ESTNN continues breaking down the hottest action from the Riyadh Masters 2022.
After we had the chance to watch the first two days of the Riyadh Masters 2022, it was time to take a look at what happened during Day 3. As you know, 10 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world have the chance to compete in Saudi Arabia for a massive prize pool. The Riyadh Masters 2022 is not a part of the DPC, but it offers a jaw-dropping $4,000,000 prize pool.
The ten teams were split into two groups of 5, where each team had to play against the rest. Although we already knew the names of some teams that were eliminated, the last day of the Group Stage was epic. Most of the series we had access to were from Group B, so let’s take a loo kat everything we had access to.
Group A
There were only two series in Group A because the first day of the event allowed us to watch more matches. Although the match between RNGU and Team Liquid was interesting, most people expected to see the clash between OG and TSM.
OG vs TSM
The reason why this match was so interesting to watch is that it was a replay of the ESL One Stockholm 2022 final. In case you don’t remember, these two teams played against each other a couple of months ago during the first Major of the DPC. Even though most people expected TSM to win, OG’s young squad dominated and won its first LAN event.
Following both teams’ performances throughout the event, OG was definitely the favorite. That’s why most people were not surprised that Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov and his team were victorious.
Game 1
The first game between the two powerhouses was more interesting because both teams played well. What’s more, we had the chance to see some of their best heroes, such as TSM’s Terrorblade and bzm’s Puck.
As expected, neither team had the lead because both were neck and neck in terms of net worth. Unsurprisingly, TB was the leader, but he was not powerful enough to defeat OG’s cores.
The reason why OG won the first map was because of bzm’s incredible Puck. The Bulgarian Dota 2 prodigy landed some of the best Dream Coils we’ve ever seen, which was enough to prevent TSM from having the advantage in the team fight. The last nail of the coffin took place in the mid-lane, around 40 minutes after the start.
Game 2
The disappointing loss in Game 1 definitely had an impact on TSM in the second game of the series. The team changed its draft, but the squad didn’t seem that motivated to win. Needless to say, this was more than welcomed by OG and bzm, and the rest took full advantage of it.
After dominating in the laning stage, OG secured a huge lead in the second game. Bzm was the start for his team once again because his Tiny was on another level. He snowballed out of control and prevented TSM from utilizing their draft.
Game 2 lasted just 28 minutes as OG won the match and secured themselves a first place in Group A. This means the team received a direct invitation to the Semi-Finals, where it will have to play against the winner from PSG.LGD and Nigma Galaxy.
PSG.LGD won two matches
Following the action in Group A, it was time to focus on the event’s second Group, where a couple of teams had the chance to secure a slot for the playoffs. One of them was PSG.LGD, the only Chinese team that received a direct invitation to the event.
Although it was not easy, Wang “Ame” Chunyu and co. secured themselves two victories and second place in the group. The team’s first success was versus Deboosters, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise. The Chinese powerhouse had almost no problems in both games, even though their opponents tried to be innovative and pick interesting heroes.
The match vs Tundra Esports
It is safe to say that Tundra Esports is one of the biggest disappointments at this event. The winners of Division I in Western Europe were crushed in almost every series, including the one where they had to face LGD.
Game one between the powerhouses was a lot more interesting than the rest because TE got CK, Alch, and Void Spirit, three heroes that they are known for. However, even this draft was not enough to bring down the powerful PSG.LGD.
After the fairly even laning stage, the Chinese slowly gained a lead in the mid-game after successfully shutting down Alchemist. In the end. MK, Doom and Puck were almost as farmed as Alch, which is why the Chinese had no problems winning the series’ first game.
Game 2
After dominating in the first map, the Chinese squad ripped through Tundra Esports in game two and signed up the European team’s elimination.
LGD used their signature Templar Assassin draft that also includes Dazzle and Visage. Although the laning stage was close, LGD took full advantage of their overly-farmed TA and dominated in the mid-game. The hero took the Aegis and used it to secure the team a comfortable lead.
Tundra Esports had no answers to TA’s damage output, which is why Leon “Nine” Kirilin and the rest had no options but to use the GG call.
Aside from OG and PSG, we had the chance to watch a few other teams in action, Tundra lost two matches this day because the team also failed to defeat the current TI champions. Yatoro and his team played an exciting two-games series, but in the end, Team Spirit was victorious.
Speaking of the devil, the CIS powerhouse had another match, but this time, it was against Team Secret. Despite having no problems in the first map, the TI champs failed to defeat their opponents in game two. Secret continues to impress everyone with its innovative picks and finished first in Group B.
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