Elite League S2 is currently underway. Now that we’ve seen the first three rounds of this Dota 2 tournament, we can assess with a lot more confidence who are its favorites.
Unlike most tier-1 competitions, this one has relatively few formidable participants because everyone is prioritizing The International 13. Preparing for such an important event takes time, and Elite League S2 constitutes a major time investment.
First of all, it takes place in Peru, which is quite far away from Europe, where most of the best teams are located. Then it lasts for 11 days, which is around two weeks when you add the travel time and everything else.
The tournament itself provides an excellent opportunity to experiment with new strategies and refine the ones you already have in your arsenal. But many teams decided to skip it. Therefore, the top teams who accepted the challenge now find themselves with very few real opponents.
Here’s a brief analysis of the strongest teams in the race.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid are already qualified for the second stage. They won the Swiss Stage with a perfect record and have the strongest roster in the tournament. If Nisha and miCKe play their usual game, there will be no one to stop them from winning the trophy and the $240.000 check that comes with it.
Earlier this year, Liquid finished 2nd at BetBoom Dacha Dubai, 4th at Elite League S1, 5th – 6th at ESL One Brimingham and PGL Wallachia S1, and 2nd at the most recent Dota 2 event, Riyadh Masters 2024. If they continue to play like they did in Riyadh, a 2nd place is the least we expect from them.
The story repeats itself
Congratulations to @GaiminGladiator, we WILL get our ultimate revenge 🫡#EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/vjWwK8GOPz
— Team Liquid Dota (@teamliquiddota) July 21, 2024
OG
OG do not have Ceb because he decided to skip this tournament. But so far, they’ve performed well with the stand-in player, kaori, winning all three stage 1 matches. They haven’t encountered Liquid yet, but they did defeat HEROIC, which is one of the other big favorites.
In 2024, OG did not win any trophies but they had multiple good results at tier-1 tournaments. At DreamLeague S22, they were 6th. At ESL One Birmingham, they were 4th. More recently, at Riyadh Masters 2024, they were 9th – 12th. It must be said here that OG failed to qualify for The International 13, so they are nowhere near Liquid’s level.
HEROIC
HEROIC’s current record is 2 W – 1 L, so they need one more victory to advance to the second stage of Elite League S2. This is a very strong team with some highly experienced South American players, who are playing well because they’re competing in front of their home audience.
Scofield and K1 finished in the top eight at The International in 2022, so they’re not strangers to playing on the big stage. At this competitive level, their team is easily one of the best in the race.
WE ARE QUALIFIED TO THE INTERNATIONAL!!! 🥳
CLASIFICAMOS AL INTERNATIONAL!!! 🇵🇪
VAMOS PARA THE INTERNATIONAL!!! 🇧🇷THE KINGS OF SOUTH AMERICA ARE GOING TO COPENHAGEN, LFG!!!!!! 🇩🇰 👑 pic.twitter.com/pRfuDLuvqd
— HEROIC Dota 2 (@heroicdota2) June 18, 2024
Beastcoast
Beastcoast also need one more victory to advance to the second stage of the tournament. They qualified for The International 13, being 2nd in the regional qualifier after HEROIC. They also played at Riyadh Masters 2024 and finished 13th – 14th. In the absence of most of the world’s best teams, they too should get a top result here.
Header: ESB
