SumaiL and the former Virtus Pro Dota 2 players’ stack Just Error were relegated to Division Two of the EPIC League today following a 2-0 upset to Yellow Submarine.
The play-in stage for the EPIC League sorted the fifth to eighth place team of the Division One group stage and the top-four squads from Division Two for a final shot at the Division One playoffs. Considering the massive prize pool difference of $450,000 between the two divisions, there was a lot riding on this series.
It started off terribly for Just Error, however, who were behind from start to finish in the first game of their matchup, losing in a little over 30 minutes.
Entering game two, it looked like Just Error’s vast experience and veteran poise were coming through. RAMZES666’s Ember Spirit was beyond godlike by 20 minutes, styling on YeS for the whole early game, while SumaiL’s Morphling topped the net worth chart.
The poise evaporated almost immediately, however, when Just Error made an ill-fated, aggressive maneuver into the enemy jungle. Despite their clear advantage, Just Error fell one by one, losing the massive killstreaks on their two farmed cores.
Suddenly, the YeS team that was feeding kills left and right in the early game didn’t do so anymore. RAMZES and SumaiL, who benefited and feasted for the first two-thirds of the match, found that their food had a lot more bite in them and duly retaliated.
The tables turned and YeS surged forward. Just Error’s tactics that worked so well minutes ago fell flat and their hopes for turning the series around swiftly followed.
Just Error was previously embroiled in controversy during the closed qualifiers for Division One of the EPIC League, with several known community figures such as Russian caster v1lat speaking up about the perceived favoritism shown to the star-studded lineup.
Just Error was slotted in for the second-place playoff during the qualifier and had to play just one series to secure their Division One place, while opponents YeS had to play through five different series, including two best-of-fives.
Undeterred, YeS tore through the Division Two group stage, dropping just one series and losing three matches in total to earn their chance at redemption in the play-in stage.
The two teams that YeS lost to in the closed qualifiers, mudgolems and Just Error, have both been relegated to the Division Two playoffs.
This makes Just Error the only Division One team to fall in the play-in stage. Team Liquid, OG, and Nigma, despite some nerves, won their respective matchups 2-0, securing a berth in the Division One playoffs.
