DreamLeague Season 11 is the 3rd Major of the Dota Pro Circuit and is scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden between March 14th – 24th.
Like every Dota 2 Major, DreamLeague Season 11 offers a prize pool of 1 million dollars and 15.000 qualification points for The International 2019. And since the top 12 teams within the Dota Pro Circuit are guaranteed a spot at this prestigious event, the battle for points is even fiercer than the one for the money.
Also, keep in mind that at the moment, the 12th placed team is Alliance and they only have 225 points. So the battle is still open and any of the 16 participants that aren’t in the top 12 at the moment could easily climb the ladder by getting a top 8 (450 points) and in some cases even a top 12 result (150 points).
DramLeague Season 11 Team Analysis
As a viewer, here are the best teams to follow at DreamLeague Season 11.
Team Secret
Until proven otherwise, Team Secret is the best team in the world right now. Puppey’s understanding of the current meta is second to none and the roster as a whole is performing at an incredibly high level. Few teams can go head to head with Secret in a Bo3 match. This is not only a consequence of their skill, but also of their morale.
Surely, it must feel amazing to know that your captain is one of the best in Dota and that you’re already qualified for The International 2019. The relaxation and creativity displayed by Team Secret are obvious at every event they go to. This in turn creates an environment in which everyone can simply play their A game and not have any pressure in the back of their head.
This season, Team Secret played in 5 Grand Finals of premier events and won 4 of them, including the second Major of the Dota Pro Circuit, The Chongqing Major. Going into the third one, Secret should easily get a top 4 result. If they’ve maintained the level that they played at just a few weeks ago when they won the title at ESL One Katowice 2019, there’s a high chance we’ll see them in another Grand Final.
Virtus.pro
Virtus.pro has the same number of points as Team Secret, sharing the number 1 spot with them in the Dota Pro Circuit rankings. However, the CIS squad seems to have lost some of their prowess in recent months and as a result, we do not expect them to reach the Grand Final at DreamLeague Season 11. The most likely result for VP at this event is 3rd or 4th.
Consider for instance their 3rd place finish at MDL Macau 2019, a tournament where they struggled from beginning till end. Or their 3rd place finish at WESG 2018-2019, where they played with 4 of their 5 active players but still struggled against provincial nobodies and failed against the serious contenders.
Overall, we still regard Virtus.pro as a strong team and they will likely beat most opponents simply by applying their general playstyle. However, the best teams in the world will not give them the opportunity to exploit foolish mistakes and will press them to adapt on the spot. In their current form, VP doesn’t seem very good at that, which is why we think they’ll fail once they reach the Semifinals of DreamLeague Season 11.
Team Liquid
This is an underrated team with a lot of potential. Keep in mind that Liquid won The International in 2017 and finished 4th at this event in 2018. So, in spite of not having that many points in the Dota Pro Circuit this season, they are still a top 5 team and we’d be willing to even regard them as a top 3 team right now, based on what we’ve seen over the last month or so.
Going into DreamLeague Season 11, we expect Team Liquid to finish 2nd or 3rd. This may sound ambitious given the fact that they’re sitting only at number 10 in the DPC rankings with 450 points, but their game has improved a lot since the start of the season and they are now at the same level they were at towards the end of last season. So except for Team Secret, Liquid is capable of beating anyone right now and actually has the upper hand in every single duel.
Evil Geniuses
EG has become the 3rd place specialist and they’re playing quite well at the moment. This is a team that should be regarded as one of the top 5, although it’s not very clear how strong they are once they reach the final stages of a Major. Our estimate is that they can beat PSG.LGD, but the other 3 titans who are dominating the professional scene.
In terms of Dota Pro Circuit rankings, EG is currently sitting at number 3. They got 2100 points in each of the first two Majors, after scoring a 3rd place in both of them. However, that’s not a likely outcome at DreamLeague Season 11, simply because Team Liquid has recovered all of its former strength and is now a much stronger contender at any event. Subsequently, EG falls at least one position and shouldn’t be expected to succeed in a 1v1 duel with either VP or Liquid. Team Secret is in a class of its own so it’s not even worth mentioning them.
PSG.LGD
PSG.LGD came very close to winning The International in 2018 but was ultimately defeated by OG in the Grand Final. This was a huge blow for them, as everyone regarded their roster as the best in the world at that time. The loss seems to have had a negative impact on the team’s morale, which is now considerably weaker compared to last season.
At the first few Dota Pro Circuit events of 2018-2019, PSG.LGD performed well but below expectations. They finished 5th – 6th at The Kuala Lumpur Major and 4th at The Chongqing Major. Overall, the team is sitting at number 4 the DPC rankings, with 2250 points.
In theory, PSG.LGD should get a 5th – 6th place finish at DreamLeague Season 11. It’s not excluded for them to climb higher than that, but it’s unlikely, due to the excellent form and prowess displayed by the other 4 teams on this list.
Other Teams
Apart from the 5 competitors mentioned above, you should also keep an eye on the following 4: Vici Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Keen Gaming and Fnatic. All of these teams have displayed impressive skills over the last month or so and have a decent chance of upsetting the status quo.
In particular, Vici Gaming won the recent StarLadder Minor, crushing everyone in the process. Ninjas in Pyjamas won the European qualifier for DreamLeague Season 11, beating Team Secret along the way. Keen Gaming placed 2nd at the recent WESG 2018-2019, proving its worth against a large variety of opponents. And last but not least, Fnatic finished 5th – 6th at the previous Major and then 4th at ESL One Katowice 2019, showing that the new roster works very well as a unit.
