Valve are hoping lightning can strike twice for Dota 2
The International, the biggest tournament in eSports today, is a revelation.
Sixteen teams, a prize pot topping $18m and more than 4.6 million online viewers for the final was just the latest step in eSports’ enormous success story.
Accordingly, Valve now want to spread that success throughout the year, and have created three additional new tournaments for autumn, winter and spring – with summer of course being the aforementioned ‘The International’.
Together, they form the Dota 2 Major Championships. First off the block? The Frankfurt Major.
With a fixed prize pot of $3m, the Frankfurt Major understandably isn’t starting with the same scope as The International, but the level of competition is just as fierce – with all your favourite teams competing.
The Main Event format is the same, the group stage leading to a double elimination bracket. After all, why mess with a winning formula?
Evil Geniuses
Speaking of winning, can anyone see past Evil Geniuses adding to their title from The International 5 (TI5)? First on the invite list for Frankfurt, they’re somehow only third favourites at 5/1 – probably because of their mixed bag of results since that outstanding triumph – but then they’ve always blown hot and cold between tournaments, delivering in spades when it counts.
While we were as surprised as anyone at Aui_2000 being kicked from the team just one week after the victory, we can understand Peter ‘ppd’ Dager’s post on the subject and the pressure that Aui’s apparent inability to deal with nerves must have placed on the rest of the team.
At the end of the day, it is his call as captain. In fact, it may be the biggest reason this writer make them favourites.
If they could fight through The International and defeat surprise package CDEC in the final while supposedly carrying a player, now he’s gone (and they’re a team that thrives on confidence), the rest of the field had better look out.
Team Secret
5/2 favourites for the Frankfurt Major, Team Secret are testament that sometimes it’s better just to tear up the formula and start again.
Captain Puppey was the only player left after a brutal reshuffle period saw the rest of the squad leave for other teams. That could have been the end of Secret.
Instead, Puppey recruited MiSeRy and EternaL_EnVy for their valuable experience with Cloud 9.
Things started strong with a second place finish at ESL One New York, before securing the results that make them favourites here – a storming victory at the MLG World Finals over the aforementioned International champs, Evil Geniuses – followed up with a win at the Nanyang Championships.
The future looks rosy, as long as they can keep up this form.
If there is one weak link in the team, you’d have to look at w33.
A midlaner pubstar by trade, can he keep it together consistently on the big stages with a lack of experience? If he can, they more than justify their favourites tag.
Vici Gaming
Second favourites at 13/4 seems appropriate, since Vici Gaming have the reputation of always being the runners up. Bridesmaids, not the bride if you will.
It’s been a rough time for Vici recently, after a strong showing in The International 2014 (finishing second, of course), they came into 2015’s edition suffering a crisis of confidence – not reaching any major finals in the run up.
Things didn’t improve once they were there, being relegated to the lower bracket before the main event kicked off.
It seemed that this finally ignited the anger that had been missing from their feeble performances up to that point. They tore through the lower bracket, knocking out Cloud 9, EHOME and Na’Vi amongst others – eventually narrowly finishing a more respectable fourth and earning the invite to Frankfurt.
Once TI5 was over, they changed their carry again for the third time in a year and a half. But this time it looks like they’ve got it right.
Recruiting the legend that is BurNIng, they finished second behind Team Secret in the Nanyang Championships a few short weeks ago. Of course they did.
Vici are a far more intimidating team than they were until recently. But thanks to whatever cursed star they are under, it seems certain they’ll finish second once again.
It’s hard to look past Team Secret, Vici Gaming or Evil Geniuses for the trophy in Valve’s brand new Frankfurt Major.
Fairytale story CDEC Gaming will surely be in the running (8/1), as will EHOME (6/1), OG (9/1) and Vega Squadron (12/1).
Plus, if you bet on any outright winner of Frankfurt and Team Secret do end up winning it, we’re refunding all losing bets with a free bet up to £20*.
So you can get top value on the rest of the field with confidence.
Who are you backing for Dota 2 glory? Let us know at @betwayesports.
