DreamLeague S19 playoffs preview and favorites

Finally, after more than 10 days of hyped matches, DreamLeague S19 is about to enter the playoffs stage. Only four of the initial 16 competitors are still in the race and the total prize money they are competing for is around $680.000. That’s significantly more than a Dota 2 Major offers these days.

On top of that, the winner will qualify for this year’s Riyadh Masters, which is going to be a spectacular Dota 2 event. Given the relatively small amounts of money that get invested in Dota 2 prize pools, the importance of Riyadh Masters is second only to The International. Not even DPC Majors can compare to it.

DreamLeague playoffs teams

Here are the four teams that survived the second stage of DreamLeague Season 19:

• Team Liquid
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Shopify Rebellion
• Tundra Esports

All of them were much stronger than the competitors who failed to qualify. Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators finished with nearly perfect records: 6 W – 1 L. Shopify Rebellion had 5 wins and 2 losses, while Tundra had 4 wins and 3 losses. Meanwhile, OG, who finished fifth, had just 2 wins and 5 losses.

In stage 2 of DreamLeague S19, Team Liquid lost against Gladiators, while Gladiators lost against Rebellion. All three teams defeated Tundra. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the playoffs. With such a small number of participants, it’s clear that the teams will have ample time to prepare for their opponents.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Liquid and Gladiators are likely to meet in the Grand Final. The two teams will start in the upper bracket, which means that no matter who loses the match, there will be a second chance for them.

The winner of this first match is probably going to be Gladiators. We’ve seen this match-up several times lately and Liquid do not look capable of beating this opponent. They can deal with anyone else quite easily, but Gladiators seem to have their number.

In the lower bracket, Shopify will encounter Tundra. This best-of-three will be just as interesting to watch and the upper bracket Final. For Tal “Fly” Aizik, winning this match would provide a decent opportunity to qualify for the Grand Final.

The odds are still low because Liquid know how to beat them and they’re the ones they will likely encounter next. But at least it’s a chance.

The playoffs stage starts on April 22.

Header: Team Liquid