranger. NiP’s draft was normal – Phantom Lancer and Razor to deal damage and tank with Enigma, Jakiro and Sand King as disablers.
Vici had to call GG because they did not have any chance of winning the game after Phantom Lancer purchased Heart of Tarrasque and Butterfly around the 30-minute mark.
Keen Gaming, the third-place holder from Group A, are not performing well in this tournament. They were only able to take down Beastcoast in the group stage before beating Fnatic in the first elimination match.
Both Beastcoast and Fnatic have made roster changes recently, so the two losses to Team Liquid in the group stage are probably a better read of Keen’s form.
Despite their draft issues against NiP, we give Vici Gaming an 80 per cent chance to win this match-up. That said, don’t be afraid to put some money on Keen Gaming in the live betting markets if they manage to pick up Drow Ranger.
Vicing Gaming to win – $1.44 at GG Bet
]]>After eliminating Beastcoast in the first round of the lower bracket at the 2019 MDL Disneyland Paris Major, Complexity Gaming (COL) will take on PSG.LGD in another elimination match.
This is a best-of-three series where the winner secures at least top eight in this tournament while the loser goes home with USD $15,000 and only 150 Dota Pro Circuit points.
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COL played seven games in the group stage, losing against both Evil Geniuses and OG while winning against Fnatic with a 2-1 score in the losers’ match.
They picked Sand King for five games and utilised his flexibility between position three and the support role, which resulted in only one win and four losses.
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PSG.LGD must be aware of this and think of a plan to counter this pick because COL may have an advantage if they first pick Sand King in their upcoming draft.
The Chinese giants lost against Vici Gaming’s Sand King once in the group stage, so there is a high chance COL might attempt to replicate that draft.
PSG.LGD have used a number of core heroes in this tournament, including Morphing, Storm Spirit, Leshrac, Naga Siren, Ursa as well as other tier-two heroes.
They definitely have better knowledge of the hero pool, which should help them in the draft.
We give PSG.LGD a 70 per cent chance of winning this match-up with a 2-0 scoreline.
A win in this tie will earn them a ticket into The International 9 in Shanghai, so there is plenty to play for.
PSG.LGD to win 2-0 – $1.53 at GG Bet
]]>After losing in the upper bracket at the MDL Disneyland Paris Major, Virtus.pro now take on Mineski in a best-of-three series which promises to provide some fireworks.
The best CIS team finished top of Group A despite failing to beat Beastcoast with Broodmother in game two.
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Virtus still dominated the group by taking down Beastcoast and Team Liquid and tried out plenty of core heroes in the draft, with Troll Warlord and Doom among their favourites.
They also showed the other participants that they are comfortable with Drow Ranger’s strategy together with Storm Spirit as position two, as per the second game against Team Liquid.
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Even when Liquid drafted Drow Ranger as well, Virtus still came out on top.
They could not get past OG, however, and must now take the long route towards the finals.
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Mineski never stood a chance of finishing top two in Group C, where Vici Gaming and PSG.LGD romped into the upper bracket.
The Southeast Asian side experimented with several heroes in the group stage, but LGD had all the answers and countered Mepoo’s play perfectly with Somnus’s Storm Spirit in the laning phase.
Mepoo will not work against such a formidable squad as Virtus.pro, who will be well aware that Mineski spammed this hero twice in the group stage.
We give Virtus.pro a 70 per cent chance to win this match-up in a clean sweep.
This is a high-class team that has eyes for a top-eight finish despite slipping from the upper bracket.
Virtus.pro to win 2-0 – $1.66 at GG Bet
]]>Team Liquid and Keen Gaming will kick off the MDL Disneyland Paris Major when the two Group A sides meet in a crucial best-of-three series on Saturday.
The match is an important for Team Liquid, who will be seeking revenge over Keen after their humiliating white-wash the last time these two sides met in a major.
In Liquid’s recent performances, they have been practicing a pushing strategy that has included heroes like Lycan, Abaddon, Leshrac, Lone Druid and Dazzle.
Lone Druid’s Spirit Bear is very tanky at this level because the bear has 1500 health points while other heroes only have base health points up to around 700.
Liquid ran five heroes together to push the bottom lane at level one and secured two towers before the three-minute mark.
Their opponents finally answered their calls when Liquid tried to force the high ground before the five-minute mark.
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Team Liquid was punished for their greediness in pushing the high ground when all of them were level one. They started to split up and get some level.
However, breaking two towers within the three-minute mark of the game provided them a lot of map control and net worth. So, Lycan, Dazzle and Lone Druid bought Necromaniac and finally won the game because enemies had no way to counter all those healing and wiping out those units under control by Liquid.
