Starladder i-League Betting Tips: New Dota 2 patch could see Vega Squadron spring an upset

Starladder i-League is being approached with a real sense of intrigue by Dota 2 fans around the world. A huge game-play match dropped just days before the event and it’s thrown a proverbial cat among the pigeons. To compare it to traditional sports, the changes are so fundamental it would be like playing professional football with a rugby ball – it’s simply that big.

Starladder i-League Day One is done and dusted. TnC Pro Gaming, a team that we haven’t seen since their change in personnel breezed past both of their opponents on the way to recording an immaculate 4-0 record. They were priced as long as 5/2 for their first match in which they simply brushed aside Invictus Gaming and so the precedent is set. We could well be set for upsets on the second day of competition as well.

There’s two matches to be played tomorrow. The first sees Team Liquid face up against Faceless and the second will see Vega Squadron face Newbee. The matches are over in China so 04:00 and 07:00 provisional times means for those in the UK it’s likely to be a bet you place before having a well-earned sleep.

Vega Squadron v Newbee

Chinese teams can often be fairly rigid when it comes to new patches. It can take some teams what seems like an age to figure out the latest trends and simply put, what works and what doesn’t.

This is an old classic, a CIS team versus a Chinese team. The former is known for hyper-aggressive play whilst the latter is better known for a passive game. The game-play patch and subsequent analysis seems to lend itself towards the more aggressive approach, seemingly encouraging teams to end games earlier than they would have done previously.

That’s what we think puts Vega in the driving seat. The team are in a rich vein of form having won five of their last six series whereas Newbee have suffered defeat in four of their last five games.

For that reason, we have a feeling that Vega’s carefree playing style and willingness to experiment will stand them in good stead to take down Newbee. You can find them at 6/4 on bet365, a price that is well worth taking advantage of.

Team Liquid v Faceless

It seems that Team Liquid sometimes turn up and perform and at other times they’re simply awful. They’re something of an enigma as on paper they should edge out Faceless. Three of their five players have over 9,000 MMR which is no mean feat. and thus on paper, they should have the beating of Faceless.

With Faceless offlaner “iceiceice” known as being a great innovator, the South East Asia based team may well have an edge. That said, there’s not a pick that really stands out for us here. Liquid are extremely short and probably for good reason. If you want to add another bet then ‘Over 2.5 Maps’ at 23/20 could be the bet. Both teams will look to experiment and there’s literally no point backing Liquid at odds as short as 1/4.