In this segment, we take a look at how players use the hero switching to their advantage in the European esports scene, more specifically in the European GosuGamers tournament finales, looking at heroes played per user, per round.
Like in EU #8, IDDQD and REUNITED.gg faced each other yet again this weekend, playing on the exact same maps as last week (but in a different order): Numbani, King’s Row and Lijiang Tower. The Meta has changed and the double-orb composition is gone, but Torbjörn a.k.a. Aardvark has taken its place!
GAME 1: NUMBANI
Winner: IDDQD
Round duration: 10:23 – First capture point: 01:18
Similar to last week's finals, Reunited.gg started out strong versus IDDQD. They got to the first capture point in a stunning time of 01:18 and quickly started pushing the cart towards the final point. They would have won, was it not for IDDQD’s decision to put Mendokusaii on Widowmaker and Cocco on Torbjörn. After this, the payload barely moved anymore and Reunited was forced to reconsider their team composition. They quickly opted for two known Widowmaker counters: Winston and Reinhardt, along with TwoEasy contra-sniping Mendo and Vallutaja picking his reoccurring favourite McCree. But Mendokusaii’s Widowmaker proved to be too strong for Reunited, especially combined with Pluppie’s skilful Tracer plays. UnFixed switching to Tracer did not help either, with IDDQD denying Reunited a victory in the very first round of the EU #9 finals.
Round duration: 05:29 – First capture point: 02:44
Due to Reunited’s quick first point capture in the previous round, they had a simple task: make sure IDDQD takes longer to take the first point and does not finish the map. Easier said than done, especially with IDDQD’s superior teamwork and individual player’s skill. Reunited did manage to keep IDDQD of the first point for a long time, but as soon as IDDQD broke through, they stormed through the map to the last point. Reunited opted for two Tracers and yet again TwoEasy on the Widowmaker, but to little avail. IDDQD finished the map and got a well-deserved victory, especially after Mendokusaii’s crazy Widomaker demonstration in the first round.
GAME 2: KING’S ROW
Winner: IDDQD
Round duration: 03:30 – First capture point: 01:05
With IDDQD starting on the offence on King’s Row, the game started with a rain of arrows (as usual). While the tactics can be seen as cheesy and perhaps useless with the latest changes to Scatter Arrows and IDDQD doing it all the time, it definitely starts the game with some pressure towards the defending team. IDDQD opted for the 2-2-2 team composition, with the comeback of the Mercy and Lúcio combo. Pluppie smartly changed to Soldier:76 as the team entered the Omnic City, right after his epic ultimate combination with HULK. Reunited seemed lost, unable to find the momentum they had in Numbani. TwoEasy tried finding a counter but ended up switching too often in very little time, while the rest of the team remained fairly static. There was no one to distract IDDQD with Winghaven serving as the only tank (despite him being a very talented Reinhardt player), causing IDDQD to win the map in no time.
Reward for biggest balls goes to INTERNETHULK, who kept pushing forward on his Zarya while his team was still capturing the first point!
Round duration: 01:51 – No first capture point
Considering IDDQD’s impressive Round 1 and their defence on King’s Row being by far the best in the competitive scene for now, it came as no surprise that Reunited had to call gg after less than two minutes. Pluppie reigned supreme, obliterating his enemies with his dreaded Junkrat.
GAME 3: LIJIANG TOWER
Winner: IDDQD (2-0)
Round duration: 02:51 – Overtime at 02:42
Round duration: 02:59
Going in to the first (and only) control map of the finals, both teams opted for the same compositions, with TwoEasy quickly trying out Pharah in round 1. But as happens with similar team comps, the superior team has the chance to utterly stomp the other team due to higher team and player skills. And that is exactly what happened on Lijiang Tower. In both rounds, IDDQD had complete control and even went as far to spawn camp around Reunited’s ship. This gave Mendo the opportunity to start his usual poking at TwoEasy in the chat, as they barely had to worry about losing this game. Reunited managed to force Overtime in the first round, but barely go the see the center of the maps for the rest of the game while IDDQD won 2-0.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Watching the 9th EU GosuGamers tournament felt like a huge déjà-vu, with IDDQD giving Reunited.gg a slimmer of hope in Numbani before crushing them completely. The change of Meta did not affect them at all, as they easily switched away from the double-orb composition. Chipshajen showed that despite the changes, Zenyatta is still a great pick when chosen at the right time, while Pluppie’s Genji on Lijiang remains amazing. Though what really got the momentum going for IDDQD was Mendokusaii’s crazy display on Widowmaker in Numbani and he deserves all the credit he can get for it.
Reunited did not play a bad game and while their individual skill is high, they still need more coordination. TwoEasy sometimes seems lost finding the right pick, as shown in the first round of King’s Row, while Morte in the same round played a bit too safe sticking with his Zenyatta. Nonetheless, the team has potential to eventually win at least a game against IDDQD. They need to keep up their morale, try some unexpected team compositions and find the ‘spark’ that IDDQD players have found when playing together. Easier said than done, especially since the current #1 IDDQD has been undefeated for 51 games and is more than just a ‘tough cookie’.
It will be interesting to see if IDDQD will continue to adjust quicker than other teams to the new Meta changes, especially once the other teams start practicing more and get their own momentum going. For now, IDDQD’s only weak point seems to be the very first round, in which they always need some time to figure out what they are doing. Or perhaps they just make it seem that way, so winning afterwards will just crush the opponent even harder…
Will IDDQD stay undefeated in the GosuGamers tournaments? We will have to wait and see next weekend!
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