by The Dota 2 World Pro Invitationals Singapore will feature 12 teams from all corners of the world and a US $500,000 prize pool. The tournament will be played from December 17-22 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Our tournament preview includes team news, betting predictions, and the latest outright odds at BetOnline.
Can the underdogs make some noise?
Five of the 12 teams invited to Singapore will struggle to make an impact. Gambit Esports (+3100), J.Storm (+2900), Natus Vincere (+2900), Team Aster (+2700) and Virtus.pro (+1900) all lack the quality required to mount a serious challenge for the title in Singapore.
Dark horses and value bets
Alliance – +1600 at BetOnline
While in a better position compared to the five underdogs, Alliance are the longest of the outside chances for the Dota 2 World Pro title. After dropping their entire roster after an underwhelming run at The International 9, Alliance assembled a new squad from European free agents and ended up winning DreamLeague S12. While Alliance have improved since their personnel overhaul, it remains to be seen whether they can stack up with the likes of TNC, ViCi, PSG.LGD and Team Secret.
Team Liquid – +1400 at BetOnline
When Alliance axed their roster after a 13th-16th place finish at TI9, the entire group then went on to sign for Team Liquid. As that roster fell flat last season and has failed to show any notable signs of improvement ahead of this season, it is easy to see why esports betting sites have Liquid well outside the favourites in Singapore. They might produce an upset win or two, but a genuine run at the title is not likely.
Evil Geniuses – +680 at BetOnline
Since their fifth-sixth place finish at TI9, EG have gone through some major roster changes. Both Gustav “s4” Magnusson and Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan have left the team , with Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and Abed “Abed” Yusop replacing them. While both solid players, we don’t believe the incoming duo have had enough time to find their place in the new team. While the overhaul could benefit EG in the long run, they need more time to find the right synergy.
Favourites and best bets
ViCi Gaming – +400 at BetOnline
Unlike some other teams present at the tournament, ViCi Gaming have remained active since TI9. They finished fifth-sixth at ESL One Hamburg and claimed a silver medal at the MDL Chengdu Major at the end of November. While ViCi might have expected better results in those events, the fact that they have been playing while some other teams have rested gives them an advantage over the field.
TNC Predator – +360 at BetOnline
Like ViCi, TNC Predator did not take any time off after their underwhelming ninth-12th finish at TI9. They have claimed two titles since then, saluting at both ESL One Hamburg and the MDL Chengdu Major. Their decision to play tournaments was a smart one given Damien “kpii” Chok and Park “March” Tae-won joined the team in mid-September. Both players have fitted in well and TNC look a real threat in the 2019/20 Dota Pro Circuit season.
PSG.LGD – +350 at BetOnline
We are not sure what exactly to feel about PSG.LGD. They finished TI9 in third place but failed to impress in the DreamLeague S13 China open qualifiers, where they lost to FTD.ap. While they went on to win WESG China, there was little competition in the field. While PSG.LGD deserve to sit among the favourites, they still have a lot to prove – especially considering they lost their captain, Xu “fy” Linsen, after TI.
Team Secret – +340 at BetOnline
Team Secret enter the tournament as the outright favourites, yet they have not played a competitive event since The International besides DreamLeague S13 Europe closed qualifiers. While TNC and ViCi have both put in work to get ready, Secret have failed to do the same. Momentum can take you far and entering the tournament cold won’t do them any good.
Dota 2 World Pro Invitational betting prediction
TNC Predator to win – +360 at BetOnline
