Team Aster vs Talon Esports Prediction: the Chinese Only Want to Win

The group stage of The International 2022 kicks off on Saturday, October 15. Team Aster and Talon Esports will face each other in the first games of the tournament.

The International 2022 is the year's main event in the cybersports discipline of Dota 2. This year's top 20 teams will battle it out in Singapore from October 15-30, 2022. The prize fund of the eleventh tournament in the tournament's history is more than 14 million dollars.

It took the Chinese organization a long time to find the optimal lineup to achieve great results. The Stars performed excellently at domestic tournaments and regional DPC leagues, but at the majors and The International Series events, it was as if the players were being replaced. They struggled to make it out of the group stages and stayed outside the top 8. But that changed dramatically in 2022 with the arrival of Ori and Siamese. The team's results didn't deteriorate inside China, but Aster rose solidly at the last major in Arlington. The Stars finished in the top 3 of the tournament, losing only to the eventual winner Team Spirit. At ESL One Malaysia, the team reached the finals a little later, losing in Wo5 to OG.

Team Aster's style appeals to spectators who like to see hard-core players tearing up the entire map. Monet was in space form at Arlington and was a top-3 player in the tournament on a vast pool of farming heroes. BoBoKa remembered his second youth, and now the meta is favorable for his signature Earth Spirit.

At International tournaments, Chinese teams traditionally show an excellent games. Bookmakers already consider Team Aster a contender to win with good odds. The Stars will probably show a good match in the group and reach the playoffs from the top grid. And in this head-to-head encounter, we do not see any objective reasons why the team will not win the series without a runout.

A lineup made up of players from Southeast Asia is strong enough on the competitive domestic scene. The region's top star 23savage, TI7 finalist kpii, and the talented Mikoto central corridor monster, who the community may remember from his unconventional play for BOOM Esports, play here. But for the Russian-speaking public, the fact that ALWAYSWANNAFLY has recently joined the team as a coach is the main attraction. Andrei can understand the style of the players and modernize the team's playstyle.

Talon Esports, however, can't boast global success at international events. They finished 13-14 in Arlington and were left out of the playoffs in Malaysia. The team's main problem is erratic movement around the map. The cyber athletes' actions are comparable to the best players at their respective positions, but they haven't been able to combine them into a cohesive unit yet. However, the new coach has already had the opportunity to prepare the team for the games at TI, and perhaps Talon Esports will be able to surprise their opponents.

But based on recent results, there is no faith in at least one victory on the map in the series. In addition, in the last two international tournaments, the team failed on the first game day in the group. If you believe this pattern, then Singapore 23savage will not start the tournament in the best frame of mind.

The Chinese should have no problem passing Talon Esports with two wins in a head-to-head encounter. In the last face-off, Team Aster won two maps in 31 and 33 minutes, respectively. It can be assumed that on the second map, Talon Esports will not resist more than 38 minutes. Well, for those who like risky bets, we offer another option. At the carry positions the teams play two spectacular players, capable of solving the outcome of the game. You can believe that one of the sides in the game will be ultrakill. 

• We need your feedback! If you enjoy our free betting tips and content, we invite you to write a review on Trustpilot. Find the icon in the footer of the site.