Only a week remains until the biggest Dota 2 event in Europe kicks off at the Commerzbank Arena. We already had Soe and Merlini share their ESL One Frankfurt predictions, but now it’s time for Troels “Synderen” Nielsen and and William “Blitz” Lee to give us their thoughts!
ESL: Hi there, guys! Let’s start with your favorites to win at this year’s ESL One Frankfurt.
Troels “Synderen” Nielsen: Based on recent performance, I would say Team Secret, Evil Geniuses and Vici Gaming are definitely the favorites. If I had to pick one, it would be Secret because of their victory at The Summit 3 and showing since then.
William “Blitz” Lee: Vici Gaming are the favorites to win. They had some time to prepare and settle down, and with the losses at D2CL and the Summit, I feel they will be reinvigorated.
ESL: And who is the underdog in your opinion?
Synderen: Probably Alliance. The field is incredibly powerful this year and Alliance didn't look too hot in the TI5 qualifiers. Hopefully, they'll stay motivated even after failing to qualify.
Blitz: I think Alliance is actually the underdog. After the TI qualifiers, they only have this event to focus on, which may result in a surprise and upset from them.
ESL: And so Blitz already has answered our next question! Synderen - what upsets do you think we may see?
Synderen: I picked Alliance as an underdog, but I do think one of the most likely upsets is that they do very well and take down one of the favorite teams. They have the potential - it's all about how Alliance shows up in Frankfurt.
ESL: Which teams seem to be in better or worse shape for the event?
Synderen: As mentioned earlier, I definitely think Team Secret, Evil Geniuses and Vici Gaming are in the best shape right now. The other teams aren't exactly in bad shape, it's just a really packed tournament so it's possible they'll just be outclassed.
Blitz: Evil Geniuses and Cloud9 both seem to be in good shape, whereas Alliance were a bit of a let down for me. I expected them to be able to cruise through the TI qualifiers.
ESL: What are your fondest memories from last year’s ESL One Frankfurt and what are you looking forward to this year?
Synderen: The atmosphere last year was incredible - the audience was really into it and made for a very unique experience. I think the teams are stronger and the quality of the tournament this year will be even higher, so I'm looking forward to some hopefully even better games, which in turn should make for an even more ecstatic crowd.
Blitz: It's amazing we’re getting so many teams that will play at this year’s TI. We can very well see Evil Geniuses/Team Secret/Vici Gaming getting the top three spots at this year’s International. It will be interesting to see how this event goes.
Don’t miss your chance to watch this incredibly stacked tournament live at the Commerzbank Arena surrounded by fellow passionate Dota 2 fans!
Get your ticket here!
To get all the latest information about ESL One Frankfurt, be to keep an eye on the official event website.
