World of Warcraft esports is back on the menu with the first season of the Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) of 2021. We’re set to see eight teams battle it out from February 26 to 28 in an all-out mythic dungeon race, battling not only for cash prizes but also for a spot at the global finals later in the year.
Here’s a quick rundown for those new to WoW esports or the MDI: teams of five players enter pre-generated maps (called dungeons) set to the highest difficulty and race against their opponents to take down the AI-controlled bosses first. The teams don’t interact with each other and must simply take down the final boss of each dungeon to win. There are a ton of different dungeons and in these kinds of races, even a couple of seconds can mean victory or defeat.
This is the third cup of the MDI 2021 season, with the first two having been played over the last few weeks and the fourth and final chance to qualify for the main event scheduled for March.
Make sure to check out our guide on all things World of Warcraft Esports and let’s take a look at who’s racing and the MDI format.
Who’s Playing at The MDI Global Cup 3?
The full list of competitors has yet to be announced as anyone with a World of Warcraft account is able to qualify for the MDI Global Cup – all it takes is putting up some impressive numbers in Mythic dungeons in between each cup.
However, there is a list of the usual favorites that will likely qualify, with the top few spots being almost guaranteed to go to the likes of Echo, Perplexed and PI ME, while some of the other “wild-card” spots could land on just about any team.
No matter the results, we’ll see eight teams battle it out at the Global Cup 3 and be immediately tossed into a double-elimination playoff bracket. This means a team is eliminated after two losses. Each match will be played in a best-of-three format and teams will veto dungeons until just three remain.
So far, the cup has actually been surprisingly competitive, with favorites Echo losing to Perplexed in the first cup, and barely scraping together a miracle comeback in the grand finals of the second. The action is sure to heat up in the third as these two favorites will undoubtedly continue to meet in the later rounds.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Echo | -150 |
| Perplexed | +125 |
| PI ME | +1250 |
| Does Gargoyle Stream? | +2000 |
| Golden Guardians | +2500 |
| The Pitu’s Angels | +3300 |
| Obey Alliance | +10000 |
| Reload Fulcrum | +20000 |
| Team Degen | +25000 |
| Mogu Vacation Club | +25000 |
Odds as of February 18 at [ [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Echo Looks to Show Why It’s Favored
Echo is one of the elite WoW esports sides. They dominated the Mythic world first race scene under the Method banner and are now looking to forge their own path. Their MDI team features arguably five of the best players in the world, with the experience and support to dominate the competitive scene.
So far, they’ve been performing well, but a touch below their level, considering they are supposed to be the absolute elite. The first cup ended in disaster, as they won just one of five dungeon races against Perplexed.
However, they improved in the second cup and after a loss in the upper bracket came back to take down Perplexed in the grand finals. Echo has shown decent growth, but isn’t quite playing like many would expect. Will they improve again for cup 3, or will their opponents capitalize on their poor form once again?
Can Perplexed upset again?
Perplexed has definitely been the team to watch in the MDI so far. Despite coming in as underdogs, they’ve taken down favorite Echo a few times already and even claimed one cup victory.
The team has come in with some unique strategies and overall masterful gameplay to pull everything together and edge out Echo in some tight races.
Going into cup 3, there’s a real possibility of an upset as Perplexed has made it clear they won’t go down without a fight. It’s very difficult to predict an overall winner, but backing Perplexed as an underdog might be a risk worth taking.
Can we Expect a Miracle From The Other Teams?
Honestly, it’s not looking too hot for the other teams. Even the stronger sides like PI ME, Does Gargoyle Stream? and Golden Guardians have all failed to make any impact so far.
Looking at past results, all three teams have seen some unexpected losses and once they reach the two favorites, it’s a bloodbath. In total, Echo and Perplexed have raced against the underdogs 21 times and lost just one dungeon.
It doesn’t look like much will change going forward and I’d keep my wagers for one of the two favorites, as they’ve been unstoppable so far.
