The long off-season in DotA caused by the transfer period after The International 2022 is slowly but surely coming to an end. Teams are starting active preparations for the upcoming DPC 2023.
Before the best teams in the DPC ecosystem compete for the ranking points needed to get to the next The International, closed qualifiers for the Dota 2 title league will be held in all regions. One of the most interesting regions, as always, will be Western Europe.
8 teams will play for two places in the second division of Western Europe in the closed qualifiers. The most interesting, of course, will be OLD G. We will talk about them in the context of the match against Team Blink.
Form OLD G
We begin the review with an analysis of the main dish of these closed quals. From the review of the form of the OLD G team, which will perform here as a favorite.
The chance of winning OLD G according to the bookmakers is equal to the odds of 1.1. An absolute favorite no matter how you look at it.
Several factors influence this pre-match disposition of forces. But the key one is the OLD G roster. The names of the five players gathered under the uncomplicated and very thick OLD G tag scream about their status and titles.
Composition OLD G
Looking at the OLD G roster, a few thoughts come to mind. The first of them, banal and understandable: the team is not at the level of the second division and certainly higher in rank than their competitors in the closed qualifiers.
- No[o]ne
- Topson
- Ceb
- MS
- n0tail
The second is a little less prosaic. This lineup is more for fun.
Of course, we have before us five top-class players who do not need additional introduction. However, such a mix of nicknames is not very inspiring.
It's hard to believe that the same N0tail decided to seriously return to the competitive after a long vacation. You can’t say the same about his former and now new teammates, but it seems worth mentioning.
Topson spent his last season in T1, although this is rather rude. All that he managed to “spend” was qualifying for The International, where he naturally failed along with the title club.
Ceb looks a little more promising in this regard. Although the French veteran ended his career after The International 10, this did not prevent him from becoming the Major champion in OG, being already retired, and Sebastian plays DotA like crazy, as can be seen from his dotabuff profile.
No[o]ne and MSS are pensioners locked in a prison of illusion. It sounds too pretentious, but in fact it is: the first few seasons are digging on the TIR-2 scene in Eastern Europe, and the second has stagnated in North America.
However, all of the above can only work in the case of large events and serious opponents. Blink-level teams, with all due respect and with the desire for OLD G to win, simply should not oppose anything to the giants.
Performance OLD G
OLD G, as expected, made it to the closed qualifiers from the first open qualifiers. However, the path was surprisingly bumpy.
The team defeated Anunnaki Esport thanks to a technical victory, after which they threw the card in the match against Unity Esports. Then there was a clear victory over NOSTRVM and a technical victory against Monaspa in the final.
In the closed qualifiers, OLD G missed the first round due to the absence of an opponent. Once again, the “lucky” LeClassique 2.0 team refused to participate in the qualifiers.
Heroes OLD G
Since the team gathered right before the open qualifiers, they failed to play a wide pool. However, there are several characters that have appeared in the OLD G pick more than once. Of these: Sniper and Treant Protector with 2 matches and 100% wins. Dark Seer, Zeus, Magnus, Primal Beast, DK appeared 1 time each and also won.
Of the most disastrous - Troll Warlord, Lifestealer, Clockwerk, Invoker. Appeared on one map and lost that one.
Team Blink form
Let's continue the analysis of the match with a review of the Team Blink team. In this fight, they are in the status of an outsider.
The bookmaker gives a coefficient of around 7 for their victory. In the current situation, such an assessment is still praise.
I don't want to belittle the dignity of Team Blink, but frankly, there is nothing to talk about. This is a team of chance, like OLD G, but without the big names.
Team Blink roster
If you can talk about the OLD G roster for a long time, since it contributes to this, then Blink is an absolutely opposite situation. And it's not even subjective.
Team Blink players
- toresha
- b4x4zZz
- Ankou
- W3ssenT
- smN
It will not be possible to single out someone from the international Blink hodgepodge even with a strong desire. The only thing that speaks for Blink is at least some results shown by them in the open qualifiers and already within the EUW DPC 2023: Closed Qualifier.
Team Blink Performance
Team Blink made it to the closed qualifiers through the third draw of the open qualifiers. There, the team outplayed 5 myyraa and LeClassique 2.0 stacks, and in the finals got a technical victory due to the non-appearance of KZ Team.
As part of the closed qualifiers, the team managed to beat the Finns from HAVU, closing the match with a score of 2-0.
Team Blink Heroes
Unlike OLD G, Team Blink has a high grooving. The team has made its way through all the circles of hell of open qualifiers, and therefore has experience playing on different characters.
Most often, the team chose Earth Spirit (9 matches, 66% wins), Hoodwink (7 matches, 71% wins), Slark (6 matches, 83% wins), Slark (6 matches, 83% wins), Shadow Fiend (6 matches, 83% win rate), Treant Protector (6 matches, 66% win rate).
History of personal confrontations
Previously, the teams did not play official matches with each other. This match will be the first in the teams' gaming history.
Outcome of the match OLD vs Team Blink
It's stupid to dwell on the obvious for a long time. OLD G will win here, the only question is with what score.
It looks like a 2-0 victory without any special chances for the opponents, however, knowing the temperament of the star "old men", we can hope for one card in Team Blink's piggy bank. Nevertheless, I stick to the idea of a clear victory for OLD G.
Result: 2-0 in favor of OLD G.
