Team Spirit Wins Pinnacle Cup

After almost 4 weeks of difficult matches, Team Spirit has finally done it. This was a spectacular achievement for them but in many ways everyone expected the CIS competitor to win. And not because esports fans can see the future, but because there were a number of key signs that pointed in the same direction.

Team Spirit’s Strength

Team Spirit’s strength can be evaluated using the individual talent criterion or the results criterion.

In terms of its roster, Spirit is far from being an impressive team. Their only superstar is Miposhka, who plays position 5 and serves as the captain. Other than him, everyone on the team is more or less a no-name at the international level.

In terms of its recent achievements, Spirit is a great team. At the end of 2020 they won BTS Pro Series Season 4. And in 2021 they got quite a few great results: 4^th place in the first season of DPC Eastern Europe: Upper Division, 2^nd place at EPIC League Season 3 Division 1, 1^st place at Dota 2 Champions League 2021 Season 1, and 2^nd place in the 2^nd season of DPC Eastern Europe: Upper Division.

All of these results were a big predictor of success ahead of Pinnacle Cup.

How Spirit Won Pinnacle Cup

Team Spirit joined the Pinnacle Cup like most of the other teams. They simply received a direct invitation to play in the Group Stage. In the first round, they lost against Hellbear Smashers after having a game advantage. But after that loss they went on to win every single match, with the exception of the one against PuckChamp, which they had to abandon because of a schedule conflict.

Spirit won the Group Stage with 7 wins and 2 losses. But their first match of the Playoffs was once again a defeat. Vikin.gg somehow found a way to beat them with an interesting combination: Tiny + durable carry. In game one they picked Medusa and in game two they picked Wraith King. The two games lasted 44 and 52 minutes, which is more than enough time for these types of carries to become incredibly strong.

In the Lower Bracket, Spirit defeated Smashers, HellRaisers, and Vikin.gg to reach the Grand Final. And then, in the last match of the tournament, they made 2 spectacular comebacks. The first from 0 – 1 to 1 – 1 and the second one from 1 – 2 to 3 – 2.

 

Photo credit: Valve