In a little more than two weeks from now, 18 Dota 2 teams from around the world are once again going head-to-head in Berlin Major. At stake is a prize pool of $500,000 and this time, a total of 2,700 DPC Points.
While the majority of the participating teams also joined Lima Major, there's no question that Berlin Major will feature excellent matches. Hopefully, teams are also better prepared this time and we won't see any stand-ins due to visa issues.
Here are the groupings for the group stage:
- Group A
- BetBoom Team
- Evil Geniuses
- ex-HellRaisers
- Execration
- Gaimin Gladiators
- PSG.LGD
- Team Aster
- Team Liquid
- TSM
- Group B
- beastcoast
- Invictus Gaming
- OG
- Shopify Rebellion
- Talon Esports
- Team SMG
- Team Spirit
- Tundra Esports
- Xtreme Gaming
Tournament Format
For Berlin Major, the 18 participating teams are divided into two groups of nine teams each and follow a single round-robin format. The top four of each group advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the teams in 5th and 6th places in each group drop to the lower bracket. The remaining teams are eliminated.
The playoffs follow a double-elimination format with all matches, except the grand final, at Bo3. The grand final is Bo5.
Initial Thoughts
Group A has a lot of strong teams so expect to see exciting matches. With PSG.LGD out of DreamLeague Season 19, they should have enough time to prepare for this tournament and hopefully, be able to enter the upper bracket.
Given past performances, Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, and ex-HellRaisers are probably the teams heading to the upper bracket. It’s also good to keep a close eye on BetBoom which may want to redeem their rather poor performance at Lima Major.
For Group B, Shopify Rebellion is likely going to the upper bracket. Even if Abed “Abed” Yusop faces visa issues, the team is actually playing right now at DreamLeague Season 19 with a stand-in, which means they have that covered.
Team Spirit and Talon Esports could likely be joining Shopify in the upper bracket. Meanwhile, Tundra Esports is once again out to prove themselves that they’re still the best.
What about you? What are your thoughts on the group stage of Berlin Major?
Dota 2 is available on PC through Steam.
