Even if you’re not too familiar with the world of Esports, you probably know that Dota 2 and League of Legends are two of the most popular games in this domain. For true fans of the games and Esports in general, this time of the year is like the holiday season despite the new year and Christmas being far behind us. For Dota 2 fans and players, all focus lies on the Blast SLAM VI tournament which lies ahead of us. Those in love with LoL already have their eyes set on LCS Split 1 which started a few weeks ago.
With LCS Split 1 already being played for a few weeks, it is not as hyped as Blast SLAM VI which lies ahead of us in February, as we await the latter stages of it. Because of that we’re going to put more focus on the latter, as Dota 2 fans’ excitement grows in the days leading up to the tournament. If you’re new to Esports and the upcoming tournament this is the right opportunity to learn how to bet on Blast SLAM VI and enter the competition prepared from a betting perspective. Before we move toward what is expected from the upcoming Dota 2 tournament, let’s see how well will LoL teams fare in their competition.
LCS Split 1 Top Picks
Considering that LCS Split 1 is one of the most competitive League of Legends events, the stakes are as high as ever. The odds for upcoming rounds are already out, and you can see that there’s a lot of possibilities for some intriguing wagers. If you want to take the safe road forward you need to have FlyQuest on your slip. While last year’s champions have some fine odds to them, you shouldn’t neglect one of the most competitive teams out there in Team Liquid. They were disappointing last year all around, and will be looking to make up for it and repeat some of the earlier success they’ve had. With their recent form trending upward, they’re the team to bet on.
While these teams have plenty ahead of them in terms of matches to be played, Round 1 is already over. While we singled out team Liquid as one of the dark horses, they’ve started the tourney on the wrong foot, and lost their first duel vs. Cloud9 Kia 0:2. In Round two, they are going to play against Shopify Rebellion, and you need to follow them through on this as an easy win is expected. Shopify Rebellion is the team that has lost to the main favourites in FlyQuest, and they could find themselves on the verge of two consecutive defeats.
The rest of the matchups saw Disguised winning against Sentinels 2:1, and LYON winning 0:2 vs. Dignitas. Round 2 will see LYON playing vs. Cloud9 Kia, Disguised vs. FlyQuest, and Dignitas vs. Sentinels in addition to the matches we’ve already mentioned. Round 3 is yet to be scheduled, and once it is wrapped up, six teams will move to playoffs, while two will be eliminated. It is in the playoffs where the real battles will commence, and the prize for the winner, in addition to money, prestige, and fame & glory is going to be a direct invitation to the First Stand. As we said, this is a good moment to take a look at LCS Split 1 and Blast SLAM VI betting odds, and be prepared for the upcoming matches.
BLAST Slam VI Betting Predictions
As we said, LCS Split 1 is already underway, and the best is yet to come as far as that tournament goes. In the world of Dota 2, things are already a tad bit more interesting. BLAST Slam VI is the first Dota 2 major tourney of the year. All of the best teams will be there, ready to battle it out for the prize pool of $1 million. There will be 12 teams at the start of the competition, with only six spots reserved for those who manage to come out alive from the online stages. Both Group Stage and Play In are played online. The six of the best will reserve their tickets for Malta where the main part of the tourney is going to be played live. There’s a lot to play for at the BLAST Studios venue, and to get there teams will have to rely on their past results, current form, history, roster changes, and of course Stake.com odds that will show you the direction of each team’s quality. As we’ve gone through all of it, here is our list of teams that have the best chances of making great results at the BLAST Slam VI.
Team Falcons
If we go back some three years, on the 11th of November, 2023, Team Falcons have entered their super team stage. They’ve been doing great since, so there are no surprises that there’s no changes to their roster. After all, this is the team that has won The International in 2025. It’s not just us. Everyone sees Team Falcons as outright favorites to win the upcoming tourney. After all, this team has one of the best coaches in Esports in Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling. Under his strategic leadership, and Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak in the midlane, this team is one of the hardest to stop in Dota 2. “Malr1ne” has shown what he’s capable of when he deservedly won the TI14 MVP award. Since winning The International in 2025, Team Falcons have finished second at BLAST Slam IV, and won the FISSURE Playground 2. At BLAST Slam V they took third place, showing that they’re both consistent but also able to be defeated, which some more in form teams have done lately. We are sure that Team Falcons have learned from their mistakes over time, and that they will showcase this at the upcoming tournament. After all, in 2026, Ammar “ATF” Al Assaf has been playing out of his mind, and is arguably the best Dota 2 player in the world at the moment. When paired with Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, it is a duo that’s hard to stop. Their odds are set at 3.30 making Team Falcons the top favorites, and a team to beat at the upcoming BLAST Slam VI tournament.
