Dota 2
After we had the chance to watch the epic match between Quincy Crew and TSM last week, it was time for another set of interesting series. Week 3 of the DPC in North America gave us access to a couple of important matches. As you know, NA only has two slots for the Major, so the top-tier teams need to be flawless to secure them.
Almost every match in Division I was fun to watch, which is why we will go through them in this article. We have three more weeks to go until Tour 3 ends, so it will be interesting to see what will happen.
Nouns continue to impress everyone
Before the start of this DPC, people expected EG, Quincy Crew, and TSM to be the three teams that would fight for the two Major slots. However, after the first three weeks, it is clear that we have a fourth contender.
Nouns are a team of four US players and a Brazillian carry Guilherme Silva "Costabile" Costábile. No one expected the young squad to be so dominant, but it won all of its first four matches.
After defeating EG and felt, the team had to go up against Wildcard Gaming in its first series of the week. This turned out to be a great match where we got to see three epic games.
The first one was probably the most interesting because it lasted more than one hour and we had an Enigma, Morph, and Naga. The late-game monsters were neck and neck the entire game. Although nouns had a couple of chances of winning, they couldn’t counter Enigma’s deadly ultimate and lost the first map.
Game 2 and 3
After losing the first map of the series, David "Moo" Hull and the rest won two games in a row. The second match was close, but the Kotl and Juggernaut combo somehow defeated WG’s deadly draft.
Luke "YamSun" Wang and the rest picked their signature Morphling and Dawnbreaker for game three, but even these heroes were not powerful enough to stop their opponents. Moo and co. got their hands on Invoker, Enigma, and Lifestealer, which is why the third map was only 32 minutes long.
The match vs. The Cut
After winning against Wildcard Gaming, nouns had to go up against The Cut. This match was not easy because Roy "Rajjix" al Rajji and the rest of his team were highly motivated to win. Following last week’s victory against 5RFS, a victory here would guarantee the team’s survival in Division I.
Sadly, The Cut was unable to defeat its powerful enemies after a three-game thriller. Every map was long ad fun to watch because the two teams gave everything they had. The Cut looked like the better team in Game one, but the Enigma and Sven combo from Zakari William Lee "Zfreek" Freedman and the rest were enough to win.
Following the victory, game two allowed us to watch Clinkz carry, and the game lasted for 64 minutes. Despite playing against a late-game Enigma and Lycan, The Cut found a way to overcome its opponents and win the match.
As for game three, it almost lasted for one hour, but in the end, nouns got the win. The Cut relied heavily on their Spectre to carry them, but even this hero was not powerful enough to stop Enigma and TA.
EG won a vital match against TSM
Aside from nouns’s domination, we also had the chance to watch the series between EG and TSM. This was undoubtedly the most important and anticipated match of the week because the two teams are direct contenders for the PGL Arlington Major 2022.
EG had an excellent start in the series because they won the first game with little to no effort. TSM’s draft relied heavily on their Bristleback, but the hero was unable to outcarry EG”s deadly pick.
TI 5 winners accumulated a 14k+ net worth advantage just 27 minutes after the start of the match. TSM on;y had six kills, so it is evident that this game favored Abed Azel "Abed" L. Yusop and his team. EG won a couple of fights several minutes after getting the Aegis and got the lead in the series.
Game 2
Following EG’s dominant victory, most of us expected the NA team to win the second map. Despite the good start, TSM’s draft with Sniper and Tiny bounced back and equalized the series.
Neither team stood out until the mid-game when TSM’s draft slowly started showing its prowess. Although EG got the first Aegis in the game, TSM outmaneuvered their opponents and killed their opponents’ cores. This allowed them to secure the first melee barrack just 23 minutes after the start.
In the end, TSM utilized their advantage and won the second game of this epic series.
Game 3
Neither team wanted to take any unnecessary risks in the series' third game, which is why the teams played more defensively. Even though TSM’s draft was ideal for early and mid-game fights, EG did an excellent job at preventing their opponents from using it.
Both teams were close in terms of net worth and kills during the first 30 minutes of the game. In fact, TSM even managed to reach their opponents’ high ground and try to destroy the T3 tower. Sadly, this was the team’s most significant mistake because EG managed to kill four heroes.
Following this fight, EG took control of the game and needed just a couple of minutes to win. As mentioned, this was one of the crucial victories for EG because it is against a direct competitor for the Major slot.
QC won both matches
Aside from nouns, this week was essential for Quincy Crew. The team is one of the leading contenders for one of the slots for the Major, so the two victories this week were extremely important for them. After all, Arif "MSS" Anwar will have to go up against nouns next week.
After defeating felt with little to no effort, QC had to play against Wildcard Gaming. The latter lost its first match of the week against nouns, so it had to win this one. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done.
Even though it was not that easy, QC eventually won both maps and the series. Their opponents played well in both, but this was not enough to bring down one of the best NA teams.
