ESL One Birmingham Group B Predictions

ESL One Birmingham is scheduled to take place between April 22 – 28. The 12 participants are divided into two groups of six and only four teams out of each group will advance to the playoffs.

In group B, every single team has the potential to qualify, but two of the six competitors are significantly weaker than the rest. Those teams are HEROIC and Team Spirit. However, in Spirit’s case, the fact that this exact roster won The International and Riyadh Masters last year means that they could easily make a comeback and start playing like their former selves again.

It’s time for the FIRST day of #ESLOne Birmingham!! 🤩

We’ve got lots of Group Stage games lined up today, so make sure to tune in!

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Group B Team Analysis

Here are the Dota 2 teams who will compete in group B of ESL One Birmingham:

• Gaimin Gladiators
• HEROIC
• OG
• Team Spirit
• Tundra Esports
• Xtreme Gaming

Gaimin Gladiators

Gladiators are currently going through a period of experimentation. The recent Dota 2 patches have clearly ruined some of their best heroes and strategies, and as a result they are no longer the best team in the world. Another thing that contributed to this situation was the rise of Xtreme Gaming and Team Falcons.

Gladiators have not changed their 2023 roster. This is the same team that won all DPC Majors last season, finished 4^th at Riyadh Masters, and played in the Grand Final of The International 12. The potential for greatness is there, but for now it’s safe to assume that Gladiators are just a top six team instead of the world’s best team.

Their results in 2024 clearly indicate this: 5^th – 6^th at BetBoom Dacha Dubai, 5^th at DreamLeague S22, and 5^th – 6^th at Elite League.

In group B of ESL One Birmingham, Quinn’s crew is expected to finish 2^nd – 4^th.

HEROIC

HEROIC’s performance at international Dota 2 tournaments has been poor so far. Over the last two months, they competed at DreamLeague S22 (13^th – 14^th) and Elite League (15^th – 16^th). Clearly, this is not a team you can rely on in a group like this. In fact, they are probably the least likely to succeed.

With that said, Dota 2 is a game that can offer lots of surprises. If HEROIC start playing better than ever, there’s nothing that will stop them from finishing in the top four. But that’s not likely to happen.

OG

For OG, this is a very important tournament. Ceb’s crew didn’t have much luck this season, failing multiple times in regional qualifiers and finishing outside the top eight at tier-1 events like BetBoom Dacha Dubai and Elite League. Their only top-eight result came at DreamLeague S22, where they finished 6^th.

At the moment, OG continue to play with Timado as their carry. He is quite good and experienced at playing this role, but the overall roster doesn’t seem to have enough talent to compete against the world’s best.

OG could still qualify for the playoffs of ESL One Birmingham if Team Spirit continue to play as poorly as they did at Elite League. Let’s not forget that Ari is from the UK, so he might have been extra motivated to train for this tournament. That doesn’t guarantee that he will play better, but it’s definitely a plus.

Team Spirit

The former TI champions and Riyadh Masters champions are not doing great right now. At Elite League, they proved to be completely out of shape and Miposhka then confirmed the team’s internal problems in an interview.

The players are very talented and the roster has already demonstrated its strength, but the combination of success and new patches can lead sometimes to a lack of motivation and even complete failure to keep up with the meta.

What should make Spirit fans optimistic about their team’s chances of playing well at ESL One Birmingham is the fact that they finished 5^th – 6^th at BetBoom Dacha Dubai and 4^th at DreamLeague Season 22.

Tundra Esports

Tundra have two of the world’s best Dota 2 players: Pure~ and Topson. With them playing the carry and mid roles, it is not that hard to imagine Tundra finishing their group in the top four and the tournament in the top six.

Xtreme Gaming

This is the team that won Elite League and Games of the Future this year. They also finished 7^th – 8^th at BetBoom Dacha Dubai and 3^rd at DreamLeague S22. Xtreme should prove capable of winning their group at ESL One Birmingham. If Ame is in good shape, they will have no problem against most of their opponents.

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