Just when you thought this tournament could offer no more surprises, the Dota 2 ESL One Germany 2020 instead brought two. These came in the form of two TI champions being eliminated from the tournament. These two teams are Team Nigma and OG.
A Lot of Surprises in the Upper Bracket
In the first match, Natus Vincere trounced OG in the first game, with three members of Na’Vi getting double-digit kills. OG, however, came back with a vengeance in the second game and did the same to Na’Vi. It all boiled down to the third game, and while there was the expectation that this may be a close fight, the reality was far from it. Na’Vi took charge and cruised its way to victory.
The next match was Team Secret against Team Nigma. It was Nigma all the way in the first game with excellent performances from both Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi and Aliwi "w33" Omar. Secret, however, showed just how good of a team they are. Secret’s Michał "Nisha" Jankowski had an excellent showing, but if you look at the stats, one thing that stands out is all members got double digits in assists. The third game was a bit closer, but Secret managed to hold on and move to the next round.
The third match was a surprise as well with Vikin.gg managing to sweep Alliance. In the first game, Alliance appeared to have no answer to the Faceless Void pick by Vikin.gg. In the second game there was no stopping Vikin.gg, with Alliance being held to a total of nine team kills.
The last match of the Upper Bracket Round 1 was mudgolems versus Team Liquid. In the first game, Duško "BoraNija" Boranijaševic carried mudgolems to victory, ending with 18 kills. In the second game, Liquid managed to do enough to maintain the lead and get the win. In the third game, Liquid had the lead, but after the 30-minute mark mudgolems suddenly swung it in their favor for the victory.
TI Champions Beaten in Lower Bracket
After the initial matches, it was now time for the first round of Lower Bracket fights. The first match was interesting because it was Nigma against Liquid. For those who’ve been following the Dota 2 esports scene, it was Liquid that won TI7. However, the roster that became champions later left the organization to become Nigma.
Nigma showed just how good they are by beating Liquid with Miracle- getting 16 kills and zero deaths. In the second game, Liquid bounced back with three members getting double-digit figures in kills. The third game was pretty much like the previous one, with Liquid getting the upper hand and never looking back.
In the second match, it was Alliance versus OG. For the first game, Alliance’s Nikolay "Nikobaby" Nikolov showed why he is one of the game’s rising stars, ending with 22 kills, 16 assists and two deaths. In the second game, OG’s Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen had a strong showing with 11 kills. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Alliance, who grabbed the lead in the late game and got the win.
With two teams out, the Playoffs are now down to six teams. Who do you think is moving to the next round?
