Favorites of GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational HatYai Thailand

GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational HatYai Thailand kicked off today, featuring some of the best Dota 2 teams in Southeast Asia. Every top competitor except T1 is here and wants to prove to local fans that they’re the best in the region.

GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational series takes place between August 18-20, with $150,000 up for grabs. All things considered, this is a big Dota 2 event that offers excellent opportunities to the local community and its professional teams. And on top of that, the action takes place on LAN, not online, which increases the prestige of the tournament tenfold.

GAMERS GALAXY participants and format

Here are teams taking part in GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational HatYai Thailand:

• Army Geniuses
• BOOM Esports
• Execration
• Fnatic
• Polaris Esports
• RSG
• Talon Esports
• Team SMG

The event’s competitive format is simple. The eight participating teams are split into two groups of four. Each group consists of a single round-robin, with every match being best-of-one. The top two teams from each group qualify for the playoffs, where the matches are best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which will see a best-of-five series.

Favorites

Based on the early results, Talon Esports seem to be in excellent shape and are leading in group A with a record of 2W – 0L. What’s strange is that BOOM Esports and Fnatic, who were supposed to be the big favorites after participating in PGL Arlington Major, are both sitting at the bottom of their respective groups with a record of 0W – 1L.

However, there’s still a chance that the next few matches will go in their favor and they will get the opportunity to compete in the playoffs. The live audience that buys tickets to see the action is usually motivated by the desire to watch legendary players in action. And since many such players compete for BOOM and Fnatic, it might not be good for the show if both teams got eliminated in the groups.

Objectively, the big favorites of this tournament are Talon, Fnatic, and BOOM. SMG are not to be ignored either, but their roster is slightly weaker.

In the case of Talon, it’s pretty obvious why their results have been so good. The team is coached by a South Korean who finished in the top six at The International back when he was competing himself. On the roster there is also a former TI finalist Damien “kpii” Chok and the first man who reached 12,000 MMR, Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon. With such players, Talon’s chances of winning the tournament are quite high.

Header: GAMERS GALAXY