A new update for World of Warcraft is on the way, bringing with it a brand new raid, the Sanctum of Domination. This means we’re in for another rare “World First Race” where guilds from all over the world will battle it out to see who can defeat the final boss on the hardest difficulty first.
The update is set to launch on July 6, however, Mythic difficulty (the one we’re betting on) comes out a week later on July 13. If you’re unfamiliar with World of Warcraft and the Mythic racing scene, groups of 20 players, known as guilds, will attempt to storm an AI-controlled dungeon and defeat the final boss as quickly as possible.
In this case, players will be taking on a brand new raid, Sanctum of Domination, and will have to defeat a total of 10 powerful enemies known as bosses. What really matters, though, is who defeats the final boss, Sylvanas Windrunner, first.
One of the most unique things about WoW’s Mythic races is that anyone can take part. As long as you own the game, you can head into the raid yourself and try to win the race. However, things aren’t so simple and we usually see the same few faces lead the pack. So, let’s take a look at all the teams to watch.
Guilds to Watch in the Sanctum of Domination Mythic Race
While anyone can take part, there are usually a few key favorites in these Mythic races. Complexity Limit and Echo are the two strongest sides in WoW history and have been dominating the scene for a long time, with one of the two having won every race since 2017.
There are also a few key underdogs, specifically Pieces, Method, BDGG and FatSharkYes. These guilds haven’t managed to overcome the best just yet, but often give them a very good race and sometimes things do actually get very close.
One thing to note, however, is that the Method organization has a very strong history, but the legendary squad split from the organization in 2020, so it’s actually the Echo team that holds all the titles, while Method now fields a new and unproven side. It’s a bit confusing, but essentially there was a massive roster change, with Method becoming Echo.
When it comes to the race itself, there isn’t really any type of format. Once the raid is released, players can play whenever they want and you can usually follow the top guilds on Twitch to see their progress. The overall length of the race also differs depending on the raid, but for reference, the last race lasted just over seven days.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Complexity Limit | -190 |
| Echo | +160 |
| Pieces | +1100 |
| Method | +1100 |
| BDGG | +1600 |
| FatSharkYes | +3300 |
| Skyline | +4000 |
| Jitianhong | +5000 |
| Chao Jie | +6600 |
| Momento | +6600 |
| Aversion | +6600 |
| Practice | +8000 |
| Alpha | +8000 |
| MNM | +10000 |
| Club Camel | +12500 |
| Right | +15000 |
| Midwinter | +15000 |
| Lazarus Impreative | +20000 |
| Ethical | +22500 |
| Zero Empathy | +25000 |
| Exorsus | +25000 |
Odds as of June 22 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Complexity Limit Looks to Continue WoW Domination
Limit enters as the favorite for this race and for very good reason. They dominated the last two races, winning in both Ny’alotha, the Waking City and Castle Nathria in convincing fashion. In fact, their most recent win was one of the strongest yet, having beaten Echo by around 16 hours!
Since then their team has not really seen any changes and their experienced roster will be once again looking to complete a very solid race. All of their players are some of the best, if not the best, in their roles and certainly won’t be slowing down any time soon.
The team also has the advantage of the backing of Complexity, one of the biggest esports teams in the business, which gives them a ton more resources to work with compared to their competition.
Will Echo be Able to Close the Gap?
Echo has been looking uncharacteristically sluggish of late. The team was once able to dominate Limit but over the last few races has looked quite unimpressive.
This could very well be down to a turbulent year, which saw the players leave an established team and form their own organization. It was a huge change for the team, so it’s very understandable that it could impact their performance.
However, they’ve had over a year now to settle, so that can’t be used as an excuse anymore. The players have shown they can be the best of the best, so it will be interesting to see what they’ve worked on over the last few months to close the gap between them and the favorites.
Can Method Recover From Disastrous Castle Nathria Race?
Method completed a roster overhaul in 2020 and went into Castle Nathria with high expectations, as well as being touted as third favorites. However, things didn’t go well for the team at all, as they finished in seventh, killing the final boss almost two weeks after Limit.
The result was considered a huge failure for the once-dominant organization and it was clear to the leaders that something had to be done. Since then, we’ve seen players come and go, and the team invest a ton of resources to improve their roster.
This will be the first race since their disastrous Castle Nathria run and a real test to see if Method can recover, or if there is a long road yet until the organization returns to its history of success.
