T1 Beats Virtus.Pro and Won Dota 2 ESL One Summer 2021

By Jason Nieva @jnievaplayerone Published 06/21/21 EDT

Southeast Asia Dota 2 team T1 just put everyone on notice after they came from a 1–2 deficit to win the ESL One Summer 2021. The team they beat was none other than Eastern Europe powerhouse Virtus.pro. With the win, T1 brought home $175,000 in prize money.

Road to the Grand Final

T1 had a good placement at the start of the tournament, earning a spot at the Upper Bracket Round Two. Their first match was against Vikin.gg, which they defeated at 2–0. Up next was Quincy Crew and again, they managed to sweep their opponents at 2–0.

This meant an Upper Bracket Final appearance but this time, it was versus VP. T1 got a good start winning the first game. VP though showed why they were the strongest team in Eastern Europe by easily winning the second and third games, which guaranteed a Grand Final spot.

That meant T1 had to face Alliance in the Lower Bracket Final. It didn’t matter that much as T1 beat Alliance 2–0 and prepared for a rematch against VP.

The Grand Final

The first three games of the match looked like the Upper Bracket Final. T1 won the first game, however, VP getting the next two games and turning the tables, 1-2, in favor of VP. In the fourth game, VP was off to a great start having the needed kills against T1. Just past the 28-minute mark, T1 went for a team fight and was rewarded for the effort. They not only managed to bring down four VP members but also forced three of them to buyback with two pretty much experiencing a “die-back.” After that T1 never looked back and tied the series 2–2.

In the last game, it started much like the previous game with VP taking an early lead. Once again it boiled down to a crucial team fight and T1’s aggressiveness paid off. That team fight gave T1 the lead and motivation to never give it up, which resulted in victory.