North America Denied Dota 2 Major Win Again
North America’s hopes of winning a Dota 2 Pro Circuit Major have been dashed once again. Evil Geniuses and OpTic Gaming were both eliminated in the lower bracket round at the Dota 2 Asia Championships.
Evil Geniuses fell to Virtus Pro, while OpTic Gaming was defeated by TNC Pro Team.
Virtus Pro proved that history doesn’t always repeat itself by defeating Evil Geniuses in just 33 minutes. Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko played exceptionally well for Virtus Pro, but their new recruit Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosyan also made a strong impact as a utility support player.
TNC secured victory against OpTic Gaming in a 47 and a half minute match. Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto, Armel “Armel” Tabios, and Timothy “Tims” Randrup had standout performances for TNC, with Tims achieving six kills without a single death on Sand King.
LGD Gaming faced off against Team Liquid in a thrilling series that went the distance of three games. Liquid won the first game thanks to Ivan “MinD_ControL” Ivanov’s exceptional Tidehunter play. However, LGD struck back in the second game with a strong lineup and dominated the third game to secure their victory.
Mineski and Vici Gaming also played a three-game series, with Mineski emerging as the victors. Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung led Mineski to victory in the first game, but Vici Gaming put up a strong fight in the second game. However, Vici Gaming’s performance faltered in the third game, allowing Mineski to take the win.
Team Liquid and Vici Gaming will now have to fight in the second round of the lower bracket. Team Liquid, in particular, will need to ensure a strong start against TNC, as Southeast Asian teams excel in best-of-one matches.