South America’s Thunder Predator roar through the Dota 2 Major group stage

The ONE Esports Singapore Major group stage Day 1 had quite a few surprises on Day 1. Traditionally considered one of the weaker regions Dota 2, South America came out shining in the first LAN event of the year. Thunder Predator went 8-0 (yes eight wins and zero losses) on DAy 1 of the Singapore Major. The team faced some strong opponents in Team Alliance, Aster, Quincy Crew and Team Liquid to secure the top spot in the group stage. PSG.LGD came second with a 4-2 score while North America’s Quincy Crew followed next with a 4-4 score.

Dota 2 fans expected Europe and possibly China to be the strongest teams in the group stage of the Major. With big names such as Alliance, Team Liquid, Vici Gaming, Aster and PSG.LGD; expectations were high from these regions. However, South America’s only representative, Thunder Predator had different plans.

Thunder Predator’s first series was against Team Liquid. Liquid had an extremely strong start to the Wild Card (they went 6-0) but the team fizzled out on Day 2. Despite the inconsistent results, Team Liquid’s aggressive drafts and playstyle make it one of the strongest teams on paper. Both games were relatively close but Thunder Predator pulled ahead. Predator picked nine different heroes in the two games and executed their strengths to perfection. The combination of Terrorblade and Oracle in game 1 was too much for Liquid to handle. 

Thunder Predator winning 2-0 versus Team Liquid was a surprise, but it was easy to blame it on Liquid’s inconsistency. But when Romel "Wu" Quinteros and the squad ended with a similar scoreline against Alliance, the Dota 2 community started taking notice. The 'weakest' region at the Major was crushing opponents and with 2-0 scores.

The South American team was in complete control in its games versus Alliance. The networth graph shows a consistent advantage for Thunder Predator. 

Alliance could never put forth a decent comeback after a strong laning phase for Thunder Predator. The European powerhouse became the second team of the day to lose 0-2 to the South American roster.

Thunder Predator rounded out Day 1 of the group stage with 2-0 victories over Quincy Crew and Team Aster. Quincy Crew actually had a decent chance to stop Thunder Predator, but Thunder Predator’s late-game lineup blossomed with time. Team Aster also lost in the draft-phase itself with Thunder Predator’s Death Prophet wreaking havoc on the Chinese team’s ambitions. With these victories, Thunder Predator is already guaranteed a slot in the playoffs. 

Thunder Predator’s playstyle involves a lot of team fights, where they get all five members in the fights. The team’s synergy and understanding of their opponent’s playstyle give it an advantage in these fights. However, Thunder Predator has favored fast-paced gameplay so far in Day 1 of the Major. As teams identify this playstyle, it will become easier for the remaining teams to counter the South American playstyle. 

The top three teams from the group stage will advance to the upper bracket playoffs. The competition is fierce as five teams are tied for second place at the Major. Quincy Crew, Team Aster, Team Liquid and Vici Gaming all have four games won and a score of 1-2-1 in the group stage. Only one team will face elimination, and for now, OB Esports x NEON looks to be the weakest team in the lot. But if the Dota 2 Major has taught us anything, surprises are the norm at the ONE Esports Singapore Major. 

Dota 2 fans can catch their favorite teams in action live on Twitch. Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest Singapore Major coverage.