Dota 2 MDL Macau 2019 Odds and Picks: Virtus.Pro Opens as Favorite

• MDL Macau takes place February 20th
• Will Virtus.Pro claim another title?
• We’ve narrowed down the best value picks to make the finals in Macau

MDL Macau is set to kick off February 20th, with eight teams battling it out to take home the lion’s share of the $300,000 prize pool. The event is made up of both direct invites as well as qualifying teams, and is not part of the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit.

Virtus.Pro heads into Macau as the favorite coming off of a second place finish at the Chongqing Major, falling 3-1 to Team Secret in the Grand Finals.

Odds to win MDL Macau 2019

VP a Shoo-In in Macau?

After falling just short in the second Major tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit, Virtus.Pro come into Macau looking to bounce back and add another trophy to their cabinet. They were able to claim the first Major of the season with a win over Team Secret, which makes the two tied at the top of the Dota Pro Circuit in points.

VP played very well in Chongqing, winning in convincing fashion over both Evil Geniuses and PSG.LGD. Both are top 10 teams, and Virtus.Pro was able to handle both series quickly with back-to-back 2-0 victories.

I would expect very similar results here in Macau. There are certainly other teams that stand a chance to win, but Virtus.Pro are in very good form right now. For my money I would only seriously look at Virtus.Pro to win out at MDL Macau.

Pick: Virtus.Pro (+175)

Odds to Reach the Final at MDL Macau 2019

Who Will be Joining Virtus.Pro Come Sunday?

With VP virtually a lock to make the finals, let’s take a look at what other team will be playing for a chance to hoist the trophy come Sunday. Liquid and Evil Geniuses head into Macau with the next highest odds to reach the finals, but there are some other teams that should be looked at as well.

Liquid is a top five team in the world, but they are coming off of a disappointing 7-8th finish at the Chongqing Major. They drew Secret in the Winner Bracket which ended 2-0, dropping them into the Losers Bracket, where they eventually lost 2-0 to Fnatic.

If they are able to bounce back from Chongqing, they could very well find themselves playing come Sunday and possibly even winning the title, as they have the talent to do so.

Evil Geniuses on the other hand head into MDL Macau on a high after placing third at the Chongqing Major. If EG are able to keep the momentum from the previous event, they could very well roll through the competition on the way to the finals.

If Evil Geniuses are able to keep the momentum from the previous event, they could very well roll through the competition on the way to the finals.

With wins over ViCi, EHOME, and PSG.LGD in Chongqing, they should feel comfortable playing against the majority of the teams in Macau. Expect Evil Geniuses to be a problem at MDL Macau.

Value Picks to Reach the Finals

There are three other teams competing at MDL Macau that I believe stand a chance of making the finals: PSG.LGD, ViCi, and EHOME. All three are Chinese teams that have found themselves in the finals of quite a few tournaments over the past year. Most notably, PSG.LGD made the finals of TI8.

All three are certainly capable of making a run to the finals in Macau, so if you’re looking for a little more value here, then consider taking one of the three to reach the finals.

Picks: Virtus.Pro (-275), Evil Geniuses (+125)