Dota 2 NA-EU Picks, Predictions, Odds for April 20

• The action from the Dota 2 DPC in North America and Europe resumes this midweek
• TSM should be far too strong for Quincy Crew in the North American division
• Similarly, EG are massive favorites in their match against Dogchamp

TSM (moneyline)

Quincy Crew vs TSM Predictions

Into The Final Week As Action Intensifies

We are into the final round of the ESL One Spring 2022 in North America, and we have got a mouth-watering prospect in store as Quincy Crew take on TSM in a battle of heavy-weights. TSM are currently on top of the standings with an all-win record, while Quincy Crew are tied for second with five wins and a loss.

It is important for teams to finish in the top-two because only those many slots are on offer for the upcoming major – ESL One Stockholm 2022. As things stand, it is a three-horse race. This makes the final week of action massively important. Who will make it through? Who will be edged out?

The Scenarios

If TSM beat Quincy crew, a spot in the Major is assured. This could potentially dampen Quincy Crew’s chances as they will finish with a 5-2 win-loss record. Their fate could hinge on the final league game between Evil Geniuses and Team DogChamp.

If Evil Geniuses win, which most people believe will be the case, they will be the second qualifier. If DogChamp wins, then there will be a tie-break between Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew.

If Quincy Crew beat RSM, then both teams will finish with a 6-1 record. This will put considerable pressure on Evil Geniuses. If they lose, then TSM and Quincy Crew will secure entries to the Major without the need to play a tiebreaker.

Things will head towards a tie-break if Evil Geniuses win, because that will mean a three-way tie open points between TSM, Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses – all of whom will have six wins and a loss. You couldn’t have asked for a more grandstand finish to the week.

Recent Outing

Quincy Crew beat simply TOOBASED in what was an absolute shellacking.

They completed the game in 22 minutes on red and 29 in green, with Quinn “Quinn” Callahan leading the way with proficiency of the kind you seldom see. He had a kill-death-assist ratio of 14.5-2-8. It was some way to bounce back following a 2-0 defeat to Evil Geniuses late last week.

The loss was particularly deflating because they had been handed the kind of pounding they inflicted on simply TOOBASED. Evil Geniuses took all of 29 minutes on red and 27 minutes on green, with Russia’s Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko finishing with a kill-death-assist ratio of 8-0.5-12.5 respectively.

TSM, meanwhile, beat Evil Geniuses in a game that went down to the decider. After TSM won the first map after much hard work in 47 minutes on the red, Evil Geniuses didn’t take long to find their bearings to level proceedings. In what was an arm wrestle at best in the decider, with no side going all-out aggressive, perhaps watchful of a misstep costing them big, TSM prevailed in a 47-minute mount with Enzo “Timado” Gianoli O’Connor finishing with a KDA of 8-2-4.

Evil Geniuses vs DogChamp Pick

Evil Geniuses (moneyline)

Evil Geniuses vs DogChamp Predictions

Hopelessly Lopsided

There are one-sided contests and then there’s this.

One that is so hopelessly lopsided that it could well be called off mid-way if there was a provision to do so. The odds tell you a story, too. DogChamp are languishing at the bottom of the table with a solitary win in six games – each defeat bigger than their previous one.

Against a rampant force such as Evil Geniuses, such form has the potential to have a deflating effect even before they get down to play. For Evil Geniuses, it’s the incentive to win big and try and occupy the first spot or at the bare minimum finish second. It’s no pipe dream.

DogChamp – A Fight For Survival

DogChamp’s only win came three weeks ago when the beat simply TOOBASED. A side that has been riddled with plenty of self-doubt and inconsistency ran them hard, with DogChamp taking the first game in 42 minutes.

They bounced back in style to nick the second one in 33 to close out the game. Denis “Stonebank ” Korzh and Eric “Ryoya” Dong hit the high notes with their offensive proficiency. That one win aside, the team has struggled.

Originally formed for the DPC in 2021, DogChamp have managed to quickly break into the elite division but have struggled when they’ve played against the top teams. Prior to making the graduation, their players featured in the BTS Pro Series in America and several other low-ranking tournaments.

The level of play was far from where they are currently, making their gains incremental rather than meteoric. It explains why the odds are so heavily stacked against them going into this clash. For the longest of times, they have struggled to keep up with the elite teams. A win to end the season looks virtually impossible. They would do well to push Evil Geniuses right to the limit.

Liquid vs Gladiators Pick

Liquid (moneyline)

Liquid vs Gladiators Predictions

This is the final clash of the Dota Pro Circuit Western Europe Division-1 for both sides, and it’s quite a compelling contest that no side has favourites. Liquid are currently third with a 4-2 win-loss record, while Gladiators are sitting pretty at the top with five wins and a loss.

After nearly five weeks of non-stop action, the clash to end week six could well decide who tops the pool and who qualifies for Stockholm.

Gladiators – The Turnaround

That the Gladiators have risen to become a force in Division 1 is the stuff dreams are made of. In just one tour, they went from being rank underdogs in Division 2 to being hailed as the next big thing in Europe when they were crowned the DEC Western Europe Regional final champions.

Success hasn’t come about overnight. It has taken methodical team building, with the foundation being continuity and backing. This has been key to the rise of young and unheralded stars such as Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard and Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp. Ace was once a key carry for Team Secret and has managed to up his game several notches here at the Gladiators, just like Seleri has.

Team Liquid hasn’t built an imposing presence overnight. The trigger was a slew of poor results that forced a shuffle in 2019. Even as recently as 2021, they struggled. An entry into the Singapore Major and WePlay Animator came alright, but they didn’t finish that high and weren’t able to accrue enough points for a direct invite.

Even at the qualifiers for TI10, they were shown the door by Team Nigma. That proved to be the springboard for better results. Bringing back Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” and Ludwig “zap” Wahlberg from Secret proved to be a turning point of sorts, too.

How to Watch Dota 2 NA-EU Division