Singapore Major Playoffs Round 1 Predictions and Betting Odds

Dota 2
March 30, 2021
Marcus Wong

It’s the first day of Playoffs and a stacked roster at the ONE Esports Singapore Major 2021. The initial stages saw Europe flop heavily, as the event indeed revealed some unexpected surprises. “Heavy” European favorites, Nigma and Alliance eliminated leaves only Team Secret and a very hurt Liquid defending Europe’s hopes. South American underdogs, Thunder Predator, shocked the entire event lineup as they plowed through the competition undefeated.

The Playoffs bracket opens up a relatively easy path for Invictus and Team Secret to reach the final, but only if they perform as expected. Here’s our Singapore Major Playoffs Bracket breakdown and opening match predictions.

Singapore Major Upper Bracket R1

ONE Esports Singapore Major 2021

Evil Geniuses vs Fnatic

It’s been just over a full year since FNC and EG last met. Back at The Summit 12, FNC was the dominant team edging over EG and proving they were the better team. Loads have changed since then however. Fnatic went through multiple roster shuffles, and still maintained their winning ways, even more so then before. Evil Geniuses on the other hand, were forced to play without Abed for most of 2020 and replaced Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev by the end of the season.

Coming into this series, both teams are looking at the their regional counterparts for info on how matches look. Neon and T1 didn’t really show much during this Major, but than again both teams played with substitutions. Quincy crew represented NA well thus far, showing dominance in several of their outings.

Overall, we have give this one to EG simply due to the stability and longevity the team has had. It’s also an opportunity for Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang to get one over the team that booted him last September.

Odds-wise, picking EG will give you solid return even as an outright winner, currently standing at 1.51x (-196) over at GG.BET. We do however predict a 2:1 scoreline in favor of EG as well for a solid 3.51x (+224) return.

Invictus Gaming vs ViCi Gaming

We are treated to a rivalry for the ages in the opening Playoffs round, as two Chinese powerhouses clash once again. ViCi and PSG.LGD having plowed through the Wild Cards and the Group Stage thus far, are looking good in the competition overall. Suddenly, both teams are off the deep end meeting opponents a tad higher than their average power level.

Invictus has had Vici’s number for a while now. The only time VG managed to take a series, was when IG played with one or more substitute players. We wont go on a limb for this one and say that Vici has a chance, they really don’t. Chinese powerhouse teams are good against all other opponents, but they have a pretty cookie cutter approach when they meet each other. We call this one a clear 2:0 for Invictus Gaming.

Dota 2 odds reflect IG being ahead, and you can expect a x1.66 (-152) or x2.88 (+188) return depending if you bet outright or on a correct score.

Thunder Predator vs Team Secret

They stand at the top of the hill, and instill fear in every participant as a result. Thunder Predator is living the dream. They are definitely the talk of the town after upsetting several heavy favorites and took the Group Stage by storm. They are now facing the best Europe has to offer in the form of Team Secret. In retrospect, even Secret didn’t plow through their EU rivals with such dominance as Thunder Predator have in the past two days.

As far as odds go, Team Secret are the absolute heavy favorites at most esports betting sites. This one is not one you put in your accumulator betslips however, as there’s no better moment to put the stakes up for the underdogs while they are still underdogs. Thunder Predator’s wild maneuvers are a breath of fresh air and should be given the underdog singles betslip.

Since it’s the first time Thunder Predator has gotten this far in a major, we are eager to see what they can deliver in Dota 2 betting. Our prediction is to value bet here, with TP giving you x3.38 (+238) return on your investment. While we’re at it you can even go with 2:1 scoreline in favor of TP, for x5.47 (+447) return on your singles bet slip.

Virtus.Pro vs PSG.LGD

Virtus.Pro, the best CIS has to offer, is meeting PSG.LGD. Despite their solid showing, PSG.LGD are considered underdogs in this match. We are once again going against the grain however, and siding with the underdog. It’s hard to side against PSG.LGD with all things considered. Not to mention that their Wild Card adventures showcased their absolute dominance over the rest of the regions, but they also having a dominant showing domestically over the past two months.

VP is by no means a weak team, but they have at best tied against teams LGD manhandled thus far. We might be in for a banger, yet ultimately it should end up a win for the Chinese powerhouse. Odds-wise, expect a x2.13 (+113) return when betting on PSG.LGD outright.

Read next: Cancellations and player substitutions ahead of the Singapore Major 2021