ESL One Bangkok is just around the corner. The final major Dota 2 tournament of the year will be the last test for the best teams all over the world before the calendar changes, and will be another big indicator of which teams are likely to be invited to the next edition of The International.
Before we get that far, though, another look at the pecking as it is right now in the competitive scene is needed. ESL One Bangkok is a $1 million tournament, after all, under one of the most prestigious and long-standing series ever. So, before the year ends, here are the power rankings!
| ESL One Bangkok Power Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team Name | Region | Power Ranking |
| Team Falcons | WEU | 1st |
| BetBoom Team | EEU | 2nd |
| PARIVISION | EEU | 3rd |
| Team Liquid | WEU | 4th |
| Team Spirit | EEU | 5th |
| Gaozu | CN | 6th |
| AVULUS | EEU | 7th |
| Nigma Galaxy | WEU | 8th |
| Natus Vincere | EEU | 9th |
| BOOM Esports | SEA | 10th |
| Shopify Rebellion | NA | 11th |
| M80 | SA | 12th |
Team Falcons: Still On Top, Despite BLAST Slam 1
Make no mistake: Team Falcons are still the squad to beat, given how much success they’ve already garnered in this new Dota 2 season. They may have encountered a significant setback in the form of their eighth place finish at BLAST Slam 1, but given the format of that particular tournament, they can be excused for not having enough time to adapt to their opponents.
I don’t think it’ll be quite the same for them at Bangkok. The format is a typical double elimination bracket, after all, so they’ll have chances to adjust their play accordingly if required. That is, of course, if they manage to start in the upper bracket — which for this team is never really a guarantee given their inconsistency in group stage play.
BetBoom Team: Running Hot
As the winners of the most recent major tournament, BetBoom Team are red hot right now. They would be ahead of Team Falcons in the power rankings, but one recent LAN win doesn’t make them suddenly better than the most dominant team of the season so far. They are almost as good on paper as Falcons when looking at things like team chemistry, individual skill, and drafting prowess, but they don’t have the sheer results to back up any notion that they might now be ahead.
That said, they are 100 percent a threat to win ESL One Bangkok. They showed just how dangerous they can be at BLAST Slam 1, and if they use their momentum well, they could make it back to back so soon after their first ever LAN victory.
PARIVISION: A Close Third
Eastern Europe has been having a whale of a time in these early goings of the new season, with PARIVISION not far behind their compatriots in BetBoom Team. This roster is brimming with talent despite being so new, and if Falcons and BetBoom weren’t just a bit better we would already be celebrating them as possible perennial title winners.
They just tend to falter deep into their tournament runs, which prevents them from making the grand finals. Of course, this was exactly the case for BetBoom Team for almost three years, before they finally bagged a LAN trophy at BLAST Slam 1. So, it’s not a stretch to think that the same is happening to PARIVISION, and that it might only be a matter of time until they finally break through. I don’t think ESL One Bangkok will be that time, but it will come, eventually.
Team Liquid: Teething Problems?
The reigning International champions have the talent and pedigree to win just about anything this season, but it hasn’t been anything close to a walk in the park for them thus far. Not to say that Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek isn’t a worthy replacement in the offlane spot, but losing Neta “33” Shapira to Tundra Esports seems to have been enough of a blow to knock them down a peg from TI13.
Still, they’ve managed to hang around the midfield here in tier 1 Dota. It’s possible that they could find their groove and make a push for the top spots at ESL One Bangkok like we know they can, but right now, signs are pointing in the opposite direction. SaberLight needs to really settle into a comfort zone for them to get back to the top, but it may still be a bit too soon right now.
The Rest of the Field
Aside from these four teams, the rest of the field is a bit of a tossup. Team Spirit is my pick for closest to the top four, considering that they finished third at DreamLeague Season 24 and fourth at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade. Their 10th place result at BLAST Slam 1 isn’t very inspiring for a tournament that takes place right after, though, so I have them outside the podium places here.
My wildcard is Gaozu, one of the last remaining active Chinese Dota 2 teams in the world. Given the names on that roster like Wang “Ame” Chunyu and Zhao “XinQ” Zixing, they’ve got the star power to cause upsets in Bangkok for sure. It happened with fellow Chinese squad Xtreme Gaming at BLAST Slam 1, after all, so I’m not counting them out just because they’re a new lineup.
As for the others, it’ll be up to them to surprise me. Nigma Galaxy are in the field here despite being not that great, so their fans will probably be happy just to see them in another major tournament. AVULUS could be a dark horse, but placing 12th at DreamLeague wasn’t very good for them in that regard. There’s also the new look Na’Vi, who recently signed the roster of PuckChamp, but they have no real results just yet so I don’t think they’ll be making that big of a splash here.
