Power Rankings: OGA Dota PIT Invitational S5

The Gods have been kind by gracing us with yet another event prior to The International 10. We will see eight teams compete at the OGA Dota PIT Invitationals Season 5 featuring $275,000 in prize-money.

Seven out of the eight competing teams are TI attendees with the lone exception being Tundra Esports; the recent victors of ESL One Fall 2021.

Here’s my Power Rankings for the event:

Championship Contenders:

Tundra Esports

Image Source: Tundra Esports

Needless to say, Tundra tops the list.

Reason: Being one of the most consistent teams in the past few months, Tundra is making strides towards establishing themselves amongst the elite. Oh, did I forget to mention that they won ESL One Fall against PSG.LGD in a thrilling best-of-five series?

If there’s anything, you can certainly place your bet on this horse and expect them to take home another trophy.

PSG.LGD

Image Source: WePlay AniMajor

The Chinese giants are also in the race for the championship.

Runners-up at ESL One Fall albeit with a stand-in, LGD looks poised to take this event by storm especially assuming NothingToSay is able to make it. A full power roster makes this giant extremely scary and I wouldn’t ever bet against them.

Tundra, watch out!

Middle Order

T1

Image Source: ESL One

I am biased.

While I fully expect T1 to win this whole damn thing, I don’t want to appear as a biased person.

T1’s performance at ESL One Fall was decent but that’s akin to shrugging rust off your shoulders. I believe in their energetic playstyle, and their ability to overcome any obstacle especially in the scary late game.

That’s my reason!

SG Esports

Image Source: SG Esports

The Brazilian org has shown glimpses of ‘awww’ moments but are yet to make a solid impact on the international stage. I do believe the craziness that is prevalent in South America in regards to their playstyle, gives SG a unique advantage going into the event.

I’m an emotional fool that loves a good storyline, and my gut says that SG Esports is going to surprise us at this event.

As for their playstyle, their aggressive and farm-oriented gameplay can cause a lot of mayhem.

Fnatic

Image Source: Fnatic

The SEA powerhouse had to go through the gruesome TI qualifiers to book their berth at TI10.

They’ll be looking to have a good tournament as they prepare for TI and hope to gain some much needed practice.

I believe in the individual prowess of this roster and their ability to compete against teams of any caliber, provided they are successful in executing their strats and their famed coach Sunbhie keeps them motivated.

Team Spirit

Image Source: WePlay AniMajor

I would probably rank them in the Top 4 but that would be getting ahead of myself. Spirit has been impressive throughout the season and has displayed exemplary prowess, standing head-to-head against the best teams in the world.

I’m a crazy fan of Yatoro and Torontotokyo’s playstyle and gamesense and as a team, they gel extremely well together.

Can’t wait for them to prove me wrong and bring some crazy CIS action to the fore.

Bottom Halfers:

Thunder Predator

Image Source: Thunder Predator

From an impressive start at the beginning of the year to a disappointing finish at the recently concluded ESL One Fall, Thunder Predator has fallen from grace, at least in my eyes. Their sheer lack of will power to play even decently at ESL Fall was too painful to see.

Perhaps trying to acclimatize to Fear’s coaching style, TP were seen struggling to no end with a string of disappointing series and crashing down eventually.

There’s no consistency, hence I don’t want to rank them any higher than I already have. I mean, obviously, otherwise I would have ranked them higher.

Team Undying: The Dark Horse

Image Source: Team Undying

The North American team has won my heart. I’m sure they have won yours too!

A team having the right mix of experienced players and youngsters, Undying has carried themselves well throughout the entire DPC season, and although having played as the third fiddle behind Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew, they are one of the teams to look out for.

NA has its own meta, and Undying has their own weird drafting style. It’s going to be lit as f***

They are capable of taking games off of any team, but they have had no exposure to international teams in the past year and that’s the only reason why I’m not ranking them high enough.