by PGL Arlington Major 2022 kicks off on Thursday, August 4, and www.iikinesiology.com is here with expert Dota 2 betting picks for the opening round of action. Check out our predictions for Outsiders vs Royal Never Give Up, Quincy Crew vs Team Liquid, and BOOM Esports vs Tundra Esports on Thursday, August 4, with esports betting odds courtesy of BetOnline.
OUTSIDERS vs ROYAL NEVER GIVE UP Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Outsiders -120.48 at BetOnline | RNG -120.48 at BetOnline |
| When: | August 4, 2022 | 10:00 CDT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pgl_dota2) |
Outsiders need at least a top-eight finish in Arlington to qualify for The International, but likely a top six or even top four assuming top contenders don’t get eliminated sooner. It’s an achievable goal for the Russian squad, who have a 20-6 (76.9%) record since moving away from the Virtus.pro banner – the overall best out of any team this season.
The sample size of games is rather small, but Outsiders have won against big regional opponents in BetBoom, Spirit, and MindGames. Much of the team’s success is due to the arrival of Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev who might be exactly what Outsiders needed to reach new heights, especially on LAN. This is a very scary team, but there are also many unanswered questions, mainly how will the young core perform on LAN and how long it will take other teams to figure them out.
Royal Never Give Up topped the Chinese DPC, finally breaking out of PSG.LGD’s shadow and establishing themselves as one of the elite Dota 2 teams. But, we have not seen RNG play much outside of their region – just dabbling at the Riyadh Masters, where they placed fifth-sixth, albeit with only one loss against Team Spirit.
As the latest Dota 2 betting odds suggest, this match is close to 50/50, which sounds right, but we are leaning towards Outsiders.
Outsiders to win
QUINCY CREW vs TEAM LIQUID Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | QC +175 at BetOnline | TL -250 at BetOnline |
| When: | August 4, 2022 | 10:00 CDT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pgl_dota2) |
Quincy Crew are one of the most exciting teams to watch, and you have to rank them higher knowing that the current roster is very similar to the Quincy Crew, which was consistently good on the international stage a while back. Moreover, QC have done well in domestic competitions this season.
Although Quincy Crew’s only title came in January, when they won the first North American DPC Tour, they’ve since claimed two bronze medals – from Tour 1 Regional Finals and Tour 2 – and they finished second in the final DPC tour in the middle of July.
But despite Quincy Crew’s achievements this season, they’re not as good as Liquid, who turned up the tempo at the end of the Western Europe DPC, beating OG twice to secure gold and valuable DPC points. You can argue that Liquid’s resurgence is nothing more than a flash in the pan, but this team has no obvious strategic or player weaknesses.
Team Liquid -1.5 maps
BOOM ESPORTS vs TUNDRA ESPORTS Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | BOOM +162 at BetOnline | Tundra -227.27 at BetOnline |
| When: | August 4, 2022 | 12:00 CDT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pgl_dota2) |
?We had high expectations for BOOM ahead of the Stockholm Major, but the Southeast Asian squad fell apart and placed 9th-12th. They’ve since bounced back with a near-perfect run through the regional DPC tournament, later qualifying for ESL One Malaysia by winning the closed qualifiers.
It’s also worth noting that BOOM’s iffy showing in Sweden had something to do with the team arriving in Europe late, yet they still went on to draw five series and lose two – one against Tundra, who ended in third.
Tundra Esports are one of the most consistent Dota 2 esports teams of the season, and there is no other squad more deserving of qualifying for TI. They were excellent in Stockholm and won the final WEU DPC tour. They even had a chance to make a splash in Riyadh but got eliminated by Team Spirit.
Tundra Esports are rightly priced as favourites, but at +162, BOOM Esports seem a bit underrated. They’re easily one of the top-eight teams in Arlington and, as shown before, more than capable of beating top squads. Value is with BOOM Esports.
