We take a look at some of the highlights from Day 4 of the Playoffs at the PGL Arlington Major.
The PGL Arlington Major 2022 began more than a week ago, allowing us to watch many games. The Group Stages were more intriguing than expected because some of the favorites couldn’t make it to the playoffs. Fortunately, the best teams prevailed, which was great for us because we had the chance to watch them.
Following the first rounds in the Upper Bracket and the Lower Bracket, we can already spot some of the favorites. PSG.LGD continues to dominate and is yet to lose a series after defeating OG for the third time in the last month. However, the Chinese have to face their biggest challenge yet in the face of Team Spirit.
Before focusing on the Upper Bracket Finals, we have a couple of epic series in the Lower Bracket. Every loss here is fatal, so teams give everything they got. With that being said, here is a quick overview of everything we saw during day 4.
Entity vs BOOM Esports
The first LB match of the day put together the SEA powerhouse and Entity, one of the underdogs in the PGL Arlington Major. Although many people underestimated Pure and the rest, the team already eliminated NA’s powerhouse Evil Geniuses, giving them the motivation to deal with their next opponents.
Game 1
The first game between Entity and BOOM looked even on paper because both teams had good drafts. As expected, BOOM was the more aggressive team of the two because it had heroes like Storm Spirit. The SEA squad had a good start, getting several kills and a net worth advantage.
Sadly, their lead didn’t last long because the Western European team’s Lycan came to the rescue. The hero and a pretty good game and quickly got a few items that allowed him to start pushing. What’s more, Tiny also got several big kills and suddenly became a lot stronger than his opponents.
In the end, the WEU squad became too powerful for their opponents, who had no other option but to use the GG call.
Game 2
After losing game one, BOOM was just one game away from going home. Needless to say, this motivated the team to pick a couple of their signature heroes. Despite BOOM having to face Entity’s infamous Visage, the SEA squad bounced back and won the map.
Winning is probably not the best word because BOOM pretty much annihilated their opponents. Entity got only a few kills the entire game and had no answers to BOOM’s constant aggression. This allowed us to watch game three.
Game 3
We expected BOOM to continue with its dominant performance in game 3, but this was not the case. Instead of winning the laning stage, Entity seemed more motivated to win, which is why the team played better.
One of the reasons for the team’s success is their strange Sven support. People expected this to be the carry, but Entity picked Necrophos and Visage as their cores. It seems like this team knows how to utilize those heroes perfectly because it won yet another match.
Unfortunately, the loss put an end to BOOM’s hopes of winning. This was also the last SEA team in the PGL Arlington Major 2022.
beastcoast vs Outsiders
The second series put together beastcoast and Outsiders, two teams that really wanted to win because they would have the chance to play against OG. BC remained the last team from America that is still in the Major after EG lost to Entity. As for Outsiders, RAMZESS and the rest are eager to show their prowess and prove that they are as good as Team Spirit.
Game 1
Having Puck, Timbersaw, and Snapfire in the current patch in the same team is usually a recipe for success, so we are not surprised that Outsiders won game 1. However, it definitely wasn’t easy because BC didn’t go down without a fight.
The game was pretty even, and neither was able to get a lead until the 30th minute of the match. However, once the Eastern European squad got the Aegis, it used it to gain a lead over its opponents. It seems like this was enough because BC couldn’t stop its opponents and lost the game.
Game 2
Outsiders really wanted to win this match, so it decided to pick Doom, Viper and Puck, three heroes it used extensively throughout the Major. Sadly, even this was not enough to stop their South American counterparts from winning.
Jean “Chris Luck” Salazar and the rest got their hands on their favorite TA and WK combo, and it seems like the team made the right decision. Following the solid laning stage, bc was in a good position to secure a solid lead for the mid-game. Although it wasn’t as easy as we thought, the South Americans eventually became much stronger.
The team needed just a couple of good fights to secure a comfortable lead. Outsiders tried their best, but the EEU team could not bounce back, and we had the chance to watch the third game.
Game 3
Although Virtus.Pro’s roster decided to use gpk’s Invoker for the third game of the series, things didn’t work as planned. BC had a similar draft to the one in the second game of the match. However, instead of using TA, the team decided to go for Pangolier.
While it is true that the match was not easy, Chris Luck and the rest eventually got a comfortable lead. The team used it to win as many fights as possible, which allowed BC to become much stronger.
Sadly, the dream for Outsiders ended as the team was eliminated from the event. This means BC will have to go up against OG.
Team Aster vs Entity
The last series of the day also took place in the Lower Bracket. After defeating BOOM, Entity had a mountain to climb in the face of Team Aster. Unfortunately, winning against one of the best in China is easier said than done.
Game 1
Some people were skeptical about Aster’s decision to use Storm Spirit alongside heroes like Chen. However, the Chinese have been one of the teams that focus on this mid-laner a lot, so they were really comfortable using him.
The game was even during the first couple of minutes, but similar to any Dota 2 match where SS gets free farm, things quickly changed. Aster became way more aggressive and suddenly accumulated a substantial net worth lead. Meanwhile, BS and Dawn also became way too powerful, so it was just a matter of time before the Chinese won.
Game 2
Despite having a similar draft in Game 2, Entity bounced back and won the map, which allowed us to watch the third game. Unlike in the first one, the WEU squad got the lead very early on and never allowed their opponents to bounce back.
In fact, this was Aster’s biggest loss so far because the team only got three kills. That’s the reason why this game only lasted for 25 minutes.
Game 3
After the beatdown in the second game, most of us expected Entity to use the momentum and win the match. However, this was not the case because the Chinese used the deadly Bristle and Dazzle combo.
Game 3 was the longest and the most interesting one to watch. Although Entity was in the driving seat most of the time, Aster never gave up. In the end, several mistakes from the WEU team allowed the experienced Chinese squad to take advantage of the situation and gain the lead.
After around one hour of play, Team Aster won the match and eliminated its opponents from the event. The next challenge for the club will be to play against the winner of OG and BC.
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