MDL Chengdu Major : Can Vici Gaming make it to the finals or will TNC gain the upper hand?
Published: Nov 21, 2019 - Last Updated: Oct 10, 2022
MDL Chengdu Major is about to enter its final stage. Just 8 of the initial 16 teams are left in the race and they will be competing for $850.000 and 14.000 qualification points for The International 2020.
The stakes are high, not only because of the money but also because the top 4 teams will most likely go to TI10 while the 5th – 6th will also get a decent chance to qualify at the end of the season. With so many Dota 2 giants missing from the event, for many of these teams this is by far their best shot at securing a direct TI invite.
MDL Chengdu Major – Who’s gone through to the next stage
The last 8 teams that are still competing are the following:
- TNC Predator
- Vici Gaming
- Team Liquid
- Alliance
- Invictus Gaming
- beastcoast
- Evil Geniuses
- J.Storm
Among these teams, TNC Predator, Vici Gaming and Evil Geniuses are considerably stronger than everyone else. Throughout the entire event, all of them have shown that at this competitive level, with Secret, OG, PSG.LGD and ex-Liquid missing, nobody can stand in their way. Only their direct encounters can separate them from each other.
MDL Chengdu Major Team Analysis (Favorites)
Let’s take a brief look at the 3 big favorites going into the last 3 competitive days at MDL Changdu Major.
TNC Predator
TNC finished the Group Stage with two easy wins and without losing a single game. Their performances were very convincing, as their opponents were dismantled with great speed. Only one of their four games lasted for more than 35 minutes. Apart from that exception, the team was lightning fast.
The Playoffs Stage saw TNC compete against Alliance (2 – 1) and J.Storm (2 – 0). Both of these opponents are strong teams but TNC still managed to beat them, even though only by a small margin. Many of the games lasted for over 45 minutes and could have gone either way.
Going into the Upper Bracket Final, I expect TNC to do well against Vici Gaming and actually win with a score of 2 – 1.
Vici Gaming
Even though they’re not as strong as they were last season, when they had Fade as captain, Vici Gaming is still one of the strongest teams in China. And their performance at this esports tournament clearly showed us why.
In the Group Stage, Vici won Group B, besting Team Spirit and Alliance in two Bo3 matches that went all the way. In the Playoffs they quickly defeated Fighting PandaS and then had a tough match against Evil Geniuses (2 – 1). Overall, this is probably the second best team at MDL Chengdu Major, although it wouldn’t really surprise people if they won.
Evil Geniuses
They’re the great NA hope for this event but did not look impeccable in the groups. EG only finished 2nd in a group with Liquid, Aster and Adroit.
As for their Playoffs run, they beat IG and then lost to Vici Gaming. In their next match, they will face the winner between Liquid and Alliance and it will certainly be a challenge for them to win that match. Overall, they’ll probably end up 4th place.
Image courtesy of MDL / Mars Media
