Outsiders weather the Alchemist to defeat BetBoom and keep Major hopes alive cover image

Outsiders weather the Alchemist to defeat BetBoom and keep Major hopes alive

BetBoom was committed to the Alchemist against Outsiders, but their opponents stayed the course to win the series.

Outsiders have claimed victory in their penultimate game of the DPC EEU 2021/2022 Tour 3: Division I, beating BetBoom Team 2-1 in a hard-fought series. Outsiders, the banner under which the Virtus.pro Dota 2 team competes in the EEU DPC, have continued a winning weekend for themselves, that’s seen them defeat Team Spirit earlier this week, and secure the finals of the Dota 2 Champions League Season 12.

But the victory was anything but simple for the Virtus.pro lineup, who found determined and dangerous opponents in BetBoom Team. After a first-game drubbing, BetBoom bounced back to win the second game and almost secure the final match.

Only the consistency of Outsider’s play over three games kept them from losing out on the match and possibly a trip to the Arlington Major. The victory has secured them more berth to avoid elimination from Major contention as the team moves to 5-1 and joint first in the division.

Three close games for Outsiders against BetBoom

Outsiders began the series strong with a score in the win column. Faced with an Alchemist/Enigma comp from Bet BetBoom, they used the raw power of the mid Puck to bully their opponents. This shut down the potent combo before they could even get started.

But in game two, with the Puck banned away, there was really nothing to slow down the growth of the Alchemist when it was picked again. Spiraling out of control thanks to the great catches by the Enigma, Alchemist ballooned to 9/1/12. Pushing into the high ground, there was nothing Outsiders could do to stop the hyper carry, pushing the series to its third and final game.

BetBoom probably had the best start you can have to a game three. After catching their opponent off guard, they could secure three kills before the runes had even spawned. And all three kills landed on the mid laner. There’s basically not a better opening to a game of Dota 2 a Puck mid could have.

But after that, the team just kept trying to force something that wasn’t there. They couldn’t get the team fight to land quite right with their Slardar or their Clockwerk. And Outsiders just farmed and waited. Eventually, there was nothing for BetBoom to do but watch as Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev’s Juggernaut, which had been stifled all game, ran them over. Outsiders secured the series 2-1.

Major implications

BetBoom must now hope for some bad play from Na’Vi and Virtus.pro next week. Along with a great performance against Team Spirit on July 14th. Only a win from themselves, and two losses from their rivals will put them in a position to compete for a spot at the Major.

Outsiders will compete as Virtus.pro in the finals of the D2CL tomorrow (July 11th). If they win, they'll take home the $20,000 prize. Then, four days later, they’ll have one final DPC match and find out if they’re heading to Dallas.