Dota 2: China Tour 3 Division I – Week 5

China Tour 3 is usually not among the most interesting regions to watch because some teams always win. However, this China Tour 3 has proven that this is not the case because even teams like PSG.LGD can lose.

This is one of the few regions in this DPC where six teams have real chances of securing one of the four slots for the upcoming Major. Needless to say, players do everything in their power to stand out and help their team succeed. So let’s go over the most intriguing series in Division I. Don’t forget that we are just one week away from the end of Tour 3.

EHOME vs Aries

Despite being one of the fan favorites in China, the legendary team of EHOME can’t keep up with the rest in the region. The team only won one series so far, and it failed to show its prowess in the match against Aster.Aries.

Aside from the fact that this game was exciting to watch, we had the chance to see two Roshans in a professional game. Needless to say, Valve will most likely address this bug but it was refreshing to see something new.

Game 1

Everything looked good for EHOME in the first game of the match, so we are not surprised that the team needed just 22 minutes to win. The laning stage went great for Xu “Echo” Ziliang and the rest, and the team used this to its advantage.

MK quickly became the strongest hero in the game, and even the deadly Ursa could not stop the hero. Aries couldn’t do anything to prevent their opponents from killing them, so instead of delaying the inevitable, the team decided to forfeit and focus on the second map.

Game 2

The second game of the series allowed us to watch heroes like Pudge and Nature’s Prophet and we also had access to “two Roshans”. Needless to say, it was one of the most exciting series yet.

Aside from the bug that took place around the 15th minute, EHOME and Aries played a fantastic series where we had the chance to watch many back-and-forth actions. Aries tried to utilize Pudge, a popular hero in the current meta, whereas their opponents relied on the classic TB carry.

Unsurprisingly, Aries dominated in the early and mid-game and prevented their opponents from utilizing their draft. EHOME had a glimmer of hope after killing the two Roshans, but even this was not enough to help them win.

Aries did everything in their power to prevent their opponents from pushing and relied on a mistake. In the end, EHOME’s patience ran out and the team made several game-breaking mistakes that allowed their opponents to win.

Game 3

Just when we thought that this series couldn’t get crazier, game three gave us access to a one-hour-long bloodbath. Aries and EHOME gave everything they offered, but in the end, Wang “Ulu” Jiakai and the rest won the match.

This victory wasn’t easy because Aries had to play against a late-game Magnus and Alchemist. However, thanks to the team’s coordination and tactic, it could cope with the deadly du and won the match.

Aster vs Xtreme Gaming

These two teams are definitely among the main contestants for the upcoming Majors, and they have the results t back it up.  However, there could be only one winner, and this time, it was Team Aster.

Game 1

The first game of the series allowed Aster to utilize their signature Alchemist pick, but it also gave Xtreme access to Puck, Viper and Ursa. These three heroes have become the go-to options in the current meta, so people thought they would win.

Things were going okay for Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun and his team, at least until the mid-game. Despite the fact that the team shut down Alchemist, Aster found a way to give the hero the farm he needs. As a result, he quickly became the strongest hero in the game and got an early Aegis. 

Aster used Alchemist’s power to their advantage and destroyed their opponents in the next few minutes. After getting two lanes of rax, the team won the first game.

Game 2

Xtreme Gaming looked more motivated for the second game of the series and it definitely reflected in their performance. However, this was not enough to win against Team Aster.

Despite having SPectre, the hero was not enough to defeat the MK and Puck combo used by Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang and the rest. The team slowly got the lead in the game and became too strong, even for Enigma and Spectre.

Du “Monet” Peng’s Ultra Kill near the 38th minute last was enough for his team to win this essential series.

RNGU vs Xtreme Gaming and PSG.LGD

Following Xtreme Gaming’s loss vs Aster, the team had to do everything in its power to defeat Royal Never Give Up. Sadly, this was easier said than done because Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao and the rest were too motivated. The team won the most important series yet and became the first Chinese team to secure a slot for the PGL Arlington Major 2022.

Surprisingly, the team had almost no problems against Xtreme Gaming, even though their opponents had a pretty good streak. Maybe and the rest won the first game very easily and even defeated their opponents in the second match. Despite the fact that Xtreme Gaming had access to Alchemist, the hero was not powerful enough to prevent his team from losing.

The match vs PSG.LGD

Despite becoming the first team to qualify for the Major and winning against Xtreme, RNGU failed to defeat PSG.LGD. The latter has had a lot of concerns lately, but it won the most critical series yet. If PSG lost this match, the team wouldn’t have any chances of qualifying for the Major.

Both maps vs Maybe and the rest were fun and full of surprises. RNGU had the lead in the second game and gave their Spectre an excellent chance to shine. However, Zhao “XinQ” Zixing and the rest outplayed their opponents and won the match.

We will have to wait for Week 6 to see which teams qualify for the Major. Needless to say, only three of them will continue forward.