The tournament saw its ninth and tenth eliminations as Aurora and BetBoom Team bowed out, leaving Xtreme Gaming as the last non-European Dota 2 team standing.

Aurora faced Xtreme Gaming in a fierce lower bracket showdown.

Game one was a one-sided stomp in favour of XG, but game two was much more competitive.

Aurora’s Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong debuted the first Lycan pick of the tournament, using Alpha Wolves and a Nullifier to counter XG’s Pugna.

On the other side, Wang “Ame” Chunyu’s Faceless Void constantly pressured Aurora’s Artem “lorenof” Melnick on Storm Spirit, neutralising his impact.

Despite Aurora’s valiant efforts to hold out for nearly an hour, XG’s aggression proved too much, ending Aurora’s run with a seventh-eighth place finish and marking the end of South-east Asia’s presence at TI13.

It was the final series for Aurora at The International 2024, as they have been eliminated by Xtreme Gaming. Despite their efforts, Aurora’s journey ends here. #Dota2 #TI13 pic.twitter.com/ELYYL8nHVh

— The International (@dota2ti) September 13, 2024

Meanwhile, BetBoom Team also met their end at the hands of Team Falcons.

The series was tightly contested, with game two being particularly intense.

After a strong early-game performance from Falcons, BetBoom fought back with a high-ground defence led by their safelane Medusa, who bought a Divine Rapier to turn the tide.

However, a critical misplay during a push—where Medusa had her Black King Bar (BKB) in her backpack—led to her being taken down twice.

This swung the game in Falcons’ favour, and they closed out the series, eliminating BetBoom from the tournament.

Falcons’ Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, a veteran of The International, reflected on the win and the experience of playing alongside debutant mid-laner Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, praising his energy and adaptability.

BB Team couldn't keep up with the pace set by Falcons, and it's time for them to exit the tournament. #Dota2 #TI13 pic.twitter.com/dZRHM9cxks

— The International (@dota2ti) September 13, 2024

As the tournament continued, the upper bracket saw dominant performances from some of the top teams.

Team Liquid faced off against Cloud9 in a two-game series.

Game one was all Liquid, as they dominated from start to finish.

Game two; however, saw Cloud9 put up a stronger fight.

At one point, Cloud9 even took down a tier 4 tower, but Liquid’s buybacks and a miraculous play from Micha? “Nisha” Jankowski on Puck turned the tide, securing Liquid’s spot in the upper bracket finals.

Gaimin Gladiators then took on Tundra Esports in another upper bracket semifinal.

The Gladiators showcased their prowess, with Erik “tOfu” Engel on Lone Druid and Quinn on Storm Spirit leading the charge.

Game one was one-sided, but game two was even more of a rout, with GG cruising to a 26-3 victory in just 24 minutes.

With BetBoom and Aurora eliminated, Xtreme Gaming remains the only non-European team in the tournament.

XG will face Tundra Esports in the lower bracket, while Team Falcons take on Cloud9.

At the top, Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators are set to clash in the upper bracket finals, ensuring both teams a spot in the top three.

As The International 2024 continues, each remaining team fights to have their names immortalised on the Aegis of Champions, with millions of fans watching their every move.

Gaimin Gladiators put on a dominant display against Tundra, securing their spot in the Upper Bracket Final. They will now face Team Liquid #Dota2 #TI13 pic.twitter.com/lP5zv2vBxc

— The International (@dota2ti) September 13, 2024

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The tournament will feature 16 of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams from around the world, competing for the lion’s share of the US$1,000,000 total prize pool, which includes the US$150,000 that was on offer for each of the six qualifiers.

The event kicks off with an online stage from October 21-26, where teams will battle in a single-elimination best-of-three bracket.

The top four teams will then advance to the LAN finals in Berlin.

The LAN event will follow the same format, concluding with a third-place decider match.

Six teams have already qualified for the tournament: Cloud9 and BLEED Esports from Europe, Legacy and M80 from North America, and BESTIA and Imperial from South America.

They will be joined by 10 invited teams, with Team Falcons, Heroic, Fnatic, and BIG among the first announced.

This is the second edition of the Thunderpick World Championship, with FaZe Clan winning last year’s entirely online event and claiming the $250,000 top prize.

This year’s prize pool has increased, with $500,000 reserved for the winner.

After a break following the online stage, the LAN finals promise to deliver two days of intense CS2 action.

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Priced at $1.01 with the top Counter-Strike betting sites, Team Vitality are given a 99% implied probability of beating ATOX Esports. The question is not whether Vitality will win, but by how much.

