MDL Macau 2019 | Unexpected results on Day 1; what awaits us on Day 2

MDL Macau 2019 is an ongoing premier Dota 2 event that brings together many of the world’s best Dota 2 teams, including Virtus.pro and Evil Geniuses. And in spite of not being part of the Dota Pro Circuit, a hefty amount of money is on the line, as well as the chance to test strategies and lift up a prestigious trophy. At least 4 of the 8 teams would greatly benefit from these rewards, so the battle will probably be fierce.

Scheduled to take place between February 20th – 24th, MDL Macau offers a prize pool of $300.000 and a lot of great matches. In this article, I will take you through the key points of day one and provide an analysis about what you can expect in the coming days.

Day 1 review

On day 1, MDL Macau 2019 did not exactly go according to plan. In particular, Virtus.pro, currently the second best team in the world, managed to somehow lose 2 out of their first 3 matches. One of the against Evil Geniuses and another against Royal Never Give Up. The first of these losses was no major shock, as EG is the 3rd best team in the world right now. But the second one was totally unexpected.

Apart from VP, the other big teams are doing fine. Here’s the standings table so that you can get a better understanding of what’s going on.

Evil Geniuses – 3 W – 1 L

Team Liquid – 2 W – 1 L

Newbee – 2 W – 1 L

Vici Gaming – 2 W – 2 L

Royal Never Give Up – 2 W – 2 L

EHOME – 2 W – 2 L

Virtus.pro – 1 W – 2 L

Invictus Gaming – 0 W – 3 L

Apart from IG, who seem to be doomed, and EG, who look to be set for the Upper Bracket of the main event, everyone else is still in the middle of the fight, struggling to get one of the top 4 positions that guarantee a place in the Upper Bracket.

Predictions

Going into the second day of the event and then the Playoffs Stage, the main favorites are Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and Virtus.pro. The 3rd of these teams will have to make a comeback but given how strong they are, I’m pretty sure they will.

As for the other two, considering their current form and what they’ve shown at the recent qualifiers for The DreamLeague Major, I’m expecting Evil Geniuses to win the event and Team Liquid to get a 3rd place finish. The second place will probably still go to VP, but for that to happen they will probably need to secure a spot in the Upper Bracket on the second day of MDL Macau 2019.