The Dota Pro Circuit is once again gracing fans with a near-24/7 stream of top-level play. The first week set the tone for the DPC’s second season and Patch 7.29. Teams have now gotten a taste of the metagame and are starting to develop counterplay. Matches are more likely to be close, as teams are incentivized to hide their innovative picks for later. This week is ripe for upsets, so here are the three Dota Pro Circuit matches most likely to entertain.
After their razor-sharp defeat in the Singapore Major grand finals, Evil Geniuses have nothing to prove to their home region. 4 Zoomers, on the other hand, have everything to gain. The upstart stack is the strongest NA team to emerge from the online era. Their fourth-place finish in the first DPC season was chased by a championship at BTS Pro Series Season 5. EG against the Zoomers will be the first heavyweight clash of the North America DPC.
4 Zoomers are currently the Upper Division leaders with a 2-0 record. EG won their only series against
The Cut very handily. With such a prestigious win up for grabs, Zoomer captain
Nico "Gunnar" Lopez will slam his strategic hand on the table. A game one loss could force
Tal "Fly" Aizik to reveal EG’s own 7.29 technology.
Costa Rican organization Infinity Esports quickly made a name for themselves after re-entering Dota 2 last May. They’re one of the hardest working squads in South America, attending nearly 20 tournaments over the past year. They caught their big break at last season’s Lower Division. A 6-1 record earned them $17,000 and an Upper Division bid.
Jeanpierre Valente "PiPi" Arroyo showed off his Invoker skills in game three against Hokori, going 11-1-18 off an
11-minute Witch Blade. The team is still looking for a big win to cement them as a threat. What better target than last season’s champs?
Despite beastcoast’s stellar 12-2 games record and $30,000 prize last season, many international fans associate the region with
Thunder Predator thanks to their fifth place at the Singapore Major. beastcoast dropped out just two days before. A burst of interest in SA’s competitive scene gives them the perfect opportunity to affirm their supremacy.
Aster and Invictus ended the last Chinese Upper Division with a first-place tiebreaker, so it's a surprise to see them face off so early. Invictus Gaming pulled insane upsets over
Team Secret and Evil Geniuses to clinch their $200,000 Major victory. The Singapore champions will defend their title in spirit all season long.Team Aster, on the other hand, fell out early at ninth. Western fans might not view Aster and iG as equals, but there’s good reason to suspect an Aster triumph.
For starters, Aster will finally be playing with their proper roster. Superstar
Ye "Borax" Zhibiao’s absence was extremely impactful on their performance in Singapore. In addition to pushing iG’s limits at the first DPC season, Aster won their most recent bout 2-0 at FMWH Championship S3. Invictus captain
Hu "kaka" Liangzhi will face the tough decision of revealing strats early or giving up matches to their closest competitor.