The Bees are in exceptional form ahead of ESL Pro League Season 20, having won the last two S-Tier tournaments: BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024 and Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024. They were not as potent at the Esports World Cup 2024, where Vitality placed top-eight, but they finished no lower than fourth at the previous ESL Pro League, IEM Dallas 2024 and BLAST Spring Final.

ATOX Esports are the eighth-ranked Counter-Strike team from Asia, with a massive collection of runner-up finishes from regional events but no medals from international competitions. While this is still a professional side with the advantage of being an unknown opponent for Vitality, the quality gap is significant enough to side with the European roster to cover seven rounds on both maps.

FURIA Esports found some success before the summer break with a run to the semifinals at YaLLa Compass 2024, and they did not do too poorly at the Esports World Cup 2024. However, they finished 13th-16th at IEM Cologne 2024 and fifth-sixth at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2.

Team Falcons also had their moment in August, when they won BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024, yet only managed seventh-eighth place at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2. Travelling to Malta on a five-game losing streak, Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer and co. have much to prove; however, they field enough talent to make some noise.

Quality-wise, there is not much to set these two squads apart, but there is a reason Falcons are priced as favourites. They have a stronger record on five out of seven maps in the rotation, except for Inferno and Nuke. Still, while this is the Falcons’ game to lose, there is a good chance the series will be decided on the third map.

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The roster for this new team will feature Saudi players Roxas, Exnid, KingAbody, and KHHX, who most recently competed at the Esports World Cup, finishing in the top 16.

Lewis “LewTee” Todd, the coach of the Falcons, expressed his excitement and gratitude for the opportunity, acknowledging the challenges ahead but emphasising the team’s potential and the support of an entire region behind them.

The Falcons’ entry into the CDL marks the end of the Legion’s run, which began as the Paris Legion in 2019 before relocating to Las Vegas in 2022.

THE FALCONS ARE UNLEASHED!

We’re ready to dominate the @CODLeague
— @VegasFalcons #FalconsAreHere pic.twitter.com/dqU9hikt3q

— Team Falcons (@TeamFalconsGG) August 21, 2024

The Legion had a lacklustre performance throughout its tenure, never quite making a significant impact in the league.

In addition to the Falcons’ entry, rumours are swirling about further shake-ups in the CDL.

Esports organisations like Fnatic and Gen.G are reportedly in talks to replace the Carolina Royal Ravens and Los Angeles Guerrillas.

Fnatic, which last competed in Call of Duty esports in 2017, and Gen.G, which had a strong presence in 2019, are both potentially returning to the scene.

Meanwhile, the future of Boston Breach is uncertain, with reports suggesting that their parent company, Oxygen Esports, may cease operations despite earlier denials.

These developments come amid broader changes within the CDL, following mass layoffs at Activision Blizzard and shifts in how the league is managed.

As the transition to the upcoming Black Ops 6 season approaches, the Call of Duty esports landscape appears to be on the cusp of significant transformations, with more roster and franchise changes expected in the coming weeks.

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Team Falcons have the potential to do well in this tournament. But even five months after finalising their roster with Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, they are not in the spot everyone expected them to be.

They have had a couple of solid showings, most recently with a grand final appearance at ESL Challenger at DreamHack Summer 2024. Still, the Falcons also placed 9th-12th at the Fall Groups and Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024, although most of their struggles have come against the world’s elite Counter-Strike teams.

M80 replaced NRG for BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024 and seem to be in solid form, yet all of their success this season has come in lesser events. So, while M80 have been winning games, they are not that great when playing at such a high level.

Complexity have a realistic chance to finish top of their BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024 group; however, this will not be clear until the next round, when the North American squad will likely face off against Team Falcons.

The expectations on Metizport are far lower. As the world’s No.90 squad, the Swedes have not once this year appeared in a tournament of this scale, while they recently replaced Jack “Jackinho” Str?m Mattsson with Lucas “L00m1” Haukland.

Complexity are not known for their consistency, but they have posted commendable results over the last three weeks, which makes it hard to question top Counter-Strike betting sites and their odds for this match.

Priced at $1.16, Virtus.pro are odds-on to defeat Zero Tenacity on Thursday. Even though the Russians are on a five-game losing streak, those results came against stronger teams such as Team Liquid, G2 Esports, BIG, Complexity, and Team Falcons.

