Bracket flip in the final three matches of ESL One Germany 2020

As we creep closer to the end of ESL One Germany 2020, the outcomes of several games have been shocking to say the least. It all just goes to show that even the best teams in the world can eventually fall.

The Playoffs Brackets has now been switched in terms of pre-event expectations. Either NaVi or Mudgolems are guaranteed a finals spot and a potential rematch or a face-off versus Teams Secret or Liquid.

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Team Secret down but not out

Team Secret,won every tournament since the WePlay! Pushka League. Holding a record of eight tournament titles, we proclaimed them the strongest team in the world in 2020 and as the most reliable candidate in Dota 2 betting.

Yet, in the upper bracket series at ESL One, mudgolems seems to have outplayed em heavily for the first time this season. Adrian “Fata” Trinks, the mastermind behind the team’s strategy had a solution for everything Secret had to offer. Even with the big guns out like Yapzor’s Earthshaker, mudgolems had just the perfect counter in mind.

Fata picked Tidehunter for his offlaner, 33, who was coincidentally a counter to Matumbaman’s Phantom Assassin too. As mudgolems knocked on Secret’s base, the lather was desperately trying to land his ultimate during the entire game. Eventually, Yapzor found the right moment to blink in for a 5-man Echo Slam.

Unfortunately, what could have been the play of the day, turned south as Tidehunter’s passive skill, Kraken Shell, brushed off the stun instantly. Allowing mudgolems to counter-initiate with Ravage, sending both Yapzor and his ally, Matumbaman, to the grave.

Upsets! Upsets everywhere!

Speaking of unexpected turnarounds, Team Secret’s loss was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of worse upsets. Down in the lower bracket, the International 2019 finalists were eliminated prematurely in their games.

All things considered, Nigma played well to hold their own, considering the absence of their captain, Kuroky. In their previous game versus Team Secret, they had the boys at wits’ end, thanks to Miracle’s performance. Miracle’s Sven was farmed to the point where he got Aghanim’s Scepter, which enabled him to fly, superman-pose towards Secret players.

However, the same can’t be said for team OG, who were extremely underwhelming throughout the playoffs. They picked unconventional heroes for Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, such as an Elder Titan hard carry and Ember Spirit support for Saksa. The picks didn’t seem to work out as planned.

Furthermore, OG seemed under the weather as there was no chat wheel spam as they traditionally do, nor call GG when they lost.

Trouble in the Lower Bracket

Thanks to mudgolems’ victory, Team Secret is the new threat in the lower bracket, where other powerhouse teams such as Team Liquid, Alliance and Vikin.gg are currently at. As optimistic as Alliance was, into thinking that they didn’t need to deal with Secret until the finals, it seems like they just jinxed themselves pretty hard.

Hilariously, Fata and Neta “33” Shapira sent Christmas presents early this year to their former Alliance teammates in the form of Team Secret. Now, we get to watch an early rematch from the ESL One Birmingham 2020 final between Alliance and Team Secret.

As for the upper bracket finals, mudgolems and Natus Vincere both showcased phenomenal performance thus far. All things considered, Team Secret is definitely not out of the league yet, as Puppey with a machete is hungry for revenge in the grand finals.

Predictions

The final three matches are all “if” scenarios.

First up, Natus Vincere and mudgolems will decide the first finalist. Based on esports bookmakers, mudgolems are the favorites after their clear run in the bracket so far. However,  NaVi beating Vikin.gg and OG was no small feat as well. The series should boil down to drafting and, I predict a 1:2 win for NaVi in the end.

Down in the loser bracket we have a rematch of the Birmingham final between Team Secret and Alliance. This match-up is more clear cut and a 0:2 series by Secret is expected.

Finally, in a potential Team Secret versus mudgolems match-up in either the 3rd place or grand final match (if our prediction is wrong) we expect Team Secret to come out as the victor. In either scenario, we expect Team Secret to win the event through the loser bracket. With this in mind, you can also bet on them winning every first map of a match-up until the end of the event.

Follow the final three days of ESL One Germany here.

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