Keen Gaming, one of the hottest Chinese squads in the game, claimed the title of ESL One Mumbai 2019 two weeks ago by whitewashing Mineski 3-0 in the final.
On the way to that victory, Keen Gaming star Dark spammed Nyx Assassin at position five a number of times to great success.
Team Liquid might use one of their ban slots for this hero to counter Dark’s dominance.
Team Liquid may use a pushing strategy in this game, but we expect Keen Gaming to be prepared for it.
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After running our eye through their performances of late, we give Keen Gaming a 55% chance to win this match-up.
Considering the payout odds, our recommendation is to go medium and bet on Keen to win the series at $2.75 with GG Bet.
]]>First off, we have Evil Geniuses, one of the most stable squads in Dota 2. They have already grabbed their ticket to The International 9 by accumulating 4650 Dota Pro Circuit points.
Fnatic, featuring five star players including MP, Abed, iceiceice, DJ and Jabz. They are only 241 DPC points away from qualification into The International 9, so will be seeking, at minimum a top eight position here.
Being stuck in Group D could be a nightmare for Fnatic, given their competition.
Team OG has regrouped its best players and will look to stamp their authority on the sport and qualify for The International 9 by winning the title at Paris.
Complexity Gaming, a good team in their own right, is perhaps the weakest squad in this group. Furthermore, they had a roster adjustment at the end of the April, bringing in Jaron “monkeys-forever” Clinton to replace Yang “Deth” Wu Heng as their position three player.
Having such short time to train together before playing in such high tier tournament is a disadvantage that Complexity Gaming will live to regret.
Odds at GG Bet
Complexity Gaming – $51.00
Team OG – $15.00
Fnatic – $17.00
Evil Geniuses – $11.00
While we expect Complexity Gaming to be the bottom flagger in this group, the competitive scene between the other squads should be intense and tightly contested.
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Vici Gaming is the top China squad and third overall on the Dota Pro Circuit 2018-19 leaderboard. They secured their slot to the The International 9 at DreamLeague, so there is some speculation that they may not be at their best here.
PSG.LGD, the tournament’s favourite, should dominate Group C, especially consider Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao, the best player from the squad, is back from personal leave.
Pain Gaming, previously known as Butterfly Effect, is one of the dark horses in this tournament. They were the first squad to secure a slot in this main event by taking down others in from the South America Region, including Chaos Esports Club.
Mineski is the pride of SouthEast Asia region. Their most recent roster change saw Ryan “Bimbo” Jay Qui and Michael “ninjaboogie” Ross Jr. replace Kim “Febby” Yong-min and Johan “pieliedie” ?str?m.
Raging Potato and ninjaboogie might not be stronger than Febby and pieliedie in individual skill, but they definitely have better synergy and tactics to work with the team.
Odds at GG Bet
PSG.LGD – $7.00
Vici Gaming – $9.00
Pain Gaming – $41.00
Mineski – $21.00
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PSG.LGD should take one of the upper bracket slot in the playoffs, while Mineski and Vici Gaming should compete for the second upper bracket slot. Without a doubt, Pain Gaming is the loser in this group.
]]>Team Secret was a key competitor in Dota 2’s last major and we have no doubt they’re going to take down other squads in this group and make it to the upper bracket in this tournament. However, it must be noted that they are already qualified into The International 9 and should be playing pressure-free.
Team Empire, the newest member of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) ladderhas secured at least 75 DPC points after taking down Natus Vincere in CIS Closed Qualifier. This is their first time they have joined any main Valve event in the Dota Pro Circuit 2018-19 Season. They should be the bottom flagger in this group.
Chaos Esports Club was the second team advance into main event after Pain Gaming, previously known as Butterfly Effect.
Chaos’s performance in its previous Major was strong. They knocked out Team Liquid in the first round of loser bracket in the playoffs, but then suffered a disappointing loss to Pain Gaming.
Last but not least, we have Ninja In Pyjamas, who also come from the Europe region. Their recent draft and performance against EHOME in the finals of Dota PIT Minor was remarkable.
Drow Ranger and Broodmother are definitely their key weapons to win against other squads and even upset Team Secret in the group stage.
While Team Secret is the strongest contestant in this group and Team Empire is the bottom flagger, the battle between Ninja In Pyjamas and Chaos Esports to become the second team to advance will be fascinating.
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This group’s formation is similar to group A in DreamLeague Season 11, which featured Team Liquid, Team Secret, Keen Gaming and J.Storm — which could give us a good guide to how things may fare here.
Team Liquid were the biggest surprise in DreamLeague because they not only lost to Keen Gaming and Team Secret in the group stage, but suffered a humiliating elimination after a lost to Chaos Esports Club in the playoffs.
Despite their failures last month, Liquid have been busy practising and look well-prepared this time around. There’s real hype surrounding them in this tournament.
