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Dota 2: DreamLeague Season 13 Major- Day 1 Highlights

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Dota 2: DreamLeague Season 13 Major- Day 1 Highlights

Just a couple of days after the most successful Minor in Dota 2, the biggest tournament in January kicked off. The Leipzig Major is going to be the second Major of the new DPC after the MDL Chengdu.

Sixteen of the best teams in the world are going head to head for the jaw-dropping prize pool of  $1M USD. However, instead of having a long group stage, the organizers decided to make it last only two days. This means that there were tons of matches today, which is why we will only focus on the ones that we thought are more interesting.

With that said, let’s dive in.

TNC vs Nigma

The first very interesting series was between the SEA powerhouse and the Bukovel Minor champions – Nigma. Both of these teams have very solid chances of winning this event, which is why this series was very important for them.

Despite having very solid picks, game one didn’t go well for Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi and company. The SEA team won the laning stage which allowed their heroes to snowball. Nigma didn’t have a way to deal with the damage from TNC, which is why they had no choice but to call GG and prepare for the second game of the series.

With their backs against the wall, Nigma had to change something. Using their experience from the Minor, they decided to use the heroes that they mainly used during that tournament. As a result, Nigma was able to overcome their enemies and win the game. Although TNC had their moments, it was just not enough to withstand the pressure from TI 7 champs.

The last game between these two giants didn’t go well for TNC. Even though they had very solid picks on paper, Nigma’s classic OD and Omni were too much to deal with. To make matters worse, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi’s Slark had an amazing start and he naturally countered the entire Drow strat of TNC.

Having no way to deal with TI 7 champions, TNC had no choice but to announce the GG call.

Vici Gaming vs Team Secret

This was definitely one of the most anticipated series of the day. Both of these teams are considered to be favorites to win this tournament.

Game one was very interesting to watch because there was a lot of back and forth action. However, Vici was definitely the more active team out of the two. As a result, they’ve got a very solid lead again the EU counterparts.

However, a very bad team fight completely changed the course of the game. Suddenly, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his team-mates were on the driving train and started to pressure their enemies. Even though Vici tried to bounce back again, their efforts were futile.  Team Secret took full advantage of the mistake from Vici and secured a lead in the series.

Despite the unfortunate loss, the Chinese team didn’t give up. They went into game two with a very strong draft that was able to completely rip through Secrets’ lineup. The EU team tried to rely on yet another big mistake from Vici, but that never happened. The One Esports champions claimed the victory and equalized the series.

Game three saw two very different approaches from both teams. While Vici emphasized on pushing, Secret had a fighting-focused draft that always tried to make something happen. Even though Vici started very strong, it was the EU team that shined brightly.

As soon as their DK got a dagger, he and DS made a lot of kills on the map. As a result, Vici’s farm was heavily reduced. Needless to say, this is one of the worst things that can happen to a Drow Ranger start.

Alliance vs Virtus.Pro

The last intriguing series of Day 1 was between Alliance and Virtus.Pro.

Unlike other teams, Alliance loves the play with drafts that they’re comfortable with. As a result, we got to see some of their most classic heroes during game one. Even though VP had a dangerous Slark and Magnus draft, it was not enough to bring down the mighty Gyrocopter of Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov. As expected, Alliance grabbed the lead in didn’t let it slip. VP tried to fight back but it was not successful as game one went in favor of the EU team.

With just one game away from winning, Alliance absolutely dominated the second game of the series. Even though VP had Alchemist on their roster, the “one-man” army hero was not enough to keep VP in this match.

The European squad successfully managed to deal with this hero. The star of the show was the Bulgarian prodigy yet again with his amazing Lifestealer. He finished the game without a single death and proved yet again why people consider him to be one of the best players in the world.

Be sure to watch tomorrow as well because we will have more epic Dota 2 action. In fact, this will be the last day of the Group Stage, which makes it very interesting.

On the other hand, you can check DreamLeague’s Twitch channel for more info on what happened in the other series of the day.

Dota 2: DreamLeague Season 13 Major- Day 1 Highlights
Zlosterr
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.