Dota Cup VII: Fresh Meat

It’s that time again Dota fans! The AGASA Dota Cup is upon us again, and DC VII should be excellent as always. The format is following the same formula as DC VI with a group stage and then a single elimination phase. The 19 teams have been divided into 4 pools (3 x 5 teams, 1 x 4 teams). Each pool will play their pool members once, with the top two teams advancing to the Winners or as I like to think of it “Premier” single elimination, while the third and forth placed teams of each pool will advance to a losers or “Not so Premier” single elimination. The single eliminations are scheduled for Sunday the 19^th.  

According to Ben (Equinox) the AGASA Tournament Director, this has been done according to the official AGASA seeding. This sees a mix of some of the regular teams with an interesting mix of new unseeded teams. Four new teams enter the series and who knows maybe they will surprise a few of the regulars like Kknp did in DC VI. Hope to see you guys back for DC VIII. Or maybe they’re just going to be cannon fodder/fresh meat.

Let’s take a look at the pools.

 
Pool A: P| DotA!(3^rd), cMun.(7^th), Cr4p Team 1(10^th), [NWGC]GO5U(12^th), sect||dota(9^th)

Pool A should be a very interesting pool to watch. Holding no unseeded teams, everyone in this group knows what the DC series is about. I expect the group to finish with Pantheon on top, but I wouldn’t rule out the Carry Munchers although Pantheon did beat them in DC VI. Cr4p are also a dangerous side that can pull off a surprise win. Of course don’t forget about Sect who is seeded slightly lower than they should be, having missed out on February’s cup.

Pool B: bvd.dota^TTFU(1^st), [DUCoRe].DuC(6^th), D4RK[D4](12^th), MKBboys(16^th)

I wouldn’t expect any surprises out of Pool B. Highly likely to see a Bvd take the group with Duc as runners up. D4rk will most likely take third place. All teams in this pool will advance to the two knockout phases as it’s the small pool with only four teams.

Pool C: miNt * DotA.(2^nd), tankh^(5^th), .<8oR9>.Quantum Rebels(11^th), eDGeSF(16^th), TWSS-WAR3-(16^th)

Overall I don’t think Pool C will be exciting, but having two of the top seeded teams should keep things interesting. Tankh had a strong comeback in DC VI finishing 3^rd, having missed DC V. So in my opinion this one is going to be No. 2 vs No. 3. Previous meetings put Mint 3-0 up on tankh, but don’t be surprised if after this it’s 3-1. Expect a third place from edge (previously Avengers plus a few extras) and my money is on Borg to take 4^th spot. Twss are new to the DC scene, might cause an upset anything is possible.

Pool D: mmK – Team A(3^rd), Pawn Starz(7^th), pmb-dota(8^th), AmE(14^th) HaXx DotA(16^th)

Pool D sees a fight for second place, as there are no real threats to mmk taking first place. Both Pawn Starz and pmb will want to make it into the Single Elimination with the big boys. History gives pmb the advantage over the Starz 1-0. Ame should take 4^th spot in their second Dota tourney.

And there you have it. Good Luck to all the teams participating. Check out http://league.agasa.co.za/tournament.php?id=71 for more info.