DPC EU Division 1 Picks, Predictions, Betting Odds January 6

• Team Spirit begin as massive favorites against Monaco Gambit
• Natus Vincere and HellRaisers provide an even-money matchup
• HellRaisers provide value for their odds

Team Spirit vs Monaco Gambit

Team Spirit to Win

In simple terms, this is David v Goliath. Spirit has featured in 85 maps in the latest patch of Dota2, having won 56 of those. Monaco Gambit has played in just a handful, losing six out of their nine maps, and trying to gather experience of playing the giants.

It won’t be outlandish to suggest Spirit are way ahead, and it’ll take a brave person to hinge their bets on the Monaco Gambit. On the standings, Spirit is placed joint second, while Monaco Gambit is placed sixth.

Methodical Spirit, Adventurous Monaco

Team Spirit has a method to their madness. They are not gung-ho and don’t try to storm the field. They take their time, line up the opposition and then go for the kill. They take on an average of 38.47 minutes per map in wins.

Monaco Gambit hasn’t won too many, but in wins, they average 36.17, which means there is a clear desire to be more fast-paced and aggressive in search of kills.

The GPM Meter and Other Metrics

Spirit have racked up 2292 GPMs across 85 maps; Monaco has 1958 across nine maps. It means Monaco hasn’t always put a foot wrong. GPM is after all a mark of efficiency and having put together as many as they have in just a fraction of maps, there is clearly room for them to turn potential into performance.

In Immersion and HappyDyurara, Monaco has two strong players who have racked up an impressive assist rate of 11.78 and 9.78 respectively. However, the absence of a strong kill rate is perhaps a measure of their inability to build on the assists, something they should look to do to have any hopes of an upset.

Natus Vincere vs HellRaisers Pick

HellRisers to Win

Natus Vincere vs HellRaisers Predictions

The Dota2 Pro Circuit Eastern EU Division 1 pits six teams from the Upper Division of Season 2 of the previous DPC and two teams from the lower division. A familiar single round-robin format sees the top side qualify to the Major Playoffs, while the second-placed side makes it to the Major Group Stage.

For the record, the top-ranked side will take home US$ 30,000 apart from 300 DPC points, while the second-placed side takes home US$ 28,000 and 180 DPC points. Thursday’s game pits the current No. 2 in the pool – Hellraisers – against Na Vi, who are looking to climb the tricky hill upslope. They are currently placed fourth.

In terms of experience, Hellraisers are no match to Na Vi, having played nearly five times more with 69 maps in the new patch. And they’ve been pretty formidable too, winning 41 of those. This amounts to a win percentage of 59.42. These numbers are a couple of shades better than Na Vi, who are looking for an upswing, having managed a win percentage of 42.86.

Add to this the fact that Hellraisers, unlike Na Vi, have more kills than deaths per map. This makes it an absolute no-brainer that Hellraisers are the value choice going into the contest.

The Malady and Gilgir Threat

With assist rates of 14.15 and 12.91 respectively, Malady and Gilgir pose a serious challenge for Na Vi, in their quest to break open the field and go for kills. They will need to find a way to counter these two. Do they want to go on an all-out attack or hold the fort and prevent deaths before storming the field? Either way, Na Vi can least afford indecisiveness.

On assists alone, Hellraisers are just marginally ahead – 57.19 to Na Vi’s 55.79 – despite the presence of two absolute leaders of the pack. This is perhaps a grey area that Na Vi can look to exploit. Target Malady and Gilgir while marking out the others, to try and make a run for more kills.

Who Have Na Vi got?

Na Vi can bank on GeneRaL’s experience. With 303 wins across an astounding 584 maps, it’s unlikely he hasn’t encountered too many challenging situations. When you have that kind of experience, you tend to know what to expect and when.

He also has a mighty impressive assist rate of 11.59, which Na Vi should look to build on. String a few good assists, run for the kill and try to move up the field. It’s easier said than done, but they will believe.

In V-Tune they have an aggressor who tries to storm the pack and effect kills – he boasts of an impressive rate of 8.10 across 131 maps. While it’s not a mind-numbing number, it’s still something Na Vi can work with.

How to Watch DPC EU Division 1