Where the real Dota happens.This is a space where I put my predictions on upcoming matches. I predict based on my experience and the performance of Pro Teams — and I comment on every single one, with an aftermath added after each match.
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Before the draft
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How many times in the last 2 weeks did we see PlayTime vs Nigma? We saw it exactly 3 times, and PlayTime always wins. 2:0. 3:0, etc. There is no point to discuss it further. PlayTime will win because they are too strong against Nigma strategy.
PlayTimeHere we go, boys. The match of the day, no question. PARI just beat Tundra 2-1 and looked really good. BetBoom destroyed REKONIX 2-0 and looked absolutely clinical. I've been burned by PARI too many times to be fully confident, and I've promised myself I will never underestimate BetBoom again. Gpk in the midlane against Noone is the matchup I'm most excited about in this whole group stage. Save will make life miserable for Satanic in the lane. Look, I'm going with BetBoom. PARI have the individual ceiling, but BetBoom is better.
BetBoomNow THIS is interesting. Xtreme looked good yesterday—Ame on Drow Ranger was flawless in both maps. But Tundra just lost to PARIVISION, and that Lone Druid game still doesn't make sense to me. They are getting embarrassed left and right. Something has to snap. Here's my concern though—Xtreme's drafting is still a disaster waiting to happen. I'm going with Tundra Esports. Pure needs to wake this team up, and this is the match where it happens.
TundraWhat you get here
One pick per match. My honest read, written before the draft. No fluff, no hedging.
PlayTime
My take
How many times in the last 2 weeks did we see PlayTime vs Nigma? We saw it exactly 3 times, and PlayTime always wins. 2:0. 3:0, etc. There is no point to discuss it further. PlayTime will win because they are too strong against Nigma strategy.
DreamLeague Season 2913 May12BetBoom Team
My take
Here we go, boys. The match of the day, no question. PARI just beat Tundra 2-1 and looked really good. BetBoom destroyed REKONIX 2-0 and looked absolutely clinical. I've been burned by PARI too many times to be fully confident, and I've promised myself I will never underestimate BetBoom again. Gpk in the midlane against Noone is the matchup I'm most excited about in this whole group stage. Save will make life miserable for Satanic in the lane. Look, I'm going with BetBoom. PARI have the individual ceiling, but BetBoom is better.
Tundra Esports
My take
Now THIS is interesting. Xtreme looked good yesterday—Ame on Drow Ranger was flawless in both maps. But Tundra just lost to PARIVISION, and that Lone Druid game still doesn't make sense to me. They are getting embarrassed left and right. Something has to snap. Here's my concern though—Xtreme's drafting is still a disaster waiting to happen. I'm going with Tundra Esports. Pure needs to wake this team up, and this is the match where it happens.
Natus Vincere
My take
Boys, NAV I looked extremely sharp yesterday—that Necrophos carry was something I didn't expect, and they dismantled Nigma without breaking a sweat. REKONIX, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of team that NAVI feasts on online. I'm going with NAVI. 2-0, comfortable; don't overthink it.
Team Spirit
My take
This is the match that hurts the most to predict after yesterday. Aurora lost to Liquid AND to Falcons. Nature's prophet in this patch—I still can't get over it. They look confused without Lone Druid as their anchor, and Nightfall hasn't found his Plan B yet. Spirit, on the other hand, won both matches yesterday—including a 2-1 against Liquid in a genuinely competitive series. Collapse is setting the tempo, Yatoro is farming, and Larl is finding his YOLO plays. I'm going with Team Spirit. Aurora needs to sort out their draft before they can beat a team this well-structured right now.
Team Falcons
My take
Naah, Team Falcons is in the zone. Ex-HEROIC looked decent in the morning against GL and then completely fell apart against VP in the evening—they had the lead and just didn't know what to do with it. I'm going with Team Falcons.
