The second Dota 2 major is just around the corner, taking place from June 2 to June 13. It’s another huge event for the game, combining all of the key competitive regions at one event, with teams fighting for crucial Dota 2 Pro Circuit ranking points, alongside a sizable prize pool.
WePlay’s AniMajor will be one of the most competitive events on the Dota 2 calendar, as each team battled hard in its region to earn a spot at the event. This means we’ll only see the best of the best at the event, with even some key favorites like OG and Elephant missing out.
Before we take a closer look at the event, make sure to familiarize yourself with all things Dota, and let’s jump right into the juicy details.
Who’s Playing at the WePlay AniMajor?
We’ll see 18 teams at this major event, featuring sides from all the competitive Dota 2 regions. This includes four from both Western Europe and China, three from both Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, and two from both North and South America.
We’ll see most of the usual favorites like Team Aster, Virtus.pro, Team Secret and Invictus Gaming, as well as some up-and-comers like NoPing Esports and Execration. Overall, it’s a tournament absolutely packed with talent, both new and old.
When it comes to the event itself, we’ll see a standard Dota 2 major format. This means the event is split into three stages: the wild card, the group stage and the playoffs. Each team has already qualified for a stage based on their regional results.
The winners of each regional league have been placed straight in the playoffs, the runners-up have been seeded into the group stage, and the bottom few teams of each region have made their way into the wild card.
The major kicks off with the wild-card stage, which features the six teams that placed in the lowest ranks at their regional event. This is a simple round-robin group stage, meaning each team plays the others once, and the top two advance to the main group stage.
In the group stage, teams once again play a simple round robin. This time, however, the top two advance to the upper bracket, while teams ranked third to sixth advance to the lower playoff bracket, and the others are eliminated.
Last but not least comes the playoffs. This is played in a double-elimination format, meaning teams that lose in the upper bracket have another shot in the lower bracket before elimination. A loss in the lower bracket means teams are out.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| PSG.LGD | +300 |
| Team Aster | +500 |
| Evil Geniuses | +500 |
| Virtus.pro | +600 |
| Team Secret | +900 |
| Alliance | +1000 |
| Invictus Gaming | +1000 |
| Team Liquid | +1200 |
| T1 | +1400 |
| Quincy Crew | +1600 |
| NoPing Esports | +1600 |
| Nigma | +1800 |
| Team Spirit | +2000 |
| Vici Gaming | +2500 |
| TNC | +2800 |
| beastcoast | +4000 |
| AS Monaco Gambit | +10000 |
| Execration | +15000 |
Odds as of June 1 at Sportsbook
Can Virtus.pro Continue Dominant Performance?
Virtus.pro comes into the major in the hottest form of any team, having blitzed through its regional competition in Eastern Europe, dropping just two maps in a brilliant 7-0 run.
The team enters as one of the only undefeated teams across all regions and is once again looking to dominate the world of Dota 2. Virtus.pro has always been a huge name in the game and, considering their form, could very well reclaim their crown as the best team in the world.
A major trophy here would definitely put them up there and the team is no doubt eager to get some revenge after an early elimination at the Singapore Major back in April. A lot stands between them and a trophy, but things are certainly looking promising for Virtus.pro.
Sportsbook
Could We See Another Impressive Evil Geniuses Performance?
Evil Geniuses were definitely one of the most surprising teams of the previous major, storming their way into the grand finals with a series of unexpected but dominant victories. They took down some of the biggest names in Dota, including Fnatic, PSG.LGD and even eventual winner Invictus Gaming.
They were even very close to winning the event, going up 2-0 before a miraculous reverse sweep saw them lose the trophy at the death.
Other than a somewhat shaky loss to Quincy Crew in their regional league, EG has looked very strong so far and could very well put up another impressive performance. However, given the level of the teams at the event, it’ll certainly be difficult to once again pull off what some called a miracle run.
Why is Team Secret a Huge Underdog?
Just a few months ago, Team Secret was the team to watch in Dota 2. They were widely touted as the best in the world, having dominated the scene in 2020 when they won six of the eight events they played in, and placed second in another.
Secret looked almost unstoppable and was the heavy favorite for the previous major, but after a disappointing result, they seem to have completely fallen out of form. They were eliminated by eventual winner Invictus Gaming in fourth place, a decent result for most teams, but the real woes have come from regional competition.
They heavily underperformed in Western Europe’s league, placing fourth and barely even qualifying for the major, despite being massive -130 favorites to win it. Now, it’s difficult to tell what will come out of Secret. On one hand, we have the same team that basically won everything in 2020, but on the other, we also have a team that was dominated by traditionally weak European sides and placed last in their region.