Zero Tenacity recently ended their losing streak, picking up a few wins over the last week. However, all of their recent games were against lower-rated teams, so it is unlikely the Balkan lineup will manage to translate that success to this fixture.

Virtus.pro should not be losing games like this, nor should they give away too much. Despite their shaky record, VP are still vastly superior and look poised to come out with a 2-0 sweep.

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As a North American team, they also became the first squad from their region to win a Major on European soil since NRG Esports won the RLCS World Championship in Madrid, Spain, in 2019.

YOUR #RLCS LONDON MAJOR CHAMPIONS: @G2RocketLeague!

G2 REIGNS IN LONDON, WINNING THEIR SECOND RLCS LAN EVENT BY TAKING DOWN TEAM FALCONS!

@BeastModeLK
@DanielRL__
@At0micRL
@Satthew pic.twitter.com/1hCtSXERGH

— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) June 23, 2024

Following their second-place finish at the Copenhagen Major earlier in the year, G2 entered the year’s second Major as one of the favourites with most esports betting sites.

With a roster featuring Massimo “Atomic” Franceschi, Daniel “Daniel” Piecnenski, and Landon “BeastMode” Knoerman, who are all established players in the Rocket League scene, G2 cruised through their early games, recording back-to-back 3-0 series victories.

However, it would be Team Falcons that would hand them their first and only defeat of the tournament in the third round of the group stage, as they dominated G2 3-0 (4-2, 2-0, 6-0).

G2 bounced back with a tough win against Gen.G to book their place in the playoffs and set up a clash with Spacestation Gaming in the quarter-finals.

Both G2 and Falcons claimed 4-1 victories in their quarter-final series against Spacestation and Gen.G, respectively, setting up mouth-watering matches against FURIA and Gentle Mates in the semi-finals.

G2 played out a back-and-forth encounter with FURIA before taking the series with a 4-2 (2-0, 3-0, 1-3, 1-3, 2-1, 2-1) score line, while Falcons was pushed all the way to seven maps in their 4-3 (1-2, 4-0, 1-3, 1-0, 2-3, 2-1, 2-1) win over Gentle Mates.

Although Falcons took the opening map of the grand final 2-1, G2 didn’t let the demons of their previous clash get to them, and thanks to an outstanding performance by BeastMode, they won the next four to wrap up the series 4-1 (1-2, 2-0, 2-1, 1-0, 3-0).

BeastMode was awarded the London Major Most Valuable Player after his stand-out performance for G2 Stride, with the 18-year-old earning his second MVP award of his career.

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Team BDS, G2 Stride and Team Vitality entered the second Major of the 2024 RLCS season as the favourites with esports betting sites and they didn’t let their followers down, as they all claimed dominant round one victories.

All but one of the favourites won their round one clashes, with only Oxygen Esports losing to PWR in a 3-1 (2-1, 3-1, 2-0, 5-4) upset in the first match of the tournament.

Heading into the second round of series, G2 Stride drew the easiest match-up in the winners’ bracket, as they took on PWR and thrashed the Oceania squad 3-0 (6-0, 5-1, 3-2), maintaining their perfect record after a 3-0 (1-0, 3-2, 3-1) win in round one.

COMMANDING VICTORY! @G2RocketLeague sweep Team PWR to go 2-0! #RLCS pic.twitter.com/mqUpYE38EI

— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) June 20, 2024

Team Vitality clashed with Gen.G and were forced to play all five maps before claiming a gritty 3-2 (5-0, 2-1, 1-3, 1-3, 1-0) win to remain undefeated on the opening day.

Joining G2 and Vitality in the round three winners’ bracket will be Team Falcons and FURIA, who bested Team BDS and Gentle Mates in their respective clashes in round two.

The winners of each of the two round three winners’ bracket series will qualify for the playoffs, earning themselves the rest of the day off to prepare for Saturday’s quarterfinals.

On the other end of the spectrum, Twisted Minds, Chieds Esports Club, Gaimin Gladiators and Team Mobula will play for their tournament lives on day two, following back-to-back losses on the opening day, with a third loss resulting in elimination from the London Major.

The RLCS London Major will resume at 2pm BST on Friday.

