Dota2 Summit 11 will mark the opening event of 2019/20 Dota Pro Circuit, which is set to open its gates this Thursday, November 7th in Los Angeles, California.
Dota2 Summit 11 will be the first DPC event of the season and one of the five minors that are set to take place throughout the 2019/20 campaign. The event will offer eight elite Dota2 teams a chance to compete for the largest slice of US$300,000. There’s also 660 DPC points, with 140 awarded to the champions, and the ultimate prize that is a direct invite to MDL Chengdu Major, set to kick off on November 16, 2019. The tournamet will feature eight teams which earned their spot at the event via regional qualifiers. An additional rule states that there needs to be at least one team from each region present at the tournament, meaning there will be a total of six different regions represented at Dota Summit 11.
Teams participating at the event are as follows: HellRaisers (CIS), jfshfh178 (CIS), Ninjas in Pyjamas (EU), Ad Finem (EU), Invictus Gaming (China), Geek Fam (SEA), Quincy Crew (NA) and paiN Gaming (South America).
Jfshfh178 have earned their spot at the tournament as CIS' third seed, after Virtus.pro decided to withdraw from participating at Summit 11 on October 17th.
The group stage will seed the participating teams in into two GSL groups, where all fixtures will be played in best-of-three (Bo3) series. Only top two teams from each group will advance into the playoffs, where a double-elimination format will be in place. The playoffs will continue using the same Bo3 format for all fixtures, with the only exception being the grand finals, where a Bo5 will be used to determine which team will be crowned as the champion.
With the basic information about the tournament covered, it's time to dive into our preview of each team, their strengths, weaknesses and ultimately their chance to triumph and win the first event of 2019/20 DPC season.
Ad Finem
Ad Finem ($17.00) are a surprise return to the pro scene, which they were not a part of for a few years now. With all due respect, Ad Finem are one of those teams that used to be relevant but are now only a shadow of their former selves. The team's highlight came in December 2016, when they appeared in the finals of Boston Major, where they put up a very solid fight against OG, but unfortunately fell short (1-3). That being said, they earned a lot of fans on that night by showing a lot of determination and fight which is one of the key qualities champions need. Ad Finem will arrive at Summit 11 with the exact same lineup as the one which put them on the map in 2016, meaning the mentality and fight of the team will remain the same. And while they are objectively the weakest team at the tournament, Ad Finem are without a doubt one of the teams that will not go down without a fight.
PaiN Gaming
PaiN Gaming ($15.00) are entering Summit 11 as one of the strongest South American teams, yet they are far from one of the strongest teams at the tournament. They have experienced players which could take them far this tournament, however, we don't believe they have the needed quality to make fireworks fly here.
Jfshfh178
Same can be said for Jfshfh178 ($13.00), who made waves at CIS qualifiers by defeating HellRaisers 0-2 in the semi-finals, but unfortunately suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of the same opponent in the lower bracket finals. Considering what they have shown, we believe they can be competitive enough to leave a mark and possibly produce an upset win against one of the strongest teams, but when push comes to shove, we can't see jfshfh178 as a team that can finish top four.
HellRaisers
HellRaisers ($9.00) will be the main representative from CIS region after the announcement of Virtus.pro withdrawing from the event. That said, we don't believe HellRaisers can impress. The CIS roster have been out of the game for a very long time, meaning all we have to judge them by is their shaky performance in CIS qualifiers. With that in mind, we would be seriously impressed if they manage to finish in the top four, as there is a serious possibility HellRaisers won't even make it out of the group.
Quincy Crew
If there is one team that everyone should look out for it is Quincy Crew ($5.00), which is a team assembled from one of the biggest names in Dota2 pro scene. They have slightly higher odds offered on them, partly due to the departure of Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, however, even without him, Quincy Crew have enough quality to aim for top results at Summit 11.
NiP
Ninjas in Pyjamas ($5.00) have returned to the pro scene with a new roster but the same goals. The team decided to completely revamp their roster after a disastrous TI9 performance and to be fair, their new team looks very promising. They might not have the team which will run over everyone but with Peter "ppd" Dager and Saahil "Universe" Arora on the same team, it’s easy to see why many people are eager to see NiP in action.
Geek Fam
Geek Fam ($5.00) are priced as high as Quincy Crew and NiP by most esports bookmakers, and we believe that is fair, however, there is something about this team that makes us believe they are stronger than it may seem at a first glance. Geek Fam are one of the most dominant SEA teams that prides itself with having players who all carry a lot of potential, which makes us believe Geek Fam are more than capable of rising to dominance in the not so distant future. Will they show off their true potential at Summit 11 is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure. They are not to be underestimated.
Geek Fam to reach finals
$2.50
Invictus Gaming
Invictus Gaming ($4.00) are heading into the opening tournament of 2019/20 DPC season with a new roster, which they hope will help them improve upon their 2018/19 season. Overall, the team looks very strong, yet there is one player that turned IG from being a "strong team" into the tournament favorites. That player is TI7 finalist Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi, who arrived to IG from Keen Gaming this September. While there are rare occasions when one player is so good he can carry the whole team, Kaka, on his best day is exactly that kind of player. Due to their raw talent and quality, IG are more or less guaranteed a top-four, however, if Kaka can step up and perform, IG just might be claiming the ticket for MDL Chengdu Major.
Invictus Gaming to win
$4.00