Team Liquid
My take
Man, GamerLegion had an absolutely brutal day yesterday. Lost to ex-HEROIC 0-2, then lost to Vici Gaming 0-2. RCY just couldn't find his footing, and Ghost was nowhere near the level we need from him. Liquid, on the other hand, beat Aurora—Luna two times in a row, fast Dota, exactly what Nisha and Boxi do best. This should be comfortable for Liquid.
Vici Gaming
My take
I cannot believe I'm about to say this, but Vici Gaming actually impressed me yesterday. They beat GamerLegion 2-0. Xm looked decent, and the team had structure I didn't expect. VP, on the other hand, beat ex-HEROIC, which is fine, but ex-HEROIC showed us yesterday that they have no idea what to do with a lead. I'm going with Vici Gaming. Yes, I know. Yes, I'm aware. But VP is VP—and Vici right now has more momentum and more belief. If Abed has a monster game, I'll be wrong. But I'll take that risk.
PARIVISION
My take
Here's the thing about Xtreme—when they face a team with real structure and Satanic gets space, they fall apart. PARI's drafting when they're confident is just on a different level, and Noone in the mid lane should handle whatever Xtreme throws at him. I'm going with PARIVISION. If Satanic gets a hero that suits him and PARI doesn't tilt after dropping a map or they lose against BetBoom, this is 2-0.
BetBoom Team
My take
NAVI had a really good day yesterday, and I want to give them credit for that. But this is BetBoom. Gpk is in his prime. NAVI against BetBoom online is not the same as a LAN series, where nerves play a role. BetBoom will outfarm them and outfight them, and Gpk will cook Niku in the midlane. I'm going with BetBoom.
Tundra Esports
My take
Okay, so Tundra are in a crisis. Lost to PARI, lost in the 1Win Essence to tier 2 teams — this is not the Tundra I was excited about coming into this tournament. But man, how can I go with Nigma if I know EXACTLY what they are going to do? I'm going with Tundra Esports.
PlayTime
My take
Two teams that got demolished yesterday. PlayTime lost 0-2 to Xtreme. REKONIX lost 0-2 to BetBoom. Somebody has to win this, and honestly, I think PlayTime has way more to offer.
Aurora Gaming
My take
Boys, first match of DreamLeague Season 29, and what a way to start. Boxi is back, which matters more than people give it credit for—that space he creates for Nisha in the mid lane is something else. But Aurora? They have something to prove. I'm going with Aurora. Liquid will make it competitive; they always do, but Aurora's 5-man Dota in the early-to-midgame is just on a different level right now.
Team Spirit
My take
Collapse is back. That's the whole story here. Without him at Wallachia, Spirit looked slow, reactive, and completely dependent on Yatoro going nuclear every single game. With him back in the offlane setting the tempo, this team is a completely different animal. Vici Gaming is a good story and fun to watch, but against Spirit? Nah, I'm going with Team Spirit, and it won't be close.
✓ Aftermath
Spirit won 2 games with the Alchemist strategy. I don't know; I highly doubt that this Aghanim's Scepter farming strategy will work against a more aggressive early-game team.
Team Falcons
My take
Look, VP on paper should scare nobody at this point. They have consistently disappointing results. The BetBoom head-to-head curse is one thing, but they've looked lost against basically everyone with a pulse. Falcons, on the other hand, have that patient, suffocating late-game Dota that 7.41c was basically designed for. I'm going with Team Falcons. VP needs a miracle run to even survive the group stage at this point.
✓ Aftermath
Man, what a game 2! This has to be a record, right? You need to understand that they played for 2 HOURS with back-and-forth comebacks, but eventually VP couldn't beat Lifestealer. Flacons clinched that draw, and in map 3, there was a total domination by ATF on his Timbersaw.
