It is time for the next big event on the Dota Pro Circuit with the world's best having travelled to Germany this week for the Dota 2 Berlin Major.

With a prize pool of $500,000 and 2,700 Dota Pro Circuit points up for grabs, the second Major of the season should not disappoint.

There are 18 teams set to do battle in the Velodrom in Berlin with a number of sides looking to consolidate a spot at The International 12, while others look to put together some form ahead of the Summer Tour.

The event will run for just over a week, starting with a busy group stage and then a double-elimination bracket with teams competing from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, North America and Southeast Asia.

And there is even more reason to be excited about the latest Major on the Dota Pro Circuit with this tournament set to be the first full Major to be played on Dota's Patch 7.33.

That should lead to some unpredictable and exciting results as teams trying to get to grips with gameplay and the meta settles down.

The event has already started with multiple teams having played at least twice in Groups A and B and it is another busy day of action on Thursday with teams involved from the morning until the evening.

Indeed a number of teams will play more than once on Thursday but we have selected two of the last games to take place on the day.

Talon look a value bet to sink OG

This will be the second match of the day for both of these teams as Talon Esports firstly lock horns with Xtreme Gaming, while OG's first match is against Team Spirit.

But when they clash in the evening, it should be a pretty lively and open affair.

The pair find themselves in arguably the softer of the two sections at the Dota 2 Berlin Major and OG have taken the early initiative, going top ahead of Thursday's matches with wins over Team SMG and Xtreme Gaming.

They won both of those games 2-0 and are looking sharp but Talon Esports will arguably represent a step-up in quality.

Talon were held to a 1-1 draw by beastcoast in their opener, but the Southeast Asian representatives are among the favourites to win Group B after a superb showing at the Lima Major in Peru.

In the event which finished back in March, Talon progressed from their group with a 3-4-1 record before flying through the lower bracket, ultimately losing in the lower-bracket final 2-0 to Team Liquid.

That meant Talon came only one match away from the event's Grand Final and at 6/5 they are worth chancing to make their big-game experience count and win this contest.

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Xtreme Gaming can pick up important win

It was not that long ago that China was considered one of the dominant forces in the world of Dota 2, but those days seem long gone with few teams from the region impressing on the biggest of stages now.

But if China is to have a shot at glory at the Dota 2 Berlin Major, it will likely be Xtreme Gaming who provide it.

A Chinese side has not won The International since Wings back in 2016 but Xtreme Gaming, the region's top seed, are capable of restoring some joy.

The new side added some big names to their roster including the likes of Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi, while the experience of Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng in a coaching role could be vital going forwards.

It remains to be seen just how far Xtreme Gaming can go in Berlin and they have work to do after losing their opening contest 2-0 against OG gaming.

But Team SMG, who themselves had a 0-1-1 record heading into Thursday, should represent an easier match and Xtreme Gaming are 1/4 to get the job done.

Extract a bit more value from that and back them at -1.5 on the match handicap at 1/1.

bet365 News Team

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