It’s surely a game for the history books. In one of the most dramatic interruptions this year in esports, the DOTA 2 Blast Slam 1 server crash changed the course of the Team Falcons vs. OG match.
The last game of the best-of-three Playoffs nailbiter was already breaching the 80-minute mark when the issue happened. The match had to be remade, and it seemed victory switched teams at the last minute.
A Match on The Edge
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— BLAST Slam (@BLASTDota) November 27, 2024
WHAT IS GOING ON ANYMORE HOW IS @FalconsEsport PULLING IT OFF pic.twitter.com/4iU3tZ2Mdc
With both teams taking a match off the best-of-three series, the Team Falcons vs. OG standoff is already intense as it is. The clear underdogs, OG, had managed to surprise the back-to-back champions with an unexpected draft, tipping the scales of victory into their favor. Team Falcons refused to give up, though, and stretched the match longer with effective counterplays.
Just as the game reaches its most interesting moments in nearly 80 minutes, the disturbance from the server crash comes down. All champions on the map were frozen, much to the frustration of the pro players. Soon, everyone was forced out of the game lobby, too.
Despite their best efforts to restore the game’s progress, the tournament staff eventually had no choice but to restart it all over. The most they could do was to make sure that the drafts stayed the same.
OG’s Missed Chances
What was almost OG’s Cinderella story against the giants of Team Falcons was thrown out the window after the match restart. The lead they have built in the original game was countered by their opponents and didn’t impact the remake as much.
This made the game the controversial subject of DOTA 2 players and analysts alike, as had it not been for the DOTA 2 Blast Slam 1 server crash, OG might have taken the series 2-1. This is especially because the team comp OG drafted was intended to be a surprise, and the remake gave Team Falcons the choice to readjust.
Instead, it was Team Falcons who managed to come out on top. They were able to adjust their strategies and took the game in just 44 minutes. In turn, OG was eliminated from the tournament.
Fans of both teams were divided after the match, with concerns over competitive integrity being brought up. Two-time The International champion Johan “N0tail” Sundstein called the incident “madness,” echoing the sentiments of most viewers and avid DOTA 2 esports supporters.
Bigger Implications
Beyond just the results of the best-of-three series, the DOTA 2 Blast Slam 1 server crash also created discourse about technical issues in esports overall. More importantly, fans were talking and complaining about the preventive and responsive measures or the lack thereof in these situations.
The community and experts are demanding Valve to handle interruptions like these with more reliable systems. Many are pointing to the previous version’ replay takeover mechanism, which may be useful for these types of problems in esports matches.
Team Falcons’ Short-Lived Victory
Despite ultimately winning 2-1 over OG after the remake, Team Falcons also went home shortly after in the following round. Gaimin Gladiators completely swept them with a 2-0 score.
In the grand scheme of things, it seems like the DOTA 2 Blast Slam 1 server crash that supposedly gave Team Falcons an edge did not matter that much.
The teams that faced off in the Grand Final turned out to be BetBoom Team and Tundra Esports. The former won with a 3-1 victory in the Bo5, claiming the $400,000 USD prize.
Conclusion
The DOTA 2 Blast Slam 1 server crash created one of the most intense moments in the tournament’s history. Despite it being in the opening rounds, this set the level of excitement and thrill higher for the following matches.
Additionally, it also brought light to how technical problems bring negative effects on teams and tournaments, even raising concerns about competitive integrity. It falls upon Valve as the organizers to find solutions to issues like this. Despite matches getting more interesting due to crashes, it most of the time could just take away the hope and satisfaction of teams and fans.
