Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 29 preview - Key teams and storylines to watch

The final invites for the Dota 2 Esports World Cup will be finalised after DreamLeague Season 29 concludes.

DreamLeague Season 29 is one of the Dota 2 tournaments you don’t want to miss this season. As the biggest DreamLeague event this year, it offers the highest pool of EPT Points that could ultimately decide qualification for the upcoming Dota 2 Esports World Cup.

Running from 13 to 24 May, the tournament promises twelve days of high-profile Dota action with 16 teams battling online for a slice of the US$1 million prize pool, notably on the fresh Patch 7.41c which spices up the competition even further.

This event also sees a striking shift in team hierarchy–at least in our overall expectations. While the first half of the season saw similar sets of top dogs, the mid season has effectively changed with dramatically differing results in the recent PGL Wallachia Season 8 and several key roster changes.

All DreamLeague Season 29 teams:

1. Tundra Esports
2. Xtreme Gaming
3. Aurora Gaming
4. PARIVISION
5. Team Spirit
6. Team Falcons
7. Natus Vincere
8. Virtus.pro
9. Team Liquid
10. BetBoom Team
11. Vici Gaming
12. REKONIX
13. GamerLegion
14. ex-HEROIC
15. PlayTime
16. Nigma Galaxy

Key storylines heading into DreamLeague Season 29

Who is contesting for the Dota 2 EWC spot?

Before laying down our expectations, best put in mind that some teams have already secured enough EPT Points to comfortably qualify for the Esports World Cup. That group includes Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming, Aurora Gaming, PARIVISION, Vici Gaming and Team Spirit. While these squads are still expected to perform at a high level, they enter the tournament with significantly less pressure compared to teams still fighting for qualification.

Those still vying for a guaranteed Top 13 spot on the EPT Leaderboard are Team Falcons, Team Liquid, BetBoom Team, Virtus.pro, GamerLegion, NAVI, Nigma Galaxy, and PlayTime. 

OG and MOUZ are both teams just barely in the Top 10 position, but have not qualified for this final DreamLeague event, meaning their positions are highly likely jeopardised. 

Vici Gaming have also earned a spot at the Dota 2 EWC after winning the China qualifiers, which had a headstart on the calendar–so there'll be no major concerns for Chinese teams this event.

Top contenders for the DreamLeague Season 29 title

Onto our favourites on the list, BetBoom Team has firmly established itself as the current frontrunner following its strong victory at PGL Wallachia Season 8. The triumph marked a remarkable recovery after the team’s mediocre Top 12 finish at ESL One Birmingham before. 

Despite that, there are doubts that BetBoom could remain consistent. The squad feels volatile with favours swaying drastically per event, as shown in past performances. But this time around, they'll have an EWC spot to fight for, so we can safely expect their A-game on the table. 

Close behind them is Aurora Gaming, which finished runner-up at the previous major event and has been one of the most consistent teams in recent months. The return of Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman and Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko following their visa-related absence appears to have significantly improved the team’s chemistry and overall performance–so expect them to continue their strong cadence.

Team Liquid also enters the tournament as a serious title contender thanks to its consistently strong placements throughout the season. A championship victory would not come as a surprise, and another podium finish seems highly likely.

At the same time, Team Falcons continues to steadily improve as the season progresses, building momentum for the crucial mid season. 

Meanwhile PARIVISION has paced just enough to hover in the top contender bracket, bolstered with recent smaller-scale wins at PREMIER SERIES 1 and 1win Essence I.  

Rough downturn for previous favourites

You may notice one regular frontrunner missing from our favourites lineup. 

Despite remaining one of the strongest teams on paper, Tundra Esports enters DreamLeague Season 29 surrounded by heavy uncertainty after a disastrous bottom-place result at PGL Wallachia Season 8. It indicated real struggles in the team, especially as their poor performance continued at the next smaller event, 1win Essence I, where back-to-back losses against 1w Team and Yellow Submarine led to another early elimination. 

Tundra may be able to recover, but likely not in time for this event. Plus, there are no real stakes for the team as an EWC invite is already in the bag.

Team Spirit’s structure has been wobbly too in recent months. Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov is finally back to his post after missing two tournaments, but fans couldn't celebrate just yet, with another last-minute role change happening within the roster. 

Spirit recently introduced a new position four player “not me”, parting ways with Aleksandr “rue” Filin. This also means Aleksandr “rue” Filin has transitioned into the position five role. We will likely see Spirit still in the adjusting period, again.

Eyes on South American teams

Former Heroic players, who were tragically let go just ahead of this event, will be competing as ex-HEROIC, without Adrian “Wisper” Cespedes Dobles in the ranks as he takes a personal break. The team could easily make Top 8, as seen by their consistent placements the past season, but eyes are on the team rooting for them to soar even higher after the recent turmoil.

However, right next door, another SA stack has been acquired by an organisation. The former players of South America Rejects now represent PlayTime, who was interestingly the previous sponsor of a SEA squad. New name, same faces, but perhaps, refreshed motivations.

A chance for NA redemption

GamerLegion stores some expectations, especially with Daniel Chan “Ghost” Kok Hong's relatively new entrance. The renowned carry joined the NA squad not two months ago, but it has shaped up the team to look more solid than before. Results are so far decent, with a 4th placement at PREMIER SERIES and Top 10 at Wallachia Season 8. A strong performance at DreamLeague Season 29 could mean an unexpected EWC direct invite for the underappreciated region.

Can the stars align for Nigma Galaxy again?

Another squad drawing attention is Nigma Galaxy–but hear us out this time around. The team has shown major improvement recently and could emerge as a dark horse contender. Their second-place finish at Premier Series–ahead of powerhouses like Team Liquid and Team Spirit–has been impressive. After also qualifying through DreamLeague Division 2, Nigma once again has sparked hope from its dedicated fans. 

A major coaching debut for MC

There is an exciting new twist for the Southeast Asian region, represented by the relatively new Indonesian squad, REKONIX. Since its formation, the team has swiftly dominated the regional competition, though it has yet to make an impact on the global stage.

Heading into DreamLeague Season 29, however, the team now features Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov Ivanov, a former The International champion, who will make his coaching debut at the event. Expectations for the team remain largely the same, but their appearance will nonetheless be one to watch.

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