ESB’s free Dota 2 betting predictions for Tuesday, January 4, focus on three Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) China Tour 1 Division I bouts. Here are our selections for Vici Gaming vs LBZS, PSG.LGD vs Phoenix Gaming, and Invictus Gaming vs Royal Never Give Up, with top odds courtesy of GG Bet.

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VICI GAMING vs LBZS Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
Dota 2 Betting Odds:	Vici $1.20 at GG Bet | LBZS $4.33 at GG Bet
When:	January 04, 2022 at 13:00 CST
Watch Live:	Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pwrdesports1)

Vici Gaming enter the 2021/22 DPC season with four new players and Yang “poyoyo” Shaohan as the only carryover from 2021. On paper, this is still a team that can compete for top spots, but it will all come down to how well the players mesh.

Like Vici, LBZS freshened up its roster in November, with the addition of Chen “Kagome” Yuxing, Jin “Pyue” Peng, Hu “Molasses” Jiaxing, and Li “detachment” Ruofei, who teamed up with Tang “CatYou” Xiaolei. The roster changes make a lot of sense, and while they might not make LBZS title contenders, we have no issues ranking LBZS as one of the top-five teams in this division.

Like with Vici, LBZS’ long-term success will heavily depend on how the new teammates gel together, so there are a lot of question marks above this fixture. Still, we know what Vici are capable of, and we can’t say we were impressed, nor can the players be satisfied with placing top-four at Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational 2021 last week.

Vici might have a higher ceiling, but they shouldn’t be priced at $1.20 with online bookmakers. LBZS look good enough for us to believe they can do some damage on Tuesday, making them a solid pick with a map handicap.

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PSG.LGD vs PHOENIX GAMING Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
Dota 2 Betting Odds:	PSG.LGD $1.02 at GG Bet | Pheonix $11.00 at GG Bet
When:	January 04, 2022 at 16:00 CST
Watch Live:	Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pwrdesports1)

The International 10 runners-up PSG.LGD enter the new season as one of the favourites to win the division and compete for the Major title. That is mainly because PSG.LGD are one of the few Dota 2 teams that have not made any roster changes this offseason, meaning we can expect the same level of consistency we saw from them last term.

Phoenix Gaming is a team with a high ceiling that can compete for a top-four finish; however, their performance at Asia New Star Cup would suggest otherwise. So while there is some potential, the results are not there yet.

Just last week, Phoenix Gaming struggled and even lost against squads that were significantly weaker than PSG.LGD, which only confirms our preference for the TI10 silver medalists. Admittedly, the opening games of a new season are filled with upsets, but we don’t expect to see one here.

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INVICTUS GAMING vs ROYAL NEVER GIVE UP Dota 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
Dota 2 Betting Odds:	IG $1.72 at GG Bet | RNG $2.00 at GG Bet
When:	January 04, 2022 at 18:00 CST
Watch Live:	Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pwrdesports1)

Invictus Gaming placed top four at The International 10 last season and are expected to do just as well, if not better this season, mainly due to the arrival of Pan “Fade” Yi. However, while the addition of Fade makes IG stronger on paper, it remains to be seen how the 25-year-old veteran will fit in.

Royal Never Give Up enter the 2021/22 DPC season with three new members in Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao and two former EHOME players in Yang “Chalice” Shenyi and Yap “xNova” Jian Wei. With so many moving pieces, there were a lot of question marks above RNG, even though xNova and co. did well at Huya Winter Invitational 2021 last month and placed second behind OB.Neon.

At the same tournament, RNG also won against Invictus Gaming (2-1) in the lower bracket finals, and still, they’re priced as $2.00 underdogs for this rematch. Even though their first meeting was close and could have gone either way, there is no reason to have RNG priced as the underdogs.

At $2.00 or better, Royal Never Give Up are a no-brainer pick. A bet on over 2.5 maps is a solid alternative if the odds move.