Nigma entering toughest week at DreamLeague Season 15

It has only been a week since the DreamLeague Season 15 DPC EU 2021 began, and the fans are in awe. It seems European teams took the Singapore defeat to heart and we are seeing teams step it up all across the board.

Most notably Nigma’s latest form shows loads of promise after taking down the EU powerhouse, Team Secret. On top of Anathan “ana” Pham’s return to the playing field for team OG has been a game changer for the team. There are good reasons to keep an eye on the European Dota 2 scene this season.

Let’s take a look at four notable matchups this week and set our predictions.

Team Secret vs Hellbear Smashers

Team Secret made their entry with a bang, albeit not the bang they anticipated. Losing to Nigma was a hard pill to swallow, but it’s not like Team Secret has gotten out of shape. After all, they did secure a commendable fourth-place finish at the Singapore Major 2021. Actually being challenged domestically is good for once, as they really need to up their game coming into the next major. They are still a significant threat to most opponents.

This week, Team Secret is up against an underdog that goes by the name Hellbear Smashers. The team led by former Team Secret player Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard performed well in last season’s Lower Division. Unfortunately, the Dota 2 odds are stacked against them to survive this match-up. With an absurd x6.41 coefficient on Hellbear Smashers, it’s impossible for Team Secret at x1.1 to slip off like how they did against Nigma last week.

My prediction is a 2:0 for Team Secret at a commendable x1.4 over at GG.BET.

Alliance vs OG

For the most part, Alliance’s line-up has remained similar since the Dota Pro Circuit 2021 (DPC 2021) started. Yet, their phenomenal performance during last season’s Upper Division did not reflect their flop at Singapore Major. Back in the EU regional league, Alliance might still be a formidable opponent even for team OG.

Last week, they narrowly defeated Team Liquid as predicted, yet the outcome doesn’t say much about their actual standing at DreamLeague Season 15. Perhaps if they managed to one-up OG this week, then Alliance might have a shot at qualifying for the upcoming major.

Odds-wise, OG is still a heavy favorite among Dota 2 fans, pulling their odds to a negligible x1.43, while Alliance has x2.73. This time around however, I’d go with the favorites in OG to take the cake. An outright winner selection would suffice.

Nigma vs Team Liquid/Alliance

Nigma shocked the crowd by upsetting Team Secret to kickstart their debut. The newcomer, Igor “iLTW” Filatov, is certainly no stranger in the European pro scene. Having played with team OG frequently as a stand-in while ana is on vacation was good practice against most opponents. However, he will be playing the hard carry role at Nigma, letting Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi return to the mid lane.

Taking down Team Secret early into the DreamLeague Season 15 Upper Division was certainly a tall order for Nigma, yet they executed admirably. Perhaps the newfound synergy was what really gives Nigma the edge now.

Speaking of rivals, Team Liquid and Nigma are staples in the EU scene. Observing how Team Liquid is falling apart in terms of draft and execution, it’s not difficult to declare Nigma the winner without hesitation. Yet, Nigma is on a relatively even footing here in terms of Dota 2 odds at x1.75 versus Team Liquid at x2.03. In their second match up, it’s x1.60 on Nigma, while Alliance has x2.27. Overall selecting Nigma in both situations here is a good addition our bet slip.

With all said and done, our betting slip for Week 2 would look like this:

BETTING PROVIDER
Team Secret vs Hellbear Smashers	Team Secret to win 2:0	@ 1.4
Alliance vs OG	OG to win	@ 1.43
Nigma vs Team Liquid	Nigma to win	@ 1.75
Nigma vs Alliance	Nigma to win	@ 1.6
TOTAL ODDS		5.61 (+461)

The second week at DreamLeague Season 15 shall draw the line between the strong and those that are likely bottom dwellers. It’s good timing to catch some Dota 2 action to see what Europe’s best teams are up to. And even fill up that adrenaline rush with some reliable Dota 2 betting.

Read next: Dota Pro Circuit 2021 » Predictions, Betting guide and DPC Favorites

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