Dota 2: WePlay! Bukovel Minor Group A overview
| Tags: Dota 2
| Author Zlosterr
We break down all four teams across group A and their chances of winning at the Minor.
After an astonishing 2019 that every Dota 2 fan will remember, it’s now time to focus on the first big tournament of the year – WePlay!’s Bukovel Minor. The second Minor DPC tournament will begin on the 9th of January. Eight of the best teams in the world will be going head to get to determine which one will take the lion’s share of the $300K prize pool, DPC points, as well as the last slot for the Leipzig Major that begins in just a couple of days later.
The teams in this Minor are split into two groups. In order to advance further, they have to finish in the first to places. If the teams fail to do so, they will be eliminated from the event.
With that said, let’s take a look at the first group of this tournament.
Group A
Group A will include: Team Spirit, Royal Never Give Up, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Geek Farm.
NiP
Over 7 Hours of traveling but we have made it to Bukovel! 🇺🇦 Gundaddy is exhausted, as you can see… 😴#GONINJAS #DOTA2 pic.twitter.com/BVt8PgpqM4
— Ninjas in Pyjamas (@NIP) January 6, 2020
At first glance, one might say that this will be an easy win for Ninjas in Pyjamas. While this can be true up to a point, the recent performance from NiP isn’t all that glamorous. In fact, they’ve been in a crisis ever since TI 9, where they were the first team to be eliminated. As a result, Peter “ppd” Dager completely re-build the roster of the team. Now, instead of playing in Europe, NiP is based in NA and has some of the most well-known names under its banner.
Nevertheless, even after the changes, ppd and his team-mates still fail to impress. They definitely have what it takes to start winning so we guess that it’s just a matter of time. Who knows, this Minor might be exactly what they need.
Geek Fam
We got awesome gift from @WePlayEsport ❤️ #cold #GeekFam #Dota2 #DPCMinor #BukovelMinor #WhereGeeksBelong #OnceAGeekAlwaysFam pic.twitter.com/tCjnfTvBu7
— Geek Slate (@TeamGeekSlate) January 7, 2020
The second team in this group that is under the spotlight is Geek Fam. This SEA powerhouse came along way since the last DPC season. From just another tier 2 team, Geek Fam now has one of the best rosters in the region. Of course, the main reason behind this is the addition of the ex-TNC players Carlo “Kuku” Palad and Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto.
Even though they’ve not yet shown their full potential, Geek Fam is definitely a very dangerous team. It’s just a matter of time before they will hop on the winning train and earn their first trophies.
Royal Never Give Up
The Royal story began 7 years ago, and it’s been an incredible adventure since it all started!
We’d like to thank our players, fans, partners, and staff for supporting us all this time. Our journey has only just begun! We are #RNGForever ! #RNG7thAnniversary pic.twitter.com/Nvu6GArXcY
— Royal Never Give Up (@RNG) December 30, 2019
Guided by Du “Monet” Peng, RNGU is also a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Despite the fact that they are not in their best form right now, RNGU is a very dangerous team and they’ve proven this in TI 9. Even though they finished eight, they nearly eliminated Team Liquid.
This Chinese team is a solid combination of experienced and new players. Needless to say, this is one of the best recipes for success in Dota 2 nowadays.
Team Spirit
Three days left till the start of WePlay Bukovel Minor! The schedule is announced and we’ll play @RNGRoyal in a first game
More information 👉 https://t.co/HK3I5szKot#SpiritDota #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/EVyE9melbS
— Team Spirit (@Team__Spirit) January 6, 2020
Last, but definitely not least, we have the CIS team Team Spirit. Even though they’ve qualified for a couple of tournaments last season, Team Spirit couldn’t really shine. One of the reasons for that is that CIS was heavily dominated by Virtus.Pro. However, now that VP is with new players, the other teams from the region started to bounce back.
If we judge solely by TS’s performance in the qualifiers, they definitely have what it takes to win. However, the question is if they can bring the same performance where it matters.
For all the info on Group B at the Minor, check out our overview here.
It's going to be an extremely interesting tournament to watch. Even though it’s a Minor, it's still important because the winner will also go to the Major. The action begins on the 9th of January, just two days from now.