The DAC 2017 Upper Brackets started the ball rolling for the main event and have played out thrusting both OG and Invictus Gaming into the Upper Bracket finals.
Beautifully executed plays and confidence would be the prevalent themes marking success. The winning teams have earned a day off to prepare for their battle into the Grand Finals scheduled for April 3rd. The DAC 2017 will continue with the four lower brackets elimination series.The DAC 2017 Upper Brackets proved OG is still the team to beat and Invictus Gaming have carved their place back into the headlines and short list of serious contenders this new year.
The Europeans seem to have the fundamentals for success dialed in. A clean sweep 2:0 over Newbee, they coasted through their games on cruise control - calm, poised and almost effortlessly.
In front of the deafening home crowd, Invictus Gaming have risen to the occasion and into the Upper Bracket finals. Menacing, compelling and relentless iG surged over Team Empire and are on the verge of busting the path to TI7 wide open.
Newbee and Team Empire have been left to sort through the rubble of their losses to pick up the pieces and rise up from the ashes of the lower brackets. Starting tomorrow, April 2nd at 11:00 CEST for Team Empire and April 3rd at 03:00 CEST for Newbee.
DAC 2017 Upper Brackets Round 1 OG vs Newbee
There seems to be no slowing down of the OG victory train. Widely considered to be one of the favorites going into the event, the Europeans are the same as ever - a blockbuster team with a penchant for bringing their opponents to their knees.
OG had taken the first spot in Group A with a staggering 13 points obtained from their 4:1:0 round robin record - the most points earned by a team.
Newbee had slid into the second place position in Group B with barely over half the points of OG and only slightly edging out both Team Liquid and Team NP.
Despite the discrepancy between the two team’s results, it was expected the first of the upper bracket series would be filled with incredible team fights and breathtaking action. And it was - but not enough to warrant a third match or games too close to call.
In the first match it would be OG’s superior game play and precision that would outclass Newbee’s positioning, vision and decision making. In an hour long marathon to the finish, the Europeans maintained a steady grasp on the situation and then erupted into a final surge of power to claim the victory at the end.
The second - and fate sealing match highlighted OG’s ability to capitalize on even the slightest of errors. After a few blunders on the part of Newbee, the Chinese team lost their momentum that they had built up in the first half of the game. Their slight slips allowed the Europeans to forge ahead, dealing the devastating blow at the 35 minute mark at the Roshan Pit.
OG’s victory has ushered them into the upper bracket finals, guaranteeing the three time Valve Championship team a top 3 finish.
DAC 2017 Upper Brackets Round 1 results: OG 2:0 Newbee. OG continue to the Upper Bracket finals, Newbee drop to the lower brackets.
DAC 2017 Upper Brackets Round 1 Invictus Gaming vs Team Empire
The stage had been set for a David vs Goliath series in the upper brackets - a story that seemed to be already written in history but left too much question to give confidence to prematurely crown a victor.
Xu "BurNIng" Zhilei was on point in all games and in turn was responsible for Invictus Gaming’s resurgence in the group stage. Taking the first place position in what was widely regarded as the tougher Group B - the team finished over Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and Newbee.
Team Empire’s history is speckled with inconsistent results and marred by periods of instability. Fanned by the flames of hope as victors of the CIS qualifier, Empire arrived in China on fire. The team left opponents and fans dumbstruck in the aftermath of their group stage journey as they slid into the second place spot.
On the up and up, iG started to take control of the first game mid game. Confident and secure, iG waged a solid war littered with an onslaught of attacks and pushes to beat down Team Empire. Classic Burning farming and plays were famously on display once again. Forced into frantic and desperate plays, the CIS team took risks to end the game in 19 minutes.
Things started out for iG as well as expected and hoped for in the second match. Perfect execution and plays helped the Chinese team lock down the lead early on and constant objective based pressure seemed to solidify their control. But things are not always as they seem. In stark contrast to the first match, Team Empire would end up setting the tempo and pace of the game. The CIS team’s every attempt to keep things close and turn things around - countering with great rotations, pick offs and on point plays by Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov on the Earth Spirit and Rostislav "fn" Lozovoi on Invoker would pay off immensly in the end - forcing a third deciding match.
In the final match started out even keeled as things came down to the wire. A fantastic play by Fu "Q" Bin on Keeper of the Light allowed for Burning to kill Roshan and take the Aegis -furthering the Chinese team’s advancement and advantage. The final game was once again lopsided in the favor of iG - giving them the coveted place in the upper bracket finals.
DAC 2017 Upper Brackets Round 1 results: Invictus Gaming 2:1 Team Empire. Invictus Gaming continue to the Upper Bracket finals, Team Empire drop to the lower brackets.
Title photo courtesy of PGL
