Dota International 2018 Standings

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The International 2018 is much closer than most of you think, and after much excitement thanks to other DotA 2 tournaments throughout the year, we've finally reached the peak hype. For the 8th time in a row, we'll be enjoying some of the best teams battling it out and fighting for glory, power, respect and a little bit of cash too (a little bit of cash, to say the least). The International is an annual esports world championship tournament for the video game Dota 2, hosted and produced by the game's developer, Valve.The International was first held at Gamescom as a promotional event for the game in 2011, and has since been held annually with the exception of the 2020 iteration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The tournament consists of 18 teams; 12 earning a direct.

With roughly two weeks until the International 2018 and no other tournaments left, it is time to do our predictions. Today we are going to focus on the “Teams” tab of the compendium, giving our reasoning behind certain choices.

OG is a professional esports organization based in Europe. Formed in 2015, they are best known for their Dota 2 roster winning The International 2018 and 2019 tournaments. In addition to Dota 2, they also have teams representing other games, such as Super Smash Bros. And Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. View full stats, matches, teams and players for the TI8 Group Stage of The International 2018. Completed; WCAA Spring Festival Cup; DreamLeague S14 EU Lower Div. ESL One CIS S1: Upper Div. DreamLeague S14 EU Upper Div. DPC 2021 S1: NA Upper Div.

Predictions are hard, but if you carefully look through the data and apply your Dota knowledge, you can make more educated guesses and increase your chances of being correct. Much like real life betting, Compendium Predictions require a decent amount of work, but in this case we will try to do most of it for you.

There are three clear favorites coming into TI: Team Liquid, Virtus.Pro and PSG.LGD and either of these choices is as valid as the other ones. They have the most DPC points, with Team Liquid and PSG.LGD coming in strong at the end of the year.

Virtus.Pro—unrivaled diversity of talent

Virtus.pro are currently leading the race to win TI, according to most bookies with Buff88.com offering 4to1 odds for the outcome. After winning the last 3 ESL Majors–ESL One Hamburg 2017, ESL One Katowice 2018 and ESL One Birmingham 2018–with all 3 MVP prizes being awarded to different players on the team, the CIS team has shown outstanding diversity in their playstyle and have proven that they can adapt to any team and patch change. The only setback on their way to The International was their close 2-3 loss to Team Liquid in the final of the China Dota2 Supermajor in early June.

Team Liquid—The Reigning Champion

Dota International 2018 Standings Bracket

Team Liquid is the only team in history to have won a TI final 3-0 which they did last year over Newbee. After going to the lower bracket, TL had to face Virtus.pro and 3 Asian teams to win and most people had written them off. The team managed to beat all 4 opponents and grab over 10 million dollars. During the run Liquid showed a dominant style of play and that they, much like VP, are excellent at adaptation due to their great captains - KuroKy and Solo respectively. They had Virtus.pro’s number last time around but will they be able to duplicate it on the biggest stage? On Buff88.com, the odds are equal at 4to1 for Team Liquid to win the International 8.

PSG.LGD—consistently successful

After rebranding to PSG.LGD in mid-April, the Chinese team has managed to win back-to-back big events. They beat Team Liquid 3-1 in early May at EPICENTER, held in Moscow and secured a 3-0 over VGJ.Storm in MDL Changsha Major in the end of the month. It can be presumed that the momentum is on their side. However, a disadvantage might be that Chinese teams know each other rather well and LGD could get upset if they come across another Chinese team. Having said that, Chinese teams usually have a strong start in the biggest Dota 2 tournament. Will they manage to go all the way? Buff88.com has them at 5to1 to win it all.

Realistically, you can put any team in this section and provide enough argument to support it. It is The International and anything can happen. Personally, I am putting Team Serenity there, hoping for another Wings Gaming-style run, hopefully without the similar aftermath.

Essentially we are looking for a team that has an above average game length, above average levels of aggression and drafts that favor teamfights over objective taking. A team like this will have more drawn-out matches with lots of kills.

