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ESL One Fall Playoffs Predictions

The Group Stage of ESL One Fall is finally over and a few days from now, the Playoffs will... Radu M. | 25. August 2021

The Group Stage of ESL One Fall is finally over and a few days from now, the Playoffs will begin. This second stage of the tournament features 8 of the initial 12 teams and will be played using a double-elimination format. The top 2 teams from each group will get 2 tournament lives instead of 1. The other 2 will start in the Lower Bracket.

ESL One Fall Playoffs Favorites

The Playoffs Stage of ESL One Fall features the following teams:

  • pro
  • Tundra Esports
  • beastcoast
  • LGD
  • Team Spirit
  • T1
  • Alliance
  • Team Empire

The favorites are the following 4:

Virtus.pro

It’s been a long time since we last saw Virtus.pro playing so well. The CIS squad started the tournament with an easy match against Creepwave. But after winning this Bo2, VP went on to win 4 more Bo2 matches, some of them against strong competitors like Tundra and Spirit. This makes their achievement even more impressive. Keep in mind, these were not Bo3 confrontations. So VP had to win 10 consecutive games to achieve their perfect score.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, I think the CIS team is the number 1 favorite to win ESL One Fall. Its past results and the vast experience of its roster clearly suggest that unless PSG.LGD or beastcoast can find VP’s weak spot, there will be absolutely no one to stop them.

Tundra Esports

Tundra is playing very well at this competitive level. Apart from VP, they defeated everyone in Group A, showing great skill and versatility in the process. In some matches they preferred Lycan, in others Pangolier, and so on. Depending on the opponent, Tundra adapted its drafts and play style to achieve the best result.

I don’t think that Fata and his crew can win ESL One Fall or compete in its Grand Final. But I definitely see them capable of finishing 3rd.

beastcoast

beastcoast did not look impressive ahead of the tournament. In fact, they had obtained a poor result at BTS Pro Series Season 7: Americas, where they finished 7th in a regional tournament that should have been a great opportunity for them to get at least the 3rd place.

However, as soon as ESL One Fall began, the South American team transformed itself into a formidable competitor. Not only did they not lose a single match during the Group Stage, they managed to beat one of the best Dota 2 teams on the planet (PSG.LGD) in a Bo2!

The main issue with underdogs is that they rarely maintain their good results in the later phases of big events. The pressure usually gets to them and they get beaten by more experienced competitors. I expect the same thing to happen here. beastcoast’s first opponent in the Playoffs of ESL One Fall is going to be Tundra. The most likely result is 1 – 2 in favor of the Europeans. Overall, beastcoast will probably finish 4th.

PSG.LGD

PSG.LGD had a decent performance in the Group Stage of ESL One Fall: 3 W – 1 D – 1 L. Strangely enough, the teams that got the best results against them were not the ones regarded to be the strongest. Instead, it was beastcoast and Empire who posed the biggest challenges.

It will be interesting to see what PSG.LGD can do in the Playoffs. Based on the data we have about them, they should finish 2nd.

 

Photo credit: Valve