Set just a couple of weeks before the International 10 Regional Qualifiers, ESL One Summer 2021 is the final tournament for teams to test their metal against their rivals. The tournament will be played in an online format. With nine invited teams and three teams from the closed qualifiers, ESL One Summer 2021 will give a real insight into the balance of power in the European Dota 2 scene. Participating teams are seeded based on their DPC points and qualifiers ranking, with the top four teams starting in the Upper Bracket Quarter Finals styled, while others will have to battle for their spot under the sun in the gauntlet of the Lower Bracket.
The tournament features teams from four different regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America, meaning we’ll have one more clash of styles ahead of the TI Regional Qualifiers.
With the tournament format being a double-elimination bracket, the top-seeded teams will have a second lifeline handed to them, while it’s do-or-die for the lesser fortunate lower seeds. All of the games, save for the Grand Finals, will be Bo3’s, while the finals themselves will be played in a Bo5 format. Although the tournament won’t award any DPC points, a hefty $400,000 prize pool is up for grabs. Every participating team will share a slice of the pie, and while some will get just crumbs, the eventual winners will walk away with a cool $175,000 in their pockets.
Why is ESL One Summer 2021 so important?
ESL One Summer 2021 features a number of teams in different positions pre-TI 10. While the likes of Quincy Crew, Team Secret, T1, and Alliance have already secured a spot at The International, the rest of the teams have yet to qualify for the event. With the Western European TI Qualifiers arguably as stacked as ever, ESL One Summer 2021 is the last chance for fan-favorites Team Nigma, OG, and Team Liquid to gather their wits in the battle for the last EU TI seed.
It should be noted that both Virtus Pro and Team Spirit have withdrawn from the tournament due to their TI Qualifiers commitments.
Although overshadowed by TI, ESL One Summer 2021 will be great practice before both the regionals and each team’s respective boot camps. While none of the participating teams are likely to outright reveal all their cards, expect a lot of pocket picks&strats along with teams feeling each other out ahead of the tournament.
Watch ESL One Summer 2021 Live!
ESL One Summer 2021 Betting & Predictions
When it comes to Dota 2 betting at the ESL One Summer 2021, the nature of the tournament itself means we are in store for more than a handful of upsets. With teams putting the final puzzles of their game in place and experimenting, except for some major upsets as the tournament progresses, and the Dota 2 betting odds will surely reflect that.
Even though underdog victories will not be as valuable as they are normally, value bets are almost guaranteed to deliver on a regular basis due to the sheer number of expected upsets. The current Dota 2 meta heavily favors snowballing lineups, so expect the overall kill count per game to be relatively low. The best teams in the tournament have shown us they can control the tempo of the game, so if a match-up is more of an even-steven, the games will be relatively drawn out, thus having a higher overall kill count. The premier teams will be able to withstand the enemies’ snowball and control the tempo better, drawing out the game and turning it into a more farm-oriented affair, so be wary when betting on those.
Going for correct map scores will be a death wish for most bettors just by looking at the nature of the tournament, so unless you’re absolutely sure, try to avoid those.
Bottom Line
While ESL One Summer 2021 has lost a bit of its appeal due to the upcoming International, the tournament is more than likely to provide a lot of fun for your casual viewer. Bettors beware, as nothing should be taken for granted during the tournament. Do your research on which teams are struggling with the current meta, and keep an eye out for teams that are using the tournament as a testing ground rather than an actual challenge. With some proper insight, you could be in store for more than just a good value treat.
