The first Dota 2 major of 2021 is almost here! The Singapore Major marks the start of the year’s pro circuit, as well as the return of international LAN competition, making it not one to miss for fans and bettors alike.
We’ll see 18 of the best Dota 2 teams battle it out from March 27 to April 4, featuring a slew of matches across three different stages. Let’s take a look at which teams will be competing, as well as some key details of the event.
Who’s Playing at The Dota 2 Singapore Major?
As previously mentioned, we’ll see 18 teams competing at the event, including favorite Team Secret, top dogs like Virtus.pro, Invictus Gaming and Evil Geniuses, as well as some up-and-comers like Thunder Predator and Neon Esports.
The major is quite different from most esports events, being split into three key elimination stages. The first stage is the wild-card stage, which features teams that secured the final spots in their region, based on a series of events leading up to the major. In this stage, six teams face off in a round-robin group, playing each other twice, with the top two advancing to the next stage, the group stage.
The group stage sees teams that advanced in second place in their region face off, as well as the two wild-card winners. Once again, teams play in a round-robin format, this time with the top six advancing to the playoffs.
Finally, the playoffs are much like any Dota 2 playoff stage. Teams are seeded based on previous results, with the top teams from each region (six total) also advancing straight here. The playoffs are then played in a double-elimination format, meaning teams are eliminated after two matches.
Odds as of March 24 at Sportsbook
Team Secret Looks to Continue Dominance
Team Secret enters the major (and the year) in dominant form. 2020 was an absolutely monstrous year for the team, which won 12 of the 16 events it played and was far and away the best team of the year.
They have started off 2021 in strong form as well, completing a flawless run as they won DreamLeague Season 14 at the end of February.
It’s no surprise they are the favorites here and considering their insane run in 2020, it’s hard to see anyone stopping them here. Of course, they did lose in some of the events they played, so it’s not completely impossible for them to be defeated – all we can do is wait and see.
Can Virtus.pro Take Down the Favorites Once Again?
Team Secret doesn’t lose very often, but if they do, there’s a good chance Virtus.pro had something to do with it.
The current VP roster is the only team in Dota that has a positive win rate against Secret, having beaten them twice in December 2020. The team, aptly featuring a player named Kingslayer, made a quick rise to fame as they dominated a handful of tournaments in 2020 as underdogs, with the then academy roster earning promotion to Virtus.pro’s main lineup.
Now the squad is considered to be one of the best in the world and seems to be the best rival to the favorite at the major. Still, Secret is favored for a reason and there’s a long road between playoffs starting and the grand final, so it remains to be seen if we’ll even see the two face off.
Will We See Another Major Upset?
Dota 2 majors are no strangers to unexpected results. In fact, it almost seems like anything is possible at a major.
In last year’s competitive circuit, we saw a massive upset as TNC Predator took home not only the Chengdu Major, but also the overall circuit, despite Secret’s rise to dominance. The result came as a huge surprise, with the likes of Evil Geniuses, ViCi Gaming and Invictus Gaming all losing out to the TNC underdogs in Chengdu.
It’s difficult to say what will happen in Singapore, but even with a favorite as huge as Team Secret, there’s always the possibility of another major miracle.