Tundra Esports
In addition to Team Falcons, Tundra Esports is another great example of consistency. In the past few years, since we’ve had BLAST Slam series introduced they’ve been a part of every Grand Final. For all of you who follow these tournaments, you know that Tundra Esports finished second during the first tournament, and after the inaugural one, went on an amazing winning spree and won the following four editions. When it comes to their power rankings for the BLAST Slam VI, it is easy to slot them as one of the best two teams participating.
The bookmakers are also on our side, and Tundra Esports are given a bit over 22% chance of winning this tourney. Their odds are set at 4.00, and while there’s one team with better odds than them on Stake, we have them as the second best team in the tournament, and based on their previous performances, no one should be surprised if Tundra Esports make it to yet another Grand Final. While we love what they bring to the table, we still need to be realistic. Winning the BLAST Slam in five back to back editions is not going to be an easy feat. Yet, their 15:1 score to date speaks volumes of what Tundra Esports are able to do. Last time around, they have dominated Team Yandex, 3:1, in the Grand Final showing that they do their best when the stakes are the highest.
Team Spirit
Now, here’s a team that the sportsbooks love leading up to this tourney. With their odds set at 3.80, the bookies are giving them better chances of going farther than Tundra Esports. We can understand this sentiment. Most fans will remember their underperformance at the TI14. What we remember is that Team Spirit are the reigning Esports World Cup champions. Their roster always had skill and experience, but with the addition of Nikita “panto” Balaganin they moved the needle a few degrees up. While not winning any majors late in the year, Team Spirit managed to end the year with 2nd place finishes at PGL Wallachia Season 6 and DreamLeague Season 27. As we said, they failed to win trophies, but managed to go as far as possible in every tourney they participated in. The odds show that they might as well be the second best team once again, at the BLAST Slam VI, or even disrupt the top favorites and take home their first win of the year. We would be more certain that they can make a run to the Grand Final if Denis “Larl” Sigitov was leading the way for Team Spirit. Yet, he is out of commission, and will be replaced by Marat “Mirele” Gazetdinov, who, while amazing, is simply not on the same level as “Larl”.
MOUZ
MOUZ has been collecting pieces for their roster throughout the last year, trying to create a winning formula for competitions such as BLAST Slam VI. The current squad was formed on September 20, and have been showing signs of consistent performances and growth since. If you’ve been paying attention to their skillset, the team has all the makings of a giant slayer. During the last few events, they’ve always managed to play the best against the best. It all comes down to the return of Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, who is playing the best Dota 2 of his life.
While not topping the charts with their most recent performances, 4th position at BLAST Slam V, 3rd place at BLAST Slam IV, and 5-6 at FISSURE Playground 2, are nothing to scoff at. Where they’ve shown their worth is the Tier 1 LAN trophy at PGL Wallachia Season 6 where winning the first place was a showcase of what this team was able to do. During the Grand Final they were better than Team Spirit and won the Grand Final with a 3:2 score, showing that they can play well on the biggest stage, and under pressure. With their odds set at 7.50 they are obviously one of the dark horses for this tournament, but that’s the exact role MOUZ excels at.
Types of Dota 2 and LOL Bets & Esports Betting Markets
Considering that the gameplay, and overall tournament formats of Dota 2 and League of Legends are quite similar, their betting markets do not differ all that much. We could say that for games as these the betting markets are identical. The ones you should start with include:
- Match Winner (Twoway): What you have here is a classic moneyline wager. You bet on an Esport team to win a specific fixture. What you need to remember is that Dota 2 and LOL matches are often played in bets of 3 and bets of 5 series, so the winner is the team that wins more maps.
- Map Handicap: Once you get the idea of team quality, and their adeptness to certain maps, you can move onto Map handicap betting. Let’s say Team Spirit has -1.5 Map Handicap over MOUZ, they need to win the matchup 3:0 to be seen as a winner. A 2:1 win would be seen as a MOUZ win by the bookies due to the given handicap.
- Total Maps: In the tournaments that are played on more maps, you can bet on the number of maps that will be played during a single matchup. It is a classic over/under wager.
- Correct Score: If you’re truly into Esports, wagering on the correct score of any duel is the way to go. The odds are higher, but also the risks.
With the betting markets we have above, you will be on a good path to betting on Esports. Once you get more relaxed around it, trying out betting markets such as Wins at Least One Map, Specific Map Outcomes, Prop Bets, Outright bets, and Parlays should come into mix.