The return of Ceb to OG’s main Dota 2 roster wasn’t enough to propel the two-time The International champions to another trophy. OG were eliminated from OGA Dota PIT season two today after a 2-1 series loss to Alliance.
Ceb had a star performance in game one on Magnus, proving that a few months off weren’t enough for the rust to set in for the outspoken offlaner. While he continued to play his trademark Magnus in the other two games, Alliance’s Nikobaby stole the show and secured the series for his team.
OG’s dominant laning stage set the tone for the rest of the first game. All three cores found themselves on the top of the net worth chart by 10 minutes. Topson’s signature Monkey King played a key role in enabling such a good start, at one point forcing three Alliance heroes to his lane, bludgeoning two of them and getting away scot-free. Thanks to Ceb’s Magnus Empowering his allies and crucial Reverse Polarities locking down his opponents, OG’s melee tricore never relinquished their advantage.
Alliance’s ill-fated Roshan contest was the beginning of the end. They made off with the bounty but dearly paid with four of their own lives. OG strutted up their opponents’ high ground and claimed Alliance’s base for themselves in an utter stomp.
Game two’s crux was in the mid lane duel. Alliance’s Nikobaby feasted on his laning advantage as a Morphling vs. Topson’s Tiny and climbed his way to the summit of net worth. Despite the poor start, Topson rallied with aggressive movement around the map, briefly displacing Nikobaby in the process. It wasn’t enough to throw off Alliance’s momentum, though.
Nikobaby purchased his Ethereal Blade and began slaughtering OG’s heroes. Topson attempted to do the same, but Alliance’s better start meant that they were more well-equipped to deal with the Tiny menace. In the end, Nikobaby reigned as king, ending the second game on his own terms with a rampage.
Nikobaby continued his fine form straight into the third game. Alliance entrusted him again with a hard carry, selecting another favored hero in the Faceless Void. After securing a fine start, Alliance’s carry started picking off OG’s key targets with clever usages of his Chronosphere.
OG overcommitted to a Roshan fight that saw them lose eight lives, firmly putting the ball in Alliance’s court. While OG’s teamfight brilliance reared its head once in a while, Alliance kept the ship steady and subsequently marooned OG on elimination island.
This win puts Alliance in a grudge match vs. Team Nigma in the grand finals. Alliance previously lost 2-1 against the KuroKy-less squad in the tournament’s upper bracket finals. The victor of the tournament will walk home with $70,873 in prize money, while the runners-up will see their winnings drop precipitously to $36,822.