We also shouldn’t put absolute favorites or underdogs in this section: favorites will generally finish their games against underdogs very quickly, so both categories of teams will have less time to make kills, dragging the average down. It is not Average Kills per minute, it is Average Kills per match, so we are looking for a mid-tier team that won’t quickly crumble under the pressure of favorites, but will sometimes have trouble against the underdogs.

Looking at the Summit 9 stats for matches of over 60 minutes, there is one thing in common for all of them that immediately stands out: Fnatic.

This team checks all four of our checkboxes. They are the mid-tier team with the highest average game lengths that they fill with intense action. Betting on Total Kills going above a certain value is always safe with Fnatic, because they exceed it in every. single. game. they. play.

It is only natural to put Fnatic as a team with the highest kill average, at least with the data we have. Winstrike could also be one of the contestants for this spot, as they are an aggressive mid-tier team that can surprise us. Depending on your outlook on South American Dota, Pain Gaming is also worth considering.

There is a reason we talked about highest Kill average first, despite it being the third category in the compendium predictions. The team with most kills in a game is most likely to be a better team playing against the team with the highest kill average.

Basically, we are looking for a very strong team that will have this one match against Fnatic that goes on for 60+ minutes, keeping us on the edge of our seats. It should be one of the tournament’s favourites that also likes to play aggressively and get into many fights.

There are three major favorites of the tournament, as discussed previously. Of them, Team Liquid is the most surgical: they have one of the highest KDA ratios in China Supermajor, despite being only fifth in average kills. They aren’t going to give Fnatic their scrappy fights, instead striking once or twice with deadly precision to win the game. They might have long games, but they won’t consciously engage in fights they have lower chance of winning.

Virtus.Pro is an aggressive team and they are more than happy to fight the enemy, but they are also very objective-oriented. Their drafts often revolve around objective-taking heroes that they push to their limits in teamfights, so it is unlikely they will have a drawn-out match with Fnatic in the first place. Once again returning to China Supermajor stats: Virtus.Pro is one of the teams with lowest average match lengths, and it will probably cancel out the Fnatic effect.

That leaves us with PSG.LGD and they are going to be our choice for this section. High kill average, high death average, above average game length, one of the strongest teams in the tournament. As long as there is at least one Fnatic vs. PSG.LGD series, we will probably have one of these epic games everyone talks about for several years and it is unlikely either of these teams won’t make it through the group stage.

Each International there is this one game where the score is incredibly one-sided, with a very low amount of deaths on one team. It frequently gets to something like 20:1 and the enemy team simply “gg”s out of the game after yet another unsuccessful fight. We are looking for a recipe for a game like this.

Obviously, one team has to be a lot better than the other for a game like this to happen, so we are definitely not looking at underdogs. But perhaps an even more important ingredient is how flexible and versatile the team is and how willing their captain is to step out of meta, risk experimenting and completely outdraft the opponent, leaving them no chance from the very start.

You can put Team Liquid in this category, as they are the team with one of the lowest average deaths per game, with players who have a very wide hero pool. It is a safe bet, but maybe a bit too safe, as we aren’t looking for the lowest death average, but rather for this one game of complete and utter outdraft.

Personally, I will be going with Optic Gaming and PPD on this one. Legendary captain, strong team, high versatility on all positions and willingness to take risks. Depending on your own preferences and beliefs, Team Secret and Evil Geniuses are also worth considering.

When it comes to assists, we are looking for a team that plays grouped up, rarely going for split-push tactics. They will have higher assist average and are more likely to have the most assists in a single game.

Statistically, Vici Gaming, Mineski and TNC Predator have the highest average amount of assists, so they are probably the best candidates for this category. Of these, TNC Predator is the one that is most likely to get in the zone, playing some god-tier Dota, winning teamfight after teamfight, but not ending the game because they are simply enjoying the process so much.

All three teams are definitely worth considering, but players on both Mineski and Vici Gaming are much older, more disciplined and are more likely to simply end the game when they are already leading so much that they can win teamfights over and over again.

