All the highlights from Week 4 of the DPC in Western Europe.
We are slowly but steadily reaching the final two weeks of the 2021/2022 DPC in Tour 2. After four weeks of games, some teams have already shown their prowess and it seems like they have what it takes to get a slot for the Stockholm Major. Sadly, others have a lot of problems lately and still can’t show everything they’re capable of.
Unlike Week 3, where we had the chance to watch six epic games, the fourth week of the DPC only gave us access to five matches. With that being said, there were several fantastic series, so let’s look at the most popular ones. Unlike previous weeks, this article will only go over the most interesting matches.
Division I
Team Secret vs Brame
Despite the fantastic start of Tour 2 and Secret’s victory against Brame, the team’s success was short-lived. After losing two important matches, the team made another mistake that might cause its sport in the Major.
Despite being the big favorite in the match against Brame, Team Secret was unable to seize the opportunity and lost the series. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and the other team members won the first game after picking Chen and Axe. Sadly, the team was unable to do the same in the second match.
Although Team Secret had Medusa and the game lasted for almost an hour, the team did not have enough firepower to kill AM and CK. Brame’s strange pick paid off because the EU squad was able to delay the game as much as possible. In the end, the two cores became so “fat” that Secret had no way to deal with them.
After equalizing the series, both teams decided to get several interesting heroes. While it is true that Team Secret had a better draft on paper, the team failed to utilize it properly. Brame had a strong laning stage that allowed the team to secure enough space for Terrorblade. The latter used it very wisely and got many vital items. In the end, this was enough to bring down the mighty Team Secret.
OG vs Gladiators
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpo7s8jfym8
This was one of the most hyped series of this week because OG and Gladiators are the two best performing teams in WEU’s Division I. Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan and the rest won the last Regional Finals, which is why many teams consider them to be the favorites. However, OG’s recent results show that the team is making tremendous progress, so it wasn’t surprising it won.
Interestingly, both teams used very similar drafts in the two games. OG picked DK, Hoodwink and Lich in both games, whereas Gladiators relied on IO. Although the Regional Finals’ winners had Storm and Ember in each game, they were unable to defeat their powerful opponents.
OG picked PL and Templar Assassin dominated their opponents with little to no effort. The first game wasted around 30 minutes, whereas the second one was just 26 minutes. The two times TI winners won the laning stage in both of them and snowballed really fast.
Team Liquid vs Team Tundra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjm5qvyqllc
Judging by the results in the last couple of weeks, Liquid and Tundra will be one of the main contenders for one of the slots for the Major. That’s why the match between them was exciting to watch.
Speaking of being interesting, it had three games where we saw a variety of picks and tactics. The first match between the two was the jewel in the series because it lasted for 52 minutes. Both teams focused on mid-game drafts, but the game reached its “late” stage. Although TT had a better draft, Liquid outsmarted their opponents and secured the first victory in the series.
After losing the first game, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov and the other members of his team managed to bounce back and win game two. Liquid played well in this game, but they made a lot of crucial mistakes. The latter changed the balance of power in favor of Tundra who finally equalized the series.
It seems like Samuel “Boxi” Svahn and the co. were very confident in their draft from the previous game because they got similar heroes. The early game was not that good for them, but once Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen and his Lone Druid got enough farm, he helped his team win a very important series.
Division II
Team Bald vs Chicken Fighters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkVeLHPcEiE
There were a few interesting matches in Division II, but the one between CF and Team Bald stood out. Game one was like a walk in the park for Kamil “agressive child” Biktimirov and the rest, which is why people thought this series would end pretty fast. However, this is when game two arrived, where we saw some insane plays.
The game lasted for over an hour, during which we saw tons of action. In the end, Bald’s late-game setup prevailed and won game two. This was when both teams had to play for the third time in a row.
Since CF lost the same game due to the lack of a hard carry, the team decided to get Medusa. They paired the hero with Puck and KOTL, which gave her enough space to shine.
Despite Team Bald’s CK and Timbersaw, the team was unable to defeat their powerful opponents and lost after 44 minutes of play. This victory allowed CF to secure the first spot in Division II.
IVY vs ITB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZCxP5O5rFs
The final match that we wanted to watch this week was between IVY and ITB. Although both of them are not doing that well, they’ve played numerous times against each other, so it was interesting to watch what would happen.
Speaking of the devil, ITB won the series rather quickly. IVY’s draft in game one was strange and too greedy, which allowed ITB’s Tiny, Magnus, and Ember draft to shine. They’ve ripped through them like a knife through butter and prepared themselves for game two.Since they were one game away from losing, IVY got Huskar and Lich. Despite the fact that this combo usually does wonders in this patch. ITB’s Tiny and IO prevailed. They dominated from the beginning, which allowed them to win in 31 minutes.