ESL One Berlin Major 2023 favorites and predictions

ESL One Berlin Major is about to begin. The tournament features 18 world-class Dota 2 teams but some of them are vastly stronger than others. Or at least they used to be until the launch of Dota 2 patch 7.33.

However, it’s probably safe to assume that the top teams of the previous patch will find a way to win on the new patch as well. The pecking order may not remain completely unchanged, but it’s hard to believe that the best teams in the world will all of a sudden be replaced by other competitors.

Berlin Major participants

ESL One Berlin Major will start with two groups of nine participants.

Group A

• 9 Pandas
• BetBoom Team
• Evil Geniuses
• Execration
• Gaimin Gladiators
• LGD
• Team Aster
• Team Liquid
• TSM

Group B

• Beastcoast
• Invictus Gaming
• OG
• Shopify Rebellion
• Talon Esports
• Team SMG
• Team Spirit
• Tundra Esports
• Xtreme Gaming

Group A favorites

In group A, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and 9 Pandas are the biggest favorites. Two other teams that are likely to advance to the playoffs are BetBoom and PSG.LGD.

In the case of Gladiators and Liquid, there’s hardly anyone who thinks that they are not among the top three favorites to win the competition. Their results at the Lima Major, as well as in Western Europe’s Division I, clearly proved that they are one step ahead of everyone else.

Even with all the recent map and hero changes, it will take a while for the rest of the teams to catch up with them.

EG and 9 Pandas are also formidable teams but they come from slightly weaker regions, which is why they can’t be compared with the first two but should still be regarded as very likely to advance to the playoffs.

PSG.LGD are the second-best team in China. And BetBoom have the potential to be the number one team in Eastern Europe.

Group B favorites

In group B, the favorites are Rebellion, Talon, Spirit, Tundra, Xtreme Gaming, and beastcoast, but not necessarily in this order. All of these six teams are vastly stronger than the rest, especially now that OG are playing with a stand-in.

Rebellion, Talon, Spirit, and Tundra are likely to be the ones to earn the upper bracket spots for the playoffs. It’s hard to believe that Xtreme Gaming and beastcoast won’t qualify as well, given how dominant they were in Tour 2 in their regions.

Header: ESL