GamerLegion
My take
This is the match I'm most excited about on day one. Two teams with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to prove. Ex-HEROIC are free agents, have no org, and have no safety net, and they qualified for DreamLeague before Heroic pulled out. That kind of hunger is real. But GamerLegion is just stronger in execution. The problem is we've seen GL draft one too many times. I'm going with GamerLegion here, but with zero confidence. One more thing, WHY I am giving the edge to GamerLegion is because Wisper will not play in the DreamLeague; Batyuk is a stand-in.
PARIVISION
My take
Here we go. Probably the most high-skill match of the day. The fact that Tundra LOST in the 1Win essence series is unbelievable to me. But I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's just say that they were "testing strategies." On paper the PARI roster is just stronger (even without Noticed). I'm going with PARIVISION, but I'm watching Tundra very closely.
✓ Aftermath
What a bloodbath. Tundra lost even with Lone Druid. But, at least we saw a Phantom Lancer carry from Satanic.
Natus Vincere
My take
A very interesting match, boys. I know that ALL of you think that Nigma is back and they should win this without any issues. But do I need to remind you that NAVI in the online tournament always beats Nigma? More than that, they have very similar styles, except NAVI is way stronger in the late game, and they farm more. I'm going to risk it here and go with NAVI.
✓ Aftermath
I hate to say it again, but I told you. I don't know; Nigma has this mechanical issue. If you don't engage in their early skirmishes and just try to outfarm and outpace them, they always fall behind in net worth and just lose the game. One more thing, this Necrophos carry looks really good.
PlayTime
My take
I don't know. I'm leaning heavily on PlayTime to win this. Xtreme LOST in China against a div. 2 team. And, as far as I can see, PlayTime can hang with the big dogs easily. Call me insane, I'm going with Playtime to win.
✗ Aftermath
That’s blind confidence from myself. I don’t know, Ame was on fire today. Both games he was absolutely flawless on his Drow Ranger. Im
BetBoom Team
My take
The defending Wallachia champions against a team that we watched struggle with basic fundamentals in the 1Win Essence. REKONIX is simply not ready for this level. And BTW, this happens every time. When BetBoom plays against a slightly weaker team, they just destroy it because they outfarm them 2 to 1.
✓ Aftermath
We need to admit that BetBoom Team looks scary. I told you in the beginning that they smash everybody who is slightly less coordinated. But now, when I look at their moves, I can safely say that they are probably one of the strongest here in the DreamLeague.
Team Liquid
My take
Two of the most consistent teams in Western and Eastern Europe are going head to head in round 2. This is a genuine 50/50, and I hate picking it. But here's the thing: it depends on what kind of Dota we will see. In the late game, Spirit is best; in the early game, Liquid is a no-brainer. And in a patch that rewards patient, structured Dota, Liquid's fast, aggressive style might actually catch Spirit before they set up. I'm going with Team Liquid. Barely.
Aurora Gaming
My take
Man, this is a tough one. Falcons surprised me multiple times at Wallachia. But Aurora has this dog in them, and they can somewhat mimic Tundra Esports in the late game (if you know what I mean). I don't think Falcons are scarier than Aurora in late game. I'm going with Aurora.
✗ Aftermath
Jesus Christ, what's happening with Aurora? I understand, of course, that Falcons are no joke, but you want to tell me that suddenly Aurora forgot how to play 5-man Dota? Insane. Nature's Prophet pick in this patch?
ex-HEROIC
My take
Honestly? VP should win this on paper. But ex-HEROIC have zero pressure on them; they need those EPT points and something to prove. And desperate teams in online formats are dangerous. VPs have shown me nothing that suggests they can close out a series against a team that fights back. I'm going with ex-HEROIC. If VP loses this, the group stage exit conversation starts immediately.
GamerLegion
My take
I'm going with GamerLegion. If they draft properly, this is a 2-0. If they force Ghost onto Viper again, I'm going to lose my mind.
✗ Aftermath
Well, it looks like I had too much faith in GamerLegion. On the other hand, Vici Gaming looked absolutely amazing. They looked pretty decent even against Team Spirit.