Virtus Pro is currently ranked number one on the Dota Pro Circuit 2018-19 season table and already have their ticket to The International 9. They will be free of pressure heading into this tournament and in top form.
Keen Gaming, a top five team from China, delivered a strong result at DreamLeague, whitewashing Team Liquid in the group stage. Although history may not repeat at Paris, they certainly have the ability to upset Virtus Pro and Team Liquid.
TEAM TEAM should be the weakest squad in group A. Not only did Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao join the squad on March 25, but Nico “Gunnar” Lopez and Jason “Newsham” Newsham also left the squad, replaced by Eric “Ryoya” Dong and Timothy “tmt” Ong on April 30. They only have four days of practicing to build up synergy in the group stage.
Odds at GG Bet
Virtus Pro – $5.00
Team Liquid – $11.00
Keen Gaming – $19.00
TEAM TEAM – $51.00
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15 teams competing at the home of Mickey Mouse have come from six different regions’ qualifying tournaments, while the 16th got its ticket after clinching the title at OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019.
Here is a breakdown of where the combatants are coming from:
Europe: Team Secret, Team Liquid, OG
CIS: Virtus Pro, Team Empire
China: Keen Gaming, PSG.LGD, Vici Gaming
SouthEast Asia: Fnatic, Mineski
South America: Pain Gaming, Chaos Esports Club
North America: Evil Geniuses, Complexity Gaming, TEAM TEAM
Dota PIT Minor champion: Ninja In Pyjamas
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Four groups of four teams will compete in a GSL double-elimination format from May 4-5 at the Disney Events Arena, Paris, France, and playoffs will begin on May 5 until the Grand Finals on May 12.
Which teams will be using this major as a launching pad for The International 9? Here are some key facts:
Team Secret, Virtus Pro, Vici Gaming and Evil Geniuses already have their ticket booked to Shanghai for The International 9.
Fnatic only needs another 241 DPC points to get their invitation to The International 9 and PSG.LGD requires another 901 DPC points. Fnatic only needs to secure a top 8 finish in this tournament, while PSG.LGD have to secure top four place to collect those points.
Keen Gaming and Ninja In Pyjamas have to secure top two in this tournament to make The International 9.
Team Liquid has only accumulated 525 DPC points for the season so far, but are consistently rated among the top five alongside teams like Virtus Pro and Team Secret and could surprise punters in Paris.
Stay tuned to our news and tips section as we report and provide previews for the tournament.
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The results from last week’s Dota 2 battles sent shockwaves throughout the game as Pacific ESports also eliminated Thunder Predator mercilessly.
Following the results, Infamous, Thunder Predator, Gorillaz-Pride, Pacific Esports and SG e-sports received their invitation to participant in OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019 South America Qualifier.
Not exactly what they would have hoped for at the start of the week.
Pacific Esports’ first opponent was SG e-sports, the squad that finished in 7th-8th place in the MDL South America Closed Qualifier.
The two sides had not met in the MDL previously because Pacific was eliminated in Group A and SG was beaten by Infamous and the Demolition Boys in Group B.
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Pacific stuck to their plan of drafting Chaos Knight as their carry, despite their failure in MDL. K1, the carry player from this squad, picked Chaos Knight again in their game one.
He went on beast mode by killing 19 enemies without dying after a 40 minutes. He also had 13 assists and golds per minute up to 896.
After taking down SG, Team X was the second opponent they encountered in the playoffs.
Dunha1, the support position player from Pacific, was the MVP against Team X.
In game one, he played Earth Spirit and had several successful roaming efforts in the early stage of the game, allowing Templar Assassin from the same team to purchase Power Threat and Blink Dagger by the 12-minute mark.
With these advantages, Templar Assassin and Earth Spirit kept moving around the map and Nature Prophet from Team X had no space to rat and farm. Team X surrendered the game because they could not clear the tower outside Pacific’s base.
Moving forward to the finals, Pacific went up against Thunder Predator.
Thunder Predator did their homework and banned Oracle along with Earth Spirit in its first opportunity to deny the chance of Pacific taking them in game one. They also first picked Doombringer to prevent Pacific picking Templar Assassin.
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Thunder Predator won the first game easily by out-drafting Pacific.
However, Pacific Esports totally crashed Thunder Predator with Nyx Assassin in game two. DoomBringer and Batrider’s movement were limited by Nyx Assassin, hence Pacific took the victory.
In game three, Thunder Predator made a mistake by not banning Earth Spirit and Dunha1 lead the victory towards Pacific after getting 17 assists in game three.
Pacific Esports is definitely one of the dark horses in OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019, but they still have long way to go if they want to take home the title of PIT Minor.
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