After four days of intense contests at Dota’s The International 2022, we’re now down to the final sixteen teams. The Dota 2 TI schedule for the Main Event is structured as a double elimination bracket. The top eight will compete in the upper bracket, while the others must make it through the lower ones.
Soniqs, Talon Esports, BetBoom Team, and TSM didn’t make the cut. The group stage has been action-packed and full of surprises, and
Upper Bracket predictions
Evil Geniuses vs Thunder Awaken
It’s pretty easy to call this one. Evil Geniuses have looked very impressive throughout the group seed and were the first seed in their group. While this is Thunder Awaken’s best ever performance at The International, stopping the EG juggernaut will be tough.
Evil Geniuses have been on top of their game
Top seed EG have blown everybody’s expectations right out of the water. They stand at the top of their group with an impressive 14-4 record that includes seven series wins and two losses. After kicking off their group stage with three back-to-back sweeps against Soniqs, PSG LGD and OG, they haven’t looked back and are firm Dota 2 TI11 favorites for the title heading into the playoffs.
Thunder Awaken have a thirst to prove themselves
Awaken finished in third place with a 10-8 record, securing four ties on the final day against Beastcoast, TSM, Tundra and Aster to confirm their upper bracket place. Considering this is just their second appearance at The International, it’s very impressive that they’ve managed to get this far. After seeing how they’ve performed, it’s clear to everyone that they’re the next big thing in the South American Dota circuit.
Team Secret vs PSG.LGD
There’s no denying that PSG haven’t looked completely confident, while Secret peaked at exactly the right time. Still, PSG have the stronger set of players between the two and the TI11 betting odds back them to come good at the business end of the tournament.
Team Secret start slow, but flourish toward the end
Secret had to scrape their way to the group stage through the Last Chance Qualifiers, and they certainly weren’t at their best. All doubts regarding their form were soon cleared, however, after their steady rise to the top of the table. They’ve hit their stride in the last couple of days and are coming off three successive wins against Entity, Team Aster and Talon Esports.
PSG LGD troubled by COVID, but still impressive
PSG stood third in their group with a 12-6 record, and the usual pressure of being in the final stages of the world’s biggest esports tournament is mounting once again. There were a few hiccups early on, like their loss to EG, but across days two and three, they completed sweeps over OG, Team Liquid, and BOOM, along with a welcome couple of points from RNG’s forfeiture. They’ve finished as runners-up twice in the last three editions of TI, and this could be the year they finally bring the coveted trophy home.
Tundra Esports vs OG
Tundra Esports, who topped Group B will come up against one of the sides strongly tipped to win the tournament. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a tight clash, but the TI11 odds put Tundra slightly ahead because of their form across the last few days.
Tundra Esports
Tundra had a good start to their tournament, finding themselves in the top half of the standings with an 8-4 record at the end of day two. Then they surged ahead in the last couple of days to seal their top spot with three back-to-back series victories over Team Spirit, Fnatic, and Entity. It’s been an impressive campaign all through, and they’re a pretty good bet in this game.
OG have been off-color
OG have had a middling tournament by their own standards, finishing in fourth place with a 10-8 record. They started strong with a couple of confident wins against Boom and Gaimin Gladiators, but series losses to Evil Geniuses and PSG set them back quite a bit. However, their win against the beleaguered RNG in their final game should’ve set them back on track.
Team Liquid vs Team Aster
Aster have impressed everyone with their performances so far, but it might not be enough against Team Liquid. They’ve been in top form, and have as good a chance as any to win the tournament.
Team Liquid
The two North American teams at the International have sparkled, and there hasn’t been anyone to touch them. Liquid finished second in their group behind their NA rivals Evil Geniuses with a 13-5 record, and are coming off three clinical victories against OG, Boom, and Hokori.
Team Aster
Aster are on the verge of stepping out of PSG’s shadow. This is only their second appearance at the International, and to make it to the top eight is a big achievement. They finished fourth in their group with a 10-8 record. A couple of series losses to Secret and Fnatic across the last couple of days did set them back a bit, but hopefully they should hold their nerve heading into the Main Event.
Lower Bracket predictions
The teams that finished in 5th-8th position at the group stage from both groups will contest at the Lower Bracket.
Beastcoast, widely regarded as the best South American team around, is expected to come out on top against Hokori. Both teams have similar records during the group stage, Beastcoast with 8-10 at seventh place and Hokori in fifth with 9-9.
Last year’s champions Team Spirit take on BOOM Esports, and while they haven’t looked their best this month, they are still backed to triumph in this game.
The game between Fnatic and Gaimin Gladiators is a little harder to call, but we’re going with Fnatic because they’ve had a slightly better record this season.
The fourth encounter of this lower bracket round is between Royal Never Give Up and Entity. While RNG looked sensational on the first couple of days, their form dropped drastically when four out of five of their squad members tested positive for COVID-19 on day three. This is why we think Entity is the better bet in this game.
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