Our esports tipster Michael Lee brings you his betting predictions for three opening Dota 2 matches of the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Division I round. Today he looks at EHOME vs Invictus Gaming and PSG.LGD vs Dawn Gaming, who'll meet on Thursday, January 5, and Team Aster vs Knights, who will lock horns on Friday, January 6.
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Esports Betting Tips: Monday January 2nd
HOME vs Invictus Gaming
DPC China 2023 Tour 1: Division 1
EHOME completely rebuilt its Dota 2 roster on December 13, signing five new players. There were rumours of EHOME not competing in the 2023 DPC due to difficulties building a roster, but the Chinese team found a way to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, it seems like this squad was put together very quickly and without any thought.
EHOME signed players from the second and third tier, who have all looked good, but we're still talking about lover-division players who'll have to step up to be competitive in the upper division.
Invictus Gaming made it back to Division I after spending 2022 in the lower division, where they honestly didn't belong. IG had a good enough squad to compete in the upper division, but things didn't fall into place, which explains the recent roster changes, which see the arrival of four new players.
Emo is the only remaining player from the 2022 roster, but I don't hate the rest of the lineup. Zhou "Dust" Shiyuan, Cui "qyqx" Chenyang, and Li "Irving" Jian, formerly of MagMa are solid players, and Wilson "poloson" Koh should be a good addition as well.
EHOME and IG both have the potential to be good and while I would prefer to be on the side of Invictus Gaming in this clash, primarily due to the pre-establishes synergy of three of its players, I expect EHOME to be competitive and force a close series. Over 2.5 maps is the play.
Over 2.5 maps – 2.10
$2.10
PSG.LGD vs Dawn Gaming
DPC China 2023 Tour 1: Division 1
As a team that won the first two Chinese DPC, Riyadh Masters 2022, and placed second at PGL Arlington Major 2022, you would think that PSG.LGD won't make many roster changes ahead of the 2023 season. However, we saw the Chinese Dota 2 powerhouse replace three players, bringing in Li "xiang yu" Longwu, Lin "planet" Hao, and Guo "shiro" Xuanang, who'll link with Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang and Zhang "y'" Yiping.
The major roster overhaul brings up questions, mainly because the three new additions are not what you would consider elite talent, while xaing yu is also very inexperienced, having started his Dota 2 career in march 2022. But while it's easy not to like PSG. LGD's changes and how they look on paper, I have no issues trusting the organisation, which has always been strong in the Chinese Dota 2 scene.
PSG.LGD have been the dominant force in the region for so long that you have to start believing that the team knows how to build a strong roster. Still, I expect the new lineup to have a slow start.
Dawn Gaming is a new team in the Chinese DPC scene, which took over the spot from CDEC. The roster looks solid with Hou "idc" Xiaomeng and Liu "ex" Shaojun, formerly of LBZS, Lin "Son Goku" Shiyang and Yang "Ms" Yongjie, who were formerly a part of Sparking Arrow Gaming, and He "Docres" Ercong, who has no competitive record.
Docres has played for several smaller teams in tier four and five in China over the last two years but has yet to sign a professional contract.
As it seems, this is a match between Dawn Gaming, who field a very weak roster and PSG.LGD, who I believe have put together a solid lineup. But this is PSG. LGD's first match together, and as noted, I expect them to have a slower start.
You can't argue that Dawn look significantly weaker, but I wouldn't price them at $8.00. The opening games of the new season are always a bit more chaotic, and it doesn't help that PSG.LGD have a new roster. So at $3.00, I have no issues taking Dawn Gaming to win one map.
Dawn Gaming +1.5 maps
$3.00
Team Aster vs Knights
DPC China 2023 Tour 1: Division 1
Knights who took the DPC slot from Royal Never Give Up, field a roster consisting largely of tier-two players that might not look too good, but I have high expectations for Knights. Most of the players haven't achieved much in their careers, but for the most part, Knights field players who all had a solid season in 2022, and if they can step up, Knights will be highly competitive in 2023.
Team Aster were one of the strongest teams in the Chinese DPC in 2022, and they should retain that tag heading into 2023. The team replaced one player, Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang, who retired, with Zhai "Xwy" Jingkai, formerly of Aster.Aries, which isn't a bad move.
On paper, Team Aster are easily a top-two team in Chinese DPC, and as one of the few teams that kept most of its lineup intact, I expect them to have a solid start to the year. In 2022, they looked incredible and haven't placed worse than third in any of the tournaments Aster have attended - except for The International, where they finished fourth. And that's the level of performance I expect to see from Aster this year.
I expect Knights to surprise many, but for this match, I'm leaning heavily in favour of Aster. They're much stronger and have a solid synergy, which should lead them to a comfortable victory on Friday.
Team Aster -14.5 kills (Map 1&2)
$1.83
