An overview of some of the most important matches in the fourth week of the Western Europe DPC.
After one month of back-and-forth action, the Western Europen DPC is slowly but steadily coming to an end. Following the Christmas and New Year’s break, some of the best teams in the worst had to go up against each other in order to determine which of them will qualify for the upcoming Major. We already knew that Team Liquid was going to be one of the participants, but it was interesting to see which team to the second place.
Besides keeping an eye on the winner, people were interested to see which teams will be relegated to Division II. With that being said, here are some of the things that took place during the week in both divisions.
Division I
OG vs Coolguys
The first event of this week actually took place in December of 2021. OG’s new roster slowly but steadily started to show its process after a couple of matches. However, they had the uneasy task of facing Coolguys, a team that can explode at any minute.
After a three-game series, OG was able to win, which gave them second place in Division I. Despite the victory, it was not easy because Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov lost the second game of the series. What was even more surprising was the third one, which nearly lasted one hour. After several amazing team fights, the two times TI winners were able to secure the victory and pushed their opponents into Division II.
Team Liquid vs Team Secret
The second series that took place before 2022 was the one between Team Liquid and Team Secret. Needless to say, this was one of the most anticipated series if of this DPC because these two teams have a lot in common, especially after the roster changes. Sadly for Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his teammates, Team Secret was unable to live up to people’s expectations.
The first and the third game were entertaining to watch because both teams played really well. With that being said, Liquid had the upper edge in both games, which allowed them to take the victory. Secret won the second game of the series, but it was not enough to motivate them for the third one. After another 50+ minute thriller, the EU powerhouse successfully defeated one of the best teams in the world in the last couple of years.
Alliance vs Nigma Galaxy
The first game of 2022 in the Western Europe DPC Division I was between Alliance and Nigma Galaxy. Both teams failed to impress in the previous weeks, so people expected them to shine in this series. Neither had any chances of qualifying directly for the Major, but the match was more important for Alliance because they could be relegated to Division II.
Sadly for Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov and the rest of his team, Nigma managed to win this match relatively easily. The first game was more interesting because Alliance had some chances of winning. However, the second one was completely one-sided because Nigma needed around 25-minutes to win.
Tundra Esports vs COOLGUYS
Unfortunately, Cooolguys were unable to save themselves from Division II after losing their series against Tundra Esports. Although the second game was not that easy, Leon “Nine” Kirilin and everyone else from the team were able to defeat their opponents.
The second game of the series was really fun cause CG picked Invoker and Medusa, which was a clear sign that they wanted to play in the late game. Sadly for them, TS realized the danger and managed to defeat their opponents in around 40 minutes.
OG vs Team Tickles
The last series of the Western Europe Division I was between OG and Team Tickles. Even though this game didn’t seem attractive on paper, it was a joy to watch because both teams played three epic games.
The first one finished in favor of OG after the team picked among the most dominant heroes in the meta. Clinkz and Timbersaw didn’t give their opponents any chances of succeeding and easily ripped through their opponents.
Despite the dominant victory, game two between OG and TT went in favour of the latter. Queen of Pain and Phantom Assassin proved to be too strong even for Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov’s mighty Invoker.
The final game of the series was as interesting as the other two, but it seems like TT used the momentum to their advantage. OG tried to use interesting heroes, such as Faceless Void and Morphling, but TT countered them with PA and QoP, both of which worked really well in game two. It was not easy, but TT was able to win after several good team fights.
Division II
Ghost Frog vs Team Bald Reborn
The action in Division II has always been fun to watch because of the fact that most teams are evenly matched. This is true for the series between Ghost Frog and Team Bald Reborn, which ended in favor of Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski and co.
Winning this series was not easy because TBR had to overcome a one-game lead after losing the first map. Fortunately, the team picked some of their best heroes two games in a row and didn’t give their opponents any chances of succeeding.
Entity vs CHILLAX
The second series of the week and the last one for 2021 was between Entity and CHILLAX. This was an important match because both teams had similar results, so a victory would put one of them in a batter position. Even though some people thought that CHILLAX would win, Entity completely ripped through their opponents. Both games lasted for around 27 minutes, which means that Daniel “Stormstormer” Schoetzau and the rest didn’t give their opponents any chances.
Team Bald Reborn vs ITB
After winning the first series of the week, Gorgc’s team was eager to do that again. It definitely wasn’t easy, but after another three-game deathmatch, the team was able to seize the victory.
The first game was nearly 53 minutes, so we got to see some gripping late-game action. Fortunately for TBR, they had the better draft and managed to win. Following the victory, the team lost the second game of the series, so we got to see the third one. Oracle and Bristleback proved to be pretty strong, and ITB didn’t have anything to counter them. Consequently, the team had no other option but to use the GG call.
Brame vs Ghost Frogs
Brame is one of the few teams in Division II that can play in Division I next time. Luckily for Irakli “W1sh-” Peranidze and the other people from his team, they were able to win this series and secured themselves second place in the group.
Ghost Frogs were dangerous in both games, but the team just didn’t have enough firepower to defeat its opponents. As a result, it will remain in this division for the next DPC.
No BH vs Chicken Fighters
The last series in Division II was going to be interesting, but No BH decided to forfeit and not play against Chicken Fighters. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise because the team had a lot of problems with its roster.
CF secured the first spot in Division II and a slot in Division I after the victory. It will be really interesting to see if the roster has what it takes to defeat the big names that it has to go up against.