It might look like that we can go back to the “Most Kills” or “Highest Average Kills” sections and pretty much repeat what we’ve already said about Fnatic and PSG.LGD, but in reality this section is quite different.

The “Chinese Turtle Dota” stereotype is quite outdated, as after TI4 we’ve seen very different Chinese teams playing different Dota and they are now often the aggressors. However, while it is outdated, it isn’t completely dead.

Of all Chinese teams, Vici Gaming is probably the most conservative. They have high average game lengths, but are not necessarily aggressive. Whereas Fnatic's gameplan often revolves around going late, Vici Gaming is much more likely to get stuck in a never-ending stalemate, with both teams unwilling to take risks.

There will be an 80+ minute game, but not with constant buybacks, fights, throws and counter-throws, but rather with fermented Cheeses, fifth Roshans, multiple Divine Rapiers and, potentially, a very anti-climactic ending. These things happen, and most often they happen to Vici Gaming. If you intend on following this team, we strongly recommend learning to appreciate zen-beauty of the old school Chinese Dota.

Once again, Shortest Game is not necessarily the same as the lowest amount of Deaths. The recipe for the latter is a complete outdraft and the length of the game is highly dependant on how willing the enemy will be to admit defeat, when they are essentially stuck in their base with nothing to do.

The recipe for the former is surgical precision, objective-oriented drafting and quick and deadly strikes. We’ve used the same expressions to refer to Team Liquid and Virtus.Pro previously and both of these choices are valid for this category. Choosing either is largely a matter of preference: Virtus.Pro is more likely to have a faster-paced lineup, while Team Liquid is less likely to make a positioning mistake, allow the enemy to get a return kill and extend the game by another unnecessary minute.

Fnatic.

We are looking for a versatile team that is likely to do well in the tournament, playing more matches and having more opportunities to pick different heroes. It has to be a highly adaptable team, but it shouldn’t necessarily be too dominant.

Looking back at TI5 and TI7, the Champions weren’t the most versatile teams in the tournament. They simply had a question in their draft that their opponent couldn’t answer: “what are you going to do about our Techies?”, “what are you going to do about our KotL?” or ”what are you going to do about our Io?”. Neither Newbee, nor CDEC could respond or come up with an even more interesting question.

Moreover, no teams in the International 2018 look like they can afford to do what Wings Gaming did in TI6. They asked a simple, yet undeniably effective question: ?, and to this day many seek the answer to it with no success.

With an absence of a team that can go ?, our best bet is to go back to stats, looking for strong teams with high versatility.

With how equal in strength the top teams of the tournament look, either of them can be a safe pick, but Virtus.Pro is probably the safest bet. Not only is it a team that won the Summit 7 without playing the same hero twice, it is also the top4 team that experimented the most during the recent China Supermajor, with 47 unique picks, compared to 34, 36 and 37 by Team Liquid, PSG.LGD and Team Secret respectively.

Alternatively, VGJ.Storm is also a good bet, if you believe they will make it far into the tournament. In the last three months four members of this team played more than 20 different heroes.

This category has the “minimum 10 games played” restriction, but it doesn’t matter, since every team will have 16 matches during the group stage. Essentially, we are more or less looking for a team that will get eliminated during the group stage, coming to the tournament underprepared and having a limited amount of strategies. Someone who will exit the tournament in shame, will show nothing and will most likely disband the following season.

Alternatively, it can actually be the most dominant team that will have a strategy no one can beat. They will crush every opponent with ease and will not be forced to adapt in the slightest, because they figured out the ultimate way to play Dota this TI. Their enemies won’t be able to find an answer, and when someone would try to deviate, banning one of the heroes they thought crucial, they would get crushed even harder.

Personally, I am going with Evil Geniuses.

As we approach the culmination of the inaugural Dota Pro Circuit season, we’d like to look ahead and share some information to help players, teams, and organizers prepare for the 2018 – 2019 season, set to begin on September 15. There are a few big changes on the way. Once we begin the new competitive season, we’ll be adjusting how Rosters and DPC points work, adding some regulation to an aspect of team ownership, and overhauling the qualifying process for Majors and Minors. Our goal is to introduce a bit more structure to the year, increase team roster flexibility, and improve the spacing and importance of each event.

