TSM started their DPC Tour 2 with a win over Team DogChamp. Moon dominated Game 2 with mischevious Techies pick and a smile.
After Week 1 of the DPC NA Tour 2, TSM, 4Zoomers and Quincy Crew have secured one win each. With two victories in the first week, however, Evil Geniuses leads the table for now. The North American Dota 2 scene looks very competitive, a constant tussle between EG, TSM, Quincy Crew and 4Zoomers.
TSM’s Week 1 victory came against Team DogChamp, a series that TSM won 2-0. It was a great game to watch, but made more exciting by the presence of Techies in Game 2. This was the first time the hero appeared in the Div 1 NA Tour 2, with Moonmeander rocking the much-beloved (or maybe not) hero. Moonmeander had some interesting insights into Techies and the TSM team dynamics in the post-match interview.
"I had to sacrifice a lot of MMR to learn this hero [Techies]. I got reported a lot, and I was like, I gotta make it work somehow.": TSM Moonmeander
Valve released patch 7.31 last month, bringing a Techies rework, which has got many pro players intrigued. Historically, Techies is one of the least picked heroes in competitive play, but Moonmeander is not letting history define his picks. He brought out the Techies at the Gamers Galaxy LAN and now again, in the DPC.
In Game 2, Moonmeander’s Techies had the highest number of kills and damage (13 kills and nearly 45.1k damage). There were some close moments, but the TSM roster seems to be back in its groove.
“I just wanted to bust it out cause I wanted to see how it works in Competitive Dota 2. I've seen Topson play it a couple of times. I had to sacrifice a lot of MMR to learn this hero, I got reported a lot, and I was like, I gotta make it work somehow," TSM Moonmeander said in the post-match interview.
"I thought it was a great support duo with Bane with the Sleep-Suicide setup with the Sticky Latch and double mines. There's too much damage with the Bane setup so it's a great duo support combo.”
This might not be the last Techies pick in the DPC tour as Moonmeander is not revealing any secrets, well, not yet at least.
“At Gamers Galaxy I was playing it [techies] cause I was reading the Patch notes and I found the weaknesses and strengths of the hero. I won't go too much into it, cause I might bust it out again.”
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What happened at Gamers Galaxy?
A wrong read, amazing opponents and some chicken.
“I had a really wrong read on the patch. I really thought it was more like a farming patch.
The Gamers Galaxy LAN was the first Dota 2 LAN tournament of the year and it was also the first tournament on the new patch. Players were still figuring out the meta but SEA’s BOOM esports adapted quickly and won the first LAN event of 2022.
TSM barely made it out of groups, winning a tie-breaker match against Fnatic in Group A. Unfortunately, they lost the next series against Team Secret (in the play-ins), out of the event in 7-8th place.
“I had a really wrong read on the patch. I really thought it was more like a farming patch. We just kept losing cause I drafted these slow lineups and then they picked heroes that ran at people.
We won against Fnatic which is really good. Then lunch came and they served Chicken Tendies. And three of us ate a double serving of it and then we played Team Secret after that. And we were all falling asleep already.”
Before the start of the Gamers Galaxy tournament, the players had announced they would donate their winnings to relief for the people of Ukraine. TSM also matched their contributions, totaling $16,350 in donations.
It's been some time since the new patch and TSM are looking to finish in the top two during DPC. A top two finish guarantees TSM a spot in Stockholm Major, the first Dota 2 Major of 2022. Looking ahead, TSM Moonmeander has a clear goal on how to improve.
"The thing I'm looking at for my team is mostly the consistency and discipline of my teammates. They are young guys, they are really good. But what they lack is experience, discipline and consistency and I'm trying to drill that into them."
Tal "Fly" Aizik was the team's coach during the Regional Finals. But the former EG player is no longer coaching TSM and it seems, might have aspirations to pick up the mouse once again.
“I need to pick up a coach along the way, cause Fly did respectfully decline because I think he still wants to be a player. I definitely am OK with that because he is a great player and I think if he wants to keep playing that's what you should do.
I'm still looking for a coach to help me out with my drafts and stuff and help with the consistency and discipline of the team. I feel like if we can get that on track and we just play good all the time, at the level we can play at, I am pretty sure we can be a top five team in the world.”
TSM face simply TOOBASED in their next DPC match. Dota 2 fans can catch all the action live on Twitch.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.
