Another week, another set of amazing Dota 2 games. We break down all the action in week 5.
Although the DPC started in late November, the first round is slowly but steadily coming to an end. The second-last week of the Western European DPC was an arena where some teams had to give everything they had in order to survive. As always, some of the best in the world came together in order to determine which one will compete in Division I next time and which are the ones that have to go to Division II.
Western Europe’s DPC is one of the few regions where we already know the names of the two teams that will attend the Major. One of them is Team Liquid, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise. With that being said, the second team shocked everyone because Team Tickles came from Division II, and no one expected them to play as well as they did. Fortunately, Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan and the rest of his team managed to win their important matches and secured themselves a chance to play against the best in the world.
After we’ve pointed that out, let’s go over some of the things that happened during the fifth week of the DPC in Western Europe.
Division I
Our top Division was packed with excitement and memorable moments, we take you through each series.
Team Liquid vs Nigma Galaxy
The first series of the week was epic because two of the fan-favorite teams in Divison I had to go head to head. As mentioned earlier, Team Liquid already secured itself a spot for the Major, but this didn’t mean the team wanted to lose. In fact, this was the chance for Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen to get revenge over his ex-teammates who decided to replace him a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately for Team Liquid, they were unable to take this series in their favor. MATU and his teammates won the first game after Nigma Galaxy made several crucial mistakes. The leaders in Division I took advantage of them and secured a lead in the series.
Despite losing game one, Nigma Galaxy looked really strong in the second and third and managed to take the series in their favor. Game two was basically one-sided, whereas the third one was more interesting to watch. Queen of Pain and OD did a fantastic job and didn’t allow TL’s roster to use its power.
Team Secret vs COOLGUYS
The second series of the week was between Team Secret and COOLGUYS. The latter is a roster that consists of really good players, but they were unable to show what they’re capable of. After losing this series against TS, CG becomes the first team that will 100% play in Division II next time.
Even though TS were the favorites, their victory wasn’t easy. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his teammates were in the driving seat in both games, but CG always tried to bounce back. They almost managed to do so in game two, but Secret’s experience prevented them from losing control of the game. In the end, the team did what people expected and secured themselves a clear 2-0 victory in their second-last match in Division I.
Alliance vs OG
This was one of the most important series of Division I for Alliance because they can find themselves in Division II after a series of disappointing results.
Game one was really interesting for OG because they picked heroes, such as QoP, Razor, and TIde. Alliance didn’t expect OG’s Tide to become as dangerous as he was, but he did tons of damage at one point in the game and was almost impossible to kill. Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov’s Phantom Assassin had an interesting item build that tried to counter QoP and Razor, but his damage was not enough.
After losing game one, Alliance tried to fight for their survival by picking an interesting draft. Sadly, luck was not on their side as the two times TI champions completely ripped through them in just 22 minutes. The loss means that Nikobay and co. will compete in Division II.
Tundra Esports vs Team Tickles
TT is one of the most surprising Dota 2 teams of 2022 so far. Despite being the heavy underdogs, the team that came from Division II managed to overcome all of the big names in Western Europe. After defeating some of Division I’s most powerful teams, TT had to go up against TE, one of the region’s prominent names.
The first game lasted for 35 minutes, and it went in favor of Team Tickles. The interesting draft with Razor and Puck managed to bounce back, despite the bad start. After several big fights, Team Tickles managed to win and secured a lead for themselves.
The second game was even easier for Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard and the rest of his team. After 31 minutes of Dota 2 action, Team Tickles secured the victory and proved why they are among the best.
Nigma Galaxy vs Coolguys
The last series for this week in Division I put together Nigma Galaxy and Coolguys. Even though Ivan “Mind_ContRoL” Ivanov and his team were the favorites, it wasn’t easy for them because CG played well. TI 7 champions needed around 41 minutes to secure the first game in the series. Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi got the option to play his Anti-Mage and helped his team secure the victory.
Following the success, Nigma Galaxy used the momentum and didn’t make any mistakes in game two. This gave them yet another victory and guaranteed CG’s place in Division II.
Division II
There’s still plenty happening in the lower division of WEU’s DPC, we take a look at how this week played out.
CHILLAX vs Team Bald Reborn
The first series that we had the chance to watch was between CHILLAX and Team Bald Reborn. Even though both of them had hopes of advancing to Division I, they failed to do so. Despite CHILLAX winning this series, both teams will have to compete in Division II against.
The first and the third game went in favor of Stoyan “lil pleb” Kostov and his teammates, which was enough for them to secure the victory. The second game where TBR won was probably the most interesting one because of the greedy Medusa and Ember Spirit combo.
Chicken Fighters vs Entity
The second series that people in Western Europe had the chance to watch was between CF and Entity. Andreas Per “Xibbe” Ragnemalm and everyone else from CF were consideredone of Division II’s favoritesI, but it seems like Entity will be one of the two teams that will advance to Division I.
Despite losing the first game of the series, Entity managed to bounce back and won the second and the third one. Interestingly, Entity used Spirit Breaker in all of their games, which is a clear sign that this hero is really strong right now.
ITB vs Ghost Frogs
This was another important series where both teams needed the victory in order to survive in Division II. While it is true that Ghost Frogs were the favorites, Ivaylo “Mastermind” Petkov and the rest of his team were unable to defeat their opponents.
ITB secured themselves a clean 2-0 victory after picking two very different drafts. Interestingly, the team wanted to make sure they have a strong early and mid game. GF used Spirit Breaker and Terrorblade in both games, but it was not enough to bring down their opponents.
Brame vs No Bounty Hunter
Brame is one of the favorites in Division II, and it seems like they will be one of the teams that will advance to Division I. As you probably know, No Bounty Hunter is one of the teams that are no longer a part of the DPC after its roster disbanded. In other words, Brame won this series without even playing.
CHILLAX vs Ghost Frogs
This was another interesting series that we had the chance to watch. Both teams had equal chances of winning, but after picking a better draft in both games, Alexei “j4” Lipai and his teammates secured an easy victory.
Both games lasted around 30 minutes after GF dominated the laning stage. Despite the victory, GF is in a really bad spot because it didn’t do well in the previous series. Sadly, it seems like the roster won’t be able to advance to Division I.