Dota International 2018 Standings

Rosters & DPC Points

Next season players and teams will have increased flexibility to find the right blend of personality and playstyle needed to claim the Aegis of Champions. To that effect, the 2018 – 2019 season will no longer regulate player movement via hard roster locks, and changing rosters during the season will no longer disqualify a team from DPC consideration.

Dota International 2018 Standings

In the new system, qualifying points for The International will be associated with registered teams instead of individual players. Teams will still designate their five-man rosters, but they will be allowed to change those rosters during the course of the season. Each player removed from a roster will reduce a team’s current point total by 20%. Adding a new player will not earn any additional points.

Dota International 2018 Standings College Football

If a team plays in a Pro Circuit event without their official five-man roster, the points earned for that event will be reduced by 40%. A team’s admin can remove any player from a registered roster, and any player can choose to depart. When playing in a Minor or Major qualifier, teams must always use at least 4 of their 5 registered players. Once the TI Invites and Qualifiers start, teams can no longer change their roster until the conclusion of the TI Main Event. Substitutes can be declared after TI Qualifiers to account for emergencies, subject to approval from Valve.

Teams wishing to compete in the 2018 – 2019 season will have to register after the conclusion of The International in August. If a team wishes to be eligible for invitation to the first Major and Minor Qualifiers starting on September 17th, they must register their roster by September 15th, 2018 at 10:00 AM PDT.

Team Ownership & Invites

Looking ahead one year to The International 2019, in cases where one organization or person has ownership in multiple teams, only one of those teams will be eligible to compete in The International, regardless of DPC qualifying points. All teams can participate in the Pro Circuit Majors and Minors leading up to next year’s TI, but all ownership conflicts will need to be resolved prior to TI Regional Qualifiers. This includes cases in which players have financial ties to other teams.

Minors & Majors

Unlike this year, next season’s Minor and Major events will be held in pairs, with the qualifiers for each set to run in exclusively scheduled windows, the first coming in September. There will be no direct invites to either Minors or Majors. The Major qualifier will run first, and teams who do not qualify for the Major will be eligible to compete in the Minor qualifiers a few days later. The winner of the Minor Main Event will have a reserved slot in the respective Major happening shortly afterwards.

All Minors must feature at least eight teams, with a minimum of one qualifier per region. Majors must have at least sixteen teams, with at least two qualifiers per region. All teams that play in a Minor or Major will earn DPC points. Teams participating in the Minors will be required to work on the Visa application in advance of the tournament, in order to be able to make the Major if they win.

Pro Circuit Schedule & Event Proposals

Below is the full schedule designated for the 2018 – 2019 season. We’re currently accepting applications for all of the dates listed below apart from the first Major in November, which has already been registered. Make sure to include detailed format structure in all proposals.

Sep 17-Sep 21: Major Qualifier
Sep 23-Sep 26: Minor Qualifiers
Oct 29-Nov 4: Minor Main Event
Nov 8-Nov 19: Major Main Event

Nov 26-Nov 30: Major Qualifiers
Dec 1-Dec 4: Minor Qualifiers
Jan 7-Jan 13: Minor Main Event
Jan 17-Jan 27: Major Main Event

Dota International 2018 Standings Ncaa Basketball

Feb 1-Feb 5: Major Qualifier
Feb 7-Feb 10: Minor Qualifier
Mar 4-Mar 10: Minor Main Event
Mar 14-Mar 24: Major Main Event

Mar 28-Apr 1: Major Qualifier
Apr 3-Apr 6: Minor Qualifiers
Apr 22-Apr 28: Minor Main Event
May 2-May 12: Major Main Event

May 15-May 19: Major Qualifier
May 21-May 24: Minor Qualifiers
June 10-June 16: Minor Main Event
June 20-June 30: Major Main Event