Shopify Rebellion get revenge over TSM in Tour 3 of DPC 2023

Shopify Rebellion usually do a lot better than TSM at Dota Pro Circuit Majors. They finished fourth at the Lima Major and 9^th-12^th at the Berlin Major. Meanwhile, TSM finished these tournaments 13^th-14^th and 17^th-18^th respectively.

But in North America’s Division I, TSM defeated Rebellion in Tour 1 and Tour 2. Now, at the start of Tour 3, Tal “Fly” Aizik’s team finally won their first regional match against them. And it was much easier than everyone expected.

Shopify Rebellion vs. TSM: 2-0

In game 1, SR started with a draft that had the potential to fight well in the early game and scale well into the late game. Their mid hero was Ember Spirit while their carry was a Terrorblade. Beastmaster, Mirana, and Ancient Apparition completed the lineup.

That AA pick was absolutely brilliant because it denied TSM’s early game advantage, given by all the heals and the Global Silence. They had an Alchemist, a Keeper of the Light, a Silencer, a Timbersaw, and a Void Spirit. This is the kind of lineup that wants to fight early but without the participation of the Alchemist.

Despite TSM’s apparently sound plan, Rebellion won the laning phase and then never fell more than 3000 gold behind despite playing against an Alchemist. After the 20-minute mark, their Terrorblade was already strong, which meant that the team was now able to win big fights. And that’s exactly what they did.

In just a few more minutes, they gained a 3000 gold lead and then snowballed to an easy victory. At the 33-minute mark, the game was over.

Game 2 was a stomp and finished in just 21 minutes. TSM tried to play the good old Pugna plus Storm Spirit combination, but they got destroyed by Shopify’s high tempo. Ursa, Puck, and Beastmaster created such a strong trio that after the 12-minute mark, TSM couldn’t fight Artour “Arteezy” Babaev’s team anymore.

In just one minute TSM found themselves 3500 gold behind. And from there, there was no hope left for them. When you have a Templar Assassin, you need to be ahead of your opponent. Otherwise, your lack of damage and mobility will inevitably result in a loss. TSM failed to win the lanes, which put them in a vulnerable position.

Header: Shopify Rebellion