OG were huge favorites coming into the game and they delivered the goods, beating TSM 3-1 in the best-of-five series. With that victory, they have recorded their fifth Major title in the organization’s history.

OG have now tied Team Secret and Virtus.pro for most Dota 2 Major trophies in the title’s history.

For their efforts, OG walked away with $200,000 of the US$500,000 prize fund and 680 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points. They currently occupy the third position in the world rankings and have a good chance of qualifying for The International 2022.

OG showed their resilience in the event after a slow start. In Group A, they managed only three wins and finished second behind Tundra Esports in the standings.

In the playoffs, their struggles continued but did not last long. After getting swept by TSM in the first round and relegated to the lower bracket, they went on a tear.

OG played five best-of-three series in the lower bracket but gave up only one map. Fnatic were the only team not swept by OG, giving them a really difficult time and forcing them to a 60-minute round to decide the winner.

Despite the brilliance in the lower bracket, they were a bit shell-shocked during the first game of the grand finals. TSM cruised to victory to get a 1-0 advantage in the series, and that acted as a wake-up call for OG.

The second round was an entirely different game, as Sébastien “Ceb” Debs made sure OG were not beaten. He had a series-high 26 assists in that round.

The veteran showed his worth in the competition and played a key role in their victory. His presence was not initially planned, as he was called out of retirement for this tournament.

OG captain Mikhail “Misha” Agatov and coach Evgenii “Chuvash” Makarov were unable to secure visas for the event, which is why Ceb and Johan “N0tail” Sundstein were used as stand-ins.

After taking game two, there was no stopping OG despite TSM’s valiant attempts. Game four was a breeze for OG, as they took an early lead and never surrendered it.

Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf caused TSM the most problems, especially in the closeout game.

Of the 18 teams expected at the LAN event, only 13 were present. All four representatives from China – Royal Never Give Up, Team Aster, PSG.LGD, and Xtreme Gaming – were unable to make the trip due to ongoing COVID-related travel restrictions.

The failure of Mind Games to secure a visa also resulted in the Russian team being removed from the competition. As a result, all Group B teams received byes to the playoffs regardless of the group stage outcome.

To compensate the Chinese teams, a regional final was organized. PSG.LED defeated Team Aster 3-0 in the grand final to be crowned champions in the DPC CN 2021/2022 Tour 2 regional final.

Winning the event saw them walk away with $50,000 of the US$100,000 prize pool and 450 DPC points.

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?Beastcoast weren’t too convincing during the group stage, but they eliminated the reigning champions of The International, Team Spirit (2-0), from the Major on Tuesday. Admittedly, that success doesn’t instantly make beastcoast title contenders, but it shows they can compete with the best.

BetBoom Team finished third in Group A behind OG and Tundra Esports, then lost against Thunder Awaken (1-2) in the upper-bracket quarterfinals, before bouncing back with a 2-1 victory against Team Liquid. Those results might suggest that BB are inconsistent, but we would disagree.

BetBoom are playing well, and their team synergy seems to be on point, but we’re not fans of their drafting, which might be the worst of the remaining teams. The iffy drafting is arguably BB’s biggest weakness, and something beastcoast could exploit.

There is no reason for beastcoast to be priced as the underdogs for this match, and it seems like the price is based more on regional bias than anything else. The value is with the LATAM squad.

?Fnatic have made it much further in this tournament than initially expected, and even if they crash out on Friday, they will end the first Dota 2 Major of 2022 as the best-performing Southeast Asian team. And they earned that tag by themselves, having eliminated their regional rivals T1 (2-1) from the first round on Wednesday.

Now, Fnatic are set to face OG – one of the most recognisable esports organisations in Dota 2 history – who enter this bout as $1.44 favourites with GG Bet. The offered Dota 2 betting odds seem fair on paper, but we would argue that Fnatic have a good chance of upsetting the European titans.

OG might have better team synergy, and you could say that their drafts are cleaner, but not by much. If we compare the two teams and their consistency and overall execution, you can’t draw a clear line. This match will be much closer than expected, and even though a bet on Fnatic at $2.62 isn’t a bad choice, we’re happy with the overs on the map line.

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They are the only team that will not make it to the playoffs this year. Originally, the bottom teams in both groups were to be eliminated, but with Mind Games’ disqualified due to visa issues, only EG did not make it to the next round.

“Due to continuing VISA issues, we have made the difficult decision to disqualify Mind Games from the #ESLOne Stockholm Dota Major,” ESL Dota 2 announced via Twitter.

“As a result all Group B teams will receive automatic byes, and Mind Games will be the team eliminated from Group B.”

All four teams representing China – Royal Never Give Up, Team Aster, PSG.LGD, and Xtreme Gaming – also did not make it to Sweden, due to the current COVID-19 issues plaguing the country.

EG had the best record in DPC NA Tour 2: Division I, but failed to replicate that form in the Major. They did not win a single game in the group stage, losing four and ending two as stalemates.

Evil Geniuses support Andreas Franck “Cr1t-” Nielsen took to Twitter to apologize to fans, acknowledging his poor performance.

“Sorry to those of you who continues to support us, and the ones hoping to see us live here in Stockholm, all time low for me, not good enough,” he said.

Despite their failure to get things going early on, EG had an opportunity to activate the tiebreaker for the seventh spot, but they could not get the job done. A 2-0 series lead would have been enough to keep them fighting in the competition, but they ended that series against beastcoast 1-1.

