Dota 2
The PGL Arlington Major 2022 is the second Major of this DPC and the most important one. The world’s best teams have gathered in the U.S. to fight for a $500K USD prize pool and loads of DPC points. And it's DPC points teams need to get a ticket for The International 11, the most significant event in Dota 2.
Although we have almost one week left until the end of the tournament, the Group Stage is finally over. The 17 participating teams were divided into two groups. The latter provided us with non-stop action for five days straight, so it shouldn’t be surprising that tons of matches were worth the watch.
Now that the Group Stage is a wrap, we know the teams heading to the Playoffs and those that will have to go home. There were some big surprises, so let’s quickly recap what happened in the last couple of days.
PSG.LGD is most likely the best team in the world
The title “the best team in the world’ in Dota 2 constantly changes its holder. However, a couple of teams always had consistent results and PSG.LGD is one of them. Despite the club’s strange results during Tour 3 of the DPC, it won the Riyadh Masters 2022. It seems like this event gave players even more motivation because they’ve been flawless in Group A.
Aside from Team Aster, another Chinese powerhouse, PSG.LGD is the only team that is yet to lose a series. Ame and his team only lost one map in Group A. What’s even more surprising is that it was versus Soniqs, the team that did not win a single match.
PSG.LGD defeated every big name in their Group, including RNGU and OG. The first game versus the ESL One Stockholm’s champions was probably the most interesting one because both teams could have won. Nevertheless, LGD was victorious and defeated their opponents for the second time after eliminating them in Riyadh a few days before.
Despite having loads of substitutes, Fnatic exceeded expectations
While we are on the topic of Group A, we must mention that Fnatic is one of the big surprises so far. The SEA team is usually a deadly opponent, but its inconsistent results rarely allowed it to perform as well as the other top Western teams. However, the fact that three of the team’s players couldn’t join allowed Fnatic to play with people like Timado, Dubu, and Bryle. It seems like this was a good idea because Fnatic was one of the best teams in the group.
Although the SEA powerhouse secured a draw in most matches, it only lost one series, and it was against PSG.LGD. It will be exciting to keep an eye on the team in the Playoffs because it has the chance to secure a top 4 finish.
Quincy Crew (Soniqs) had an underwhelming run
The top-tier North American teams not performing well doesn’t surprise most players. TSM’s Grand Finals in the previous Major was the region’s biggest success recently, and it seems like it will stay this way, judging by Soniqs performance.
Even though Quincy Crew was on another level during Tour 3, the team couldn’t do anything in Group A of the PGL Arlington Major. YawaR and co.’s biggest success was the draw against LGD because they became the only team to win a map against the Chinese.
Team Aster is on the rise
It seems like this Major is dominated by the Chinese because Team Aster also finished first in Group B. Similar to LGD, Monet and the rest did not lose a single match, although the team accumulated four draws.
Aster had little to no problems against the likes of EG and Entity during day 1. The match versus Team Spirit was probably the most anticipated and interesting to watch. Game one lasted almost one hour, and both teams could’ve won, but in the end, Team Spirit took the victory. Fortunately, this did not demoralize Aster because the Chinese picked their signature draft in Game 2 and equalized the series.
With the Group Stage done, Team Aster has the chance to meet PSG.LGD in the playoffs. A clash between the best teams in China will be fun to watch, so we hope to see it soon.
Entity surprised everyone
People expect teams like LGD, Aster, and OG to do well because they have some of the best players in the world. However, most Dota 2 fans were pleasantly surprised by Entity’s performance. The Western Europeans barely made it to the Major after the deadly series against Team Secret. However, Pure and the rest deserved their slot among the best because Entity finished second in Group B.
Entity defeated a lot of big names, such as BOOM, Na’Vi, and EG, and it secured draws against Tundra, Team Spirit, and BC. Unsurprisingly, the team only lost one series against Team Aster, and it was during Day 1.
Tundra Esports continues to disappoint its fans
It is safe to say that Tundra Esports is the biggest disappointment at the PGL Arlington Major 2022, at least for now. Everyone expected the winners of Tour 3 in Western Europe to perform well and win most matches, but this didn’t happen.
Tundra’s problems seemed to begin in Saudi Arabia during the Riyadh Masters 2022. After failing to defeat pretty much anyone, it looks like Tundra’s “curse” transferred to Arlington. Even though Nine and the rest secured four draws, the team lost three series and did not win a single one. This granted them the last spot in Group B and a one-way ticket home.
Evil Geniuses managed to bounce back and survive
The best team in North America was eager to prove to its fans that it has what it takes to defeat the best in the world, especially after its disappointing result in Sweden. Sadly, EG had a disastrous start of the event after losing both series during Day 1. Although the NA squad usually performs well against Chinese opponents, EG lost against Aster. Afterward, the team lost another series, but it was against BOOM Esports this time.
Fortunately, EG stepped up its game in the next three days and achieved impressive results. In fact, EG would have finished in the top 4 if the team won its last match against Entity. Sadly, the loss means the NA squad will be in the Lower Bracket.
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