The DPC Regional Finals China concludes just days before the release of the 7.31 patch. Can Team Aster claim the top spot?
We are just days away from getting a new Dota 2 patch. While the top players are competing in the Regional Finals, everyone is thinking about what could change in Dota 2 7.31. After the lower bracket elimination match between EHOME and Aster, Ori had some words to say in the post-match interview.
An early fall to the lower bracket for Aster
China is one of the most competitive regions in Dota 2 producing some of the best talent the scene has to offer. So it’s not surprising to see some of the strongest teams lose and fall down to the lower bracket in China. Aster lost to RNG in their opening match of the Regional Finals. However, they survived a strong pushback by EHOME in the elimination game.
You have to win against every team, so it doesn't matter if you have to play 1 or 2 more games.
When asked if he expected his team to fall down to the lower bracket so soon in the Regional Finals, Ori had nothing but praise for the other teams in the tournament.
“I think every team here is really strong and it doesn't matter to me because if you have to win the championship you have to play each game. You have to win against every team, so it doesn't matter if you have to play 1 or 2 more games. So it's fine with me.”
After EHOME won the first match, Aster fired back in Game 2 with a Phantom Assasin + Lina combo. In Game 3, however, Ori went with a Magnus mid, an unusual pick in the current meta.
But he said the team felt Magnus was a great pick considering the circumstances. Which is why despite Ori not playing Magnus a lot, Aster decided to pick the hero into EHOME’s lineup.
“We tend to pick those heroes that have good performance during our practice and scrims recently. But during the matches, there are situations when there are no good heroes left in the pool,” said Ori. “Especially during the last two picks, that's when we are going to pick some hero that we have not practiced much but we think will be good for the game.“
Expectations from Patch 7.31
Even as Dota 2 players are competing for valuable DPC points, everyone is awaiting the new 7.31 patch. THe new patch promises to bring significant changes to heroes and probably a few item and map changes as well.
The panel asked Ori what changes he would like to see in the new patch. As a mid-laner, Ori’s laning phase is significantly dependent on the water runes.
I would probably change the Water rune in the middle lane.
Valve first added the water rune in Dota 2 with the 7.29 patch in April. The water rune is an attempt to provide a balance to the mid where a rune can tip the game in one team’s favor. However, the water rune is slightly overpowered and there have been similar sentiments in the Dota 2 community.
There’s still a few days to go for the new patch but Valve has already promised significant changes to one of the most loved (?) heroes in the game - Techies.
In the other match of the day, PSG.LGD defeated RNG to advance to the Grand Finals. Team Aster will now face off against RNG in the lower bracket finals of the Tour 1 DPC regionals.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.