The Dota Pro Circuit 2021-2022 season’s first major has finally found its champion. After ten days of intense tournament adventure, OG Dota 2 has managed to sit at the top of the Esports scene, huge congratulations to the! As you know, Majors are considered intermediate tournaments before The International 2022. Teams get both DPC points and serious cash prizes based on tournament results. This naturally motivates the players and makes them work harder for TI 11.
Now we have a second Major before The International 2022 arrives. And the competition continues to heat up throughout the DPC season!
ESL One Stockholm 2022 – Overview
We now have a champion for the Dota 2 First Major, but first, we want to go over the general outline of the tournament. Because many teams made a serious effort, some teams were disappointed while others enjoyed the victory. This is precisely why we thought we should prepare a summary of the tournament. Let’s go then!
Group Stage
The teams were divided into groups A and B of 7 people per the tournament format. Typically, four more teams from the Chinese regional league were expected to participate. However, due to the problems experienced, those teams had to organize a regional final among themselves. In addition, Mind Games, the team from group B, was disqualified from the tournament due to visa problems.
Group A
- Tundra Esports – 5 Win 1 Draw 0 Lose: Upper Bracket
- OG – 3 Win, 1 Draw, 2 Lose: Upper Bracket
- BetBoom Team – 2 Win, 3 Draw, 1 Lose: Upper Bracket
- T1 – 2 Win, 2 Draw, 2 Lose: Upper Bracket
- BOOM Esports – 0 Win, 5 Draw, 1 Lose: Lower Bracket
- Beastcoast – 0 Win, 4 Draw, 2 Lose: Lower Bracket
- Evil Geniuses – 0 Win, 2 Draw, 4 Lose: Eliminated
Tundra Esports – Disappointments
As you can see, Group A is dominated by Tundra Esports. They managed to beat everyone they came across with clear scores of 2-0 without much difficulty. Seeing their success in Group A, many Dota 2 Esports fans thought Tundra could play in the Grand Final. The team managed to reach the Upper Bracket finals undefeated, showing its outstanding performance in the final stages.
However, after that, we can say that things did not go as expected for Tundra. Because FTX TSM, who joined from Group B, managed to beat OG first and then Tundra in the Upper Bracket Finals.
Relegated to the Lower Bracket Finals, their first loss, Tundra had to get over the tough OG this time. Tundra team, who couldn’t get over the shock of the defeats they experienced, received a blow from OG. And they said goodbye to the tournament by losing the series with a score of 0-2. Everyone who followed the First Major was fascinated by Tundra’s efforts and grieved with them.
Group B
- Gaimin Gladiators – 3 Win, 2 Draw, 1 Lose: Upper Bracket
- Thunder Awaken – 2 Win, 3 Draw, 1 Lose: Upper Bracket
- FTX TSM – 2 Win, 3 Draw, 1 Lose: Upper Bracket
- Team Spirit – 3 Win, 1 Draw, 2 Lose: Upper Bracket
- Team Liquid – 3 Win, 1 Draw, 2 Lose: Lower Bracket
- Fnatic – 2 Win, 2 Draw, 2 Lose: Lower Bracket
FTX TSM – Unexpected Victory and Tournament Adventure
TSM’s ESL One Stockholm 2022 fight started with their draw with GG. After facing Fnatic, the team could not recover after a shocking 2-0 defeat. Faced with a formidable opponent, Team Spirit, in the third match, TSM drew 1-1 and continued to progress without winning.
The next game was with MG, but they were automatically deemed to have won as the team was eliminated from the tournament due to the visa problems. Next up was one of the most critical matches.
Regardless, they had to beat Team Liquid. TSM recovered and took their first win with a clear 2-0 score. Then they entered the last critical corner to reach the quarter-finals. The match would be with Thunder Awaken, one of the strong teams, and they were really tough opponents. Again, things did not go as TSM wanted, and the match ended with the score 1-1.
