Galaxy Battles: Emerging Worlds 2018 Qualifier

Kirill | 2017-11-29 |

Galaxy Battles: Emerging Worlds will be held in the Philippines as the country’s first official Dota 2 Pro Circuit Major. The event will take place over three days in January next year, from Jan. 19 to 21.

The competition boasts $1 million in prize money. It also hosts 1500 qualification points for TI 8 next year. Compared to the $150,000 prize pool of the first Galaxy Battles, this is a huge step up in terms of the stakes involved.

[maxcollection id=”2″]

The Philippine Arena, located in the province of Bulacan just north of Metro Manila, is set to be the venue for the event. With a seating capacity of 60,000, the Philippine Arena is the world’s largest indoor stadium.

In order to set itself apart from previous Dota 2 events in the Philippines, Fallout Gaming is dividing the Philippine Arena complex into three distinct areas. The first is called the Galaxy Battles Esports Arena, which is simply their designation for the Philippine Arena indoor venue itself. Next, there is the Galaxy Battles Dota 2 World, which will serve as a Dota 2 themed “activities ground”. Finally, there is the Galaxy Entertainment Arena, which will be located in an open-air concert ground near the Esports Arena. The tournament promises some exceptional professional Dota 2.

The competition will be held from 19 to 21 January 2018. The prize fund of the Galaxy Battle 2018 will be a million dollars. In addition, the participants will play 1,500 qualifying points on The International 2018.

Now let us have a look at some of the CIS qualifiers of the tournament.

Double Dimension vs M19 (Galaxy Battles: Emerging Worlds 2018 Qualifier, November 30, Thursday, 16:00 CET)

Miserable Double Dimension

Double Dimension finished dead last in the qualifiers of the TI7. The managed to win only 1 of their 9 games played. Since then things have not changed much on the side. In the previous matches of the Galaxy Battles, the team could not stop losing. M19 defeated Double Dimension in the qualifying match for Galaxy Battles 2 for the CIS region. The score of the match was 2-1. Meanwhile, Team Empire also defeated Double Dimension in the qualifying match of the competition. The score of the match was 2-0.

Roller coaster ride for M19

The Dota 2 team of M19 was formed in May 2017. The team primarily consists of Russian players; the most notable name on the roster is veteran Ukrainian Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov. Funn1k in 2013 was able to reach a second-place finish at the International 3 alongside Na`Vi. Funn1k was subsequently released from Na`Vi in 2015, after which he fell into relative obscurity.

The remaining players on the roster have competed alongside each other for roughly three months under the name Double Dimension.

Following M19’s acquisition by Strongbow Investments, the organization received (in addition to what appeared to be major financial support). The support could arguably be described as the most luxurious boot camp facility in the world.

Head-to-Head Meetings

After acquiring these facilities, M19 beat Double Dimension in the final of the open qualification for TI7. The final match of the qualifying stage ended with a score of 2-1. However, they still did not manage to make it to TI7.

Both teams have never experienced much success, and have primarily competed in minor online tournaments. However as far as head-to-head meetings are concerned M19 have always come out on top. Whether in the qualifiers of TI7 a few months ago or in the qualifiers of Galaxy Worlds a few weeks ago.

Our Betting Pick

2-0 M19

Team Empire vs Whites (Galaxy Battles: Emerging Worlds 2018 Qualifier, November 30, Thursday, 19:00 CET)

Silent Returns with a Bang for Empire

Airat ‘Silent‘ Gaziev is now officially part of Team Empire’s roster after playing as a stand-in for the team since Vladimir ‘Chappie’ Kuzmenko took a vacation on October 20. Silent’s return has already paid dividends for the Russia-based organization, highlighted by their decisive win against Vega Squadron at the Captains Draft CIS Qualifiers.

Empire Going Strong in Galaxy Battles

In the Galaxy Battles, the team is currently unbeaten with 3 wins from 3 games played. They are at the top of their group while their opponents, whites are dead last. This looks like a redemption for Empire as they were recently knocked out by Virtus.Pro from the Adrenaline Cyber League.

A title for Empire?

The team was at its prime in 2014 as it managed to win major events: Star Ladder Star Series Season 11, Dota 2 Championship Season 5, and jD MLG Pro League Season 1. However, after defeat from the Korean team MVP Phoenix in TI 5, they have struggled to find consistency. But, their hot form in Galaxy Battles might get them the much-needed title victory the team longs for.

No Chance for Whites

We all know that when it comes to it Team Empire, they can be one of the best teams in Pro Dota 2. While Whites have only played 20 games as a professional team. From these 20 games played, they have managed to win only 8. They have met Empire before and lost 2-0 just a few days ago. So, things don’t look good for the side against one of the best teams in the CIS region.