Friday’s round three matches

• Gen.G ($1.68) vs Oxygen Esports ($2.06) @ 2pm BST
• PWR ($4.44) vs Spacestation Gaming ($1.17) @ 2pm BST
• Team BDS ($1.19) vs OG ($4.17) @ 3pm BST
• Gentle Mates ($1.22) vs Team Secret ($3.84) @ 3pm BST
• Chiefs Esports Club ($1.49) vs Gaimin Gladiators ($2.45) @ 4pm BST
• Twisted Minds ($1.19) vs Team Mobula ($4.17) @ 4pm BST
• G2 Stride ($1.46) vs Team Falcons ($2.53) @ 5pm BST
• Team Vitality ($1.42) vs FURIA ($2.66) @ 5pm BST

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The MongolZ made a massive statement last week when they won YaLLa Compass 2024. A week prior, they also claimed the MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024 title, and in May, they reached the round of 12 at ESL Pro League Season 19.

Party Astronauts have not accomplished anything nearly as impressive, nor have they won a single tournament this season — despite competing only in lesser regional events. Their most notable achievement was placing second at the recent Thunderpick World Championship 2024: North American Series #2.

The MongolZ have severely overperformed over the last two months. Even though this won’t last for long, they’re in great form and should not struggle against North America’s fifth-ranked team.

Team Falcons have found some success this year, but they lack consistency. They reached the semifinals at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 in February and added another top-four finish at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 in May. In the remaining five tournaments, the Falcons have not placed higher than the top nine.

A major factor could be their lack of games, as the Falcons have played just 12 fixtures since mid-April. Over that stretch, however, they have put up some decent showings, with close games against G2 Esports, BetBoom Team, and Virtus.pro.

Aurora Gaming have been far more active, with 17 games this month. However, they have just three wins from their last nine outings, even though they’ve have been playing mostly second-tier teams.

Team Falcons are not in good form, but they’re a much more stacked team than Aurora Gaming. So even though this is a best-of-one game, it’s tough to make a strong case against the Falcons at the offered betting odds.

After a miraculous run at ESL Pro League Season 19, where they reached the semifinals, Complexity Gaming have not been able to show the same level of performance. They exited Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2024 in 13th-16th place and recently ended YaLLa Compass 2024 in the group stage.

The sudden drop in form might shock some, but it’s more that Complexity overperformed in Malta and are now showing their true colours — as a team that doesn’t belong among the elite few.

Alliance are the lowest-rated team in ESL Challenger J?nk?ping 2024, sitting at no.97 on the global Counter-Strike standings. They’ve not won a single tournament this season and are 2-5 from their last seven, despite only playing weaker teams.

Complexity have proved they don’t belong in the upper echelons of the Counter-Strike scene. But they’re still significantly more potent than Alliance, which should show on Friday.

ENCE are priced as substantial underdogs for their ESL Challenger J?nk?ping 2024 opener against MiBR, which doesn’t make much sense — not because ENCE are that strong, but because MiBR are not that much better.

ENCE recently crashed out of RES European Masters Fall 2023 in 9th-12th, and they weren’t much more successful at YaLLa Compass 2024, with just one win from five games played. But MiBR have not won a tournament since ESL Challenger at DreamHack Melbourne 2024 in April and were just as uninspiring as ENCE in their outings, losing to 9z Team and Bounty Hunters Esports.

It’s hard to find a good reason to believe in ENCE, but it’s even harder to justify backing MiBR at the offered betting odds. At $2.40 with the best esports betting sites, there is value in backing ENCE to spring an upset.

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Despite being relegated to the lower bracket earlier in the tournament, Falcons battled back and showcased their dominance with a flawless Dota 2 performance.

Their journey to the top began with a decisive win over BetBoom Team in the lower bracket.

Although BetBoom had quickly adapted to the significant new patch released during the event, Falcons muscled through to a 2-1 victory.

The grand final started explosively, with Falcons dominating the first match.

Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen’s performance on his signature Hoodwink was pivotal, helping the team secure a swift 25-minute victory.

In game two, the Gladiators tried an unconventional strategy with a Wraith King carry.

While initially promising, this tactic faltered against Falcons’ crowd control-heavy composition, leading to a slow loss for the Gladiators.

Game three was the Gladiators last hope for redemption.

The team, struggling to replicate their success from 2023, once again opted for a perplexing draft reliant on dying cores.

Falcons capitalized on this, securing a clean 3-0 sweep to win the championship.

Falcons’ victory at DreamLeague Season 23 earned them $300,000 and a guaranteed invite to the Riyadh Masters 2024.

A big Congratulations to @FalconsEsport, our #DreamLeague Season 23 powered by @IntelGaming Champions!!

They've just earned themselves $300,000! pic.twitter.com/xMRavB5sey

— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) May 26, 2024

Their dominant performance, including an undefeated upper bracket run, underscored their supremacy in the current Dota 2 season.

