36 or so hours are all that separate Manila from witnessing some great Dota games firsthand. ESL One Manila will officially kick off with its group stage this Friday, and we here at Dota2Betting.com have the tips to hype you up with before the event.
This tournament means more than just $250,000 and the honor of being the first to claim a premier tournament title in the Philippines — direct invites to the Manila Major in June will definitely be on the line here. This may not be immediately apparent, but there is little doubt that Valve will be looking at this event as a proving ground for the teams involved; more so for those that changed their lineups at the roster lock.
CompLexity Gaming (4/7 Skybet) v Wings Gaming (5/4 bet365)
CompLexity should be able to handle this particular matchup with ease, provided that they get their rest (they arrived in Manila yesterday) and get some good scrims in before Friday. Wings Gaming haven’t played a single LAN with their new lineup yet, so we’re expecting them to run into some trouble against a squad that’s had their coordination improve greatly over the last few months.
Besides, the difference in returns isn’t big enough to warrant betting on the underdogs in this fixture. It’s possible Wings Gaming will take a map off of CompLexity, so a 2-1 bet in favor of the American team can be considered as a side bet. It’s more likely that CoL will just sweep this series, but there are better returns on the three-map wager.
Recommended Bet:
CompLexity Gaming to win with Skybet at 4/7 (1.57)
CompLexity Gaming to win the series 2-1 with bet365 at 9/4 (3.25)
Team Liquid (1/10 Betway) v Mineski (11/2 Betfair)
On paper, there should be absolutely no way for Team Liquid to lose this matchup. As a team that’s been a consistent top threat in the European scene, TL is even favoured to get to the grand finals in this particular tournament. Comparing their lineups side by side further emphasizes the disparity in skill and experience between them and Mineski.
But the Filipino crowd is not to be factored out of this fixture just like that. The Pinoy Dota fanbase is almost rabid in its passion for the game and support for its “national” team, so if Mineski can find a way to channel that energy, they might just upset the favourites here. If you’re one to believe in unbelievable things (which tend to happen in Dota; just look at how crazy 2016 has been so far), betting on Mineski might just pay off big for you. If not, just avoid this match altogether, as the cost of betting on Team Liquid versus the rewards you get out of it are just too small.
Recommended Bet:
Mineski to win with Betfair at 11/2 (6.50)
Mineski to win the series 2-1 with bet365 at 9/1 (10.00)
EHOME (1/2 bet365) v Fnatic (6/4 Skybet)
EHOME will have their new lineup tested in a LAN environment in this event, and out of all the Chinese teams that switched it up during the shuffle they can be seen as the winners of the roster lock apart from ViCi Gaming Reborn who won StarLadder just last week. This makes this particular fixture close both ways — EHOME will have to contend with the kinks that come naturally with a new lineup while having the talent to cover for their weaknesses. Fnatic on the other hand will need to rely on the support from the crowd given that they have DJ in their lineup — who will no doubt receive much love from his fellow Pinoys.
All things considered, this matchup could definitely go both ways. If you wanted to bet on the team with more momentum, Fnatic should get your money. If you want to put your trust in LaNm’s leadership and the slight talent advantage that EHOME have over their Malaysian opponents, they’re also a solid choice. For this matchup, we recommend the former given the better returns.
Recommended Bet:
Fnatic to win with Skybet at 6/4 (2.50)
Fnatic to win the series 2-1 with bet365 at 10/3 (4/33)
Team Secret (1/8 bet365) v Team Empire (4/1 Skybet)
Perhaps the one matchup with the most obvious result. Team Secret have all the firepower on their side while Team Empire have had to work with a roster that isn’t exactly too impressive on paper. In fact, their records in the last two weeks show nothing particularly encouraging, as they lost to the Danish Bears in the ESL One Frankfurt qualifier and to Ad Finem at DreamLeague.
You’d have to be quite brave (or foolish) to bet on Team Empire on this one, but on the other hand Team Secret costs too much to bet on anyway. Avoid, unless you want to wager on map scores.
Recommended Bet:
Team Secret to win with bet365 at 1/8 (1.13)
Team Secret to win the series 2-0 with bet365 at 8/15 (1.53)
— written by Patrick “EthanKairos” Bonifacio (@EthanKairosSC2)