You know you're a bit of a nerd when you judge what time of year it is by which edition of DreamHack is being played, Summer and Winter turn into a nauseating blur of CS, SC2 and HoN but despite being ashamed it's immensely gratifying to sit around watching games for an entire weekend.

I'm pretty sure there is sun shining outside and it's not freezing, as such it means that Dreamhack this weekend will be DreamHack: Summer - unless Al Gore was right all along and global warming really has had an irreversible impact on the planets climate. As always, Dreamhack see's some of the best teams from around the globe gather in Sweden for what is the biggest event of the year in terms of numbers.

Today we will have the chance to catch the BYOC qualifier where the top 2 teams will earn a spot in the DreamHack MSI Championship, set to take place over the course of tomorrow and Monday. It will be the same scenario for the HoN tournament as well, with 6 spots up for grabs in the elimination bracket. As with every major event I'll be taking a look at the different teams in attendance and weighing up their chances of taking home the crown. On top of that I'll be taking a brief look at the two main contenders for the HoN tournament.

Na`Vi

For the first time in about 8 months I don't really feel comfortable predicting the beasts from the east to win the tournament comfortably. When they broke onto the scene early last year I was one of their biggest critics, of the opinion that they had fluked out at the IEM World Finals and that their run would come to an end sooner or later. Each time an event would come round I would proclaim that their spell at the top was over only to be humiliated by the fact that they grew stronger each time, winning more comfortably and looking more in control with every match.

In the end I was won over by their no nonsense, super aggressive play-style backed by the other worldly AWP'ing of Markeloff. They were the undisputed kings of 2010, however much like their predecessors (fnatic in 2009 and mTw in 2008) they have had a much quieter 2011. That may be down to a lack of tournaments for them to strut their stuff but for the most part things have been quiet in the Na`Vi camp since their win at the IEM Global Finals for the second season running.

Are the prepared enough to take on the likes of mTw, fnatic, SK Gaming and Lions here this weekend? It's going to be a tough call given their lengthy spell on the sidelines and it's going to be a tough event for them if they aren't well prepared. Still, with some of the most talented individuals in the world representing them they can always count on a moment of magic to pick up big rounds and results, I have a feeling they may need it this weekend but, much like the rest of the scene, I also have a feeling it might just happen.

fnatic.MSI

My gut instinct tells me that the Danish side mTw, or even their arch rivals SK Gaming would be a better bet for second place but I have a bit of a love affair with this fnatic side, I guess I'm predicting them to finish second out of hope more than anything as I'd love for them to prove their doubters wrong and show their strength even after the numerous roster changes. It's been a difficult few months for the fnatic CS division: First their unstoppable CS team was split in two as, arguably the better half joined SK Gaming.

Their first event after completing the new look lineup was the IEM European Finals and, much to the surprise of everyone spectating they stormed to victory. Fast forward a few months and the success in Cologne seems like a distant memory, once more SK Gaming have robbed them of one of their star players and the team have been faced to make more changes to accommodate the replacement, seeing Faruk 'pita' Pita left out in the cold. The side have brought in old timer Rasmus 'GuX' Stahl and up and comer Manne 'manne' Nordqvist and will be hoping to once more make an instant impact.

I'm not one for taking sides but I really do hope that this side come up against SK Gaming at some point during the tournament, they already have in the IOL Final 4 but I have a sneaking suspicion that both teams would have been holding back their repertoire of strategies in case they do meet each other in the big one. They have a chance to cause some major upsets and the team will be more pumped and fired up than ever before to do so, here's hoping for an SK vs fnatic grand final!

mTw

In the space of two years the kings of Denmark have gone from world beaters to perennial disappointments and the most annoying thing about watching it happen is knowing that they have the ability to do better. Each time it looks like they may finally be back on top of their game they manage to throw it away at the final hurdle, a scenario that has cropped up more than once in the past year or so. They are arguably the most well prepared team at the event although that seems to be the case at most tournaments they attend. Well drilled, well practiced, generally all is well within the team yet there seems to be a mental block which prevents them pushing all the way.