When the final part of the First Major Group Stage, “Tiebreaker,” began, TSM had three significant obstacles in front of them. These were Thunder Awaken, Team Spirit, and Liquid, respectively. TSM managed to beat all the other teams except for TA.
Upper Quarter-Finals – FTX TSM
We can say that whatever happened for FTX TSM happened in the final stage. It was as if a much more coordinated and careful team came instead of the unfocused team. From this point on, TSM first faced OG, which they would face again in the grand finals. And they managed to send them to the lower bracket by beating them with a clear score of 2-0. Then, TSM team faced Gaiming Gladiators and managed to beat them 2-0. Everyone who watched the tournament was shocked.
The team was putting on an incredible quality game and it seemed like no one could stand in their way. There was another team that showed off TSM’s game in the finals throughout the entire tournament. Of course we are talking about Tundra Esports. Tundra faced off against TSM in the Upper Bracket Final and they started fighting for the Grand Final ticket.
Tundra barely managed to win the first match of the Upper Bracket final. Everyone thought it was over for TSM. However, in the second match, TSM’s stubborn spirit returned and they won the match, bringing the situation to 1-1. Then, the last match of the series was started, and it was the scene of an incredible rivalry. But focused TSM managed to beat Tundra Esports, which was considered almost undefeated. And they became the first team to receive the Grand Final Ticket.
Lower Bracket Final – OG
OG had finished group A in second place. And they had good success starting directly in the upper bracket. From that point on, TSM stumbled across the Group stage against OG in the Upper Quarter-Finals. Esports and Dota 2 bet-lovers agreed that OG would have an almost smooth win. However, as we always say, Esports is a sport full of surprises, and anything can happen at any time. TSM sent OG to the Lower Bracket with a clear 2-0 score.
Championship Adventure
From here on, it was like a battle for life for OG. First, they beat BOOM Esports with 2-0 and then Fnatic with a score of 2-1, albeit with difficulty. Accustomed to consecutive wins, OG played the Lower Quarter-Finals against a tough opponent, Thunder Awaken. And again, they achieved a decisive victory with a clear score of 2-0. OG was walking this difficult path with sure steps, instilling fear in all its rivals. The motivated team managed to beat Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 with the confidence they gained. It’s like the old OG is back, and they have a style of play that is reminiscent of The International days in the past.
Along with all this, Tundra, who lost to TSM, also faced OG in the Lower Bracket Finals. The two undefeated and strong teams were ready to share their trumps. However, as we said, OG, they were playing like in the old days. They managed to beat Tundra Esports 2-0 without any difficulty. In particular, OG’s Misha and Taiga’s in-game leadership seems to have been enough to take OG to the Grand Final. Now they’re up against TSM, who managed to beat them 2-0 in the Upper Bracket.
ESL One Stockholm 2022 – Grand Final [TSM – 1 vs 3 – OG]
On the one hand, there is OG, the legendary team of the Dota 2 Esports scene, and on the other, there is the FTX TSM, which is hungry for success and full of surprises. Who could have imagined such a grand finale? Here we are, and the first major champion of the year has already been announced.
TSM managed to beat the first game of the Grand Final with ease and was able to bring the series 1-0. Then the second match of the series started with OG coming to the fore again. OG, who managed to unravel the playing style of FTX TSM, brought the score to 1-1 with a straightforward win. The third match of the series started with the minutes when the competition reached its highest level. OG, who did not forgive TSM’s mistakes in a row, managed to make the score 2-1 with his great game.
And without knowing that it would be the last game of the series, both teams started preparations for the fourth game. OG played the previous game, aiming to take advantage of TSM’s upset psychology. OG, which began to harass the opponent from the very first minutes and put heavy pressure on the opponent, took the upper hand in the match. Things got out of hand at 33 minutes as TSM watched helplessly as OG dominated the game. And OG managed to win the last team fight to end the game without extending the game much longer. In this way, OG became the first champion of Dota 2 First Major 2022.