Newly formed Indian DotA 2 team Beyond Infinity recently beat Malaysian team Wu Jie (2-0) to reach the quarter-finals of the ESL One Manila Southeast Asian (SEA) qualifiers. They will now face Southeast Asia’s most renowned team in recent times; Fnatic.
In the pre-quarters, the Indian team outdrafted and out skilled ex-fnatic player JoHnNy’s team Wu Jie, beating them in just 15 mins in the first game and 25 mins in the second. While the Indian team will be high on confidence after whitewashing Wu Jie, Fnatic will start as the clear favorites to reach the last four of the qualifying event.
Fnatic will be playing without their carry and Southeast Asia’s DotA legend Mushi, who is on a break due to health reasons. He is replaced by substitute 343dota who will take the support role while Net switches to the carry role.
Fnatic with this makeshift lineup are having have a great week, defeating Mineski and in-form MVP Phoenix twice in two days to qualify for Epicenter Lan Event to be held in Moscow.
Players to watch out:
MidOne (Fnatic Mid-laner) – This teen sensation first came to limelight when he climbed the MMR ladder to reach 7.7k. He is a versatile mid-laner who has been performing consistently since he joined Fnatic. He has played a key role in Fnatic’s success in the Shanghai Major and qualifiers post the major.
Key Heroes: Invoker and Outworld Devourer
Swifty (Beyond Infinity Mid-Laner) – This experienced Indian DotA 2 player is riding high on confidence with some awesome performances in the previous qualifying matches. His puck initiations in the last game set up the game for rest of the team.
Key Hero this patch: Death Prophet
Ohaiyo (Fnatic – Offlaner) – With mushi out temporarily, a lot depends on the shoulders of Ohaiyo and the experience he brings to the team. He has been playing out of his mind in the epicenter qualifying event. He had a 13-minute blink and force staff in one of the games against MVP. Phoenix.
Key heroes this patch: Batrider and Dark Seer.
It is important that Beyond Infinity ban Batrider as they have done in the past few games and pick No_Chance3’s Chen. Their hard-pushing strategy could be the best way to surprise the Malaysian giants.
DotA 2 Lounge odds (last updated at 12:30 pm on matchday):
Fnatic – 92% Beyond Infinity – 8%
It is fair to say with the form and experience of team Fnatic they should easily come out as the winners. But then again, DotA is a weird game and we have seen upsets throughout the years.
It will be a big boost for Indian DotA if we manage to get an upset against a top team like Fnatic. Irrespective of how things go it will be a huge learning experience for team Beyond Infinity.
Gaming giants Asus will partner with team Beyond Infinity as part of a year-long deal. All the hardware needs of the team will be exclusively met by Asus as they look to make history in the Indian gaming circuit.
