DreamLeague Leipzig Dota Major - Event preview

The Leipzig Major is almost a return to regular scheduling for the DPC with the return of Team Secret and the ex-Team Liquid roster Nigma, but we see a dramatic shuffle in the lower half of the rankings. Navi will be in attendance this Major, alongside Virtus.pro’s (VP, 24.79*) new lineup and Reality Rift (207.62*) making their Dota Major debut.

WePlay! Bukovel Minor winners

A prime example of how an extended player break can affect top tier teams is team Nigma (8.21*). The ex-Liquid roster skipped the first two events of the Dota calendar after branding themselves as Nigma, failed to qualify for the Leipzig Major and narrowly qualified for the WePlay! Bukovel Minor, which itself was an extremely stacked tournament.

After a slow start to the Minor, Nigma eventually got to grips with the recent patch getting stronger and stronger after each series. They finished their group in second but immediately dropped into the lower bracket of the playoffs. From then on, Nigma would go on to dominate the rest of the tournament, booking their spot at the Leipzig Major.

The champs are here! We ended up on top at The WePlay! Bukovel Minor. GGWPP @RNGRoyal you were a worthy opponent.
Leipzig here we come!#StarsAlinged pic.twitter.com/6fxnxF8qqP

— Team Nigma (@teamnigma) January 13, 2020

DreamLeague Major Leipzig Favourites

Out of the 16 teams attending the Major, a few obvious favourites emerge. After a poor performance at ONE esports Singapore, where Secret (4.03*) lost to the eventual winners VICI, their adjustments seemed to have paid off. They qualified for the Leipzig Major dropping just two maps along the way (losing to Nigma and Vikin.gg).

Evil Geniuses (EG, 4.91*) are hitting their stride again in 2020, after a fourth place finish in Chengdu and second place at ONE esports Singapore. ‘Abed’ is finally filling the hole left by ‘SumaiL’ in EG, boasting a 9.02 KDA in patch 7.23, and dominating on heroes like Storm Spirit and Templar Assassin. The roster also has a 90.1% win rate when playing on the radiant side. This is something that could be abused and make the geniuses uncomfortable.

VICI’s (3.28*) current roster is arguably one of the most fluid in the current Dota 2 professional scene, with their entire team playing more than 16 unique heroes each in patch 7.23, with the exception of ‘Dy’. This is made even more impressive when you realise they have 100% win rate with three heroes they’ve played more than 8 times (Puck, Winter Wyvern and Disruptor).

The Chinese team are looking to exact some revenge after finishing second at the Chengdu Major, losing to Filipino team TNC Predator (14.46*). Winning a Major for any team almost guarantees an invite to The International, so it’s important for VICI to win the Leipzig Major whilst they’re in such great form, as the competition will only get fiercer from here on out.

All the teams are SET, well okay not all the teams, but MOST of the teams are set! 😅

All the Closed Qualifiers have finished and we have one more team joining from the WePlay! Minor 😎 pic.twitter.com/n87y9vuCtM

— DreamHack Dota (@DreamHackDota) December 5, 2019

Teams to watch out for

Choas Esports Club are on a hot streak right now, qualifying the Leipzig Major dropping just a single map in North American qualifiers. Something has clicked in the Chaos roster, with ‘Yawar’ posting a massive 17.79 KDA and dominating the map throughout the qualifiers.

The almost untested team are unpredictable and are more than capable of creating some shock results during the Major. They’ll be hoping to keep up their qualifier form during the Major.

SEE YOU IN LEIPZIG! 🇩🇪

An amazing run from our #ChaosDota boys in the NA qualifiers secures them a spot at the next DPC Major! #CreateChaos pic.twitter.com/9wEGkx8xzQ

— Chaos EC (@ChaosEC) December 4, 2019

The ex-Alliance roster had a tough time living up to the expectations of their new organisation Team Liquid when they first joined, but under ‘iNSaNiA’s leadership, they’re looking to reinvent themselves at the Major.

Following a disastrous performance at ONE esports Singapore, going 0-1-4 and being knocked out in the Group Stages, a strong result at the Major is a must for the Team Liquid roster if they are ever to be considered contenders for The International.