The groups for the upcoming ESL One Los Angeles Major are now clear, but which one shall prove the most interesting?
The ESL One Los Angeles Major will be the third Major for the Dota 2 2019-2020 competitive season. It gathers some of the best teams from around the world and offers $1 million in prize money along with 15,000 Dota Pro Circuit points.
News regarding the group stage came from ESL’s official Dota 2 Twitter.
We have our first matchups for #ESLOne Los Angeles! Which series are you most excited for? pic.twitter.com/rp3AVLFQ9p
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) March 10, 2020
Group A
- Team Secret
- Natus Vincere
- Royal Never Give Up
- Thunder Predator
The two teams that stand out here are Secret and RNG. Team Secret is currently third in the overall DPC ranking after winning the previous Major. They were considered the best team in the world until recently their winning streak came to an end in the Tug of War: Mad Moon where Nigma stood victorious. RNG are one of the more popular Chinese teams despite being in the Dota 2 scene for only two years. They share something in common with Secret, as the Chinese also fell to Nigma, but in the Bukovel Minor. Luckily for both Nigma will not be joining them in Los Angeles.
Group B
- OG
- Evil Geniuses
- Chaos Esports Club
- Geek Fam
Again here we see two teams which will probably take the first two spots in the group – OG and EG. OG are the only team to win The International twice and in consecutive years. The majority of their roster changed and they even signed Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, who’ll have a chance to play against his old squad. Evil Geniuses come right after Secret in the DPC ranking and they’ve done more than enough to earn it.
Group C
- Fnatic
- EHOME
- Invictus Gaming
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
This will probably be the most contested group of the four. Each of the teams has had quite a lot of success over the years and they’re all currently struggling to make it back to the top.
Group D
- Team Aster
- Team Adroit
- beastcoast
- Virtus.pro
While Adroid and beastcoast have earned their spots in the Major, the other two teams in Group D present a greater threat. Virtus.pro have been shaky lately, but are currently looking good. Most recently the Russian bears finished third in the Tug of War: Mad Moon right after Nigma and Team Secret. In the meantime, Aster just won the StarLadder Minor and remained pretty much unopposed there. Will the change of scenery stop them or will the Chinese team mow through the competition?
The coronavirus pandemic is turning into a major concern in the USA and across the world. ESL released a statement on March 3 and shared that they’re monitoring the situation:
The Covid-19 scenario is dynamic, so there might be changes to the event as we monitor the situation constantly and provide you with updates. If the situation worsens, we are going to change the overall status of the event, in order to ensure the health of our fans, players, and staff. We will inform all ticket holders immediately if this becomes reality.
So far there’s no further update on any changes regarding the tournament. The ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2 Major begins this Sunday, March 15 with the opening matches of groups A and B.
