DPC Recap Week 6 – What Happened in the Chinese Pro Circuit?

Chinese teams returned to the server after nearly two weeks of break from the Dota Pro Circuit. The Chinese New Year usually sees professional esports teams take a two or three week-break and 2021 was no different. Even as the other regions have completed their games, China remains one of the biggest regions to still send teams to the Major playoffs and group stage.

Invictus Gaming has emerged as the strongest team in the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit. Sitting pretty at five victories and zero losses, Invictus Gaming’s 2-0 win over LBZS further cemented its place as the top-performing group stage team. The best team from the group stage earns a spot in the ONE Esports Singapore Major playoffs. The second-best team will also qualify to the Major; however, it will have to fight its way through the group stage. 

Both games of the series between IG and LBZS were relatively one-sided matches. Invictus Gaming players were a class apart and they won the game in the draft-phase itself. While LBZS had the right idea, and their players played exceedingly well, IG’s players had the upper hand in experience and a more focused approach on taking objectives. Invictus Gaming ended the week with 6-0 in the DPC leaderboards. 

The match between Team Aster and MagMa went along expected lines with a 2-0 win for Aster.

The match between Vici Gaming and Elephant promised to be an exciting one and Dota 2 fans were not disappointed. For many fans, Elephant was the favorite to win this series, but Vici emerged victorious with a 2-0 score. The first game saw Ori’s Shadow Fiend take over the game. Even after a relatively even mid laning phase, Ori was able to dominate the game with his right-click build. Elephant’s Abaddon pick never had any impact throughout the game and it was a relatively easy game for Vici Gaming. 

Elephant took a lead in the second game, but Vici’s late-game draft peaked at just the right moment. As Elephant could not deal with Vici’s Wraith King, the Game 1 winners marched ahead in Game 2. They took down key objectives and consolidated their lead into something bigger, ultimately leading to a series sweep. 

The final Chinese game of the week saw PSG.LGD take on EHOME in a best-of-three series. Both teams are down near the bottom half of the table. 

The first game was relatively even; however, NothingToSay’s Puck remained without a single death till the very end. As evasive as Pucks can be, the PSG.LGD player went into a core role towards the latter half of the game. Building into a Desolator and Linken’s Sphere, EHOME’s players had no counter for Puck. PSG.LGD eventually pulled ahead and closed the game at the 22-minute mark.

The second game followed a similar pattern. PSG.LGD managed to keep the game relatively even up until the 14-minute mark. However, with a draft that prefers going late, PSG.LGD increased its lead and eventually took the series with a 2-0 score.

China still has a few games remaining to send its teams to the ONE Esports Singapore Major. Invictus Gaming is yet to lose a series in the group stage. But the real competition is between Team Aster and Vici Gaming for the second-place and a slot in the group stage of the Major.