BetBoom DACHA Dubai Playoffs Day 1: Team Spirit Loses 35 Match Win Streak

After a two-day break from the main BetBoom DACHA tournament, we were greeted with some upsets on the first day of the Playoffs. The coolest thing about today’s results is that four teams from varying regions picked up victories. 

LGD Gaming 0-2 BetBoom Team

The day started with a match between LGD Gaming and the host team. Coming into this matchup, the betting odds were 50:50, but the BetBoom Team proved it incorrect. 

In the first map, LGD held a decent lead in the Mid Game, but Nightfall’s unkillable Slark was too much for the Chinese squad to handle. Overall, the BetBoom Team performed well and took the first map in 43 minutes.

Game 2 was one of the biggest stomps in the tournament so far, with the Eastern European squad building up a 10,000 net worth lead in only 14 minutes of play. It was a slow crumble for LGD, who refused to give up. Still, the lead continued growing, and the BetBoom Team closed the series 2-0.

Team Spirit 0-2 Gaimin Gladiators

The two best teams of 2023 met in the first round of the Upper Bracket. This matchup is a rematch of the Grand Finale of The International 12. Though both teams boasted immense success in the previous year, Team Spirit and Gaimin Gladiators did not look like they were in peak form judging from the Group Stage results.

However, the Gladiators woke up on the right side of the bed and demolished Team Spirit 2-0. Both games weren’t even worth watching since it was so one-sided for the Western European squad. 

Team Spirit was humbled and sent back to the drawing board, where the next series they’ll play is an elimination one. This loss also meant Team Spirit broke their unbeaten streak of 35 matches in a row (1-1 draws not included).

Xtreme Gaming 0-2 Team Falcons

The new Chinese superteam placed first in their Group and had the best overall record of 8-2. Their opponents for the first day of Playoffs were the Falcons, the fourth seed in Group A. Fans thought Xtreme Gaming would quickly dispose of the MENA squad, but they were utterly wrong.

In the first map, the Falcons took an early lead and maintained complete control over the map. They did not force any plays, maximized their farm, and slowly choked Xtreme Gaming until it was too much. The map ended in 50 minutes, where the Chinese squad could only post ten kills compared to the Falcons’ 32. ATF’s Timbersaw ended the game 19/0/8, a respectable performance.

The second map was dead even until the 35-minute mark, with both teams choosing to farm and scale into the late game. ATF displayed a standout performance on his famous Mars during this entire game and was essentially carrying his team through the game. If it weren’t for Ammar’s plays on Mars, Xtreme Gaming would have likely dominated the Early and Mid Game.

Overall, the Falcons played the map exceptionally well in Game 2, ratting their opponents and avoiding bad fights. This macro play helped the MENA squad complete the upset and defeat Xtreme Gaming 2-0. 

Team Liquid 1-2 Azure Ray

The day ended with a series between Team Liquid and Azure Ray, the only one that didn’t end with a sweep. However, we didn’t get any entertaining games from this series.

The first map was a total stomp from the side of Azure Ray, winning the map in 24 minutes and a kill score of 21-4. 

The following map was a peculiar one. The game remained very competitive as the net worth was dead even at the 30-minute mark. However, after a pause, Azure Ray seemed to have lost focus and let the game slip away. The net worth difference went from even to 10,000 in favor of Team Liquid in the span of three minutes, allowing the European squad to tie the series.

In the final map, Azure Ray could win their lanes and convert their Early Game lead into a 44-minute victory. Overall, the Chinese squad effectively played a clean Game 3 by shutting down miCKe and Nisha.

Four Teams From Different Regions Remain In The Upper Bracket

An interesting thing we learned from today was that no teams from the same region won twice. 

We have an evenly split Upper Bracket with one Eastern European, Western European, MENA, and Chinese squad.