The first week of the Western European Dota Pro Circuit is in the books. The status of the leaderboard after week one might be expected for some, as Team Liquid swept Tundra Esports while Secret bombed out without a single win.
After starting the season strong, Tundra dropped a map versus Nigma Galaxy. The International 2022 champions still clutched the series, but their run came to an end versus Liquid, the third place finisher at TI11, today.
The first match between Liquid and Tundra featured some signature picks like Chaos Knight for Skiter and Tusk for Nine, but Liquid was ready to play around the illusion and heavy physical damage lineup of Tundra.
As the game progressed, Liquid outmaneuvered Tundra in game-changing fights. The level of coordination between Zai’s Dark Seer, Insania’s Treant Protector, and the rest of the team was too much for Tundra to handle as the TI11 champs threw in the towel at the 44 minute mark.
Coming into the second match, Liquid took a page out of Tundra’s book and drafted Tusk for Nisha. Liquid ended up winning all the lanes, and their lead was large enough to prevent Tundra’s teamfight-centric lineup from making a comeback attempt.
In one of the early game fights, Nisha’s Tusk pushed himself out of a Chronosphere after his Phase Boots active ran out, showcasing that almost nothing went in Tundra’s favor in game two.
Shortly after TI11 concluded, some pros expressed how Liquid could have a better chance versus Tundra in the finals. Liquid was eliminated by Secret in a close series, and the new season started in a way that justified those doubts.
Before all of this happened, TI11 runner ups Secret were busy losing their ninth game in a row since the tournament in October. Another 2-0 loss versus Gaimin Gladiators put Secret in last place while also marking one of the longest losing streaks for the organization since TI6.
