2021 DPC Season 1 Week 2 recap: Neon, Aster, iG emerge as surprises
The second week of competition for the first season of this year’s Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) has concluded. While the likes of Team Secret and Evil Geniuses are dominating their respective regions as expected, certain squads have also emerged as surprise top teams, like Neon Esports in Southeast Asia as well as Team Aster and Invictus Gaming in China.
If you’re still not that familiar with everything that is new in this year’s DPC, you can find out everything you need to know here.
You can also check out our recap for the first week of action in the DPC’s upper divisions here.
Play of the Week
Team Secret showcases their perfect teamfight execution to teamwipe Vikin.gg
If you’re ever looking for some evidence for why Team Secret is one of the best teams in the world, then you might want to check out the clip above. You should try to replay it a few times, though, and focus on a different Secret player each time.
First, watch Michal “Nisha” Jankowski make good use of both an Arcane and Regeneration Rune on his Storm Spirit to terrorise Vikin.gg’s backlines.
Then see how Clement “Puppey” Ivanov’s Puck and Yazied “YapZor” Jaradat’s Earthshaker split up their opponents at the beginning of the fight with Dream Coil and Fissure.
After that, look out for Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg’s Death Prophet as he uses his Exorcism ultimate to draw Vikin.gg’s attention, incite further chaos, then slip away to safety once his health was brought low, all of which allowed Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen’s Phantom Lancer to wreak havoc unopposed.
Finally, watch all those individual plays come together in the perfect team fight fittingly capped off with a four-man Fissure-into-Echo Slam finisher by YapZor.
Game of the Week
Alliance vs OG Game 2
Alliance earned their first series win of the season by outlasting OG in this 48-minute nail biter in true Alliance fashion. OG looked like they were about to pull off a huge mega creeps-comeback behind a Divine Rapier-wielding Riki, Artsiom "fng" Barshak’s position 5 Nature’s Prophet relentless split-push nipped their hopes of a victory in the bud.
With how well fng was playing Alliance’s signature ‘Rat Dota’ playstyle, it sure seems like the spirit of Henrik "AdmiralBulldog" Ahnberg, the father of Rat Dota himself, is still alive and well in the current iteration of the team.
Recap
Europe
Week 2 match results
Team Liquid 2-0 High Coast Esports
OG 2-1 Tundra Esports
Tundra Esports 2-0 High Coast Esports
Team Secret 2-0 Vikin.gg
Alliance 2-1 OG
As expected, Team Secret remain the top dogs of Europe after a dominant win over Vikin.gg this week. However, Alliance’s huge win over OG has shaken up the standings and put both teams squarely in the middle of the pack. Meanwhile, Vikin.gg and High Coast Esports are already in danger of relegation just two weeks into the season.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Team Secret | 2-0 | 4-1 |
(2.) Team Nigma | 2-0 | 4-2 |
(3.) Team Liquid | 2-1 | 5-2 |
(4.) OG | 2-1 | 4-4 |
(5.) Alliance | 1-1 | 3-2 |
(6.) Tundra Esports | 1-2 | 4-4 |
(7.) Vikin.gg | 0-2 | 0-4 |
(8.) High Coast Esports | 0-3 | 1-6 |
China
Week 2 match results
Vici Gaming 2-0 LBZS
EHOME 2-0 Team MagMa
PSG.LGD 2-0 LBZS
Invictus Gaming 2-1 Elephant
Team Aster 2-1 PSG.LGD
While seeing Vici Gaming atop the standings in China isn’t too surprising, not many would have expected Team Aster and Invictus Gaming to be this good as they scored huge wins over Elephant and EHOME. While there’s still a lot of time for the top four teams to shuffle positions, both Team MagMa and LBZS seem headed for relegation.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Vici Gaming | 2-0 | 4-0 |
