We bring you all the latest Dota 2 action from Week 1 of the EEU’s DPC Tour 3.
Since Eastern Europe is home to the current TI champions, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise it’s one of the most action-packed regions to watch. Aside from Team Spirit, several other teams have what it takes to be the best. One of them is Outsides (Virtus.Pro). The latter made a couple of essential roster changes, and it seems like they finally have a top-notch roster.
Although there were not that many epic series during week 1, we had the chance to watch a few matches in Division I and II. Similar to what we did during Tour 1 and 2, we will cover the most interesting ones. Feel free to watch the replays of some matches, especially if you want to see certain players in action.
Division I
Natus Vincere vs CIS Rejects
The very first match in Division I was between Natus Vincere and CIS Rejects. Although this was the first match of the day, it was vital for both teams because they are in a similar boat. One of them will have the chance to finish in the top 3, so every point counts.
We expected the two teams to give everything they have and watch an epic series. However, CIS-Rejects were just a shadow of their former glory because the team failed to live up to the expectations.
Na’Vi used an exciting draft in game one and picked Zeus in the mid lane. CIS-R tried to use the good-old Storm Spirit, but it seems like the recent nerf has an effect on the hero. Despite the excellent start, Natus Vincere quickly took complete control of the game.
Their Lifestealer slowly became an unstoppable force, even for the mighty Doom. Consequently, Na’Vi won the first map and secured itself a one-game advantage.
Game 2
After the draft of Nikita “Munkushi~” Chepurnykh and his teammates didn’t work in game one, the team decided to try something else. The second map was not as exciting as the first because the two teams played more defensively.
However, Na’Vi slowly but steadily took full control of the game. Although CIS-R relied on their Juggernaut to carry them, the hero was not powerful enough to stop Na’Vi from pushing.
TI 1 winners had more than a 12k net worth lead just 25 minutes after the start of the game and already had two lanes of rax. Sadly, their opponents had no way of bouncing back in this game and lost the series.
Outsides (VP) vs One Move
One of the series that we were eager to see was between VP’s new roster and one of the new teams in Division I. Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and the rest decided to use the tag Outsides for this tour of the DPC. The team is one of the big favorites, so it wasn’t surprising it was able to deal with their opponents pretty quickly.
The first game of the series was strange, to say the least. One Move used a compelling draft that included four core heroes, including TB, Viper, and SK. On the other hand, Outsides focused on a draft that allowed them to gank and push.
As expected, VP didn’t want to go late game against this draft, so they started pushing early on. The team won almost all skirmishes and gained complete map control. This prevented OM from farming, so it wasn’t surprising that the team lost after 27 minutes.
Game 2
After losing the first game, One Move rolled out the Doom and Grimstroke combo. Sadly, they had to go up against VP’s TA and WK, a combo that has won numerous games in the previous patch.
Unsurprisingly, Virtus.Pro (Outsiders) had no problems at all. The team won the laning stage, defeated their opponents mid-game, and won the map after 25 minutes. This victory was important because the team will have to go up against CIS-R during Week 2.
Division II
PuckChamp vs cybercats
Division II was fun to watch, but if we have to choose one game that stood out, it has to be the one between PuckChamp and cybercarts. Everyone expected Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau and the rest to rip through their opponents. However, PC lost this series and started Tour 3 with a defeat.
Thanks to Alchemist, cybercats had no problems in game one. PC was definitely not prepared for the fast-farming monster and couldn’t stop him. That said, the team bounced back in game two and ripped through their opponents.
Ccats tried to use the classic Doom and Grimstroke setup, but things didn’t go as planned. PC’s CK and BM were too strong for their opponents and allowed PuckChamp to equalize the series.
Game 3
Even though the Doom and Grim combi didn’t work in game two, it did pretty well in the third match. PC’s strange draft with Viper and Bristleback looked good on paper, but cybercats picked Slark, one of Bristle’s biggest counters. Maxim “Shigetsu” Popadinec used the hero to its full potential and ripped through PC’s draft.
HR vs No Sorry
HellRaisers used to be one of the best teams in the region a couple of years ago. Sadly, the numerous roster changes did not positively affect the team. After failing to win several important matches, HR ended up in Division II.
Most people think the team won’t have any problems securing a slot for Division I, but it seems like this won’t be the case. Although HR should have dominated in their first match, the team lost against No Sorry.
Despite the good start in both games, HR quickly lost control and lost both maps. The first one was interesting because it seemed Morphling could win the game. However, No Sorry’s TA and Ember Spirit became too strong and won the mid game.
Instead of relying on a hard carry for the second game of the series, HR tried to pick a draft that focuses on teamfights. Although it looked good on paper, the team was unable to defeat the Invoker and TB combo. Hence, HR lost the game after 36 minutes.
