With the groups for The International 2021 finally confirmed, Dota 2 players can start confidently setting up their fantasy lineups.
While the best approach to Dota 2 fantasy games is no secret, fans need to know the schedule before they can really feel good about their picks. It might sound strange, but picking the right teams is more important than picking the best players for a fantasy lineup in Dota 2.
With that in mind, it’s worth breaking down the specifics of who to pick in the opening days of The International 2021 and the best method for choosing players after that.
Choosing the best players in fantasy Dota 2 boils down to maximizing the number of games played while picking players from the proper positions. Even if the individual players don’t perform well, this guarantees more points than picking entire teams or choosing favorites.
During the group stage, teams can play anywhere from one to three matches. At the start of the playoffs, some teams will play best-of-three matches while others will be in best-of-ones, and later on some teams will end up playing two series in one day. Picking players from teams that will compete more frequently on any given day is far more important than just playing the best card for the best player.
In terms of who to choose, the most important thing to remember is to select carry players in the core role and hard supports in the support role. These positions will inherently acquire more points the majority of the time. For the group stage, there isn’t really much reasoning needed beyond that since all teams in each group will have equally difficult schedules.
https://youtu.be/SioGMBXzyPc
Once the playoffs begin, players should pick teams from the favorites to win. The players on winning teams will naturally score more points than players on the losing teams.
For the group stage, this boils down to selecting carries, mids, and hard supports from these teams on these days, with italicized teams getting preferential treatment:
October 7
Evil Geniuses
Virtus.pro
OG
Invictus Gaming
Alliance
Undying
October 8
Team Secret
Quincy Crew
Elephant
Vici Gaming
Fnatic
SG esports
October 9
Evil Geniuses
T1
Alliance
Thunder Predator
Team Aster
Team Undying
October 10
PSG.LGD
Quincy Crew
Elephant
Team Secret
SG esports
Team Spirit
October 11 is an off day during which no games will be played. But when the playoffs begin on October 12, it’s important to pick upper bracket teams as many of the teams playing that day will actually be in best-of-ones.
As the event start winding down, there will be two opportunities to pick teams that are playing multiple matches on the same day. This is a huge opportunity to get extra points. In the fifth-sixth place matches, one of the teams will both open and close the day. Then on the final day of TI10, the lower bracket winner will return for the grand finals.
In both cases, it’s worth taking the plunge and going all-in on one specific team that is set to play the most matches. This does require some predicting of who will win, but it’s a risk worth taking.
As one would expect, it’s generally best to pick teams that are more likely to win. It’s worth checking out the favorites to win TI10 to see how this breaks down.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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