Southeast Asia is a region where we have a couple of top teams that have what it takes to reach the Major. Here’s our Dota 2 SEA Tour 3 recap.
We already had one week of interesting results and epic games, so it was time to focus on the second one. Although we are yet to see some of the best teams in the region going up against each other, there were a few matches that were worth it.
Division I
NGX.SEA vs Talon
The first match of the week was between NGX.SEA and Talon Esports. We didn’t expect it to be that fascinating, but both teams were neck and neck throughout most of the game.
Although NGX’s cores looked very scary, Talon was in control and gained a small lead in the mid-game. After a perfect five-man smoke and a team fight after it, the team achieved a massive 11k net worth advantage. Things became even more difficult for Muhammad “inYourdreaM” Rizky and his teammates as they lost a few fights after that.
Despite having the better draft for the late game, NGX. SEA was unable to bounce back and lost the first map.
Game 2
After Talon’s impressive victory in the first game, we expected Talon to win the second map with little to no effort. However, despite picking Puck and Razor, things didn’t go as planned.
The early and mid-game were pretty even, but NGX’s draft was heavily focused on the late game. Broodmother, TB, and DK became much stronger around the 30th-minute mark. The team won a crucial fight near the Rosh pit, and despite losing the Aegis, NGX killed almost everyone.
Razor and Puck are vital in the current meta, but they had no chance of dealing with the overfarmed Terrorblade. Although it took them 81 minutes, NGX.SEA won the second map of the match.
Game 3
After the exhausting game two, the two teams wanted to finish this series as fast as possible. Consequently, they’ve picked some of their most interesting heroes. Talon went with Dusa and Ember, whereas NGX relied on the classic MK and DS combo.
Both teams were even, Talon quickly got the lead. In fact, the team even secured themselves an early kill on Roshan, which made them even stronger in the upcoming teamfights.
Unsurprisingly, a farmed Medusa allowed Talon to destroy loads of towers. In fact, the SEA powerhouse even secured itself the mid-lane of rax just 26 minutes after the start. NGX couldn’t do anything to kill the mightly carry as they lost their second match in Division I.
SMG vs Polaris
The next series that we had the chance to watch was between SMG and Polaris. The two teams lost their first match, so they were motivated to win this one.
Speaking of winning, SMG was the better team on both maps and deserved their victory. Game one started very well for Polaris. In fact, the team had a 3k net worth lead just 7 minutes after the start.
We expected Polaris to continue to dominate and snowball, but Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng and the rest played smart and relied on their big team fight ultimates to win. Although Polaris had the lead until the mid-game, things changed after the big fight near the Rosh pit.
SMG got the Aegis and eventually became too strong for Polaris and won the first map.
Map 2
The second game was similar to the first one because Polaris had the lead and failed to use it to their potential. Thanks to Pudge and Mirana, the team won the laning stage and prevented SMG’s support from having a big impact. However, this draft was not powerful enough to withstand the damage from Ember and Enigma’s Black Hole.
Both teams were close throughout most of the game, but SMG’s team-fight potential eventually gave them the victory. Although their scores were not as farmed as those from Polaris, the big ults won them the match.
BOOM vs Talon
The last match in Division I that was fascinating was between BOOM Esports and Talon Esports. The two teams will try to do everything they can to qualify for the upcoming Major, so winning this match was of utmost importance.
Both teams got interesting drafts in game one. Although BOOM’s pick seemed strong, Talon managed to contain it and eventually win. The two teams were very close in terms of net worth, but Talon was stronger because Ursa and Lina had tons of items.
BOOM was doing OK and even got the Aegis, but a very long team fight near the Rosh pit 30 minutes after the start of the game was enough for them to lose. Suddenly, Talon gained a massive net worth advantage and secured two lanes of rax.
Game 2
The second game of the series turned out to be even more intriguing because it lasted almost one hour. Even though Talon clearly had the better draft for the late game, they failed to defeat Razor and Kunkka.
Nyx turned out to be a perfect pick against Dusa and Ember and BOOM used it to his full potential. Talon Esports made many mistakes, eventually giving BOOM a massive net worth advantage. In the end, Yopaj and the rest won the match and pushed the series into a final game three.
Game 3
Just when we thought we’d already watched the longest game of the week, BOOM and Talon played a game that lasted for over an hour. As you can expect from any long match, we had the chance to see a lot of things.
Both teams were desperately trying to win, but in the end, Talon Esports delivered their knock-out punch. The team’s Slark had a fantastic game and successfully countered Ember and MK. Even though BOOM’s cores looked stronger on paper, Talon’s draft allowed their Slark to shine and he gave them the victory.
Following the first two weeks, Talon Esports is the leader in Division I after winning three matches. This puts them in a perfect position to secure one of the three slots for the PGL Arlington Major 2022.