This event looks like it will be more of the same although I really do hope differently. I spent most of last year championing them ahead of the likes of Na`Vi but after watching them fall apart against the Ukrainians on numerous occasions it's becoming difficult to keep supporting them. There is no doubting the talent within the squad, the team is made up of perhaps 5 of the most talented players in Denmark and they work incredibly well together. They will have no issue in beating anyone on their day but once more it comes down to that mental block which stops them actually winning events.

If the draw is kind to them and they perform well in the early stages of the tournament their confidence may be enough to carry them to the final, let's just hope they don't come up against their Kryptonite, Na`Vi, once there.

SK Gaming

The Galactico's of the CS world. It's taken a long time for the SK organisation to find a team capable of doing serious damage on a consistent basis, and after years of tinkering and trying they have opted to do things the old fashioned way; put the strongest team you can on paper together and let them shoot heads. It's a method that should work if you break it down but at the end of the day CS is about much more than who has the better aim on the day, or which team has the more talented players. I can't count how many times supposedly superior teams in terms of skill have fallen to those who are prepared, those who work well as a unit and those who are hungry to win.

As things stand this team still have a hell of a lot to prove. They flopped at their first two major events but that could be down to the fact that they didn't have much time to practice, or that things just weren't right in the lineup. The team have since changed a player, swapping out the highly rated dennis for the even more highly rated Delpan (in an interesting transfer from fnatic), so once more it's unlikely they will be as prepared as they would have hoped.

There are fanboys around the world who will curse me for saying this but I'm simply not sold on the team. No matter the skill level or achievements my instinct tells me that it just isn't going to work, and I kind of hope it doesn't anyway, as a testament to the fact that hard work and hunger is more valuable than simply assembling a team of superstars.

There are a number of other teams in attendance at the event but these are four that I feel will still be there come the semi final of the tournament.

Heroes of Newerth:

Once more DreamHack will be supporting Heroes of Newerth yet for the first time, possibly ever, it looks like it will be a competitive event. fnatic.MSI, Online Kingdom, TS-Gaming, KD Gaming and Reason Gaming are just a few of the teams who have flown out to Sweden to take part in the event, with Reason and TS-Gaming already through to the semi's the pressure is on the other sides to snap up the remaining two places.

fnatic.MSI

Fly, NoVa, Trixi, Freshpro, n0tail

The current reigning champions fnatic.MSI will be the hot favourites to take their second Dreamhack title in a row. With the most LAN experience out of all of the teams they have proven that they don't flinch under pressure, and with the final being played in the DreamArena Extreme you can be sure that there will be some serious pressure on the competitors. They enjoyed a spell in late 2010/early 2011 where they were the undisputed kings of HoN, destroying all who stood in their way with revolutionary set-ups and strategies which teams found just too difficult to overcome.

Recently they were in a bit of a slump, dropping in peoples estimations after numerous defeats to teams who they really should have been beating. It's given the rest of the scene hope that they can be beaten, they do have weaknesses and all it takes is some moments of brilliance or some intelligent hero picking. The past couple of months has saw them return to their best though and they are back on top, with only a few teams capable of beating them on their day.

It's going to be fnatic in the final, I don't have any doubts about that and would be confident in betting my wage on it, whether they can defeat their opponents (who I feel will be Online Kingdom) once there remains to be seen.

Online Kingdom

H4nn1, Mag1x, Overpow, SemiJew, Akke

The core of this Online Kingdom team were victorious at last years Dreamhack Summer after an epic tournament which saw them play without star man H4nn1 in the early stages. The team headed into the grand final brimming with confidence and dispatched of fnatic.MSI, seeing them crowned champions of the first ever Dreamhack HoN tournament. Since then much has changed, including their lineup - and fnatic's - however they have shown in recent weeks and months that they are without doubt one of the strongest teams on the planet.

With a number of tried and tested set-ups they have been able to dominate almost every team in the world, including fnatic.MSI in a recent ESL match. They have some of the most talented players in Europe within their ranks and, being experienced DotA players they rarely give their opponents a chance to get back into the match once in front. I can see these guys making it into the grand final, they will meet either TS-Gaming or Reason Gaming in the semi (if they make it that far), meaning they are on a collision course with the mighty fnatic in the Grand Final. I for one can't wait.

Dark Horses:

Reason Gaming

KD Gaming

TS-Gaming