DPC 2023 Eastern Europe Week 1 Overview

Eastern Europe has always been a region where everything is possible. The teams here have proven time and time again that they’re among the best and deserve a lot of respect. 

Although EEU couldn’t repeat its success during TI 10 when Team Spirit won the championship, Yatoro and the rest had an excellent 2022. Of course, the region experienced some interesting roster changes, some of which were due to Valve’s ban wave.

Now that the dust has settled, it is time for fans to watch the best teams in Eastern Europe. Like any other Dota 2 region, EEU is divided into Division I and II. Unlike in 2022, the 2023 DPC will allow us to watch them separately, so here is what happened in Week 1 of Division I.

Na’Vi vs Darkside

[embedded content]

One of the series that fans expected to be interesting put together Na’Vi and Darkside. The legendary Ukrainian squad is still struggling to find the formula for success after making many roster changes. After failing to qualify for TI, Na’Vi made several important changes, and the team was ready to show its prowess.

Sadly, V-Tune and the rest had to play against Darkside, which was RAMZESS666’s team. The series was epic because we saw 3 back and forth games, but in the end, Darkside won the match.

Game 1

Although Darkside had a pretty good draft in game 1, the team wasn’t able to use it at all because Na’Vi was just too good. V-Tune and the rest crushed their opponents in the laning stage and used the momentum to push. After a couple of minutes, Na’Vi was already near Darkside’s T3 towers, and the team had no intention of returning.

Although Ramzess and the rest had a glimmer of hope, it wasn’t enough for the team to bounce back. Consequently, Darkside lost the first map and had to prepare for the second one.

Game 2

Na’Vi had a better draft in the second game than their opponents, which is why people thought they’d win. However, they made a lot of mistakes that gave DS enough time to allow Morphling to take control of the game. 

Na’Vi and their Lifestealer looked good, but several bad fights allowed Morphling to accumulate too much farm. He and Leshrac became almost unkillable, which is why DS equalized the series and forced a Game 3.

Game 3

After both teams exchanged one map, it was time for the decider. Na’Vi and DS used two completely different strategies because the Ukrainians focused on AoE damage with Techies and Timbersaw. On the other hand, Darkside picked a draft focused on Naga Siren.

The game was exciting because both teams gave everything they got. Na’Vi was playing against the clock because they had to prevent Naga from taking over. Even though the team did everything in its power, DS eventually won a few fights and gained control. Unsurprisingly, the team needed just a couple of minutes after that to win.

Na’Vi and Team Spirit

[embedded content]

Week 1 in the EEU DPC 2023 was special because we had the chance to watch the match between Na’Vi and Team Spirit. This was the first big match for TI 10’s champs, who made a roster change after TORONTOTOKYO left the team.

Even though most fans expected TS to have no problems, we got the chance to watch an epic 3 game series. The first game was going well for TS, but Na’Vi took the lead after several mistakes. The team used it to their advantage to gain a considerable lead and prevent them from bouncing back.

Despite winning game 1, Na’Vi wasn’t able to show its prowess in games 2 and 3. Their draft looked scary in the second one, but Spirit’s snowballing cores in the face of Ursa and Leshrac won the match in just 32 minutes.

Natus Vincere tried stealing a page of Team Spirit’s book by getting Ursa for themselves in game 3. However, their opponents counter them with a classic IO-CK pick. As expected, TI 10 champs had little to no problems and eventually won the map and the series. This was Na’Vi’s second loss so far, so the team shouldn’t make any more mistakes if it wants to save its chances of getting a Major Slot.

Virtus.Pro lost one match and won the other

[embedded content]

Aside from Na’Vi and Team Spirit, Virtus.Pro is also one of the big names in Eastern Europe that will try to secure a Major slot. However, it seems like it won’t be easy for the newly-formed team because it has already lost one series.

Despite being the favorite against BetBoom Team, VP lost both maps and the series. The first game between the two was more interesting because VP used the Magnus and Void setup. Albeit one of the strongest combos right now, BetBoom’s incredible Lina and DK didn’t allow it to shine. TORONTOKYTO and co. outplayed their opponents and won the map.

The match’s second game was also interesting, but it was clear that BetBoom had a better pick. The infamous Leshac and Ursa combo that rips through the current meta didn’t give their opponents any chances of winning. Despite having CK and DK, Virtus.Pro could not win and lost this series.

Fortunately, Virtus.Pro defeated Darkside

Following the bitter loss against the leaders in EEU’s Division I, Virtus.Pro had a very, very interesting match against Darkside. The latter is a team that consists of several ex-VP players, so it was really fun to see the outcome.

To be honest, we expected RAMZES666 and the rest to win, but VP was surprised in both maps and deserved the victory. Interestingly, the team got DP and Ember Spirit in both of their games, whereas their opponents relied on Mirana and Tiny.

Despite getting interesting drafts, Rakside failed to defeat VP and lost the series. This was incredibly important for the newly-formed squad because it preserved their chances for a top 3 finish.

Other interesting results

After defeating Na’Vi, Team Spirit secured another victory, but this time, it was against One Move. AfterLife and the rest have problems and have already lost 2 matches, which means they will have problems in the upcoming weeks.

As for the leaders in Division I, BB Team feated VP, as well as HR. The series between HellRaisers and BB was way more intriguing than expected, especially in game 2. We saw an epic battle that lasted almost one hour, during which HR got Naga Siren and Techies. Sadly, even these heroes weren’t enough to defeat the powerful new BetBoom squad.

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• Platoblockchain. Web3 Metaverse Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• Source: https://estnn.com/dpc-2023-eastern-europe-week-1-overview/