DreamLeague action continues in Europe from April 13 as eight of the region’s best teams are set to battle it out for $205,000, vital Dota 2 Pro Circuit points and four spots at the next major.
With so much on the line, this is set to be an extremely competitive event where just about every single match will have some very high stakes. This makes it a prime event for bettors, as each team will be giving it their all.
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 DreamLeague Season 15 Europe?
It’s mostly the usual suspects at DreamLeague, with six teams remaining from season 14, while two squads have earned promotion, replacing the two teams that finished in the bottom two places in the previous season.
This means we won’t be seeing Vikin.gg and High Coast this season, as they were relegated and replaced by Hellbear Smashers and Brame. Meanwhile, the teams that retained their spot are: Team Secret, Alliance, Team Nigma, Team Liquid, OG and Tundra Esports. As we can see, this is quite a stacked lineup, and we’re in for some amazing Dota 2.
When it comes to the format, not much has changed. The league takes place over six weeks, featuring a round-robin format, meaning each team faces every other team once in a best-of-three series. There are no playoffs, so as you might expect, the team that wins the most series wins the league.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Secret | -130 |
| Alliance | +400 |
| OG | +500 |
| Nigma | +800 |
| Team Liquid | +1000 |
| Tundra Esports | +2500 |
| Hellbear Smashers | +3300 |
| Brame | +4000 |
Odds as of April 8 at Sportsbook
Team Secret Looks to Repeat Undefeated Season
Team Secret enters this league as undoubtedly the best team in the world, having dominated the Dota 2 scene in 2020 and continuing their success this year. In their last 16 events, Secret has taken 11 first-place finishes and been in the top four on three other occasions.
They also had a phenomenal start to 2021, demolishing the competition in DreamLeague season 14, winning all of their matches while dropping only three maps. Overall, they’re undefeated against European teams this year and will definitely be looking to continue their run here.
It’s difficult to see anyone stopping Team Secret, but the favorites have shown they can be defeated, so anything is possible.
Sportsbook
Can Liquid Stop Secret Once Again?
Secret is the heavy favorite but isn’t unstoppable. Liquid managed the seemingly impossible back in December 2020 when they defeated Secret 2-0 in the EPIC League. It was an incredible series and quite hard to believe as Liquid handed Secret its worst finish in 12 months.
Going into DreamLeague Season 15, every team will be thinking of a plan to take down Secret, and Liquid may be the best candidate to do just that. They’ve done it before, and if they can take down the favorites, the whole league could very well be in their hands.
Of course, it will be a huge challenge, but out of all the teams at the event, a risk on Liquid may very well be the one to pay off.
Do The Newly Promoted Teams Stand a Chance?
As with most competitive leagues, when a team is promoted, it’s usually the biggest underdog. It’s much the same for Hellbear Smashers and Brame here, as unfortunately things aren’t looking too good for them.
Despite featuring a mix of experienced and up-and-coming players, neither team has been too promising overall lately. However, they have taken some games off of Liquid and other teams around that level, and as we know, Liquid did defeat Secret previously.
So while it is a very long shot that the two new faces do make anything happen, this is Dota and just about anything is possible.
