It’s Week 2 at the Dota Pro Circuit 2021: Season 2 – China Upper Division: Team RNG faces off with Elephant, set on April 25 at 6 PM (UTC). For starters, the two competitors have a very different upbringing, where this is Elephant’s second time in Upper Division bracket. Whereas team RNG enters the Upper Division as an underdog from Lower Division S1.
Needless to say, there’s a clear disadvantage on paper for RNG to kick things off.
They say underdogs are built different, which was very much the case when Invictus Gaming went from qualifier winner to Singapore Major champions. As for RNG, they did well enough to qualify for the Upper Division S2 by securing top seeds last season.
Despite being the first runner-up behind Sparking Arrow Gaming at the Lower Division S1, RNG managed to sweep the floor with their rivals last week. This well-deserved victory gave them the edge on the scoreboard, only to have it even out with a loss delivered by EHOME. Liu “Sylar” Jiajun, as EHOME’s latest addition, really kicked up a notch as a renowned hard carry player.
Adding to that, RNG’s unorthodox draft, notably the Visage pick as support in game 2, was a dead weight. All in all, RNG’s conservative draft enabled EHOME to shine with their signature aggressive playstyle.
Even so, RNG still managed to snatch a game off EHOME, which will definitely be handy for net scores.
As for Elephant, their debut depicted them as a band of world-class veterans teaming up to form the next biggest thing in Chinese Dota. Much like Faze Clan in CS:GO, except they did not deliver anywhere close to fans’ expectations. Sure, they started off strong with crazy Dota 2 records, such as a 165,000 gold lead in one of their pro matches.
However, they completely lost their edge at the beginning of Dota Pro Circuit 2021 (DPC 2021). They were losing too many games at the Upper Division S1 that they couldn’t even secure a Wild Cards slot. Weeks later, the boys in Elephant probably returned to their drawing board and realized they need a coach.
Enters the legendary veteran, Bai “rOtK” Fan. With rOtK as their personal coach, fans anticipate the new Chinese powerhouse to become an overwhelming force in Dota 2 betting. In fact, early results from last week’s matches revealed that Elephant is coming in strong with two victories already in the bag. Featuring Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao, the mid player was able to show off his incredible plays with his elusive Storm Spirit pick.
This series will come down to how quickly can Elephant pressure their lanes and close out a game. RNG likes to rack up and slowly build through a game, and if left to their own devices they can outmatch every opponent. Their tactic somehow worked during the Lower Divison last season, but can they pull out the same passive start and buildup to their games against elite teams?
Dota 2 odds-wise, Elephant has got every category in their favor. It’s realistic for Elephant to pull off a clean sweep, 2:0 like their previous matches, which would rake in x2.28 return. However, going on a long shot here with the opposite score, for 0:2 towards RNG can net us over x10 in return, and it is a good bet to protect us for all the exotics we will list below.
As for Match Total Kills, Elephant, and Chinese teams in general, aren’t huge fans of continuous team fights. Most past matches average out at roughly 50 total kills per game, so unless it’s a complete three-round series, waging on kill count isn’t encouraged. Since betting on a minimum of 136.5 in Match Total Kills can win up to x4.11 return.
Fun fact, Elephant had 3 first bloods out of the games played. If you got some extra bucks lying in your GG.BET account, then perhaps a quick bet on Elephant getting first blood will snatch an easy x1.71 winning.
Either way, there are plenty of exotic markets and outright bets you can play in this match. Choose the one that fits your style best.
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