It doesn’t matter how you start because there is always a chance you can fall short at the finish line. Team Aster became intimately aware of this as they lost their only series of ESL One Malaysia 2022 to OG, with the European team sweeping the Chinese squad 3-0 in the grand finals.
It wasn’t as one-sided as the scoreboard makes it look, with each game lasting upwards of 40 minutes and leaving Aster with at least a shot at winning, but the full package OG was able to put together throughout the series was enough to give them the edge.
Game one was decided by a final push from OG where both teams had no buybacks available on their two core players at a stage where whoever killed the other team’s cores would likely win the game—which OG would go on to do.
The standout performance for both teams was in game two, specifically for Monet, who nearly won the game because of his astounding movement and timing with Phantom Assassin. OG held the lead the entire game, but Monet managed to steal an Aegis out from under the opposing team to keep the deficit somewhat manageable.
Monet would end up almost holding out against OG’s late-game push on his own, securing a Rampage before OG closed things out thanks to their available buybacks and abilities, which shut down Monet and Ori’s ability to make another stand. It also didn’t help that they gave ATF Mars two games in a row for free.
In contrast, game three was the closest through the early game, but OG would win consecutive teamfights around the 20-minute mark to start building to their eventual second Major win, though this one is not part of the Dota Pro Circuit. It was also another example of how deep OG’s potential rotation is, as they once again had to play without team captain Misha, instead having coach Chuvash unleash the Chu Chu train upon their opponents.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any Centaur Warrunner cart races to go with that train.
OG walks away with more experience for its relatively young team, a second Major title in this roster’s first year together, and $175,000.
Overall, this event was a strong showing for several teams competing in upcoming qualifiers for The International 2022, specifically Team Secret and Entity, who finished third and fifth, respectively. Those two teams, along with Nigma Galaxy, Team Liquid, and Alliance will be among the teams competing for a spot in the Western European qualifiers in September, making it the most stacked of any region.
