The ONE Esports Singapore Major 2021 ushers in the return of local area network (LAN) events in Dota 2. With 18 international teams competing, the Singapore Major will also be one of the biggest tournaments in recent memory. $500,000 worth of cash and DPC points will be distributed to the top 8 teams, which will pave their way to this year's The International.

While these eighteen teams are arguable the best teams in the world when it comes to Dota 2, some teams are still stronger than others. Hence, with data from tournament matches so far in 2021, we look into the performance of these teams and see who is most likely to come out on top. We're not predicting who will win the Major, instead, we discuss which teams have the highest likelihood of winning. Scroll down to the bottom for the power rankings, but first, a quick preview of some of the teams competing in the Singapore Major 2021.

MAJOR DOTA 2 CONTENDERS

TEAM SECRET – THE TEAM TO BEAT IN EUROPE, NOW FACING THE WORLD

One thing that the coronavirus did was isolate the regions into their own respective bubbles. Over the past year, Team Secret dominated the European division across different tournaments. Among all teams, they performed most consistently, allowing them to place on top in a great majority of 2020's tournaments. Team Secret will also be entering The Singapore Major 2021 straight to the playoffs, further increasing their chances.

Team Secret's performance in the DreamLeague Season 14 DPC EU Upper Division shows just how dominant the team is. While they did lose a round or two here and there, they stood over everyone with a clean 7-0 record in the round-robin. Across all regions, only Team Secret and Virtus.pro have done that. A true mark of consistent dominance, Team Secret is the team to beat in The Singapore Major.

VIRTUS.PRO – THE CIS NEW BLOODS

Virtus.pro made the right choice in elevating their VP.Prodigy to the main roster. So far, the team of young players led by Vitalie “Save-” Melnic has performed incredibly well. Since their arrival in November last year, they were already able to win the EPIC League Season 2 Division 1 tournament. The tournament featured the best teams in Europe and the CIS, which included Team Secret. VP decisively defeated Team Secret in the upper bracket with a 2-0 win there, and then beat OG in the finals 3-2.

Then came the ESL One CIS Online Season 1: Upper Division, where Virtus.pro defeated CIS veterans and finished with a clean 7-0 record, dropping only a single round against Team Spirit.

What the team lacks right now is the long-standing show of dominance that Team Secret has displayed over the past year. The team has only been around for a few months and has already achieved so much. But empires are measured not by their peak, but by their longevity. We've yet to see if VP can sustain this kind of performance for long and on a global stage. Winning the Singapore Major 2021 will definitely cement their place, but until then, they are still overshadowed by the dominant Team Secret.

THE CHINESE JUGGERNAUTS

It's hard to judge the relative skill of Chinese teams against other regions because they are the most isolated region in Dota 2. They even play on their own server, and on a different client. Hence, China has always been kind of a wildcard in Dota 2. However, history has shown us that Chinese teams are capable of exhibiting great power, and in Singapore Major, we will see their time to shine. We'll finally see what a whole year of isolation has done to the Chinese Dota 2 teams and match them up with the rest of the world.

Among the Chinese giants, the most dominant in the DPC 2021: Season 1 – China Upper Division have been Invictus Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Team Aster. It's surprising that the supposed “Super Team” Elephant, composed of China's most experienced veterans, didn't perform as well as expected, but they are still fighting. However, Invictus Gaming has been turning heads in the division, performing way better in the Upper Division compared to what they've displayed at the tail end of 2020. Team Aster won 2nd place just behind Royal Never Give Up last December in the Huya Winter Invitational but then defeated them in the DPC Closed Qualifier. Right now, it's still a mix-up between these three teams who's truly the best, but they have more than rival Chinese teams to worry about in the Singapore Major.

REGIONAL POWERS

Other teams who have secured playoff seeds for the Singapore Major 2021 are FnaticEvil Geniuses, and beastcoast. While they are the best teams right now in their respective regions, they haven't shown the same dominance as Team Secret and Virtus.pro has in the past months. They are definitely strong contenders, but they will definitely have to get past Team Secret and VP first.

Fnatic has been a dominant force at SEA. While they almost fell off in the latter half of 2020, they bounced back stronger than ever with the pick-up of Masaros and Jabz late last year. Since then, they've regained their position as the top team at SEA. They inched out closely Neon Esports, a strong rival, and even completely blocked off TNC Predator from playing in the Singapore Major in their “El Classico” matchup.

Meanwhile, beastcoast is the undeniable leaders of the South American region. However, the region hasn't been known for its strong performance in international events. We'd love to see beastcoast finally show the best that they've got in the Singapore Major, and finally establish the SA region as a strong contender in The International.

Finally, Evil Geniuses narrowly secured their playoff berth by winning tiebreaker matches. While this team is definitely a strong team, their skill level is just so close with Quincy Crew and Undying. While Undying has fallen off and failed to reach the Major, Quincy Crew can easily upset Evil Geniuses in the Major if ever they stand face to face.

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BEST WILDCARD TEAMS – THE DOTA 2 TEAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Finally, we have a couple of Wild Card teams that we should keep a close watch on.

Top of mind is T1, who showed their prowess for the first time in the SEA Upper Division. While they didn't end up on top, their performance is enough to serve as a warning for their future opponents to not take them lightly. With their signing of arguably the best carry in the world right now, 23savege, who has just recently reached 12,000 MMR, the highest ever reached by any player, we're yet to see the full potential of this team. Is 23savage the missing piece that they are looking for?

We also have Team Liquid, a team that has beaten the top team Team Secret to a pulp in ESL One Germany on their way to the championship. However, Team Liquid still lacks consistency. Apart from their championship in Germany, they've finished 5th-6th more often than 2nd or 3rd in regional European tournaments. While they might be the paper to Team Secret's rock-solid team, they are still beaten by many teams from the region. We'll see how they'll do against other international teams.

Then there's Team Nigma, the former TI9 champions who continue to be a force to be reckoned with. While Team Nigma hasn't been as dominant as they did at their peak, they are still a hungry team, always seeking their next victory. It's been almost a year since their last championship title, so we're sure to see Team Nigma giving their all in The Singapore Major.

RANKING THE DOTA 2 TEAMS IN THE SINGAPORE MAJOR

  1. Team Secret
  2. Virtus.pro
  3. Alliance
  4. Team Liquid
  5. Evil Geniuses
  6. Quincy Crew
  7. Natus Vincere
  8. Fnatic
  9. Neon Esports
  10. Team Nigma
  11. beastcoast
  12. T1
  13. AS Monaco Gambit
  14. Thunder Predator