Berlin Major Day 1: New Patch Levels Out the Top Teams' Dominance
The Berlin Major has commenced, and what a start it had. The new patch is filled with surprises, and watching how each team adapts to these changes is fascinating. The teams are showing off their understanding of the patch. Without stalling further, let's take a look at some of the series,
Group A
Evil Geniuses vs. Gaimin Gladiators
Gaimin Gladiators has been nothing but amazing this DPC season. Finishing games before the 30-minute mark or the 20-minute mark even has become their signature move. And game 1 of this series was no different, ending the game at 18 minutes with the new Muerta pick. But this time EG showed that they can punch equally hard. In game 2, EG destroyed the Gladiators with a 33-3 score showing that even the strongest team can bleed.
Team Liquid vs. Team Aster
Team Aster was able to steal game 1 of this series away from Liquid. Aster's stand-in SumaiL played brilliantly on his signature Storm Spirit. Even their carry Terrorblade built a diffusal and ganked early along with the team. This helped them secure Game 1, however, it was not the case for Game 2. In this game, Team Liquid did not give Aster time to breathe, allowing them to make mistakes. This gave miCKe a free game with 18 kills under his belt.
TSM & Execration
Both these teams lost all 4 of their matches on Day 1 of the Berlin Major. With this, they are the first two teams to move to the bottom of Group A. But the Major has just started, they have time to show their strengths.
Group B
OG
This team had a strong Day 1 at the Major. Winning both their series puts OG at the top of group B. Surprisingly this team was able to get this result with two stand-ins. BZM carried the team to victory with his Void Spirit getting 25 kills against SMG. Their second game against Xtreme Gaming ended in just 21 minutes. With a carry Doom line-up, they were able to run down Xtreme Gaming and secure a 2-0 victory.
Shopify Rebellion
With Abed playing in the team along with the new patch, Shopify seems to be back to top form. In Game 1 against IG, Abed performed amazingly, enabling his carry to push the remainder of the game. Game 2 against IG ended at 50 minutes, with Arteezy showing off his carry skills on Terrorbalde.
In the series against Team Spirit, Shopify was able to draw the series. But in Game 1, Abed's Storm Spirit put on a strong performance yet again, getting 24 kills and only a single death.
Day 2 of Berlin Major
The second day of Groups for the Berlin Major has already started. Eastern Europe and China seem to be performing well. Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators have lost another game. Let's hope to see some spectacular Dota. ESL is doing a great job keeping us occupied with four streams, don't miss out on the fun.
Featured Image: ESL