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It might just be an online tournament. They might be missing two of their superstars. Yet, OG’s Dota 2 roster remains exciting, flashy, and most importantly for them, utterly dominant.
OG clashed against Nigma in a rematch of The International 2019 grand finals. OG’s roster might have skipped the first two Majors, but they have quickly returned to the ascendant form they displayed at TI9. The team made a victorious debut at the ESL One Los Angeles Online tournament by making short work of Nigma, defeating KuroKy’s team 2-0.
The first game saw Nigma start off with w33’s Timber crushing SumaiL in the mid lane, along with Miracle-‘s Nature’s Prophet free farming on top. KuroKy even managed to snipe SumaiL’s life and Healing Salve.
Nigma’s glimmer of hope at defeating OG was swiftly dissipated by the now-trademark OG style. N0tail and crew descended on the mid lane to help SumaiL take down w33’s tanky Timber, helping him to recover from a crushing opening. In turn, SumaiL rewarded OG’s faith with an explosive 21-kill performance on Ember Spirit.
OG weren’t quite done with Nigma, however, proceeding to style on them once more in the second game. OG picked up a core Chen for stand-in 33 to further speed up the tempo, executing some phenomenal micro plays to help his temporary team to victory.
Having elected for a Miracle- Anti-Mage, Nigma were unable to fight into the OG lineup. In an even more authoritative victory than game one, OG firmly put their stamp on the series despite missing two members of their roster.
While OG’s prowess might be expected, Nigma’s lack of impetus seems far removed from their recent performances. KuroKy’s squad have not had the best of seasons after their runners-up placement at TI9, losing in the qualifiers of both proceeding Majors. The team also threw a crucial game five in the StarLadder ImbaTV Minor qualifiers.
Yet they’ve also taken down Team Secret in a thrilling series at the WePlay! Tug of War: Mad Moon, repeating the feat once again at the WeSave! Charity Play Event en route to winning the Europe vs. CIS final.
It’s still only the first matchup for Nigma, but the team’s streaky form makes it hard to know whether its the TI9 runners-up or the team that lost two Major qualifiers in a row showing up. Nigma’s next series is against Cyber Legacy on April 6, while OG will play Dendi’s new team B8.
