The stakes are high for WCA 2015 with a $650,000 prize pool on offer and so far we know 13 teams have qualified, each with ambitions to take the winner’s cheque.
The teams through to the main event between the 17th to 21st of December are: LGD Gaming, CDEC Gaming, Invictus Gaming, Summer’s Rift, Not Today, Team Secret, Virtus.Pro, MVP Pheonix, TnC Gaming, Wings Gaming, Team Leviathan, Alliance and Execration.
It is one of the most eagerly-awaited tournaments of all time and the battle to be crowned new champions will be intense, with the previous victors, Newbee and Cloud 9 not present.
Over the past year, the teams have trained hard and honed their skills for this four-day event, but which one has the all-round skill and necessary ability needed to win?
Will it be one of the well-known Chinese Teams, one of the other talented global outfits or even an underdog who no one suspects? These questions are guaranteed to be in the minds of Dafabet punters as they check out the eSports betting in the run up to this exciting event.
Pro Qualifiers:
LGD Gaming have had a good year and enter the tournament as major players. They have eight top-three finishes from13 tournaments, including winning the China Pro Qualifiers. However, they have not performed quite as well in the most challenging games and they will need to be at their best to win this as it as it doesn’t get much tougher than WCA 2015.
One of LGD’s long-time serious opponents is CDEC with a rivalry that seems to date back to the dawns of time! Each team is capable of beating the other and dominance has swung either way on many occasions.
LGD have won four games against CDEC this year, including in VPGame Pro League, MDL and G-League whilst CDEC came out on top three times in ECL, The International and Frankfurt Major.
Invictus has finished top three in six out of 13 games this year which is not as strong form as they were displaying in 2014. The reasons for the team’s dip isn’t obvious but it could be that rivals are getting stronger or their own team reshuffling means players are not yet fully in tune with each other. Another point to consider in this event is that Xu ‘BurNIng’ Zhilei left to join Vici Gaming in September and his departure could impact negatively on the team. The 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best players in the world and he is surely going to be a major miss.
American Qualifier Summer’s Rift is a newly-formed baby-faced team and as such their potential is difficult to quantify. They do though approach the tournament with a growing reputation and of course will want to prove themselves on this big stage. They are though a dark horse and their opponents won’t really know what to expect from them this year which could possibly give them an edge.
Not Today is another American Qualifier. They are more exposed, have been around for longer than Summer’s Rift and do not look to have the same potential as their younger rival. They are currently ranked 64th in the World but 10th in the USA and do not have the obvious credentials to progress far in this tournament.
Team Secret are a team in fine form who qualified top in the EU Pro. They have come out top three in 10 out of 13 tournaments with seven of these being first-placed finishes. They will be a serious competitor in this tournament, a team that everyone really ought to be looking out for.
Virtus.Pro is a Russian Dota 2 team and a respectable outfit. They have come top three in nine out of 16 competitions but they do have a new squad which may hinder their ability to work coherently as team and a top-three finish could be beyond them this time.
MVP Gaming are often competitive but do not stand out as being anything special. They do have a respectable win percentage in tournaments and qualified for this main event by finishing top in the SEA Pro. However, whilst they probably have enough skill to get through the few initial rounds, they do lack that certain X factor needed to drive them on to greatness.
TnC Gaming recently refreshed their DOTA 2 squad and it seems to have been a positive move. They have been doing well this year with top three finishes in all the tournaments they have entered so far. Although they did not beat MVP in the SEA Pro qualifiers, they should do better than their rivals in this main event.
Open Qualifiers:
The open qualifying teams are less likely to go far in the tournament. The most promising looking of these teams, however, is Execration. The other teams have achieved some top-notch scores but they have been achieved against lesser opposition and will not have experience of competing in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the larger tournaments.
Wild Cards:
We do not yet know the identity of the wild card entries but they could be an interesting factor to consider. It could be more experienced teams take part or maybe newly developing outfits and as such they add an extra bit of mystery to the event.
Predictions:
1st LGD
2nd CDEC
3rd Team Secret
4th Invictus
5th TnC Gaming
6th Virtus.Pro
7th Wild Card
8th MVP Gaming
9th Execration
10th Summer’s Rift
11th Alliance
12th Wild Card
13th Not Today
14th Wings Gaming
15th Team Leviathan
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