The 2023 competition season is coming out of a short hiatus. One week after the Lima Major 2023, DPC games resume in the regions: DPC 2023: Tour 2 begins.
Here's an overview of the strongest region in modern competitive DPC. A look at Western Europe.
Opening the second round of DPC 2023: WEU will be top division newcomers Monaspa and Ooredoo Thunders. Although the signings for the match are not the top one, I'm sure the spectacle will be unforgettable.
Ooredoo Thunders qualified for the top division after winning DPC 2023: WEU - Lower Division Tour 1. There the team finished 1st with 6-1 on the series and 13-3 on the cards.
Monaspa finished 2nd in League Two of the first round. The squad played the main stage 5-2 before beating Alliance and D2 Hustlers in round-robin replay.
Here's a look at who the elite newcomers will start the season with a vital win, and who will get off to a poor start.
Ooredoo Thunders form
We will start the breakdown of the match with an analysis of the Ooredoo Thunders' form. They'll be favourites in this contest.
The team will predictably take a commanding lead. All thanks to their performance last season.
In the second division of the first round, the Pitmen looked great and almost unchallenged. The team managed to break into the top division without too much trouble.
Ooredoo Thunders line-up
Team synergy has helped Ooredoo Thunders reach the top flight (and relegation to the West European first division is the benchmark for players of Ooredoo Thunders' calibre). The squad has been playing together for almost half a year and the last change was in November 2022.
Ooredoo Thundrs players
- TA2000
- No! ob
- Wuiter
- OmaR
- Kaori
The team emerged from the Project Armor mix and before that from Rune Eaters in the middle of last year. Although de jure the club is new, the players know each other and get along very well.
The TA2000 and Kaori team seem to have been together all their lives. The pair have previously played in the top division of Western Europe under the Rune Eaters tag and that run ended in total failure for them. Let's see what happens now.
Ooredoo Thunders performance
A hodgepodge of Ooredoo Thunders finished in first place in Western Europe's second division. The team finished 6-1 on the series and 13-3 on the cards.
With a score of 2-0 they managed to outplay Ancient Tribe, Alliance, Water Rune Enjoyers, IVY, Alliance and Bald Reborn. One card in Ooredoo's winning games was picked up by D2 Hustlers.
The only loss, remarkably, came in a match against Monaspa. Then OT's main opponent in the second division won 2-1.
Apart from DPC matches, the Ooredoo Thunders are also active at outside events. The team won the local European Pro League Season 6, and finished in the top 6 at BB Universe: Episode 1 - Comics Zone.
The Ooredoo Thunders heroes
Ooredoo Thunders play the classic Dota of patch 7.32. The most pickable character is Rubick (29 matches, 86% wins).
Clockwerk (19 matches, 73% wins), Tiny (17 matches, 82% wins), Death Prophet (17 matches, 76% wins), Treant (17 games, 70% wins) and Phoenix (17 matches, 58% wins) are popular.
Monaspa form
Let's continue our review of the clash with an analysis of the playing form. They are playing this match in underdog status.
It should come as no surprise that Monaspa will be behind. They're playing catch-up, but they're not far behind.
Roughly speaking, they are identical teams in terms of philosophy. Simply put, such a solid TIR-2 mix with ambitions for something serious, but so far this serious has not been achieved.
The Monaspa line-up
The team is, in fact, familiar. We're facing everyone's favourite Brame, once creating a buzz within the top DPC division in the past.
Monaspa players
- Nande
- W1sh
- Eleven
- dEsire
- SsaSpartan
Monaspa is a fairly well-played team and can cause problems for the Western Europe top division residents. The whole five have been playing together since September 2022.
The team has managed to feature in a number of side events other than Western Europe's second division. In general, there is a lot of experience, now it's time to apply the gained experience in the top division games.
Monaspa's performance
Monaspa finished the Western Europe Second Division with a 5-2 statistic. After the scheduled games, they had to play in round-robin replay for 3 teams.
During the regular season Monaspa managed to beat Ancien Tribe, Alliance, Bald Reborn, Water Rune Enjoyer and most importantly Ooredoo Thunders. They could have claimed the top spot had they not stumbled over D2 Huslters and Ivy, who lost 0-2 each.
Outside of the DPC ecosystem, they played in third-party events. The team finished in the top 6 at European Pro League Season 6, also won Winter Cup 2022.
From the more serious events was BB Universe: Episode I - Comics Zone. In more solid company, Monaspa failed to prove themselves and finished in the top-12 at that tournament.
Monaspa Heroes.
Playing the meta, without much experimentation, but with a smattering of "their" characters. The most chosen hero is Rubick (26 matches, 65% win rate).
Undying (20 games, 80% wins), Leshrac (18 games, 77% wins), Viper (18 games, 66% wins), Earthshaker (18 games, 55% wins) are often used.
Also playing Snapfire (16 games, 43% wins). Beastmaster (15 games, 40% wins) has about the same disappointing win rate.
History of head-to-head encounters
The teams have already met each other in the Western Europe Second Division in the first round of the DPC. Then Monaspa won the full-fledged Bo3 series, while before that, the BB Universe saw Ooredoo Thunders win.
The outcome of the clash
The match will be interesting as both teams know each other and are ready to play each other. I don't expect high level Dota, but we'll see some action.
Victory in a match like this is critical for either side. Understanding the level of their league rivals, OT and Monaspa need to cling to any opportunity to score points and stay out of the relegation zone.
I expect 3 cards in this encounter. The teams have played a similar meta and all their head-to-head matches in the 2023 season have ended 2-1.
Bottom line: +2.5 total.
