Dota 2: DreamLeague Season 11 China Qualifiers Recap

During the past couple of days, there has been tons of action throughout all regions due to the ongoing DreamLeague S11 Qualifiers. Let’s take a close look at what happened in China, one of the most interesting regions in Dota.

The Group Stage

The format of the groups in all regions was the same. Two GSL groups consisted of four teams each. All games were best-of-three. The top two teams proceeded to the upper-bracket in the Playoffs, whereas the bottom two went straight to the lower-bracket.

Group A

Team Aster played some high-quality Dota in both of their games and managed to finish first. Their first enemy was NewBee, a team that now looks like a mere shadow of their former self. Despite winning one game, Sccc’s team was not looking good and eventually lost the series 2-1.

As expected, the Winners’ match was between Vici Gaming and Team Aster. Even though Vici were considered the favorites here, Team Aster was still able to snatch that victory. The game was also for the most part, however, after a failed smoke attempt by Vici, Aster was able the get the upper hand. There was a very messy fight around the Rosh pit, which went in favor of Aster. Having no other choice, Vici gaming called the GG.

Meanwhile, Keen gaming were able to win 2-0 against NewBee, which meant that the Decider match would be between them and Vici. This time Paparazi and his team-mates made no mistakes, and Vici were able to finish the series by winning both games quickly.

Group B

In the second group, there were no big surprises. PSG.LGD swept through Royal Never Give Up, despite dropping one game. EHOME was also able to claim the victory in their series vs. Team Root. This was definitely the more interesting encounter of the two because there was a lot of back and forth action. In the end, the Phantom Assassin pick from the Bucharest Minor champions proved to be successful as she ripped through the enemy lineup.

The Winners’ match was a sight to see. EHOME were able to win the first game in the series, mainly due to their overly farmed OD. He was just too big to handle, and FY and his team-mates had no other choice but to prepare themselves for the second game. With their backs against the wall, LGD got TB for Ame. To make a long story short – they had a fantastic game, and the series went into a third decisive game. There, LGD had a significant advantage, but after several lousy team fights, EHOME were able to turn the game around and secured the victory for themselves.

The Decider match was between LGD and RNG again. This time the TI runner-ups gave no chances to their enemies and quickly got two wins.

Playoff Upper Bracket

The Upper Bracket was an arena between the best teams in China right now. In the first game, Team Aster had to battle against PSG.LGD. Despite having a terrific run in the group stage, Sylar’s team was no match for LGD. FY and his team-mates executed their strategies perfectly and won the series, securing their ticket for the tournament.

The second Upper Bracket show featured the Bucharest Minor champions and Vici Gaming. The first game between the two giants was reasonably even. That was until the 30th-minute mark when EHOME’s cores were slowly starting to gain a significant advantage. After a five-man smoke and an ultra kill for the Shadow Fiend, EHOME were able to get the first win in the series.

Game two was nearly a replay of the first one. Both teams were neck and neck the entire time as neither was able to get a clear lead. There was yet another very back-and-forth fight near the Rosh pit, where EHOME were able to wipe out Vici. When you have a farmed Luna attacking your base there is not really much you can do. Just 32 minutes in, EHOME claimed the victory and the second slot for DreamLeague Season 11.

Playoff Lower Bracket

The first game in the lower bracket was between Keen Gaming and Team Root. As expected, Keen gaming completely demolished their opponents in both games. What’s more, the 18-minute victory in game one was also the fastest so far in the qualifiers.

After the victory, their next opponent was Team Aster. In the first game of the series, Sylar’s team was able to outmaneuver their enemies and secure the win. Of course, Keen gaming was not going down without a fight. Game two was a one-sided show as eLeVeN and Co. cruised through their enemies. Nearly the same happened in game three, and Keen Gaming secured their spot for the Lower Bracket final.

Royal Never Give Up, and NewBee played a very enthralling series. Even though they give their best, NewBee was just unable to deal with their enemies and got eliminated from the qualifiers. This is yet another sign that this team may need to make some changes.

One of the biggest surprises was the elimination of Vici Gaming. They were the absolute favorite going into the series against RNG. Regardless of that, Monet and his squad were able to take the series with a 2-1 score and got their spot in the final against Keen Gaming.

Final Game

The first game of the series between RNG and KG was a thriller. There was tons of back-and-forth action all over the place as both teams were trying to take any advantage they could find. In the end, after 67 minutes, Keen Gaming was able to claim the win.

Having the needed confidence, KG went into game two with their eyes on the prize. Just 18 minutes in, they had a net worth lead of more than 10k, which was too much for RNG to handle. They got a well deserved 3rd place and a slot for the DreamLeague S11 Major.

The Major attendees from China have been decided: PSG.LGD, EHOME and Keen Gaming. It will be interesting to track their performance in the Major itself.