Looking ahead: Dota Pro Circuit NA 2021 – Upper Division

The Dota Pro Circuit NA is about to kick off once again, with two spots in the upcoming Major on the line. Let’s take a look at all the participating teams and see how they stack up against the others. Will we see some surprises this season or will Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses stomp their way to the top two spots in NA?
4 Zoomers

4 Zoomers has received a direct invite and features quite a few talented players. With Nico “Gunnar” Lopez firmly in the captain seat and veteran Braxton “Brax” Paulson on the roster now, 4 Zoomers are eyeing up one of those top two spots. They did pretty well for themselves in 2020, often competing with the best teams but all too often fell just a little short. If they can iron out some of the inconsistencies they’ve shown, we might be surprised at what they can achieve. They will most likely be looking at Samuel “Sammyboy” Anderson to do some of the heavy lifting.

5ManMidas

Qualifying through the Closed Qualifiers, 5ManMidas is an interesting yet inconsistent team. In the closed qualifiers, they went down unceremoniously against top competitor Undying, only to have their share of issues with It’s Okay. Finding themselves roughly on the same level as Aristotle (or A-Team), it’s safe to say they’re one of the weaker teams in the DPC NA. Their roster also has little to no experience at the highest level, which also might be one of their biggest assets in a way.

A-Team

A-Team was able to qualify for the DPC NA Upper Division through the Closed Qualifiers, then still under the name Aristotle, by making a deep lower bracket run. Despite losing one of their star players in the form of Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho due to a ban by Valve, Aristotle pushed through and still qualified. Considering the loss of DeMoN however, they still look like one of the weaker teams in the competition and seem to lack a fair bit of raw power and talent. It’ll be interesting to see if they can manage themselves in the upcoming season.

Black N Yellow

Black N Yellow made quite a splash in the Closed Qualifier, reaching a spot in the DPC NA without dropping a game to either It’s Okay or Team DogChamp (though the latter did give them a little trouble). While the roster has some new names on it, we also see Eric “Ryoya” Dong, Francis “FrancisLee” Lee and Andrew “Jubei” Evelyn, giving them quite a bit of experience as well. Together with Undying, Black N Yellow might actually find themselves in the middle of the table, posing some difficulties for the top tier teams.

Evil Geniuses

It’s been a rough 2020 for tried and tested team Evil Geniuses. Their last outing dates back to September but even so, Evil Geniuses remain a top tier team. Given a direct invite, the roster still includes quite a bit of star power, synergy and experience with Tal “Fly” Aizik, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev. They should still be top contenders for the first spot and have been labeled favorites by many.

Quincy Crew

Quincy Crew enters the Dota Pro Circuit NA as the favorites to end in first place. Most analysts see them competing against Evil Geniuses for a top spot after a very strong 2020, where they won ESL One Thailand 2020: Americas, BTS Pro Series Season 3: Americas among others. The roster consists of some top tier talent led by the capable and knowledgeable hands of Avery “SVG” Silverman. They’re expected to once again make a big splash this year.

Sadboys

Sadboys are the ‘new kids on the block’ but feature raw experience and talent. The team was pulled together by Dota 2 legend Peter “ppd” Dager, who came out of retirement, and also features long-time players such as Clinton “Fear” Loomis and David “Moo” Hull. If there’s a team that’s going to challenge both Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses, it might as well be Sadboys. One of their biggest flaws is how recently they started playing together, not having a lot of experience and playtime against some of the top teams as a group. 

Undying

To close things out we’ve got Undying. Much like Black N Yellow, they showed their prowess in the closed qualifiers, scoring victories against Aristotle (A-Team) and 5ManMidas, who both qualified later in the lower bracket. Featuring top names such Kim “DuBu” Doo-Young and David “MoonMeander” Tan, they’re ready to test themselves against the best NA has to offer. The kicker is that they might actually have it in them to at least hang with the better teams and even pull off some surprises.


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