The International 2018 - Groups Reveal, Analysis and Prediction.

Analyzing and Predicting the Groups

After all 18 teams have been drawn into 2 groups, it is time for me to tell you all what each team brings to the table and which team is likely to do well and which team is not. There are several underdogs and several favorites. Let me walk you through it all.

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Group A:

Team Liquid - Defending TI champions, Team Liquid finished second on the DPC Circuit points table. They are just as strong today as they were a whole year ago. We can expect Liquid to easily qualify for the Upper Brackets and can also consider them one of the favorites to top the group.

Expectation - Upper Bracket Qualification.

PSG.LGD Gaming - The best Chinese team at the moment. In the "Year of the Chinese," PSG are stern favorites to lift the Aegis this year. They should be able to breeze past their opponents in the group and secure an upper bracket spot. Alongside Liquid, they are the favorites to top the group.

Expectation - Upper Bracket Qualification.

Mineski Gaming - Mineski ranked 5th in the DPC. They started the season with a bang but slowed down recently. Although one of the highest ranked teams, their form hasn't been quite spectacular lately. We can expect them to qualify in the Lower Brackets at least.

Expectation - Lower Bracket Qualification.

VGJ.Thunder - The Chinese squad of VGJ finished 8th in the DPC, just edging past Optic to claim an invite to TI. The pressure of securing an invite has derived some great results from the team. They should qualify but a lower bracket berth seems most likely.

Expectation - Lower Bracket Qualification

Evil Geniuses - The boys in blue had a disappointing season. But adding S4 and Fly, EG seems back on track. With redemption on their mind, we can expect the TI5 champions to qualify easily. An Upper Bracket spot doesn't seem too far from reach for EG.

Expectation - Upper Bracker Qualification.

Orgless Gaming - OG had their worst year since the team's inception. They have a relatively new squad and have been performing poorly. They should qualify to the main event but anything above the Lower Brackets seems too far-fetched.

Expectation - Lower Bracket Qualification

Invictus Gaming - One of China's top teams, Invictus had a very disappointing year. But adding the legendary Burning as their coach, they might upset some big names to claim an Upper Bracket spot but as the team has played very less in recent times, it is hard to predict.

Expectation - Will Qualify. Position Uncertain.

Winstrike Team - The only CIS team in the tournament, Winstrike is also one of the least known and weakest teams. They are huge underdogs and very little is expected of them. They are the most likely to be eliminated in the group.

Expectation - Elimination.

Fnatic - After being eliminated from groups last year, Fnatic will look for redemption. A farm stronger squad can help them with that. They should qualify easily. But a lower bracket berth is the most probable spot.

Expectation - Lower Bracker Qualification.

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Group B:

Virtus.Pro - The best team in the world at the moment, Virtus.Pro is unstoppable. They have won a record amount of tournaments this season and are favorites to claim the Aegis. They should top the group by all means.

Expectation - Upper Bracket Qualification

Team Secret - Secret is one of those teams who has always been at the top of the game but never actually won anything. They have been looking to change their fate since TI5 and will be doing so again but I don't believe anything more than sure qualification awaits them.

Expectation - Upper Bracket Qualification

Vici Gaming - The highest ranked team from China, Vici Gaming carries the hopes of the Chinese in the year of the Chinese. They have been looking strong and consistent. But their qualification spot looks uncertain and hard to predict.

Expectation - Will Qualify. Position Uncertain

Newbee - Last year's runner-up, Newbee has had a huge drop in their form. They haven't looked as lethal and strong like they were last year. They will qualify nonetheless, but they aren't likely to disturb the top half of the group.

Expectation - Lower Bracket Qualification

TNC.Predator - One of the underdogs in the tournament, TNC.Predator is the weaker of the two teams fielded by TNC. However, they shocked everyone and qualified for the grandest stage of them all. But they are not expected to go much far in the tournament itself.

Expectation - Possible Elimination or Lower Bracket Qualification.

VGJ.Storm - VGJ's North American line-up looked strong this year but failed to get an invite. They qualified easily to TI and look to make history. They should do well in the group stage and might even make the upper bracket.

Expectation - Will Qualify. Position Uncertain.

OpTic Gaming - One of North America's strongest teams, Optic narrowly missed an invitation to TI. But they have performed incredibly well in recent times. As of their fate at the groups, I'll take a chance and say Optic will make Upper Brackets this year.

Expectation - Probable Upper Bracket Qualification.

paiN Gaming - South America's only representative in TI is also perhaps the weakest team in their respective group. An elimination from the group seems most likely for the Brazillian squad. There is, however, a small chance of making through.

Expectation - Possible Elimination or Lower Bracket Qualification.

Team Serenity - The biggest underdogs in the tournament, Serenity is one of those teams from China who have the potential to upset the biggest of names. Qualifying to TI without any prior professional history, Serenity is the unknown factor in this year's TI.

Expectation - Lower Bracket Qualification.