After a few days of watching a very intense group stage, the Arlington Major advances to the highly anticipated Playoffs stage. While there will not be any eliminations in the first round of Playoffs, the Upper Quarter Finals will determine which team stays in the upper bracket, and which team heads into the do-or-die scenarios.
We’ll be going over two interesting matchups occurring in the very first round of the playoffs phase. Outsiders and Team Spirit will have to play out their own inter-regional rivalry out on the big stage, fortunately for both them, whoever loses still has another chance at making a great run through the lower bracket where they’ll face the likes of RNG, Beastcoast, and the loser of the Fnatic vs Aster series.
Outsiders VS Team Spirit
While many people would think that this is arguably the most uninteresting match one can have in the first round of the upper bracket as Outsiders and Team Spirit are regional rivals, playing on the big stage can change things quite a bit. Yes, Outsiders have been playing better as of recently, but we can’t deny the potential that the Team Spirit squad can unleash.
Spirit is a great team, has a massive bandwagon of fans, and the defending champions, that’s for certain. However, it’s safe to say that they are definitely not in their prime, especially after losing to LGD at Riyadh Masters 2022, and Evil Geniuses in the group stage.
Now if we take into consideration that Outsiders is a rebranded team revolving around Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and they have three wins in the book versus Spirit, chances are the TI10 champs have already been figured out.
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Team Aster vs Fnatic
It was very surprising to see Fnatic perform the way they did, which is why they were able to secure a spot in the upper bracket. Fnatic played with 3 stand-ins from TSM, that’s why a lot of people had low expectations for the Southeast Asian team going into Arlington. But against all the odds, Fnatic proved us wrong when they held their own, drawing a tie in most matches against OG, Outsiders, and RNG.
Facing Aster is a tough challenge as we have seen how the Chinese powerhouse delivers flawless executions in their group stage matches. Aster’s versatility in drafts certainly put them in a spot, where it’s difficult to counter. However, it is their prowess in ensuring they have a balanced draft of sustainability and teamfight-winning combo, which serves as a deterrent against opponents hoping to have a jump on them.
Unfortunately for Fnatic, this is one outmatched fight they cannot hope to win against, not without their complete line-up. But just like they did during the group stage, the Southeast Asian representatives might give us a pleasant surprise against Team Aster.With the matches kicking off pretty soon make sure you check out our Dota 2 betting page where you can find all the best sign up offers and free bets available.
