Team Spirit has much to prove in Group B at the Stockholm Major 2022

Group B selection at Dota 2 Major in Stockholm is looking spicy. With Team Spirit in the fray, we finally get to see if Ti10 was just a fluke. Some stiff competition awaits them in groups, and we can’t wait to see how they fare against it.

We already reviewed the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 Group A previously, and how the candidates are evenly matched on paper.

Let’s dive straight into Group B.

TI10 Champions at Stockholm 2022

Amidst the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, it’s a miracle that Team Spirit managed to make their appearance in a LAN Major with a full roster. That said, we can’t ask for a better major since Team Spirit’s unique playstyle still leaves fans in awe. For the uninitiated, Team Spirit qualified for the Stockholm Major by placing second at DPC EEU Tour 2 Playoffs. While they did fall short to BetBoom Team, the defending champion’s title is still very much the talk of the town.

Fans expect Team Spirit to still reflect their iconic characteristics, notably their versatile hero pool. Perhaps even get a glimpse into Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov’s Magnus or Mars plays just for fan service sake. Regardless, Spirit’s upcoming opponents are well-aware of Collapse’s capabilities if not taken into account, so might just see respect bans instead.

Ovrall, Spirit is the team to beat at this event.

West European Powerhouses

Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid are just among the selection of fine powerhouses that Western Europe has to offer lately. Gaimin, which placed second in DPC WEU Tour 2 has become prominent despite not having high-profile players. They are instead a promising stack of players that were also skirting the edges of the scene.

What’s interesting is that the Gaimin stack consists of several remnants of Vikin.gg, a team that was considered a rising star last season. With Daniel “ImmortalFaith” Moza as the team’s coach, unorthodox yet brilliant drafts are probably Gaimin’s forte.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, is a team of seasoned players that held high expectations by its fans. The former Team Secret duo, Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen and Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg are great additions due to their diverse playstyles.

Fun fact, MATU, and zai were former Team Liquid players, albeit during different seasons. Hence, it only seems appropriate to cheer; “Make Liquid Great Again!”

Americas and SEA have much to prove

Not to undermine TeamSoloMid and Thunder Awaken in any way. They are their respective regions’ top candidates, yet the Americas scene is notoriously known for its poor competition.

That said, TSM is North America’s latest powerhouse to enter the scene, and were giving Evil Geniuses a run for their money. Thunder Awaken is arguably South America’s strongest representative after considering no other SA team comes close to rivaling them. Formerly NoPing e-sports, Thunder Awaken has not participated in any TI but has slight experience in last year’ WePlay AniMajor 2021.

Labeling Fnatic as an honorable mention feels like a crime, considering how well Fnatic has performed since DPC (2021-22) began. Furthermore, they also won the DPC SEA Tour 2 to kick off this conversation. Regardless, their SEA rival, BOOM Esports still feels more convincing as a major-winning candidate. Fnatic still sports a respectable line-up of players, but the old-school playstyle does feel stale at times.

We won’t mention Mind Games among the hopefuls at ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 Group B. Mind Games has been on a series of potlucks during the DPC EEU Tour 2 Playoffs, and barely got to the major. Whilest their debut is merely a fluke, its becoming even worse by the day as they have to field two substitutes at this event. I fully expect them to be dead last.