Dota 2 Singapore Major: Playoffs Day 1 was Pretty Much What You Expected

The first set of matches for the Upper Bracket of the Dota 2 Singapore Major Playoffs is all said and done. The results are pretty much what a lot in the community expected though there is one big surprise. Today, we take a look into what happened on day one of the Playoffs.

We’ve actually given our predictions for round one of the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs and we got most of them.

EG Takes First Blood

The first match was between Evil Geniuses and Fnatic. Actually, this was the first match for both teams in the tournament. In Game 1, both teams started slow and sizing each other up in the early part. Eventually, EG made the decision to push and they did, even managing to take down a Tier 3 tower.

In Game 2, Fnatic went for a rather surprise draft while EG opted for something more conventional. Despite the troubles done by Fnatic, EG prevailed and took down the former, winning the match.

Going the Distance

Invictus Gaming went into the match with an advantage against Vici Gaming. That's because, in the Upper Division in China, iG swept VG 2-0. However, as the match would later show, it wasn't an easy road for iG.

VG showed solid performances in Game 1 but they lacked a counter against iG’s Phantom Lancer. Still, VG wouldn’t take that loss sitting down and displayed better performance in Game 2. VG's spellcasting, and even team-fight execution, were really on the dot. They grabbed the win to tie the series.

In Game 3, it was all back to iG with Zhou "Emo" Yi on Templar Assassin going unstoppable and ending the game with 15 kills and no deaths.

It’s No Secret

This was the match everyone was waiting for: Team Secret versus Thunder Predator. While the result was indeed expected, it was still fun to watch. In Game 1, it was clear that Secret wanted a draft that would have better map control. Thunder Predator, meanwhile, went for the Bristleback and Keeper of the Light combination. Although Thunder Predator was able to put up a good fight, the experience of Secret came into play and eventually gave the latter the win.

In Game 2, Secret went for a similar draft as Thunder Predator wanted something that would dominate the mid-game. A team fight went in favor of Secret and this allowed them to control most of the match later. With that, Secret moved to the next round and Thunder Predator got dropped to the Lower Bracket.

A Surprise Ending

In the Virtus.pro versus PSG.LGD match, the money was on VP. VP had been showing a strong performance since last year and topped the CIS region. PSG.LGD, contrarily, had to work its way through the Wild Card.

In Game 1, it was all PSG.LGD as VP couldn’t find an answer to the former’s draft. In Game 2, everyone was expecting VP to make a comeback. However, that wouldn’t happen as PSG.LGD maintained its momentum that resulted in a winning streak.

While this VP team may have a new roster, it’s a bit reminiscent of what happened in TI9. At that time, PSG.LGD also swept VP 2–0 in round one of the Upper Bracket.

Prize Distribution

The issue of the tournament format was once again raised, and this time, by caster and analyst Kyle "melonzz" Freedman. In a tweet, he highlighted the rather unique situation of Thunder Predator, which you can read below:

He’s not truly wrong. Thunder Predator had a good showing and got to face Secret in the Upper Bracket. Then, they lost the match and went down to the Lower Bracket to face Team Aster. If Thunder Predator loses, they won’t be bringing anything home. No share of the prize money and even DPC points.

What about you? What are your thoughts on the tournament prize pool sharing? What’s your favorite moment in the Upper Bracket round one?