One Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore
One Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore is a LAN Dota 2 tournament that will feature the world's best teams in Dota 2 including Team Secret and PSG.LGD that will take place from December 20 till 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Twelve teams will compete for a share of the $500,000 prize pool.
Preview
The ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore isn't the first Dota 2 tournament of the 2019/2020 competitive season, and yet it feels like it's a beginning of a brand-new chapter — one that is brimming with excitement and uncertainty. In many ways, to the many top-tier teams competing in Singapore, this tournament will truly feel different. Not only will Singapore host the who's who of the world of competitive Dota, but it'll also be the first large-scale tournament that's being played on patch 7.23 (the Outlanders update).
That, in and of itself, is more than enough reason to get us excited. Every competitive esport is somewhat top-heavy. You always have a solid enough idea regarding who's the favorite and why. The teams at the top not only have the best players (with the most mechanical prowess and experience), but also the most complete and diverse coaching staffs. The five individuals you see on stage aren't just representing themselves, but rather the entire organization and a plethora of different people who enable them day in and day out.
And whenever a huge is shipped, the teams that have the most "manpower" are the ones who adapt the quickest. Patch 7.23 ushered in a completely different kind of meta. The game itself underwent immense change in a staggeringly short amount of time. That's the Valve way — their well-known M.O. The world of competitive Dota has seen nothing but 7.22 for over six months which meant everyone was clamoring for a much-needed update. Valve certainly delivered, but one can argue that they even took things a bit too far in some respects. They heard everyone's pleas loud and clear and have shipped one of the biggest and most important updates in the game's six-year-old history. That's really saying something, given Valve's peculiar track record.
The patch is so large, in fact, that it's hard to even comprehend.
While the game itself will still remain the same in certain aspects, the nuances and the many fascinating layers that define the meta have changed irreversibly. Furthermore, we still haven't seen the very best teams in the world duke it out on the biggest of stages. There's still so much that is unknown — top-tier teams always keep their cards close to the chest, and how much the meta shifted over the last couple of weeks is still anyone's guess. This one fact makes every upcoming tournament that much more exciting. It adds an immense layer of uncertainty. No one's quite sure what to think and how to approach and grasp the current meta. There are certainly more than just a couple of ideas, but for the first time in a long whiel, nothing is set in stone, nothing is concrete. Instead, teams can theorize and experiment to their heart's content. And some of these challengers will eventually turn the status quo on its head and therefore define the meta. But that point in time is a long way off.
Right now, however, every team competing is going to fight on a somewhat level playing field. This moment is, at once, both electrifying but also unnerving. No one truly knows what's going to happen which means huge, monumental upsets are bound to happen.
It's important to highlight that there's not much on the line in Singapore other than a fair bit of money (a total prize pool of $500,000 to be more exact). No Dota Pro Circuit points will be granted to any of the twelve teams that are competing, meaning no matter how well a team performs, their upcoming result will not inch them closer to TI2020. This doesn't mean the upcoming tournament will lack in spectacle, but just that it won't leave much of a mark in the grand scheme of things.
Teams
One quick glance at the list of teams competing is all you need to realize that this tournament is an absolute must watch. We have behemoths like Team Secret, PSG.LGD, Vici Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Virtus.Pro and even the likes of TNC Predator, an absolute titan that demolished any obstacle in its path in the most recent MDL Chengdu Major in Chengdu, China mere weeks ago. Now, everyone is leaning towards Team Secret, PSG.LGD and TNC Predator, but it's important to note that the most recent patch heavily shifted the meta, meaning there are no clear-cut favorites.
Now, these teams already played on the patch and have more than enough experience to put up a solid fight (most of them already went through the DreamLeague Season 13 qualifiers), but competing at this level of play (against such top-notch opposition) is a completely different beast. Any team that is considered a solid, well-rounded conteder actually has a puncher's chance. As for the three favorites at the top, no one will be overly surprised if any of them hoists the throphy in a couple of days. We haven't seen Team Secret compete at the biggest of stages ever since TI9, but they steamrolled through the DreamLeague qualifiers without breaking much sweat. They're one of the best teams in the world and will be a true test for the Chengdu Major winners. By the same token, they're playing without their position four support, so they might not be in top-form come game day.
Team like Vici and EG certainly have a shot as well, especially considering the fact that they're hungry for redemption after their fumbles in Chengdu. They weren't bad by any means, but they ended up short in fairly frustrating ways.
If anything, watching these teams compete so early in the patch should give us a fair bit of information when it comes to who's strong and who still needs a bit more time before adjusting to the many changes that patch 7.23 brought.
Verdict
If you're big into competitive Dota, the upcoming ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational is an absolute must watch. We'll see some of the best teams in the world duke it out on patch that has piqued everyone's interest. While there's not much on the line DPC-wise, the teams that perform well this time around will enter the upcoming DreamLeague Major with a ton of hype and momentum which could, in turn, pay off in the long run. This is the moment when everyone's scrambling to adapt and only a select few will actually manage to do so in time. Be that as it may, predicting anything with confidence when it comes to the ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational is downright impossible. While there are definitely a couple of favorites, it's important to note that anything can transpire over the coming days.
If you're looking for in-depth knowledge on whom to bet on, we'll have a lot more coverage as the tournament unfolds, and as always, make sure to watch as many games as you possibly can because each team's play fluctuates on a daily basis. Dota 2 is always a fertile ground for unexpected upsets and mind-blowing redemption arcs. This tournament should be no different.
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To be determined