T1 vs Fnatic Prediction: Asian derby for the right to stay in the Major

Day three of the ESL One Stockholm 2022 playoffs will take place on Wednesday, May 18. First up on the day will be Asian teams T1 and Fnatic, battling it out in the loser's bracket.

ESL One Stockholm 2022 is a LAN tournament in the cybersports discipline Dota 2, featuring the best teams from Eastern and Western Europe, South-East Asia, and South and North America. Fourteen teams are fighting for a prize pool of $500,000,000 and 3,530 DPC points. The tournament will take place from May 12 to 22, 2022.

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the T1 squad at the end of the two days of play on the group stage. There was no doubt they would qualify for the playoffs, but I was wary of the final slot in Group A, and the Asians were the last to qualify, falling to European side Gaimin Gladiators 0-2 in a BO3 game yesterday, with no chance for the Asians.

The Asian team had only one match on the first day, but what a match it was - T1 players outplayed the main group favorite Evil Geniuses 2-0, pushing the Americans to the bottom of the Group A standings. The second day was no less successful for them, as they beat the Europeans from OG (2-0). Towards the end of the day, there was a game against the Peruvians from beastcoast (1:1), but the Asians lost by one card. In T1's game, I'm amazed by their draft, the choice of a carry like betrayer, which should be punished, but so far, their level of personal skill allows them to tear opponents apart even with such controversial picks. There was only a positive match against BOOM in recent games, which ended in a draw. Their BB Team and Tundra opponents lost. The guys from T1 have enough experience in the playoffs, so it won't be easy for anyone.

Having returned from Bucharest after a poor showing at TI10, the Fnatic squad went on holiday without playing any official games. Armel, an experienced mid who had played three-plus years for TNC Predator, stepped up to the plate, and Jaunuel, who used to play at OB Esports x Neon, stepped up to the five-person lineup. A full team synchronization took place in January, and Fnatic once again emerged as a powerful Asian force.

At the end of the first DPC league, the boys came back and got into the Majors zone, which was canceled at the last minute. In the second DPC league, there were no such problems. The Asian powerhouse had quietly taken the top 3 in their region and prepared for this international start.

As part of the group stage in Sweden, the Fnatic team was haunted by the magic of numbers. The entire first stage of this team finished with a 2-2-2 stat, which prevented them from starting in the wingers. In their first playoff game, they got a very familiar opponent who has not been happy with their play.

My prediction is based on seeing these teams play in the Asian DPC league. Fnatic played more confidently, and in the group stage, their results were not very different, and Fnatic confidently took the last face-off. Plus, T1 drafts surprise me a lot. It should not come as a surprise to the opponents, which I suggest betting on. My main prediction is for Fnatic to win the match for 2.00.

The derby should not end without three maps, so I expect a close fight and a run of Total Over 2.5 maps for 1.95.

On the first map, I expect a lot of kills. Asians love to do that, so Total Over 48.5 kills for 1.81 looks like a good option to bet on.

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