ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League: Week 4 Preview

We are now in Week 4 of the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League Group Stage, the last week of action before we head into the Playoffs.

You don’t want to miss this action-packed week, as you’ll see contenders jostle for a position in the Upper Bracket and struggling teams try to avoid an early elimination.

While all the matches here in Week 4 hold high stakes for the teams, here are the ones that you should definitely watch:

Day 1: Geek Fam vs T1

Week 4 will kick off with two matches between the league’s struggling teams sandwiching a highly-anticipated clash between one of the contenders in Geek Fam and an ascendant T1 squad.

The last time these two teams met was at BTS Pro Series: SEA Season 2, where their group stage matchup ended in a 1-1 tie and Geek Fam went on to win the tournament, while T1 dropped out at 7th-8th place.

After topping the standings in Week 1 and ending Week 3 in position to secure an Upper Bracket berth here in the SEA League, T1 will surely want to take the series 2-0 this time. But for Geek Fam, this match is just the start of a grueling gauntlet of four must-win matches this week to secure themselves a spot in the Upper Bracket. We expect this series to go either way, but it will most likely end in a 1-1 tie.

Day 2: Fnatic vs Geek Fam, Geek Fam vs TNC Predator

A rather underwhelming slate to start the week will be followed by arguably most action-packed day of the entire SEA League group stage featuring its three strongest teams. Fnatic will start the day by taking on Neon Esports followed by Geek Fam, who will then go on to face another contender in TNC Predator.

While Fnatic should make short work of a shaky Neon squad, they’ll be looking to avenge their previous loss to Geek Fam at BTS Pro Series which ended their streak of four-straight championships. TNC will then be looking to defeat Geek Fam as they attempt to take the top spot in the standings away from Fnatic.

Both matches should feature the three podium finishers once the league ends, so you should definitely mark them on your calendars. While we expect both Fnatic and TNC to defeat Geek Fam, the latter should still be able to force 1-1 ties. Regardless, expect to see some top-class SEA Dota.

Day 3: Fnatic vs TNC Predator

Okay, this is THE match you should definitely be watching. The two strongest teams in the SEA League and longtime rivals who have taken turns dominating the region are finally going to clash in the most anticipated match of the tournament.

The last time Fnatic and TNC met at the BTS Pro Series: SEA Season 2 group stage ended in a 1-1 draw. But before that, in that event’s first season, Fnatic swept TNC 3-0 in the grand finals to claim the third trophy of their four-straight championship streak.

But things are different as both teams prepare for the latest chapter of their rivalry. While Fnatic remains the favorites to win the SEA League, TNC are hot on their heels and playing in a meta that finally favors their hyper-aggressive playstyle. But more than just being a preview of a potential grand finals matchup, this series could also decide which team would be heading into the Playoffs as the top-seeded team from the Group Stage.

With all that said, this series could go either way or end in another 1-1 tie. You definitely do not want to miss this one, as this will be a showcase of the best of what SEA Dota has to offer.

Day 4: T1 vs TNC Predator

The final day of the SEA League group stage will feature only two matches. The first will be a matchup between Reality Rift and Team Adroit to potentially decide who will be eliminated early from the league, while the last match of the group stage will see T1 take on TNC.

The last time these two met at BTS Pro Series, TNC made short work of T1 to eliminate them from that tournament. But the latter has been on the rise here in the SEA League, and could potentially secure themselves a spot in the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs by taking down TNC. That’s admittedly a tall order, but T1 still has a chance to pull off an upset here.

Still, this will be the last match before the Playoffs and should still be worth the watch.

Here’s the full slate of matches for Week 4:

Day 1 (July 9):

Neon Esports vs Team Adroit
Geek Fam vs T1
NEW Esports vs BOOM Esports

Day 2 (July 10):

Fnatic vs Neon Esports
Fnatic vs Geek Fam
Geek Fam vs TNC Predator

Day 3 (July 11):

Team Adroit vs Geek Fam
Fnatic vs TNC Predator

Day 4 (July 12):

Reality Rift vs Team Adroit
TNC Predator vs T1