“Setting expectations will cause a team’s demise,” says GH after Nigma Galaxy delivers Team Liquid their first DPC loss

A battle between two WEU giants, Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy took place in the DPC- but there’s more to the storyline. This marked the reunion of TI7 Liquid, with Lasse Aukusti "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen on the other side of the fence. Both teams also have a completely different beginning to the season. Team Liquid was on a winning spree, comfortably sitting on top of the standings. But Nigma had a dreadful start, losing multiple early matches to place them near the relegation zone. So it was pretty clear who was the favorites of this matchup, and yet, against the odds, Nigma Galaxy triumphed 2-1 to deliver Liquid their first DPC loss.

In the post-match interview, NGX's pos 4, Maroun "GH" Merhej revealed his thoughts on performing under pressure and expectations. "Expectations are cancerous. They’re really toxic because they put a random pressure on ourselves and we have to perform but at the same time we expect to perform - so basically there’s no reward after it," said GH, "but I truly believe setting expectations will cause a team’s demise."

GH's philosophy evidently work wonders, as they secured the series despite the odds. How did the series play out? Here's a match recap!

The opening match was a steady game for both but Nigma picked up a good early game tempo and initiated many teamfights. However, Liquid’s counter-play almost always resulted in either fair trade or a loss for NGX’s side. The time was ticking and NGX still couldn’t breach Liquid’s stubborn defense.

In the final moments, a deciding fight quickly became disastrous for NGX, when Boxi’s pesky Nyx managed to set up the perfect Carapace. Ultimately, it was game over for NGX.

But, that was just the warm-up...

In the second game, NGX was BLOODTHIRSTY. They were all over the map, mounting pressure on their opponents. Eventually, three of NGX’s cores were leading the net worth, but another player took the spotlight and it was Mister Pos 5, Kuroky. His Lion made amazing plays - timely disabling Liquid and setting up the perfect teamfights.

The final game wasn’t any different. Despite a few hiccups in the starting phase, NGX quickly found their footing and picked up the momentum. 

They continued to show strong aggression, with a wild, hungry Ursa on iLTW, a slick MinD_ContRoL on Outworld Destroyer, constantly disrupting the opponents’ every attempt, and once again, Kuroky with his brilliant support. 

After the series win, NGX has sparked a little more chaos in the WEU standings. Team Liquid, on the other hand, remains in safe territory.

Nigma Galaxy has definitely proven a lot of doubters wrong - smoothly recovering from their dreadful start. But the question remains - what has awakened NGX’s inner beast and will they continue a dominant run?

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Dota 2 news and updates.