Dota Summit 7: What if Empire defeats Virtus.pro, sending them to losers?

Don’t be surprised if Empire defeats Virtus.pro in the opening round of Summit 7. Given Virtus.pro received a direct invite to Summit 7 and Team Empire needed the Lootbet Invitational for entry, many viewers may see this matchup as an obvious win for VP. I’m prepared to make the opposite case. I don’t believe Empire should be slept on in this matchup, and I’ll tell you why.

What if Empire defeats Virtus.pro? The third time is the charm.

Let’s look back at EPICENTER 2017 and examine VP’s results; there were two unfortunate results that stand out. The first is Evil Geniuses sweeping Virtus.pro during the group stage. The second is VP’s opening round loss to Team Liquid. VP displays high highs and low lows.

These teams have met multiple times in 2017, and both meetings were the final round of tournaments. VP left victorious both times, but recognize that of late Empire and Virtus.pro are going one and two. Most recently, VP stepped up and swept Empire. However, during the Mr. Cat Invitational Europe the series ended 2-1 and Empire played VP close.

Before losing to VP in the finals of Mr. Cat Invitational Europe, Empire sent VP to the losers’ bracket. This wasn’t just an average win either, it was a reverse sweep. Empire must be ready to capitalize on this VP squad whose form appears to be dwindling since the 2nd place finish at the Kiev Major.

Let’s assume Empire defeats Virtus.pro. What sort of effect will this have moving forward? You can let me know on Twitter; if Empire defeats Virtus.pro, then they’re likely to reach the winners’ finals. They’ll just need to look out for Team Secret. Secret is nearly guaranteed a trip to the winners’ finals given the bracket setup.

There will be more challenges ahead of Empire, even after Empire defeats Virtus.pro. However, playing this opening series well will greatly impact their ability to make a deep run at Summit 7.