OG & Gambit Headline Dota 2 StarLadder Minor Odds

• The StarLadder Minor starts March 7th
• Is it OG’s for the taking, or will Gambit come out on top?
• We have the best value picks to reach the finals in Kiev

The StarLadder ImbaTV Minor is set to take place March 7-10, in Kiev, Ukraine. Featured among the eight teams are TI8 winners OG, and perennial CIS contenders, Gambit.

Made up of teams from each major region, the winner of the StarLadder Minor will qualify for DreamLeague Season 11. The Minor also does hold a $125,000 prize for the winner, and they will also take home 120 DPC points. Let’s look at the odds to win in Kiev.

Odds to Win StarLadder Minor

*Odds taken on 02/28/19

Riding on the Momentum

Heading into the StarLadder Minor there are two teams that are more or less tied in the odds to win outright, and that’s Gambit and OG. Both teams are coming off of impressive performances at ESL One Katowice, placing second and third respectively.

Though OG are listed with the better odds to take home the Minor and advance to DreamLeague Season 11, I think that the better bet lies with the CIS squad. Gambit have just looked like the better team over the past few months, with consistent placings in multiple smaller tournaments and Minor qualifiers.

Since the beginning of 2019, the two teams have met a total of four times. In those four times, not only has Gambit come out on top on each occasion, but OG was not even able to win one game over them during the stretch.

Gambit have owned the TI8 winners this year, holding a perfect 9-0 game count which is not an easy feat by any means.

They quite simply have owned the TI8 winners this year, holding a perfect 9-0 game count which is not an easy feat by any means.  I fully expect the trend to continue in Ukraine. Despite OG being the favorite, I would suggest looking at Gambit instead to take it all.

Pick: Gambit (+200)

Odds to Reach the Finals at StarLadder Minor

Who Will be Joining Gambit Come Sunday?

Since I believe  Gambit will be the last ones standing, we should take a look at prospective partners that may be matched up with the CIS squad come time for finals. The obvious choice to meet up in the finals of the StarLadder Minor is OG, but there are certainly a few other teams that offer upset potential.

First we’ll take a look at the team I would consider the most likely to meet Gambit on championship Sunday, OG. The EU team heads into StarLadder coming off of a pretty impressive showing in Katowice where they managed to place third after falling to Gambit in the Lower Bracket Finals.

Gambit overcomes OG and advances to the grand final of #ESLOne Katowice to face Team Secret! pic.twitter.com/6uHFoxnI4T

— Gambit Esports (@GambitEsports) February 24, 2019

The squad has a veteran presence in n0tail, and they have shown that they can hang with the best in the world. Their most notable claim to being considered a great team in Dota2 is obviously the fact the were able to complete the biggest Cinderella run ever in esports, en route to winning TI8.

The next team I would consider looking at making the finals would be Royal Never Give Up. The Chinese squad has found some success in 2019 after coming off of a pretty underwhelming 2018 season.

They were able to make their way through a few Chinese qualifiers early on this season, and have found wins over some pretty decent teams. Though they had a disappointing 5-6th finish at MDL Macau, with the field at the StarLadder Minor, they may just be able to find themselves as one of the last two standing come Sunday.

Picks: OG (-200), Gambit (-135)

Odds on Region to Win at StarLadder Minor

Which Region Will Claim the Final Spot for DreamLeague?

With the winner of the StarLadder Minor moving on to fill out the last spot at the DreamLeague Season 11 Major, the competition will be fierce and every team will be looking to add a little more of their region to the field in Stockholm. To me, there are really only two choices here, and surprisingly neither are the favorite.

The region I would say is most likely to win at StarLadder would be the CIS region, with my second suggestion being EU. I said pretty much right off the bat that Gambit should be the team to take it home in Kiev, but there is a possibility OG is able to overcome the hurdle that has been facing them all year, which is Gambit.

For my money, I would look no further than the boys from the CIS.

Though I don’t see any other outcome other than Gambit winning, it is still possible they may not. But for my money, I would look no further than the boys from the CIS.

Pick: CIS (+200)