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DPC 2022 Tour 1 Regional Finals Preview

Tour 1 of Dota Pro Circuit is over and in less than 3 weeks, the Regional Finals will begin.... Radu M. | 31. January 2022

Tour 1 of Dota Pro Circuit is over and in less than 3 weeks, the Regional Finals will begin. This Playoffs Stage of the tour has been created by Valve to compensate for the cancelation of the season’s first Major. A total of 4 teams from each region will take part in it and the rewards are substantial: $100,000 and 380 points per region. In this article, you’ll learn about all of the 6 events.

Western Europe

The battle in Western Europe will take place between the following 4 teams:

  • Team Liquid
  • OG
  • Tundra Esports
  • Team Tickles

During the Group Stage, these teams had formidable opponents in the region but still managed to succeed. Let’s not forget who plays here: Team Secret, Nigma, and Alliance. In Alliance’s case, it seems that the roster changes proved to be disastrous. Many people expected the team to do poorly with its new roster. But few would have predicted an instant relegation. Only now can we say for certain that Limmp, s4, and fng were exceptional players who won’t be easy to replace.

In the case of Nigma and Secret, both teams ended the first tour with a record of 4 W – 3 L. Nigma had to make a huge comeback to finish with this score. KuroKy’s crew started the tour with 3 consecutive defeats and for a while, it looked as though they were doomed. But after Miracle-‘s return, the situation stabilized and Nigma won against the strongest teams in the region, despite all odds. Still, it failed to win in the tiebreaker and ended up in 6th place with 0 points for the first tour.

The Regional Finals will probably be a battle between Liquid and Tundra. The other two teams have slim chances of playing in the Grand Final. The winner gets $50,000 and 250 points while the runner-up gets $25,000 and 130 points. The other two teams get $15,000 and $10,000 respectively, but no points.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, the most likely winner of the tournament will be Liquid.

Eastern Europe

In Eastern Europe, the TI 10 champions predictably won the Group Stage and are now the clear favorites to win the Regional Finals as well. Team Spirit had a flawless run, ending with 7 consecutive wins and a single game defeat. What’s surprising about this region is who were the other top competitors.

Virtus.pro finished 3rd after struggling against many teams. Its final record was 4 W – 3 L. The 4th place was occupied by HellRaisers, a well-known organization with a little-known roster. The 2nd place was claimed by PuckChamp with a record of 6 W – 1 L. This was a shocking result considering just how little is known about its players and how few successful results they had in the past.

One of the public’s favorites, Natus Vincere, only managed to finish 5th. Despite bringing in Solo, and No[o]ne- at the start of the season, Na’Vi struggled to find a winning formula and may have to change its roster again to improve its results in the 2nd tour.

The Regional Finals will be a battle between Team Spirit, Virtus.pro, and PuckChamp. It’s still hard to believe that PuckChamp will continue its good run, but so far they’ve played really well. Because of the experience difference, the 2nd Grand Finalist of the tournament is expected to be Virtus.pro. The two teams will have the opportunity to play against each other in the first round of the Upper Bracket.

China

Just like in Western Europe, the roster changes in the Chinese Region resulted in excellent results in some cases and disastrous ones in others. Obviously, the teams that acquired superstars quickly climbed to the top while the ones that lost superstars got crushed.

One of the teams that were wise enough to bring in great players was Royal Never Give Up. The signing of Somnus`, Chalice, and xNova proved to be an inspired move. The organization finished 3rd with a record of 5 W – 2 L. Meanwhile, Invictus Gaming was relegated after it ended the Group Stage with 1 win and 6 losses. This team finished 4th at The International 10 but then lost its best player, Kaka. Without his leadership, the crew had no chance against its regional rivals.

The 4 teams that ended up winning the Group Stage in this region are the following:

  • LGD: 7 W – 0 L
  • Team Aster: 5 W – 2 L
  • RNG: 5 W – 2 L
  • EHOME: 4 W – 3 L

Another big loser in China’s first tour of DPC 2022 was Vici Gaming. The former giant clearly needs a stronger captain and perhaps a stronger Mid or Carry player. Unfortunately for them, Paparazi is now playing for Xtreme Gaming, a team that was promoted to the Upper Division at the end of the first tour.

As for PSG.LGD, it’s only natural that they finished with a perfect record. After its 2nd place at The International 10, the team made no roster moves and is extremely strong right now. Almost for certain, PSG.LGD will be the winner of the Regional Finals.

Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, the 4 teams that won the Group Stage were the following:

  • BOOM Esports: 6 W – 1 L
  • Fnatic: 5 W – 2 L
  • T1: 5 W – 2 L
  • Team SMG: 5 W – 2 L

As you can see from the scores, the battle in this region is very tight. The top 4 teams are close to each other in strength and the difference is made by the drafts or the players’ brilliant individual moves. Of these 4 teams, the one that seems to be the favorite to win the Regional Finals is T1.

North America

After a poor start in the first tour of DPC 2022, Evil Geniuses managed to beat both Quincy Crew and Undying and finished with 5 wins and 2 losses. This result allowed them to force a tiebreaker for 2nd place, but Undying proved to be stronger. However, despite finishing 3rd, EG is probably still the favorite to win the Regional Finals.

The top 4 teams in the Group Stage of this region were the following:

  • Quincy Crew: 6 W – 1 L
  • Team Undying: 5 W – 2 L
  • Evil Geniuses: 5 W – 2 L
  • 4 Zoomers: 4 W – 3 L

South America

This region was heavily dominated by Thunder Predator, the same team that finished 17th – 18th at The International 10. It seems that the organization’s decision to change the entire roster was a good one. Thunder Predator is now a formidable competitor in the region and will most likely win the Regional Finals. Its opponents will be Infamous (5 W – 2 L), beastcoast (4 W – 3 L), and APU King of Kings (4 W – 3 L).

 

Photo credit: Valve