After the 2023 DPC began in China, it was time to see the best teams from the rest of the regions. DPC is now live everywhere, including in Southeast Asia. Like the rest, the teams here are divided into two divisions, Division I and Division II, but following the changes to the rules, the two divisions will be played separately.
What’s interesting about the 2023 DPC in SEA is that the region gets 3 Major slots. In other words, the top 3 Division I teams will be able to represent the region against the best WEU, EEU, NA, SA, and China have to offer. However, before we learn which sections will get the slots, we must look back at some of the highlights of the first week of DPC in SEA.
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Fnatic lost against Geek Fam
This was the second series of the week that we had the chance to watch, and it turned out to be a bloodbath between Fnatic and Geek Slate. Although Armel and his side have been the most dominant team in the South East Asia region for many years, this isn’t the case anymore. GSI is a relatively new team with several promising players, but this didn’t stop them from defeating their powerful opponent.
People expected a comfortable win for Fnatic, especially in their first match. However, this didn’t happen as the newcomers to Division 1 surprised their opponents and were the better team on the day.
The first match between the two was probably more interesting than the second one because it allowed us to watch a lot of epic team fights. Fnatic wanted to use their Morph and provide him with enough farm, whereas Geek relied on their Nature’s Prophet and Lina.
After numerous back-and-forth actions and many epic team fights, Fnatic couldn’t bounce back and lost the map, giving Geek the lead in the series.
Game 2
The second match between these two squads was even more interesting than the first one. As expected, the Fnatic side was furious with their performance, so the team did everything possible to win. After a solid laning stage, Fnatic gained a substantial lead, and everyone expected them to win and make it to game three.
Sadly, typical for Armel and the rest, Fnatic failed to use their lead properly and lost the match. Things went well until the 32nd minute when Fnatic tried to get Roshan. After failing to secure the Aegis, Geek got several important kills that put them back in the game. Unsurprisingly, the team used the momentum and eventually gained the lead a couple of minutes later. This was enough for them to win the match.
Fnatic’s second mistake vs. Bleed
After losing the first match against Geek, people expected Fnatic to bounce back in the second series of the week. However, this was not the case, and the powerhouse lost another match, putting them in a bad spot for the rest of DPC SEA.
The match between them and DuBu’s squad was exciting, especially on the second map. Bleed Esport used the Drow Ranger start in both matches and was successful.
After winning the first map, the team picked a Brood/Drow setup for the second one. As expected, Fnatic countered it with an LC and Batrider. Although having a good pick, the early game wasn’t easy for Fnatic, which is why their opponents got a lead in terms of kills. However, the team managed to bounce back.
What’s interesting was that Fnatic got a 23k net worth lead and an Aegis and a Cheese around 50 minutes after the start. Everyone expected Armel and the rest to equalize the series, but the team proved they had problems when leading. A terrible team fight crushed Fnatic’s dream and allowed Bleed to win a crucial match.
The last match for Fnatic was another loss
After two consecutive losses, Fnatic had to make something special happen if they wanted to survive at DPC. Sadly, the last series for them was against Blacklist International, a highly motivated team to win.
Speaking of motivations, BI tried to surprise their opponents by getting Arc Warden in the first game. Although the hero had some success, Fnatic was the better team with their Spectre and Shadow Fiend. Consequently, the team won the map.
The bad news for Fnatic was that they would go on to throw the second game of the match. Despite the lead in the early game, many mistakes allowed Blacklist International’s draft to bounce back in the match. In the end, their core heroes became too big for Fnatic to deal with, so we watched a 3rd game in the series.
Once again, Fnatic failed to live up to the expectations, despite the somewhat strong start to the game. Once their opponents took control, they quickly gained a massive advantage. In the end, the TA and Tiny combo proved too strong for Fnatic as they lost their third series of the week. Sadly, these losses will hurt the team’s chances of securing a slot for the Major. However, there are several matches, so we are yet to see what will happen.
BOOM lost against Talon & Geek Slate
Aside from Fnatic, BOOM Esports are also in attendance at SEA. Even though they couldn’t win any significant event in 2022, BOOM was a deadly opponent and even eliminated Team Spirit from The International 11.
The fact that BOOM is one of the favorites in Division I shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, it seems Yopaj and the rest will have some problems because the team lost against Talon.
The series between these two powerhouses was fun and competitive because both wanted to win. In game one, we saw numerous back-and-forth fights, but most of us expected that BOOM would come out on top due to their Morhpling. However, Talon somehow managed to snatch the victory and get the lead in the series.
BOOM switched their draft in the second game and gave Yopaj his favorite Shadow Fiend. On the other hand, Talon used the same draft, with the only difference being Pango instead of Puck. After playing for 46 minutes, Jabz and the rest delivered their knock-out punch and won the game.
The match vs. Geek Slate
When we thought it couldn’t get worse for BOOM Esports, the team lost its second series of the week. This time, Yopaj and Co failed to defeat Geek Slate, one of the newcomers in Division I. Despite being the favorites, BOOM lost games two and three, which means they already have two losses in the DPC.
After winning the first game in the series, BOOM also got an excellent start to game two because their Morphling got tons of farm. However, Geek Slate bounced back in the series and even took control of the match around 22 minutes after the start. Although BOOM’s Morph was topping the net worth, all of Geek’s cores were behind him.
Game two continued for 70 minutes, during which we saw an abundance of epic fights and close moments. In the end, Geek got more than a 65k net worth advantage and equalized the series.
Losing a game that was 70 minutes long affected BOOM’s performance in game three. Despite the good start and the fact the team had Spectre vs. Drowranger, many mistakes prevented them from winning. Geek slowly became too strong in a fight and got more than a 23k net worth lead just 46 minutes after the start. Unsurprisingly, this was enough for the team to win.
