Team Liquid 2-0’ed OG preventing a four-way tiebreaker. And now OG has to fight through the TI qualifiers if they want a chance to three-peat.
The final DPC Season 2 group stage match set was a perfect ending to the regular season. OG was fighting for survival and needed a victory to force a multi-team tiebreaker. Team Liquid took down OG to qualify to the group stage of the WePlay Animajor. ESL also announced a $400,000 non-DPC event, the ESL One Summer that will feature some of the best teams from EU/CIS.
Here’s how the final game of the DPC Season 2 Europe took place and the final standings for season 2.
Game 1: Fight, Fight, Fight!!
On paper, it was easy to analyze the playstyle the two teams should adopt in game 1. With Faceless Void and Tidehunter, OG was reliant on long-cooldown ultimates. But with Tiny and Grimstroke, the two-time TI championship team found a unique way to stay ahead in the mid-game. The Tiny-Grimstroke combo was enough to burst down any hero on Team Liquid’s lineup.
The mid-game was all about testing Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan’s reflexes. If OG would catch him off-guard and lock him down without his strength morph (or BKB later) the team fight would go OG’s way. But catching SumaiL off-guard is easier said than done. The former EG player was very quick on his reflexes, often flirting with fire and constantly participating in team fights.
Game 1 of the series saw both teams constantly brawl. Old-school Dota 2 fans would be shocked at OG trying to take team fights without ultimates, but these guys are the two-time TI champions for a reason. Ultimately, OG had little to no answer for SumaiL, whose performance steered the course of the game. Team Liquid defeated OG in game 1 and was one game away from securing an Animajor group stage slot.
Game 2: The Taiga + Qojqva show
Despite losing game 1, there were instances when OG looked it could run away with the game. But the team’s inability to find an answer to SumaiL’s Morphling hurt its chances. Game 2 also went Team Liquid’s way, but OG did not stand a chance in this match.
With a Broodmother pick, Team Liquid came into this game with a set plan and it worked wonders. Tommy "Taiga" Le and Max "qojqva" Bröcker dominated the offlane punishing OG for its daring draft. OG picked Sven for Ana, a hero that has lost its relevance in the current patch.
Which teams qualified for WePlay Animajor?
Alliance sits comfortably on top of the group stage with a 6-1 score. Similar to Season 1, Alliance will move forward to the Animajor playoffs although the team has not particularly been strong on LAN this year.
After Team Liquid’s 2-0 victory over OG, Aydin "iNSaNiA" Sarkohi and co. earn their spot in the group stage. Europe has two wild card slots which are occupied by Nigma and Team Secret.
The WePlay Animajor kicks off on June 2 and is the last opportunity for Dota 2 teams to earn DPC points before The International.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.