In most esports competitions, the veteran teams generally have the advantage over newer ones. That was pretty clear during the first day of matches for the Upper Division of the Dota 2 2021 DPC in China. Both EHOME and Vici Gaming swept their respective opponents 2–0.
A Good Start
The first match was Vici Gaming against LBZS. It was obvious that VG was heavily favored to win this one. However, LBZS wouldn’t just roll over so they gave their best, especially in Game 1. There were some good plays and counter-plays between both teams. But VG got enough confidence to go for Roshan even before the 20–minute mark. LBZS initiated a team fight and actually got the advantage, which gave their turn at Roshan.
VG’s Xiong "Pyw"' Jiahan on Earthshaker made a buyback and stunned three LBZS members using Echo Slam while killing Roshan. Yang "Ms" Yongjie on Terrorblade though snatched the Aegis for LBZS. From then on, LBZS took the lead and even got a gold lead of more than 30K.
This is where VG’s experience came into play. After catching one of LBZS, VG started a team fight. A timely buyback from Pyw along with the Fissure and Echo Slam combo resulted in VG eliminating four of LBZS. This allowed them to go for Roshan without problems.
VG then pushed mid but an excellent defense from LBZS forced VG to retreat. Yet LBZS pursued them that cost them the game. We say that because the team fight went in favor of VG, which resulted in another four of LBZS dying. It pretty much GG after that.
It appeared that the first game loss impacted LBZS as the second game was fully dominated by VG.
Not Even Close
The next match was EHOME versus Team MagMa. Those who watched the first match were likely hoping that it would be the same for this one. EHOME though would have none of that.
Game 1 was what you would actually expect a veteran team taking the lead and never looking back. The game ended in just a little over 32 minutes with EHOME getting 30 team kills against eight from MagMa.
In Game 2, MagMa performed much better and even successfully took the lead in the early game. At 30 minutes, MagMa initially got the advantage after a team fight. Yet an excellent performance from EHOME’s Lai "Ahjit" Jay Son on Morphling led to a MagMa team wipe. After that, it was just EHOME taking the lead, particularly when Morphling got the items he needed.
The question now is: will the tournament be occupied by veteran teams or will one of the new ones pull through? You can view the matches this week in China and even in other regions here.
China actually had its own opening ceremonies, which showed just how strong the Dota 2 esports scene is in the country. The ceremonies are available on the Bilibili video streaming site, though it appears without translations or subs. If you’re interested, you can watch it here.
