In the second and last match of the gaming day, we will have a meeting between Aster.Aries - Knights. Pretty badass sign.
Interest in this match is caused by Knights. A team that shows very good results with a very good line-up, but with a small nuance. They are accused of cheating.
On the other hand, Aster.Aries, who share the last line of the standings with DAWN, but at the same time demonstrate a very acceptable level of play in places. I would say a team with potential.
For both clubs, the match is of fundamental importance. Knights, if they win, will get even closer to the passage to the Lima Major, and Aster.Aries will be able to grab the opportunity to stay in the tournament.
We figure out which team will be stronger and earn important points in the fight.
Knights form
Let's start the review of the duel with the Knights uniform. They are the favorites in this match.
The bookmakers believe in the victory of the Knights, but without fanaticism. The success of the team is estimated by a coefficient in the region of 1.5.
In fairness, the coefficient could be taken even lower, but there is still the same nuance that was mentioned above. There is an aura of suspicion around the team because they are accused of cheating, which greatly exacerbates the ability to dispassionately single them out as the winner.
Knights line-up
If the team is not cheating, then we take off our hats. The composition of the “knights” is combat, which I spoke about even earlier. The team is fighting and shows it not only in word, but also in deed.
Players
- eGo
- AlaCrity-
- flyby
- Felixciaoba
- XCJ
Despite the rather loud names in the line-up, such as Flyby, Felixciaoba or AlaCrity-, eGo deserves all the applause. A native of ZhenShen has finally broken through to the top DotA, and this can be seen in every map. Carrie Knights is playing very cheerfully, which we saw both in the match against Aster and in the game against Invictus Gaming.
But, we do not discard the option of cheating. Naturally, the presumption of innocence is valid, but the sediment is already there.
Knights performance
Having gathered for the start of DPC 2023, the team managed to “prove” itself at a third-party event. They became the Star Series, held at the local level.
Knights played there against teams like Neon Esports, Team Flow, IG. Vitality and others. As a result of the championship, the team took 3rd place, which, frankly, is a rather strange result. I don't presume to say, but it seems that someone played there not only for the training game.
However, as expected, a completely different game began at the DPC. The team won the map against Team Aster after a rather sad start, and they, in turn, are almost the main contender for the TOP-1 this season.
In the second series, the Knights played with Invictus Gaming. A high-ranking team, but obviously not up to the level of Aster, did not bring any problems to the “knights”. Knights outplayed Invictus Gaming 2-0 rather cleverly.
Later there was a match with PSG.LGD, which plunged into a minimal shock. The Knights outplayed their opponents, closing them with a score of 2-0 with virtually no chance.
The “knights” did not stop at the victory over PSG.LGD and closed down another direct competitor - Xtreme Gaming, but this time for 3 maps.
Heroes Knights
In this patch, the team played as Tiny (16 matches, 68% win rate), Treant Protector (8 matches, 87% win rate), Drow RANger (8 matches, 62% win rate), Snapfire (7 matches, 71% win rate), Lich (7 matches, 71% wins), Shadow Fiend (7 matches, 71% wins).
Aster.Aries form
Let's continue the analysis with the review of the game form Aster.Aries. In this match, they act in the status of an underdog.
Bookies do not trust Aster.Aries much. The chance of their victory is estimated by the coefficient in the region of 2.2.
However, there is no talk of a colossal gap between the teams. This is what I was talking about above.
Composition of Aries
Last but not least, this prospect is associated with the Aries roster, which has undergone minimal changes since the beginning of the season.
- Ulu
- White_Album
- ss
- TK
- redpanda
The striking force of Aries is White_Album and RedPanda. Once playing for the main squad and in other title teams, the players performed mediocrely, but they look good in Aries, although this still does not affect performance.
However, somehow too much praise for a team going 0-4 in the standings. However, there is a fuse.
Aster.Aries Performance
The main achievement of the team is the preservation of the slot in the top division of the DPC. There was an emphasis on this and in the new season the prospects have not changed.
We started the year with a performance at the Intel World Open Beijing, where we took the TOP-8. Further, a qualitative breakthrough in the second division of China and a passage to the elite league.
In the third round, playing in the top division for the first time in the history of the academic team, Aster.Aries managed to cling to the TOP-6, thereby retaining their place for the 2023 season.
There was no more to be expected. The team failed the subsequent qualifications for ESL One Malaysia 2022.
Participated in The International 2022: China Qualifier, where they were not particularly noticeable. There, the team lost to IG with a score of 1-2 at the TOP-6 stage, where it stayed.
In the first match of DPC 2023, Aster.Aries faced Xtreme Gaming. Contrary to expectations, Aries managed to impose a fight on Xtreme and looked good, although they lost.
What followed was no easier. Aster.Aries played against PSG.LGD, naturally losing with a score of 0-2, without much chance of winning.
The hellish calendar continued with the match against Team Aster. In a game against their parent organization, the Aries got hooked on the second map and led the net for a long time, but a few stupid and sometimes weird moments ended up 0-2.
Then the team played against Invictus Gaming, but this did not change the outcome. The weakened Invictus Gaming managed to defeat Aster.Aries, not without a hitch, but they did.
Heroes Aster.Aries
Played in Chinese tradition. Among the most selected characters: Death Prophet (4 matches, 25% wins), Ember Spirit (3 matches, 66% wins), Marci (3 matches, 33% wins).
Chen and Clockwerk have an ideal win rate, but too small a selection. Both have 2 games and 2 wins.
History of personal confrontations
Previously, the teams did not play each other. This fight will be the debut face-to-face confrontation between the teams.
Match outcome
In this confrontation, I will believe in the success of the Knights. I trust the bookmakers and I think that the “knights” will close the series.
It is not yet entirely clear what the story about cheating will turn out to be, however, in any case, the advantage is on the side of Knights, both with software and without it.
Bottom line: Knights win.
