Dota 2 WEU Regional Finals Preview: Four teams fighting for glory

The DPC WEU Regional Finals will start on February 11th with four teams competing in a double-elimination bracket. The tournament that replaces the controversially canceled Major is a chance for teams to earn a share of $100,000 and DPC points. While each of the four teams can end up winning, Gaimin Gladiators probably has a better shot than the rest. Here’s a quick preview of the Western Regional Finals ahead of the tournament start. 

The best WEU team, Team Liquid, is one of the favorites to win the WEU Regionals in February. But they have a lot of competition in the region from the other three teams. If there is one team that seems the strongest in the current patch, it is Team Liquid.

Team Liquid Dota 2 roster:

Team Liquid parted ways with Taiga during the post-TI roster shuffle, adding MATUMBAMAN and zai to the roster. The new Team Liquid is now a team that presents a mix of experience and very high skill. The skill level on the roster is evident from the team’s performance so far. Team Liquid finished the DPC Tour 1 Division 1 in the first place, an impressive 6-1 score to boast. 

The team’s only loss came in the penultimate week, against Nigma Galaxy. It was a surprising result, but it did not have any impact on the team’s final placement. Perhaps what is more important with the first-place finish is the 300 DPC points that belong to Team Liquid. 

Insania already wants to face off against one of the strongest teams in the scene. While international matches will take place later, Team Liquid is not shy of competing against the best. 

The new additions to the squad have definitely played a big role in Team Liquid’s success. MATUMABAN is one of the best carries in the game, but his large hero pool and flexibility allows the rest of the squad to try different playstyles. Team Liquid is the favorite, but holding on to the top spot is often more difficult than reaching the summit. Will Team Liquid defend its ‘title’ of the best Dota 2 team in Western Europe?

OG is a familiar name in esports, irrespective of whether you are in Dota 2 or not. The two-time TI champions, however, has a brand new roster, comprising several young but talented players. 

OG Dota 2 roster:

The new era of OG’s Dota 2 journey is already successful with the new roster finishing in 4th place at the WEU Tour 1. OG lost to Team Liquid, Team Tickles and Tundra esports, three organizations that placed above OG in the final placements. 

But it is always difficult to discount OG as a Dota 2 roster. And it has less to do with the players’ skill and more to do with their mentality and approach to the game. With big names such as NOtail and Ceb guiding the youngsters, the players will improve. The question is how much, and what’s their final form?

OG’s performance during the Tour 1 Division 1 matches was shaky. The team finished 4th with a 4-3 score. But it had some notable performances with 2-0 victories over Alliance, Team Secret and Nigma Galaxy. 

Most of you might know this roster as Team Tickles. The eccentric name apart, Team Tickles was recently signed by Gaimin Gladiators, a Canadian esports organization. 

The Gladiators rosters is as follows:

The roster has been one of the most consistent teams in the Western European scene. The team’s performance in Tour 1 was one of the reasons for the team’s recent signing.

Tundra esports went 5-2 in DreamLeague Season 16 losing only to Team Liquid (1-2) and Secret (0-2). The team won all of its remaining matches (except against OG) with a 2-0 score. 

Expectations were low from Team Tickles, but they surprised everyone with their versatility and a deep understanding of the current meta. The Gladiators rely on the coach, Daniel "ImmortalFaith" Moza to draft. A style not common in Western Europe, ImmortalFaith has been a strong part of the team’s success.

At the time of writing, Gladiators has already reached the upper bracket final of the Dota 2 Champions League Season 7. The team defeated Gambit esports and HellRaisers to reach so far. With momentum on its side over the past few months, and the DPC Regionals as the last event of this patch, Gladiators will look to end the season on a high.

It’s been some time, but Tundra added a new coach in time for the new season. Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling brings inside experience as a former player and an outside view as a caster. 

Tundra esports’ Dota 2 roster:

Last year, Tundra failed to qualify for TI10 after a narrow 2-3 loss to OG in the Western Europe qualifier. It was a match that had a monetary value as qualification for TI carries a significant bump in earnings. The qualifiers were on a different patch and a different meta, but Tundra had already proven it was capable of winning against the best. 

Aui_2000 only adds to what Tundra is already capable of and him ‘standing’ behind the team could be a crucial determining factor for Tundra’s performance.

Tundra finished 4th in the WEU Tour 1 Division 1. After an exciting and dominating performance through the season, Tundra had to do their best in a 4-way tiebreaker. The best-of-one matches did not go in their favor as Tundra lost two of the three matches. The only victory against Nigma Galaxy, was, however, enough for the team to finish the season in 3rd place. The 3rd place finish got them $27,000 and 120 DPC points.

Tundra’s mid-laner, Leon "Nine" Kirilin, brings several unique hero picks to the mix on the mid lane. But his success in the mid-game and sometimes the lane as well, depends on the support duo of Sneyking and Fata. 

The final Division match of the Tour saw Tundra face off against Nigma Galaxy. Sneyking had a monster performance in this match going 14-0-32 with his offlane Clockwerk. The player was involved in 46 of the team’s 51 kills. 

Tundra is a force to reckon with in the regional finals, but the team has to overcome Gladiators and Team Liquid. Tundra’s first match is against the Gladiators. The last time the two teams met in Division 1, Team Tickles won the series 2-0.

The DPC WEU Regional Finals has four teams from the DPC WEU Division 1. These four teams, OG, Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid will now compete in the WEU Regional finals.

Valve’s decision to cancel the Major, much to the surprise of many pros and team owners, received massive flak from the community. Valve then announced the regional leagues with a combined prize pool of $600,000 and DPC points. The DPC points are probably more important as they determine the invites to TI11 later in the year. 

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Dota 2 coverage surrounding the DPC Regionals starting February 11.