Old G suffer their first loss in WEU Division II

Despite their formidable roster and invincibility aura, it seems that Old G can bleed after all. Their Division II run in Western Europe has been blemished by a defeat in the second match, at the hands of a totally unexpected opponent: D2 Hustlers.

For those who don’t follow Division II Dota, this is the team of Thiago “Thiolicor” Cordeiro, the famous Brazilian player who played at a few editions of The International with teams like Hokori and SG Esports. His results were not impressive, but the fact that he was there multiple times shows his deep understanding of the game.

Old G’s plans and defeat

Old G obviously had in mind to get promoted to Division II at the end of Tour 2 and then show what they’re capable of in Division I. With a bit of luck, we might even see them at The International 2023. But all that is just a dream for now. This defeat against D2 Hustlers should bring them and their fans back to Earth.

The match started well for Old G, who won game 1 and looked perfectly capable of winning the series. Their Magnus pick was absolutely perfect and it allowed Riki to shine. By the end of the game, Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen had amassed more than 20.000 gold, as well as 20 kills and 19 assists.

This was a phenomenal performance for Topson, who is quite fond of playing Riki and understands the hero’s limits better than most.

In game 2, Old G tried to win using an early game strategy that proved to be ineffective against Slark and Pangolier. Their Enigma pick seemed to be working really well and by the 15-minute mark, Old G had amassed a big lead: 6500 gold. But all it took was one bad team fight near the 30-minute mark and their entire strategy collapsed.

In the late game, D2 Hustlers’ heroes were much stronger and could accomplish more with relatively little farm, thanks to their abilities.

The final game was a perfect example of why you don’t pick Storm Spirit without banning Anti-Mage,  especially in the current meta. This felt like a free win for D2, whose only weak moment came between the 28 and 33-minute marks. From having a lead of around 4000 gold, they fell 8000 gold behind.

But that only lasted for five minutes. The team fights clearly proved that if you don’t have the right heroes, superior networth won’t help very much.

Header: Old G