Potential tiebreaker scenarios to close off Tour 1 in Dota 2’s DPC Division 2

The Dota Pro Circuit 2023 (DPC 2023) Division 2 League is nearing it’s end. While we already know the outcomes from certain regions, such as China and North America, Western and Eastern Europe teams are facing tiebreaker scenarios to settle the scores. Potentially a four-way tiebreaker at that.

Four-way Tiebreaker at WEU DPC 2023

A four-way tiebreaker could very well be the peak of Dota 2 Esports whereby four rivals are at each other’s necks to secure only two qualifying slots. The top two seeds earn the Division 1 slots for the next DPC Tour, where the big shots compete.

Hence, it’s arguably the holy grail for any Division 2 team to win against the top two seeds. Amongst the confirmed tiebreaker participants are Alliance, D2 Hustlers, and Monaspa. Meanwhile, Ooredoo Thunders is one loss away from making it a four-way tiebreaker.

For the uninitiated, Ooredoo will face the worst-performing team of DPC 2023 WEU Tour 1, Team Bald Reborn. The latter has not won a single series during their time, which is underwhelming, considering the high-profile players in it.

Team Bald Reborn was initially registered by Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski as a past-time hobby for the streamer. Somehow, they were relatively good as gatekeepers against teams of retired players, such as when Old G lost.

Nevertheless, the odds are against Gorgc and Team Bald since they haven’t won a single series.

Alliance is doing it?

Alliance and Nigma Galaxy are both playing a season with new rosters. The Alliance squad boasts the former TI champion, Gustav “s4” Magnusson. He needs no introduction as the founding member of Alliance but having Ng “ChYuan” Kee Chyuan as a talent from Southeast Asia has proven great success.

Besides Alliance, D2 Hustlers and Monaspa also have been equally formidable, securing a similar score as the former. Each candidate has had their victories and losses against one another, so it certainly makes the tiebreaker outcome tougher to predict.

However, Ooredoo is at a massive advantage and likely will surpass these teams by winning their last series. They will skip out on the tiebreaker, while the three candidates fight for the only qualifying slot left.

All Hail HYDRA

HYDRA revives from the dead after what felt like the last of HYDRA last season. HYDRA has had its moments throughout past DPC seasons but had to climb the open qualifiers with their new roster.

Yet, the new stack is on a roll after winning every series in DPC 2023 Eastern Europe. PuckChamp was also another household name in Division 1 bracket and could rival the Division 1 teams last season. Yet, they tumbled down into Division 2 after an unfortunate series of odd tournament formats.

Even so, it’s not a justifiable reason to completely lose their grip on the competition. We do still see Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau and Nikita “young G” Bochko as the remaining PuckChamp players from last season. However, facing HYDRA in their decisive series next will be a challenge.

Additionally, the stakes are high for PuckChamp as losing here will result in a tiebreaker with Sigma.YNT.

Confirmed Division 1 Teams for the next Tour

Meanwhile, China’s Division 2 concluded with Ybb Gaming and Vici Gaming securing their Division 1 slots. Over at Southeast Asia, Army Geniuses will debut in their first Division 1 bracket, while fans are still in awe of Polaris Gaming’s new roster shocking its competition. North America Division 1 welcomes felt and Team DogChamp, who were formerly in Division 1.

The first Tour of DPC 2023 is looking spicy, especially with WEU teams being extremely competitive against one another. Eventually, their biggest ordeal lies after the Lima Major 2023, when they will play in Division 1 themselves.