Had they not drawn their group series against Shopify Rebellion, Falcons would have achieved a complete event sweep.

Support star Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu attributed their success to focusing on the fundamentals of Dota.

“A big reason why I think we’re a strong team is because we focus on the fundamentals,” he said.

Cr1t- emphasized the importance of simplicity in adapting to the mid-tournament Patch 7.36.

“Most of the stuff in this patch is just yolo’ing it and [using] what you think is good as long as there’s some logic,” he explained.

Falcons mid-laner Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak was a standout, amassing 46 kills and just five deaths over the three games.

Despite Gaimin Gladiators’ efforts, they could not match Falcons’ relentless aggression and strategic prowess.

With this victory, Falcons secured back-to-back DreamLeague titles and their fourth tier-one tournament win in 2024, adding to their triumphs at BetBoom Dacha Dubai and ESL One Birmingham.

The conclusion of DreamLeague Season 23 confirmed the eight invited teams for the Riyadh Masters: Falcons, BetBoom, Gaimin Gladiators, Xtreme Gaming, Tundra Esports, OG, Team Liquid, and Team Spirit, with the remaining play-in squads to be determined by ESL Pro Tour rankings.

As the Dota 2 community looks ahead to the Riyadh Masters in July and TI 2024, Falcons’ impeccable form positions them as the favourites to lift the Aegis.

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G2 Esports rank among the elite few Counter-Strike esports teams, but they’ve yet to win a significant event this season. G2 reached the semifinals at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and Intel Extreme Masters Chengdu 2024 and recently placed top eight at ESL Pro League Season 19.

Although a fairly disappointing result for their standards, G2 Esports still posted solid results, which is why they’re expected to do well in Dallas. Yet we might want to tame our expectations.

In-game leader Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen won’t travel to Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center with his team and will be replaced by Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip. That’s a significant blow to G2 Esports and their chances to make it far, even though their deadly firepower remains intact.

Team Falcons haven’t accomplished anything nearly as impressive as G2 Esports since the turn of the year, but they played a competitive three-map series against Nikola “NiKo” Kova? and company in Malta. Now facing a weaker version of G2, Team Falcons have a realistic chance to cause an upset — especially in a best-of-one setting.

The second match of Group A at IEM Dallas 2024 is a regional derby between Complexity and Team Liquid. The North American teams last met during the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 American RMR in March when Complexity won 2-1, and according to esports betting odds, we should be in for another close game.

Team Liquid have shown significant improvement since March and secured a spot in the knockout stage of ESL Pro League Season 19 earlier this month. Complexity reached even deeper and nearly secured a ticket for the grand final, with a 1-2 loss to the eventual champions, MOUZ, in the semis.

Both teams are on an upwards trajectory, and it’s hard to set them apart. Complexity have shown more and deserve to be priced as favourites with esports betting sites, but this being a clash between two regional rivals, we can expect another close affair.

After winning PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, Natus Vincere battled to a 9th-12th finish at ESL Pro League Season 19. This isn’t too worrying, as their only loss of the tournament came against FaZe Clan, but there are arguments to be made against NaVi’s price for this match.

Ranked as the no.25 Counter-Strike esports team in the world, BIG are hardly serious contenders to win Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2024. They didn’t accomplish much at ESL Pro League Season 19, and they didn’t impress at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024 in March either.

Over the last three months, we have not seen BIG defeat a single elite CS team, and even when faced with weaker opponents, they’ve occasionally underdelivered. So even though Natus Vincere are notorious for slow starts to tournaments, they should do enough to beat BIG with a few rounds to spare.

Virtus.pro enter IEM Dallas 2024 following a solid performance at ESL Pro League Season 19, where they placed top eight. Even though VP are still far from where they want to be, they’ve started showing better performances since the signing of Denis “electroNic” Sharipov.

After their trip to Malta, Virtus.pro crashed out of BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 in fifth-sixth place, suggesting they’ll need a bit more time to gain serious traction.

HEROIC, like Virtus.pro, have a lot to prove. They exited ESL Pro League Season 19 in 21st-28th place and then ran third-fourth at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 with just two victories against MiBR.

Virtus.pro placed much higher than HEROIC at ESL Pro League Season 19, but that’s the only reason why anyone would consider them as favourites for this match. The two sides are evenly matched, and since it’s a best-of-one game, HEROIC to win at outsider odds is a much more appealing bet.

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