OGA Dota PIT Season 4: Europe/CIS Results
The competition had no Group Stage, which is very unusual for Dota 2. Instead, the 8 participants started in what looks like a double-elimination Playoffs Stage. Everyone was treated the same and had the chance to play the first match in the Upper Bracket. The losers dropped to the Lower Bracket. Apart from that, it’s business as usual. Every match is Bo3.
Upper Bracket Round 1
The first round of the Upper Bracket had 4 matches. The first match took place between Live to Win and Natus Vincere. The skill difference between these two teams is huge, but the games themselves were quite challenging for RodjER’s team. Game 1 needed 46 minutes to end while game 2 needed just 30. Na’Vi’s drafts were completely unique and the approach was smart. But Live to Win still fought until the end and under SoNNeikO’s guidance, the team was close at times to produce an upset. The second match saw Alliance return to its previous form. The team seems to have found the errors in its playstyle and is now winning again. In this first match, against mudgolems, they only needed 2 games. Game 1 ended in 28 minutes while game 2 required 37. Unlike their opponent, which drafted Morphling both times, Alliance went for totally unique drafts. The third match was a huge surprise. Virtus.pro, the team that won the recent EPIC League Division 1, lost against OG after they stubbornly picked Phantom Assassin in all 3 games. They won with her in game 1, but in games 2 and 3 OG used a deadly hero combination: Snapfire + Phoenix + Mirana. With their teamfight-oriented drafts, they prolonged the games enough to fully develop their cores and then smashed VP, getting revenge for the Grand Final they lost against them just last week. The fourth match was another upset. Team Nigma defeated Vikin.gg with an unusual hero combination for this meta: Vengeful Spirit + Shadowfiend. Vikin.gg picked Sven and Enchantress in all 3 games. In games 2 and 3, they also picked Earth Spirit. They won game 1 but lost games 2 and 3.
Upper Bracket Round 2
In the second round of the Upper Bracket, Na’Vi made a comeback against Alliance and finally won this legendary match-up. Surprisingly enough, they did it with Chen, Zeus, and Rubick, which is an extremely risky combination. Any mistake in the early game almost guarantees that you will lose. But, in Na’Vi’s case, their risky drafts paid off. And they did it not once but twice. The second match was a repeat of the TI 9 Grand Final. Nigma won game 1 but OG made a comeback and won the match in games 2 and 3. Their Omniknight worked beautifully against Nigma’s physical damage oriented draft.
Upper Bracket Final
In the Upper Bracket Final of OGA Dota PIT Season 4: Europe/CIS, Natus Vincere encountered OG and the match needed 3 games to conclude. The first game was won by Na’Vi, which countered OG’s IO + Phantom Lancer very well, with a draft that was able to kill a target quickly and also deal with illusions, thanks to Leshrac’s abilities. In game 2, the situation looked dire for OG, which was behind in networth against a bloodthirsty Phantom Assassin. But in the end, their Terrorblade proved too much to handle for Iceberg’s squad. In game 3, OG did an excellent job and completed the comeback, thus securing a spot in the Grand Final. Tomorrow, we will learn who their opponent will be. The possibilities are the following: Team Nigma, Alliance or Natus Vincere. At the time of this writing, Nigma is doing battle with Alliance for a chance to take on Na’Vi in the Lower Bracket Final.