MDL Chengdu Major is starting at November 16th, and 16 teams are waiting to compete for some much needed qualification points for The International 2020 and a total prize pool of one million dollars. And so we ask ourselves: who will claim the title at this tournament, which is arguably the most important one since TI9?

Why MDL Chengdu Major Is So Important
Last season, the 12th team in the Dota Pro Circuit rankings was Keen Gaming. And they had just 1140 points. Consider this: for a 5th – 6th place result at a Major, you get 900 points. And now the cherry on the cake: most of the world’s best Dota 2 teams are not present at MDL Chengdu Major, due to either declining to participate in the qualifiers or failing to qualify.

More specifically, PSG.LGD, Virtus.pro, Team Secret, OG and ex-Team Liquid (KuroKy’s team) will not compete at the event. This leaves a lot of room for other teams to affirm themselves and take advantage of a massive opportunity: score enough points at a relatively undisputed event to almost guarantee themselves a direct invite to The International 2020.

Starting with the next DPC Major, the big teams will be back and the opportunities to score big points will be much harder to take advantage of. First of all, because of the small number of slots reserved for each region. And second of all, because even if an underdog makes it to the Major, they will most likely get crushed right from the start and finish 13th – 16th.

Keep in mind that MDL Chengdu Major offers 15.000 qualification points in total. For the top 4 teams, this result will almost guarantee a place at TI10. For the teams that finish 5th – 6th, it will also be a huge step forward in reaching the necessary number of points for a top 12 finish at the end of the Dota Pro Circuit. In my estimation, a team will probably need around 1300 – 1500 points to make it into the top 12.

MDL Chengdu Major Favorites
The big favorites at MDL Chengdu Major are Vici Gaming, Team Aster, Evil Geniuses and TNC Predator. Any of them could win the tournament, and they all seem very capable of achieving this result. On paper, these 4 teams are likely to occupy the top 4 positions at the end, regardless of who wins. So if you have an interest in esports betting and like to bet on Dota 2, keep an eye on them because they’re virtually unrivaled at this tournament.

One other team that will be interesting to follow is Invictus Gaming. They’re the winner of the DOTA Summit 11 Minor, where they destroyed everyone in spectacular fashion. The Grand Final ended with a clean sweep against Chaos Esports Club (former Quincy Crew) and that’s quite significant. Personally, I don’t expect them to overcome the big favorites, but I would certainly regard them as a top 6 team going int MDL Chengdu Major.

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