Although the fifth- and sixth-placed teams (Boom Esports and beastcoast) also failed to win a single series in the event, they had a lot more draws, which overall was a better record than EG’s. With that, they advanced to the lower bracket of the playoffs.

In Group A, Tundra Esports, OG, BetBoom Team, and T1 finished first to fourth, respectively, and sealed their spots in the upper bracket of the playoffs.

Tundra had the best run in the group stage, recording only one draw and no losses. They have also sealed a semifinal berth after defeating Eastern Europe’s Team Spirit 2-1 in the upper-bracket quarterfinals.

Gaimin Gladiators, Thunder Awaken, TSM, and Team Spirit were the top four teams in Group B, while Team Liquid and Fnatic were seeded in the lower bracket.

The Stockholm Major commenced on May 12 and will run through to May 22. The offline event features 17 teams from six different regions. China and Western Europe both had four slots each, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe had three representatives each, while North and South America each had two slots. Eastern Europe originally had four representatives, before Mind Games were disqualified.

All teams are fighting for a piece of the US$500,000 prize fund and 3,530 Dota Pro Circuit points. However, the prize fund and points will only be shared among the teams placed first to eighth.

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?BOOM Esports are a bit undervalued both in the match and outright betting markets. They have performed well domestically and internationally, so there is no reason to believe they can’t make a deep run. That’s not to say that Evil Geniuses don’t deserve some recognition, but we still consider BOOM Esports as the superior team.

Moreover, Evil Geniuses are notorious for starting tournaments slow, so while they might compete for the title, we expect them to show a bit less in the opening rounds. This does not mean that BOOM are guaranteed to win, but it helps tip the scale in their favour.

No result would surprise us, but without knowing how the teams will perform on LAN or in what form they’ll arrive in Sweden, a bet on BOOM to win at $3.24 is an easy choice.

?Given the lack of cross-regional data, it’s tough to say how this match will go. Obviously, Team Spirit will demand far more respect as the reigning The International champions, but that does not explain why TSM are priced at $8.49.

At the offered Dota 2 betting odds, it’s tough not to take a shot with the underdog, especially considering TSM have been playing well domestically. They won the first Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Regional Final and finished the second DPC tour with a silver medal.

On LAN, TSM did not show much and failed to make it through the GAMERS GALAXY Invitational Series Dubai 2022 Play-In stage in March. Still, their only defeats came against Nigma Galaxy and Tundra Esports, who were on fire at the event, and Team Spirit, who beat them in a very close match.

Despite what the odds suggest, we expect this to be a very close matchup. A draw is most likely, but at $8.49, it’s impossible not to bet on TSM to cause an upset.

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Evil Geniuses are tough to rank very highly because they always find a way to slip in big events. Still, the North American squad have done well of late. They placed third in DPC NA 2021/2022 Tour 1 Division I in January, then reached the finals of the DPC Regional Final, and won the second DPC tour with a 6-1 record.

But despite their incredible performances, it’s fair to say that Evil Geniuses have yet to be properly tested. Finishing above TSM is still a praiseworthy achievement, but claiming the NA region is hardly something to write home about.

On paper, Tundra Esports are one of the top teams at the Stockholm Major, and according to the online esports betting markets, they’re the second favourites ($6.50) to win the trophy. The talent is there, and so is the synergy; the only thing that could concern you about Tundra Esports is their tendency to slip in important games. But that’s a narrative we aren’t willing to follow.

Opening rounds are always filled with upsets, but if we put Evil Geniuses and Tundra Esports side-by-side, it’s very tough to make a case for the North American representatives.

?BOOM Esports are not getting much respect on the outright betting markets ($11.00), but this is a very good team. They won the most recent LAN, and they nearly claimed a gold medal at Gamers Without Borders 2022: Asia, where their only defeat came against the Chinese juggernauts Royal Never Give Up in the finals.

It might sound like a hot take, but BOOM Esports have shown enough for us to believe they’ll finish the Stockholm Major inside the top three, and if things fall into place, they might even win it all. OG are easily the best European Dota 2 esports team, but we don’t know whether they will hold on on LAN or will they crack.

It’s important to note that OG will head to Sweden without captain Mikhail “Misha” Agatov, and there are reports of coach Evgenii “Chuvash” Makarov also not being able to travel with the team. Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is expected to replace Misha, which isn’t terrible but hardly a positive.

OG are very strong, but they’re without a coach and team captain. Moreover, OG have no LAN experience, so we would be cautious not to overestimate them. At $4.16, BOOM Esports are a no-brainer. They’re much better than the latest Dota 2 betting odds suggest and are far more experienced on LAN than OG.

?Fnatic have achieved plenty this season, but unfortunately, they haven’t shown enough for us to see them as anything more than a mid team. Admittedly, Fnatic won DPC SEA 2021/2022 Tour 2 Division I in April, but they haven’t produced much more.

The Black & Orange are still good enough to cause a few upsets and compete for a solid finish, but we wouldn’t count on Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong to go all the way.

Team Spirit are the reigning The International champions, but we wouldn’t say that they’re the best team at the Major. Not necessarily because Spirit are playing poorly, but rather because they haven’t been too active of late – just five official games since March.

Admittedly, they are still talented enough to win the trophy, but Spirit might need some time to get their wheels spinning and will likely look shaky in the early rounds. It won’t be an easy match for Fnatic, but at $2.03, we have to side with the underdogs with a +1.5 map advantage.

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