PSG.LGD and Team Spirit cemented a place in the top 3 of the PGL Arlington Major by taking down OG and Team Aster respectively.
It has been nearly 10 months since the crazy grand final of The International 2021 (TI10), when Team Spirit shocked the Dota 2 community by defeating tournament favorites PSG.LGD 3-2 in the grand finals. Both teams played their hearts out in what was one of the greatest TI grand finals of all time. Now, after nearly a year of waiting, PSG.LGD finally have their chance to get revenge.
Both teams won their first upper bracket series of the Arlington Major, and faced a daunting task in the second round. PSG.LGD faced the reigning DPC Major champions OG, while Team Spirit faced an in form Team Aster, who had topped Group B.
PSG.LGD
vs
OG
PSG.LGD had dominated every team they played against at the Major, but they met their match in OG. They tried a cheesy position 5 Alchemist pick in game 1, and got destroyed in just under 22 minutes with a 2-17 kill score.
Game 2 was a lot more like a typical PSG.LGD game – dominating the opponent the entire game. OG did not have an answer for their Pudge and Spectre.
Game 3 was a testament to the fact that PSG.LGD is the best team out there. Even with a position 1 Alchemist, the Chinese team trailed in net worth by 10,000 at the 27 minute mark. An Alchemist draft needs to be significantly ahead in net worth to be competitive, not behind. But from there on, PSG.LGD made some really bold decisions, and took unexpected team fights, knowing the exact limits of their heroes to turn the game on its head. It is highly unlikely that any other team would have been able to pull it off. As the game went on and Alchemist’s farm accelerated, there wasn’t a lot OG could do. PSG.LGD took the game and went on to claim the series 2-1.
Team Spirit
vs
Team Aster
Team Spirit versus Team Aster was a much different affair. The two teams had tied 1-1 in the group stages, and one could have expected this series to go the distance. But Team Spirit had different plans, as they took down their adversaries 2-0.
Game 1 was a comfortable win for the TI10 champions. Game 2 was much more even game till the 25th minute, at which point Team Spirit won a decisive fight with some clutch plays. Aster messed up the Song of the Siren – Supernova combo, and had that been on point, the fight and maybe even the game could have gone in a different direction. But Team Spirit capitalized on it, and went on to take the game in a little over 44 minutes.
OG and Team Aster drop down to the lower bracket. They still have a chance to make it to the grand final, but they’ll have to do it the long way. But the clash everyone will be looking forward to will be the TI10 rematch in the upper bracket final of the Arlington Major – PSG.LGD going head to head against Team Spirit!
