The 3 Dark Horses of the PGL Arlington Major

The highly anticipated PGL Arlington Major begins in only a couple of hours. We’ll be seeing 17 teams from all regions clash for a slice of the $500K USD prize pool and a hefty number of DPC points. This Major will be the final stop before The International 11 and teams are warming up to bring their best performance on board. But which teams can potentially surprise you with a brilliant performance? Here are 3 dark horses at the PGL Arlington Major that you should keep an eye on.

Entity

The Arlington Major would be Entity’s first ever Major appearance, but they’re definitely not to be underestimated. The organization first entered the European scene by signing Creepwave, but it found its big break with a newly reformed roster. The team crawled to Division I of WEU DPC and successfully secured a slot to the Major in the recent DPC season. Their run wasn’t exactly a smooth one, but they bring some interesting and unorthodox gameplay that could catch many teams off guard. With such a performance, Entity is definitely one of the dark horses at the Arlington Major.

One major blow is the absence of their powerful carry player, Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko, who couldn’t come to the Arlington Major due to VISA issues. When they first signed the young Russian player, many had their eyebrows raised due to Pure’s controversial status. This is due to him allegedly drawing a symbol in support of the Ukrainian invasion during the EEU DPC Tour 2 Playoffs. But Entity saw the potential in Pure and he definitely didn’t disappoint. He was one of the best performing carry players in WEU the last season and his absence during the Major could possibly ruin Entity’s form. However, with TSM’s Saberlight standing in for Pure, the team might be able to find some balance.

Here is Entity’s roster that will compete at the PGL Arlington Major:

Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek (stand-in) – Pos 1Daniel “Stormstormer” Schoetzau – Pos 2Tobias “Tobi” Buchner – Pos 3Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov – Pos 4Dzmitry “Fishman” Palishchuk – Pos 5Daniil “MeTTpuM” Gilev – Coach

Talon Esports

Talon Esports might be a new name in the pro Dota 2 scene, but its current lineup comprises well-known players. The team’s Thai player, 23savage, is one of the most popular Dota 2 carry players in the world. He made waves during TI10 with T1 and now he is back to the tip of the iceberg with Talon Esports. Not only that, Talon also has a TI runner-up, kpii as its offlaner. The Australian hasn’t been to a Dota 2 Major in a while, with his last big appearance being at the Leipzig Major in 2020 with TNC. But he is back in action with his signature, pesky Brewmaster ready to stir up the competition.

In the beginning, Talon didn’t do very well with its Dota 2 debut roster, falling short of the Division I promotion. But with a reformed roster, Talon Esports managed to dash through the lower division and clinched the 2nd spot in Division I recently, showing insanely great chemistry. However, Talon couldn’t escape the VISA turmoil with its pos 4, Worawit “Q” Mekchai not able to attend the Arlington Major. Luckily for the team, T1’s position 4, Xepher will be lending his hand and with a support of such repute, Talon remains one of the dark horses at the Arlington Major.

Here is Talon Esports’ roster that will compete at the PGL Arlington Major:

Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon – Pos 1Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman – Pos 2Damien “kpii” Chok – Pos 3Kenny “Xepher” Deo (stand-in) – Pos 4Brizio “Hyde” Budiana – Pos 5Lee “Forev” Sang-don – Coach

Thunder Awaken

Something about the South American teams always brings in surprises. Thunder Awaken, specifically, has looked very convincing. In the previous Stockholm Major, the squad pulled off a surprising performance, smashing the Group Stage and placing high in the final standings. The team ranked higher than notable teams such as Team Spirit, Team Liquid, and BOOM Esports. In the last DPC season, TA successfully earned the top-seed and we can expect them to ride this momentum at the Arlington Major.

One specific player who has shined the most in TA is Pakasz. The young, carry player has been active in the South American scene for the past few years but he found his big break with TA. He was one of the players under the spotlight at the Stockholm Major as he performed incredibly well.

But again, the team also fell victim to VISA issues with its midlaner, Herrera “Darkmago” Gonzalo unable to attend the Arlington Major. Filling in his shoes would be the 17-year-old Peruvian player, Alone who last played for Infamous. His last competitive game was in late 2021 which makes him inactive for a while, but we can hope for his skills to overrule his experience. Youngbloods can be very scary at the right moments and he is definitely one with potential.

Here is Thunder Awaken’s roster that will compete at the PGL Arlington Major:

Crhistian “Pakazs” Casanova – Pos 1Ricardo “Alone” Fernandez – Pos 2Rafael “Sacred” Yonatan – Pos 3Farith “Matthew” Puente – Pos 4Jose “Pandaboo” Hernandez – Pos 5Juan David “Vintage” Angulo Nicho – Coach

Can these teams keep up a great form despite the VISA havoc? Will they be able to pull off great upsets at the biggest Dota 2 Major this season? Make sure to keep your eyes peeled as they can bring some interesting surprises at the PGL Arlington Major.

Esports.gg will be fully covering the event so stick around our site for more Arlington Major news and updates!

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