Dota 2 2023 DPC Tour 2 Division I Recap – Eastern Europe

Although Team Spirit, BetBoom Team, and HellRaisers didn’t impress with their performance at The Lima Major 2023, there is no arguing that Eastern Europe is one of the most interesting regions to watch. The best teams here are consistently among the favorites, so Tour 2 in EEU will be exciting to watch. 

Week 1 is over, and we had the chance to watch a few important series. Although there are 2 more weeks to go, every match here can be crucial because EEU only has 3 slots for the Major. Needless to say, those who’ve read our review of Eastern Europe and other 2023 DPC Tour 2 regions know that almost all teams here have equal chances of winning.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the things that you may have missed after the end of Week 1 in EEU.

Darkside wasn’t able to deal with Natus Vincere

Natus Vince was one ot the best Dota 2 teams in the world before, but the squad underwent many changes. It seems like the last one was for the better because it made its way from Division II to the 2023 DPC Tour 2 Division I. 

The first challenge for Na’VI was none other than Darkside. The latter consists of SoNNEikO and RodjER, but even these two living CIS Dota 2 legends weren’t powerful enough to stop Na’Vi from winning.

Game 1 between the two teams was relatively easy for Malik and the rest because the team’s IO and CK raft was too strong for DS to play against. With that said, Na’Vi tried repeating the exact pick for Game 2, but this time, it got Ursa instead of CK.

The draft looked good on paper, and Na’Vi almost won, but in the end, Faceless Void’s Chronospehere proved too strong even for the CIS squad. This forced the series into a Game 3.

Speaking of the third game between these teams, Darkside tried using Puck and Sniper, 2 heroes that we often see side by side. The draft looked good on paper, but Na’VI countered it with Spectre and won the match after 43 minutes.

HYDRA lost its first series in a while

People who’ve followed the Dota 2 DPC 2023 Tour 1 Division II remember that HYDRA was in a league of its own. The squad had no problems and defeated everyone, securing a slot for Division I. Unfortunately, the first challenge ahead o the squad was OneMove, and the squad proved to be too strong.

The series between these two teams had everything we could wish for. There were three games full of action, and the first one lasted for almost one hour. Even though HYDRA definitely deserved to win the match, in the end, One Move was more resilient and secured its first victory in the 2023 DPC Tour 2 Eastern Europe.

Team Spirit won its first match

Team Spirit is EEU’s big favorite, so it wasn’t surprising that people expected the squad to win. Interestingly, the first match for the DPC EEU Div 1 was against One Move, the squad that defeated HYDRA in its previous match. Although it tried its best, the squad didn’t have the firepower to bring down TI 10 champs.

Game 1 was a walk in the park for Yatoro and the rest, who won in just 41 minutes. Game 2 also started well for them, but One Move turned things around and grabbed the lead. Consequently, the team was able to win the map and equalize the series. Moving into game 3, Team Spirit’s Morph and Techies draft proved to be solid and gave the team the victory in the series.

HellRaisers defeated Virtus.Pro

One of the most essential Dopta 2 DPC 2023 EEU matches during Week 1 was between HellRaisers and Virtus.Pro. These two were among the favorites for a Top 3 finish, so the result between them was significant. 

Most people expected VP to win the match because its latest results have been pretty good. However, HR ripped through them in both games, giving their opponents no chance of winning.

The first game was heavily one-sided because HR’s pick didn’t allow VP’s AM to shine. Even though squad1x and the rest stepped up their game in the second map, it wasn’t enough for the team to win. 

BB Team won one match and lost the other one

Today we lose😓

wp @Team__Spirit pic.twitter.com/rIfWCF56Hs

— BetBoom Team (@BetBoomTeam) March 18, 2023

When it comes down to the Dota 2 DPC EEU standings, there is no arguing that BetBoom Team is among the best in the region. The squad dominated during Tour 1, so people had high expectations it would do the same in Tour 2. However, after Week 1, it became clear that it won’t be that easy.

BetBoom Team’s first match of the week was versus Natus Vincere, and it resulted in a win. The first game between the CIS powerhouses wasn’t easy for Pure- and the rest, but the squad’s Morph and Lesh eventually prevailed. 

Interestingly, BetBoom chose an intriguing draft for the second game that got Pugna versus Skywrath mage. Since this is one of the biggest counters, most people weren’t surprised that BB won in just 30 minutes.

After the victory against Natus Vincere, BetBoom Team had to fight against Team Spirit. This was the most exciting series of Week 1 because we saw 3 epic games. The first one went in favor of BB because it got Lone Druid, one of the best heroes in the meta right now.

Pure- tried picking the same hero for the second game, but this didn’t happen because Yatoro’s Anti-Mage was too strong. The hero carried his team to victory and equalized the series. 

The last game of Tour 2 of the Dota 2 EEU DPC Division 1 between the two was 72 minutes long. As you can expect in such a game, we saw everything, but in the end, Team Spirit won. BB’s Naga was on another level, but the team couldn’t defeat an ultra-late Drow, Lycan, and Puck. Consequently, the team lost the match.