This weekend saw Tundra Esports take the ESL One Fall: Bootcamp Edition in a 3-2 finish against PSG.LGD. Tundra were in the middle of the pack during the Dota Pro Circuit season. However, they peaked during the regional qualifiers, bringing OG to a close Game 5. Now with their win at another large scale tournament, fans and analysts are beginning to question the DPC system. Their primary argument is that the best teams should go to The International, and Tundra Esports are not going, despite their fantastic performance as of late.
While it could be argued that Tundra Esports deserve a place at The International 10 after their recent performance, it would eliminate the work that other teams have put in. The aim of the DPC has always been to prioritize achievements throughout the year instead of focusing on the teams that peak right around TI. DPC points are a way to reward teams for consistency throughout two seasons and multiple majors. With that in mind, the best teams who displayed consistency across the seasons, are going to TI.
Virtus.pro remain dark horses into the International 1o
Throughout the event, Virtus.pro remained undefeated with a 12-game win streak. It took until their winners bracket finals match against Tundra Esports for them to finally fall. Virtus.pro were better than their competition in Group A. They did not stray away from their usual picks of Winter Wyvern and Lion and executed better than their competition. However they finally met their match when they faced Tundra Esports, one of the underdogs of the tournament. Tundra broke Virtus.pro’s winning streak in two games. The first game even featured a Night Stalker first pick that took Virtus.pro for a turn. A typical offlane staple was now being played as a five position support by Adrian “Fata” Trinks.
Imagine this guy running at you as night stalker pos 5. what do you do? pic.twitter.com/7nXPdZcUdK
— skiter (@Skiter) August 29, 2021
While VP fell, the 12-game winning streak is nothing to scoff at. Games played on this new patch are more likely to translate to a good performance at The International. Virtus.pro will be a dark horse at this year’s international for sure, depending on how they grow over the next month.
PSG. LGD continue their streak of non-meta picks
It started with Spiritbreaker mid lane. They then popularized Io and Night Stalker in the off lane. PSG.LGD have stopped at nothing to break the mold in terms of picks. The multiple-time International finalists have been making the best of a worse situation. PSG.LGD’s mid lander Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang could not attend the tournament according to a post on their Weibo page. Instead PSG.LGD’s coach, Zhang “xiao8” Ning, played in his stead. The situation allowed PSG.LGD to freely experiment with new picks that they typically would not otherwise. Spiritbreaker acted as a way for xiao8 to influence the map without having a large focus on laning. Using Charge of Darkness to gank lanes that would not expect the rotation.
🏆 IT'S GRAND FINALS TIME! 🏆
The players are ready, are you?@TundraEsports_ vs @PSGLGD_
🔴 https://t.co/jKNcjqCY84#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/1gFQDVhGPR
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) August 29, 2021
While there was an affinity with off-meta picks, PSG.LGD also showed that they could play on-meta picks as well as any team. Zhao “XinQ” ZiXing’s Keeper of the Light was especially impressive. PSG.LGD were keen on taking the first pick in order to keep it in their hands throughout the tournament.
ESL One fall Bootcamp Edition allowed TI invited teams to get their last bit of practice in before bootcamps begin. More importantly, players and viewers were able to get a sneak peek of Patch 7.30b. This will be the patch that The International 10 will most likely be played on. Teams have experimented throughout the tournament, and there is no doubt this experimentation will continue throughout The International 10 Group Stage.
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