Royal Arena #2

Royal Arena #2 is the second Dota 2 online tournament hosted by Royal Arena. It will take place from December 28-30th. This tournament is a six team, invite only, online tournament consisting of mainly tier two European/CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Dota 2 teams. The tournament consists of two groups of three, in which teams will play each other in a round robin format. The second and third teams from each group will start bracket play in the Quarter-Finals. The first place team from Group A and B will start bracket play in the Semi-Finals. Bracket play is single elimination (meaning anything can happen), and will take place on December 30th, with the teams fighting to take home a share of the $5,000 prize pool.

1st Place – $3,000

2nd Place – $1,500

3rd Place – $500

The first Royal Arena tournament was won by “Imperial”, now known as “Danish Bears”, with a dominant 3-0 victory over the old “Escape Gaming” Roster. Danish Bears return and are joined by five other teams. Lets take a look at who is competing in this tournament.

The Teams

Group A

Alliance



One of the most, if not the most, recognizable names in Dota 2 history. The all Swedish roster may be different than the group who won The International 2013, but at the heart of it, Jonathan “Loda” Berg and Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist remain. The team is hoping to use the new 7.00 update to their advantage.

Roster –

Position 1 – Loda

Position 2 – Limmp

Position 3 – Jonassomfan

Position 4 – Handsken

Position 5 – EGM

Prediction (1st in Group A) – The Alliance should be considered the favorites to take their group, and arguably the whole tournament. They have been playing together since September, and although they failed to qualify for the Boston Major, I expect big things from this Alliance team moving forward into the 2017 Dota season.

Horde

A relatively new roster in the Dota 2 scene, Horde, another all Swedish team, will be hoping to build on their recent success of qualifying for the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG). With the new 7.00, Horde will work to try and become the dominant Swedish team in the Dota 2 scene.

Roster –

Position 1 – Gorgc

Position 2 – Xcalibur

Position 3 – Eskillz

Position 4 – Pablo –

Position 5 – Akke

Prediction (2nd in Group A) – I expect that Horde will qualify in second place out of Group A. I think that this is a very solid squad, however I do not believe they have what it takes to bring down some of the more successful teams in the tournament. I do, however, believe that Horde could be a dark horse, so I am interested to see how they fair in this mid-tier tournament.

Team Empire



One of the biggest names in Esports, Team Empire are currently in a period of transition in Dota 2. Playing with several stand-ins, this tournament will be a chance for them to try and get a finalized roster for the 2017 season. It seems as if Team Empire are going to be in a rough position until they have finalized their roster.

Roster –

Position 1 – Chappie

Position 2 – Fn

Position 3 – Ghostik

Position 4 – Yol

Position 5 – Miposhka

Prediction (3rd in Group A) – Playing against two teams with confirmed rosters will make Group A a difficult place for Team Empire. I think that this tournament is probably a bit too soon for Team Empire, however I expect them to start challenging in the CIS scene soon enough.

Group B

Danish Bears

Returning champions, Danish Bears, previously known as Imperial, return with the same roster that won the first Royal Arena tournament just over a month ago. In that month, they have been dropped by their organization and returned to their original team name of Danish Bears.

Roster –

Position 1 – Ace

Position 2 – BabyKnight

Position 3 – HeStEJoE-RoTTeN

Position 4 – NoiA

Position 5 – Ryze

Prediction (1st in Group B) – Danish Bears are returning champions, which will give them a distinct advantage over their competition. I think that they will finish at the top of Group B and will more than likely meet up with Alliance in a final that could go either way. The Danes play with a certain organized chaos, that can catch teams off-guard. Lets see if they can live up to expectations in 2017.

Vega Squadron

Another powerhouse in the world of Esports, Vega Squadron are trying to rebuild a successful Dota 2 team. The squadron last tasted success on an international scale at ESL New York 2015. They have struggled in 2016 mainly due to continuous roster changes throughout the year. Having recently dropped their Carry player, Rostislav “Fn” Lozovoi, they will be hoping that whoever they bring in to play Carry can help them re-establish themselves on the international scene.

Roster

Position 1 – To be announced

Position 2 – G! (God)

Position 3 – Mag ~

Position 4 – Sonneiko

Position 5 – Cematheslayer

Prediction (2nd in Group B) – Vega may not have announced who their Carry player will be moving in to 2017, but I think that their core four players have enough to help the team secure second place in the Group. However, moving in to bracket play, I worry about the solidity of the roster.

Rebels

The old FlipSide Tactics Dota 2 roster have returned to their old name of Rebels. Rebels have been looking for an opportunity to establish themselves in the CIS region, and this tournament could provide them with that opportunity.

Roster

Position 1 – Sedoy

Position 2 – Afoninje

Position 3 – Shachlo

Position 4 – RodjER

Position 5 – ArsZeeqq

Prediction (3rd in Group B) – Unfortunately for Rebels, all of the teams in this tournament are strong and are capable of winning. As such, Rebels are going to have to play consistently well in order to get a good seeding coming out of their group. I think that the Rebels roster may be able to surprise teams, but whether this will be enough remains to be seen.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s exciting to see some more competitive Dota on the 7.01 patch. I expect that either Alliance or Danish Bears will be the eventual winner, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if any of the other four teams grabbed this opportunity by the horns too.

I look forward to seeing how this tournament unfolds. Stay tuned for more coverage of Royal Arena #2 once Group Play is over and the bracket is decided.