The EPIC League will be replacing OMEGA League Season 2 as one of 2020’s biggest Dota 2 tournaments. With tournament organizers scrambling to fill the void left by The International 10, some of Europe’s best teams partnered with tournament organizers Epic Esports Events and WePlay! Esports to create the OMEGA League.
With the OMEGA League being a major success in hindsight, Epic Esports opted to host their own flagship tournament instead of working with other organizers.
Epic League might prove to be the most significant Dota 2 event for 2020, so be sure not to miss it. Get your daily dose of EPIC League recaps, previews, and predictions exclusively at esportsbets.com!
EPIC League Format
The EPIC League will largely follow the same format that was previously announced for OMEGA League Season 2, with the event featuring two divisions for the Europe and CIS regions.
EPIC League is scheduled to run from November 3 to December 13, with the tournament boasting a substantial $500,000 prize pool. The tournament will feature fewer teams, with 10 rather than 12 competing. All of the teams will play in one group, with their total number of matches increasing from 30 to 45.
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EPIC League Power Rankings
With mudgolems and Just Error qualifying through the closed qualifiers, all of the ten teams are set for the main Division. Epic League Division 1 will feature the very best teams the European competitive scene has to offer.
The event will feature some of the most anticipated match-ups in the professional Dota 2 scene. Be it the grudge match between Team Secret and OG, or the everlasting Dota 2 El Clasico between Alliance and Natus Vincere, Epic League looks poised to deliver.
New kids on the block like mudgolems and Just Error will surely have the Dota 2 odds against them, but with a number of squads surging in form recently, no team can be counted out.
Let’s take a look at the power rankings of the upcoming event, and how the teams stack up against each other.
1. Team Secret
Heading into the tournament, Team Secret is the clear favorite. After dominating the competitive scene for much of the covid-stricken year, Secret was finally defeated at ESL One Germany 2020. Despite that, the team managed to finish in respectable fourth place.
The team has simply achieved previously unseen levels of dominance in Dota 2 this season, and will definitely look to continue it at Epic League.
2. OG
Although OG’s had a relatively up-and-down year, it hasn’t been all bad for the two-time TI winners. The team took second place during the first season of OMEGA League, and have had an above-average year when you take into account that OG rarely ever shows up before TI.
Without an International to dominate this year, maybe Epic League will be the event where we see N0tail’s boys finally get up to speed?
3. Team Liquid
Team Liquid is coming off a strong finish after ESL One Germany. Not only did the team manage to win the tournament, but they also took down Team Secret in style.
The squad has slowly cemented itself as a top-three roster in EU, and have massively matured from their days under the Alliance banner. Liquid has proven that it can not only compete, but also defeat the very best. The question is, can they do it again?
4. Team Nigma
Despite not playing with captain Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi for the last couple of events, Nigma has pulled through. The team has managed a couple of impressive finishes, including a third-place at OMEGA League and a first-place finish at OGA Dota Pit Season 2.
It is unknown if Kuroky will play at EPIC League, but coach Roman “rmN-” Paley has definitely been a worthy replacement. Although recent results have not looked promising, it would be a crime in its own right to count Nigma out of the tournament.
5. Alliance
Alliance is definitely a yo-yo team as far as the cream of the crop in Europe is concerned. Bringing in Artsiom “fng” Barshak has definitely helped the team to find its ground, but there is definitely a difference between Alliance, and the next team up.
On a good day, Alliance looks nearly unstoppable. But on a bad day, you’re going to be asking yourself how did they even get here in the first place. If the team can stay focused at the task at hand, Alliance has the quality for a top-three finish at EPIC.
6. Virtus. Pro
The newly-promoted Virtus Pro roster has been the biggest surprise of this year in the Dota 2 scene. While under the VP.Prodigy name, the roster managed to overshadow what was then VP’s main squad, and has given even Secret a run for its money, three times.
The only reason why they’re not higher on this list is because of the two newest additions to the team. Both Danil “gpk” Skutin and Illias “illias” Ganeev have the skills and talent, but how well can they mesh together with the team in only a couple of weeks?
7. Vikin.gg
Although on the lower spectrum of this list, Viking is one of the last teams you’d want to underestimate. The team is coming off a victory at Dota Summit 13, and have reached new heights in the past couple of months.
A respectable 5-6th place finish at ESL One Germany and Viking’s victory at BTS Pro Season 3 stand as testaments to the squad’s strength, but Viking has to take the next step in taking on Europe’s finest.
8. Natus Vincere
Natus Vincere’s current squad started the year playing under the FlyToMoon banner. After getting recognized as a top-three team in the CIS region, and even managed to win the OMEGA League Divine Division before getting picked up by Na’Vi.
The roster had a superb showing at ESL One Germany a little over a week ago, but the question remains, can they keep that momentum going forward?
9. mudgolems
Despite finishing second-to-last in our power rankings, mudgolems have proven that they are no pushovers. Despite being a new stack on the EU scene, the team has already managed two superb showings, finishing as the runners up at BTS Pro Season 3 and a third-place finish at ESL One Germany.
The team is definitely the best value bet in the tournament, with their victory over Secret during the upper brackets of ESL One Germany showing that they can take on the World’s very best.
10. Just Error
The new kids on the block have arrived in style, sort of. Fans have questioned Epic Event’s decision to pin the team versus Yellow Submarine in the decider match, but nevertheless, Just Error managed to qualify for the main event.
With the team being only a day old, and only one game to base our opinion on, it’s safe to say that Just Error is the complete outsider here. On paper, the team looks like it should belong in the upper half of this list, but with such limited information to assess them on, Just Error ends on the bottom of the pack.
