The second-last week in Division I and Division II came to an end, here’s some of the highlights.
Eastern Europe was one of the most interesting regions to watch, especially during the first couple of weeks. There were epic matches and surprising results, two weeks before the end of the DPC in EEU, we already know the names of four of the teams that will compete in Division I next time.
Of course, there are two more slots to be decided and the teams that will be relegated to Division II. This made the series this week very important for some of the units, so let’s go over the most interesting things that took place during the week.
Division I
We break down everything that happened in the EEU’s final week of upper division games.
HellRaisers vs PuckChamp
HR was one of the teams that people expected to shine in the DPC. Although the team is not performing that badly, it was unable to deal with PuckChamp in the first match of the week.
For some reason, HR wanted to use IO and Storm in both of their games. It seems like this tactic worked for them before, but this time, PuckChamp didn’t allow their opponents to take advantage of it. Game one was close, but the second one was not hard.
Natus Vincere vs AS Monaco Gambit
The second interesting series of the week was between Natus Vincere and AS Monaco Gambit. The latter was considered as one of the best teams in the region, but after several disappointing results, it is evident that the team won’t compete at the upcoming Major.
After two quick games that lasted around 20 minutes, Natus Vincere demolished their opponents. Danil “Dendi’ Ishutin’s ex-team used Sprit Breaker in both of their games, which is a hero that made a difference. For some reason, ASM Gambit tried to use Death Prophet in both games, but the hero was not powerful enough to make a difference.
Team Empire vs Mind Games
This was supposed to be an exciting series, but both teams failed to achieve good results in their previous matches. As a result, instead of fighting for a Major slot, the teams had to go up against each other to survive.
Despite not giving up in both teams, Team Empire was unable to win and secure themselves the first victory in this DPC. Andrii “Ghostik” Kadyk and the rest of his team played well in game one, which lasted for almost an hour. However, OD and Phantom Assassin were too strong to counter and gave MG the lead.
Although Team Empire picked QoP the second game as well, even one of the best heroes in the current meta was not enough to overcome Mind Games. The latter picked PA once again, which caught their opponents off-guard. After taking the lead, MG accumulated a stable advantage and won the series. This means that Team Empire will have to compete in Division II.
Team Spirit vs HellRaisers
HR is one of the best teams in Division I, but it was time for the ultimate test – Team Spirit. TI 10 champions are yet to lose a game, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise because many people consider them to be among the best in the world.
Game one was like in a walk in the park for Team Spirit after they dominated the laning stage. Queen of Pain, Spirit Breaker and Ogre Magi did not allow their opponents to do anything and secured the CIS powerhouse a quick 22-minute victory.
The second game of the series was a lot more interesting to watch because HR had several chances of gaining a significant advantage. Thanks to Templar Assassin and MK, HellRaisers had a lot of firepowers, and they looked good. However, Team Spirit’s decision-making played a key role for the team, and it managed to defeat its opponents.
Na`Vi vs Virtus Pro
The final series of Division I was one of the most anticipated matches in the region. Na`Vi and VP have been the most dominant force in CIS for several years, so the matches between them are always fun to watch. With that being said, VP is the better team in the last couple of years, and it proved it yet again.
The first game between the two was close, but thanks to Enigma and Kunkka, VP was able to secure the victory. Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin and the rest of his team had problems early on, but they managed to survive thanks to the big ultimates.
After the victory in game one, the second map of the series was completely one-sided. VP had the better draft and did not allow its opponents to take advantage of their strengths. Following the victory, VP and Na`Vi are now close in the leaderboard, but VP has one more match before it completes its run in the current DPC.
Division II
The second division in EEU is competitive, so let’s take a good look at some of the most impressive results.
Fantastic Five vs Nemiga
Nemiga and Fantastic Five were among the big names in Division II that people thought would secure themselves a sport in Division I. Unfortunately, both teams are not doing as well as expected, which means their chances of advancing forward are slim.
The first game between the two was almost an hour long, and it went in favor of F5. Fortunately for Yegor “.Ark” Zhabotinskii and his teammates, the team had Medusa, which became too strong to deal with. Nemiga tried to counter her with Sniper, but Dusa managed to get enough items to overcome the pesky hero.
Despite winning the first game, the second and the third one went in favor of Nemiga. The team tried to use different tactics around Wraith King and Terrorblade, and it seems like they’ve paid off.
V-Gaming vs B8
Everyone expected B8 to shine during this DPC, but Danil “Dendi” Ishutin’s team crumbled. The team was unable to secure a single victory after losing against all of its opponents, including V-Gaming.
Surprisingly, B8 won the first game after V-Gaming’s roster made many mistakes. This gave Dendi’s squad the needed motivation for the second game of the series. Sadly, it didn’t go in their favor as V-Gaming ripped through its opponents like a knife through butter. Almost the same happened in game three, which was enough for Darhan “hAze” Madihan to win the series.
Gambit vs Hydra
The match between Gambit and Hydra turned out to be a lot more interesting than we thought. Game one was a brutal deathmatch that lasted 75 minutes and was full of countless intense moments. Although both teams had the chance to win, HYDRA managed to secure the lead.
Despite winning the first game, the second did not go well for them, and the team lost. This allowed us to watch the final game three, which was as interesting as the first one. Although it didn’t last for 70 minutes, the game was nearly an hour-long, and it had everything a Dota 2 fan can ever want. In the end, Gambit was the one that secured the victory.
Winstrike Team vs CIS-Rejects
Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and his teammates were considered to be the best team in Division II, but it seems like this isn’t the case. Despite the dominating victories early on, the team is not doing that well recently. The last result against Winkstrike Team proves it because CIS-Rejects was unable to win after losing game one and game three.
Winstrike Team played better throughout the series. However, they made several mistakes in game two, which allowed CIS-R to win in just 24 minutes. The good news is that this did not prevent Winstrike from showing their prowess and winning the series.
Fantastic Five vs B8
B8 finished its Division II advantage with yet another loss, and it becomes the only team in CIS that didn’t win a single series. Even though the second game of the series was close, Fantastic Five managed to win, thanks to their deadly Luna and QoP combo.
The first game was even easier because the team had excellent heroes. B8 tried to rely on survivability, which is why they’ve picked Ogre, Tide, and WK. However, those heroes were not enough to bring down F5’s squad.
