Day: 15 October 2020

Categories
Dota 2

Alliance is the first team to qualify for ESL One Germany playoffs

Despite the fact COVID-19 changed the Dota 2 scene, there are still various online tournaments that are fantastic to watch. One of the most anticipated events of the year is ESL One Germany, featuring some of the best teams in the world.

Two of those teams are Alliance and OG. Both went head to head to determine which one will qualify in the playoffs. As you probably know, the format of this event is interesting because it allows each team that wins three series to advance to the playoffs. On the other hand, if another team loses three times in a row, they are eliminated.

Alliance vs OG

Alliance and OG went head to head in one of the most anticipated series of the event. Prior to this clash, both teams had two wins. This means that one of them is automatically going to the playoffs. Although OG had the lead in game one, Alliance was able to turn the series around. In the end, they won with a score of 2:1.

Game one was entirely in favour of OG, as their Phantom Assassin + Magnus ripped through the competition like a knife through butter. Alliance tried to counter this pick with a position 5 Omniknight, but even he was not enough to stop the monstrous damage from OG’s carry.

Following the loss, Alliance decided not to take any chances, which is why they’ve picked Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov’s Morhphling, which is one of his signature heroes. Needless to say, the Bulgarian superstar played near-flawlessly and was able to push the series into a final game three.

The last game of the series seemed to be in OG’s favour. Nevertheless, Alliance won a few team fights in a row, which gave them plenty of momentum. As a result, they started pressing their enemies. After yet another perfect Chronosphere, Nikobaby and his team-mates delivered their knock-out punch and secured themselves a spot at the playoffs.

After the loss, OG will now have to win one more series to advance to the next stage. We have three more days until the group stage ends. As for the playoffs, they will start on 23 October and it will feature 12 teams in total.

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Categories
League of Legends

Damwon takes out DRX in 3-0 stomp at Worlds 2020 quarter-finals

DRX has been eliminated from Worlds 2020 in the Quarter-finals after being defeated 3-0 by fellow LCK team Damwon Gaming. The loss whittles the number of Korean teams at Worlds to just 2, with only Damwon and Gen.G remaining.

The 3-0 defeat was a widely predicted result, with Damwon’s dominance of the group stage, and seasonal advantage over DRX weighing heavily on the minds of analysts. Nonetheless, DRX went into the game with a plan, attempting to neutralise the strong macro game of their opponents with individual skill.

In game one, DRX’s poke comp attempted to whittle down Damwon from range. With a Jayce/Orianna composition, the plan seemed to be to delete Damwon’s champions before they could engage. However, expecting mistakes from their opponent’s proved to be too ambitious for DRX, who found themselves 0-1 after the first matchup.

For their second draft, DRX allowed the Ornn to go over to Damwon’s Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. Their plan was to counter with Jax, a strong fighting champion who could out brawl the Ornn. And then as the game started, it looked like DRX might have a chance. They took an early kill lead, out maneuvering their opponent’s Twisted Fate pick with their own Galio. 

However, just as in the first game, the squad underestimated Damwon’s raw ability. DRX’s opponents then flipped a pair of team fights against them, coming out on top thanks to perfect execution. As a result, DRX were now down 0-2 and clinging to life.

With their Worlds survival on the line, DRX then broke out the unorthodox Vel’koz pick for Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, facing off against Damwon’s Orianna pick. And in the early game DRX did well, with Chovy grabbing a strong lead versus his opponent. But are a series of bizarre misplays, Damwon found themselves in the lead again.

After more disastrous teamfights for DRX, Damwon took a dominant position on the map. They pushed down lanes and trapped DRX in a defensive position. With little to strike back with, DRX finally rolled over and in 25 minutes, Damwon wrapped up the series. 

Now the question remains whether anyone can stop Damwon Gaming? This LCK team is one of the strongest we’ve seen out of the regions since the heyday of SKT T1. The winner of G2 and Gen.G semi-finals match will have their work cut out for them in the semi-finals. 

The Worlds 2020 quarter-finals continues tomorrow. For all the latest Worlds 2020 news and analysis.check out Dart Frog on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.