At first glance, three powerhouses seem to dominate the Dota Pro Circuit 2021-22 South American Regional Finals. Thunder Predator, Infamous, and beastcoast all want to start the season on a high note after a statement year by South America last season. Then, we have the odd one out, APU King of Kings, which might sound out of place among these powerhouses.

APU King of Kings aims to dethrone Thunder Predator

Hats off to APU King of Kings for the bold name they used at the DPC SA. For a team that only recently qualified for Division 1, APU is already making a splash in the SA region. Fourth place in Division 1 is certainly an achievement, but they can take it one step further at the DPC SA Regional Finals.

It’s the David and Goliath story we all love, and APU fits David’s heroic role. Underdogs, dark horses, easy prey, APU shall face off against the big three of DPC SA. This team requires no introduction because nobody knows who these folks are and they are relatively new to the competitive scene. Their most seasoned player is Giovanni “Jupiter” Ramos Pereira, who started his pro career in 2017.

Amidst the uncertainty, one thing’s absolute. APU have their eyes set on living up to their name by becoming the King of Kings at DPC SA Regional Finals.

Although Thunder Predator is one of SA’s largest powerhouses, TP’s line-up actually has roots as an underdog. Formerly known as NoPing Esports, the young squad shook the WePlay AniMajor 2021 with their flamboyant performance.

However, the DPC points weren’t enough to qualify them for the International 10 (TI10), and they had to play the regional qualifiers. Unfortunately, NoPing did not make it into TI10 after falling short to SG esports. Even so, NoPing has already engraved themselves as one of SA’s upcoming superstars, which TP didn’t hesitate to sign them.

Under the new hood, TP continues to showcase sheer dominance in DPC SA, proclaiming themselves as the strongest in the region.

APU King of Kings vs Thunder Predator Match Analysis

Well, there’s certainly no easy way to say it, but TP will outplay APU without a doubt. The best we could do is hope for a fluke in favor of APU, which can happen under limited conditions.

APU does have what it takes to plan a viable late-game draft, but they fall off quickly into the midgame. Late game drafts are often reserved for the seasoned teams, that could hold off enemy pursuits past midgame. Even then, a seasoned team will have a rough time recuperating from tremendous enemy momentum, which is why midgame drafts are popular in DPC.

APU might have to go online much earlier than how they prefer doing if they intend on matching TP’s momentum. Else, it’s going to be another win in TP’s book.

Infamous looks to best beastcoast in rivalry fight

Infamous, contrary to its name, prefers to stay unbeknownst in the limelight. The powerhouse hasn’t accomplished much ever since making history at TI9 by landing seventh. In Infamous’ defense, their TI9 roster parted ways immediately after, so success wasn’t assured. Nevertheless, with their second-place victory from DPC SA Division 1, Infamous is looking forward to a comeback.

Despite their underwhelming performance for ages, Infamous still kept Miguel “Michael-” Angel Choque Gomez and Christian “Accel” Cruz since 2020. This means that the support duo has decent potential, and they only needed a shift in their carry players.

Hailed the most accomplished SA team to-date, beastcoast, formerly Infamous’ TI9 roster, is still a decent team. Although some fans beg to differ after beastcoast flopped their TI10 run at sixteenth place.

Nevertheless, this is the original Infamous TI9 line-up that still packs a punch in the DPC SA scene. Jean Pierre “Chris Luck” Gonzales is beastcoast’s power forward, thanks to his usual mid heroes that are currently in meta. Heroes, such as Templar Assassin and Monkey King make great wonders given the right laning condition.

Thus, beastcoast’s tactics and playstyle are still feasible in Dota 2’s latest meta.

Infamous vs beastcoast Match Analysis

Although beastcoast is the seasoned one of the bunch, both teams fair up relatively equal. What’s crucial to note is the difference in playstyle, where beastcoast prefers classic hero combos such as Gyrocopter, Invoker, and Phantom Lancer.

Whereas Infamous is proficient with the typical combos we see from many teams opting for midgame-oriented objectives. As such, Infamous leverages on the benefits of fast-paced games, which easily overwhelms many opponents.

However, beastcoast didn’t have such a rough time dealing with Infamous, albeit they still lose. In hindsight, it boils down to the drafts both teams decide, as both teams have good synergy with their allies.

The SA scene is aiming for a comeback in TI11 after their massive blunder last International. All three SA participants dropped out at last-place finishes, engraving a disappointing showing for all LATAM fans. In any case, the fans have much to look forward to, especially with Thunder Predator and APU King of Kings, that haven’t been in the TI spotlight before.