(2.) Team Aster | 2-0 | 4-1 |
(3.) Invictus Gaming | 2-0 | 4-2 |
(4.) PSG.LGD | 2-1 | 5-2 |
(5.) EHOME | 1-1 | 3-2 |
(6.) Elephant | 1-2 | 3-4 |
(7.) Team MagMa | 0-3 | 0-6 |
(8.) LBZS | 0-3 | 0-6 |
Southeast Asia
Week 2 match results
TNC 2-0 Vice Esports
Fnatic 2-0 Execration
BOOM Esports 2-1 496 Gaming
Neon Esports 2-1 TNC Predator
T1 2-1 496 Gaming
Neon Esports has surged to the top of the standings in Southeast Asia with a huge win over TNC Predator this week. While there is still room for the likes of TNC Predator and T1 to recover, the race for the three spots in the Major is looking very interesting with how close the competition in the region is shaping out.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Neon Esports | 3-0 | 6-2 |
(2.) Fnatic | 2-0 | 4-0 |
(3.) Execration | 1-1 | 2-2 |
(4.) BOOM Esports | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(5.) T1 | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(6.) TNC Predator | 1-2 | 3-4 |
(7.) 496 Gaming | 1-3 | 5-6 |
(8.) Vice Esports | 0-2 | 0-4 |
CIS
Week 2 match results
EXTREMUM 2-1 Team Unique
Virtus.pro 2-0 Live to Win
Team Empire 2-1 Team Spirit
Natus Vincere 2-1 EXTREMUM
NoTechies 2-1 Team Spirit
The CIS regional league seems to be the only one where things are largely falling according to expectations. Natus Vincere and Virtus.pro both lead the region as they should, with the rest of the competition still in relatively good position to make a deep run over the next few weeks.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Natus Vincere | 3-0 | 6-1 |
(2.) Virtus.pro | 2-0 | 4-0 |
(3.) Live to Win | 1-1 | 2-2 |
(4.) Team Empire | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(5.) Team Spirit | 1-2 | 4-4 |
(6.) EXTREMUM | 1-2 | 3-5 |
(7.) NoTechies | 1-2 | 2-5 |
(8.) Team Unique | 0-2 | 1-4 |
North America
Week 2 match results
4Zoomers 2-0 A-Team
Undying 2-0 5ManMidas
Evil Geniuses 2-0 Black N Yellow
Quincy Crew 2-0 4 Zoomers
SADBOYS 2-0 A-Team
Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew continue to assert their dominance over the North American regional league to the detriment of 4 Zoomers, who now fall to a lackluster 1-2 record. While they can still get back into the thick of things, SADBOYS, Undying, and Black N Yellow are threatening to keep the team many thought was the third-best in the region locked in the bottom of the standings.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Evil Geniuses | 3-0 | 6-2 |
(2.) Quincy Crew | 2-0 | 4-0 |
(3.) Undying | 2-0 | 4-0 |
(4.) SADBOYS | 1-1 | 3-2 |
(5.) Black N Yellow | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(6.) 4 Zoomers | 1-2 | 3-4 |
(7.) 5ManMidas | 0-3 | 1-6 |
(8.) A-Team | 0-3 | 0-6 |
South America
Week 2 match results
Thunder Predator 2-0 Team Unknown
EgoBoys 2-1 NoPing Esports
Team Unknown 2-0 Infamous
Beastcoast 2-0 Latam Defenders
Thunder Predator 2-0 SG Esports
Beastcoast is looking a tier above everyone else in South America, as they have the best start of any team in the DPC with a 3-0 record all coming from clean 2-0 sweeps. Thunder Predator bounced back from their loss in week one to get in second place, while five teams remain in contention for the rest of the spots in the top half of the league.
Standings
(Placement) Team | Match score | Game score |
(1.) Beastcoast | 3-0 | 6-0 |
(2.) Thunder Predator | 2-1 | 4-3 |
(3.) Infamous | 1-1 | 2-2 |
(4.) Latam Defenders | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(5.) SG Esports | 1-1 | 2-3 |
(6.) Team Unknown | 1-2 | 3-4 |
(7.) EgoBoys | 1-2 | 3-5 |
(8.) NoPing Esports | 0-2 | 2-4 |
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page.
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