Team Aster vs T1
The earliest playoffs series of the day is between two Asian powerhouses, Aster and T1. While T1 may seem formidable with the recent addition of Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, it’s not much to brag upon against a Chinese titan. Team Aster, the first seed from the DPC S2 China league, has been undefeated for the most part. Considering how powerful the recent Chinese squads have been, it’s a worthy achievement on its own. Furthermore, if T1 loses the series they are heading down to meet their regional contender TNC Predator in an elimination match that almost directly decides an International invite.
The Dota 2 odds reflect well on Aster to win, at x1.23 return against T1 at x3.97 return. Considering both teams qualified for the Major Playoffs seeds, this is quite a power gap, so to speak. I would predict a 2:1 victory for Aster, netting us x3.78 in return.
Alliance vs PSG.LGD
Next up, we have Alliance vs PSG.LGD on the playing field. This will be Alliance’s first match in the WePlay AniMajor, while PSG.LGD has had a long history of success beforehand. PSG.LGD finished group stage with zero losses, marking them the top seed alongside Nigma.
Despite Alliance being the qualified Playoffs seed, PSG.LGD still looks more promising than the lather. Perhaps it’s because they were also the second runner-up at the previous Singapore Major 2021 or the battle scars they had on the group stage.
We have seen European powerhouses like Team Liquid and Secret fell off big time recently, so Alliance might be up next. Odds-wise, PSG.LGD has x1.41 odds against Alliance at x2.81 odds. I am confident in PSG to take this match 2:0 for x2.26 in return.
Virtus.pro vs Nigma
Once again, Nigma is facing an uphill battle as they wanna secure that Ti10 invite cleanly. The inspiring journey at the WePlay AniMajor is only continuing, especially against VP, who aren’t looking so tough right now.
Thanks to Igor “iLTW” Filatov delivering exceptional plays throughout the event, and the team behind him playing consistently thus far, we are looking at Nigma victory. VP quite plausibly does not stand a chance against the new European titan. We might even see a repeat of VP’s downfall from Singapore Major once again.
The odds also reflect Nigma as the favorite with x1.68 return over Virtus.Pro’s x2.13. I would still go for a 2:1 in favor of Nigma as the final result at x3.39 in return.
Quincy Crew vs NoPing Esports
Last but certainly not least, it’s the civil war between American teams. Quincy Crew and NoPing Esports are the top performers from North and South American regions, respectively.
NoPing Esports, or SA teams in general, has gained traction among Dota 2 fans recently. And they have much to thank their local rival, Thunder Predator, who put up an incredible showing previously at Singapore Major. Hence, it’s time to pass the torch to NoPing Esports later today.
On the other hand, Quincy Crew, too, has surpassed their limits by defeating EG and claiming their rightful spot in the Playoffs seeds. The boys over at Quincy Crew are Dota 2 veterans and have stuck around since last year. Despite their great success in North America, Quincy Crew has yet to deliver commendable achievements outside their comfort zone.
For Dota 2 odds, Quincy Crew has a leverage based on their experience, and are looking at x1.36 odds against NoPing Esports x3.03. We are looking at potentially tight series here however, and a 2:1 win for Quincy at x3.16 seems like the correct call.