E-sports: Invictus Gaming defeats Evil Geniuses in a dramatic Dota 2 Major comeback

The International is an annual Dota 2 esports world championship event organized and produced by Valve, the game’s creator. The International was initially conducted at Gamescom in 2011 as a promotional event for the game, and it has been held yearly since then, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it. The event features 18 teams, with 12 receiving direct invites based on performances from the Dota Pro Circuit and six winning regional qualifying playoff brackets, one each from North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. OG is the most recent champion and the only team to have won an International several times.

Since 2013, the prize pool has been crowdfunded through the game’s battle pass system, with 25% of all revenue going toward the prize pool. The Internationals feature the highest single-tournament prize pool of any esports event, with each year’s reward exceeding the preceding year’s, with the most recent prize pool exceeding US$34 million. The Aegis of Champions trophy is awarded to the winners.

Dota 2 betting tips 

Despite its reputation for a lack of notable teams and sluggish growth as a competitive area, NA continues to attract a large number of high-profile players. The qualifications for the International 10 North America tournament will award the area a third-place finish at the event. TI10 tickets have previously been obtained by Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew.  The tournament structure, as well as the betting on Dota games for the North American qualifications, is similar to that of the Eastern European and South American qualifiers. Only one TI10 ticket is up for grabs, therefore twelve teams will fight in best-of-three double elimination rounds.

In the latest Dota Pro Circuit 2021 season, Undying has been a rising star. Having faced up against other NA competitors. Because EG and Quincy Crew were always in the way, they never seemed to make it into the majors. This time around, Undying has nothing to fear in the TI10 North America Qualifiers. Sure, four Zoomers may give them a fight for their money, but any other candidate could beat them.

Then there’s SAD BOYS, a squad captained by Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao, who is notorious for frequent roster changes. Regardless of all the drama, there’s no doubting that EternaLEnVy is a seasoned veteran. And this new squad completes the line-up of the three primary contenders in this year’s qualification. Overall, the TI10 North America Qualifiers are in a difficult condition, with match-ups that appear to be far too one-sided. The Cut, for example, has a little chance of stealing a game from Undying, much alone winning the series.

The TI10 North America Qualifiers will usher in yet another North American representative to the International 10, which will take place in early August 2021. While we don’t anticipate a TI10-winning contender to emerge from this qualification, it’s still a positive step toward highlighting NA talent.

Major Comeback 

The fight for the first Major championship of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) in 2021 went down to the final on Sunday (April 4), with Invictus Gaming edging out Evil Geniuses in the grand final of the One Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major sponsored by PGL after rallying from a 2-0 deficit. Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi of Invictus Gaming showed to be the mastermind for the Chinese team in a nail-biting final at Fairmont Singapore, playing a crucial part in their dramatic 3-2 triumph over Evil Geniuses, whose lineup features top-earning Singaporean Daryl “iceiceice” Koh. In the greatest shows, Evil Geniuses got off to a fast start, capturing the first two matches in just 31 minutes and 28 minutes.

Invictus Gaming, on the other hand, was not ready to let the championship slide away from them, turning up a far better performance in the third game to push the series to 2-1 in just 55 minutes. After that, there was no stopping them. They won the fourth game to force a tie-breaker, then won the decider to take home the winner’s check for US$200,000 (S$269,000) and 500 DPC points. The International 10 – Dota 2’s most renowned tournament – will be held later this year, and DPC points will be utilized to select which teams will be accepted. “We always felt we could come back,” Invictus Gaming coach Su “super” Peng stated. In games one and two, we didn’t do well in the draft, but Evil Geniuses offered us a shot in game three, and we felt we could come back.

“It means a lot to me, but it also means a lot to the team, as 2020 was a difficult year for us. We went through a lot, including a roster change, but we came back stronger. It was really difficult, and I’m overjoyed that we succeeded today.” He said that even after falling down 2-0, the squad remained together. The squad had a great sense of cohesiveness. Invictus Gaming’s victory was even sweeter since in the second round after the highest bracket game, they were defeated 2-0 by Evil Geniuses, who had gone undefeated before the finals series, sending them to the lower tax bracket.

Invictus Gaming defeated tournament favorites Team Secret and fellow Chinese team PSG 2-0 on their way to the title match. On Sunday, LGD defeated LGD 2-1 in the lower bracket final. The players were exhausted after playing eight games on Sunday, with him stating that they are weary and happy, but we simply feel like falling into bed and sleeping for 10 hours.”

Following the completion of the first Major of the 2021 DPC, teams will prepare for the second season, which begins on April 13.

The US$500,000 One Esports Dota 2 Singaporean Major follows the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M2 World Cup in January as the second big e-sports project to proceed in Singapore. The MLBB Professional League Singapore’s debut season is now underway and will conclude on May 9, just in time for Garena’s Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore later that month.