Week 5 Recap of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division [All Regions]

Week 5 Recap of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division [All Regions]

Rakshak Kathuria
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  • When it comes to week 5 (May 11-17, 2021) of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division, we witnessed a string of exciting series unfold. We currently have only five teams for the AniMajor confirmed out of a total of 18.
  • Week 5 of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division also presented us with some surprising results like Lilgun and Team Unique beating TNC Predator and Natus Vincere respectively.
  • Heading into the most decisive week 6 of the season, here is a look at the prominent results and the points tables of each region at the end of week 5.

The competition in the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division has been immensely cut-throat in the first five weeks. We now have only five teams for the AniMajor confirmed out of a total of 18. When it comes to week 5 (May 11-17, 2021) of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division, we witnessed a string of exciting series unfold. Contests between the undefeated teams like Virtus.pro vs Team Spirit and Evil Geniuses vs Quincy Crew showcased Dota 2 of the finest quality. Meanwhile, the middle of the pack saw some high-stake contests between teams who are all vying for that Major spot like OG vs Team Nigma, Elephant vs PSG.LGD and Fnatic vs OB.Neon. Week 5 of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division also presented us with some surprising results like Lilgun and Team Unique beating TNC Predator and Natus Vincere respectively.

Heading into the most decisive week 6 of the season, here is a look at the prominent results and the points tables of each region at the end of week 5.

RELATED:  Last Day of the Season Decides it All for the NA DPC Upper Division


Results and points table of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5

1. Southeast Asia (SEA)

The Mongolian squad Lilgun was knocked out of the Upper Division after its fifth consecutive loss to OB.Neon. But the team put up a baffling 2-0 performance against TNC Predator later in the week. This extensively impacts the Filipinos’ chances of securing the top slot in the SEA DPC league. While Fnatic was dominated 2-0 by T1 on May 12, they emerged stronger the next day in their series against OB.Neon to take a convincing 2-0 win. Omega Esports wiped out BOOM Esports 2-0 to put the latter out of the race to the Major.

Opinion on the SEA DPC league

The SEA 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division has witnessed the most inconsistent teams since the top ones like TNC Predator, OB.Neon, T1 and Fnatic have all looked rusty. Meanwhile, underdogs like Omega Esports, Execration and Lilgun, have exceeded expectations at times. Quite a few unorthodox drafts from several teams have turned out to be ineffective while the individual performances of reputed players have been wobbly.

Here is how the points table looks in the SEA 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.

PositionTeam NameSeries (W-L)Games (W-L)
1.Fnatic4-28-6
1.T14-210-6
1.TNC Predator4-29-6
4.Execration3-38-7
4.OB.Neon3-38-6
6.BOOM Esports3-48-10
6.Omega Esports3-47-10
8.Lilgun1-53-10



2. Europe (EU)

Alliance guaranteed itself the top spot in the EU DPC league after consecutive wins against Tundra Esports and Hellbear Smashers in week 5. Team Secret put a stop to Team Liquid’s four series winning streak by taking a 2-1 win. In what was one of the most anticipated matchups in the entire DPC, Team Nigma absolutely smashed OG to win the series 2-0.

Opinion on the EU DPC league 

Europe, like always, has panned out to be one of the most consistent regions. OG is not at its prime with Ana's performance looking underwhelming at times like Juggernaut in game 2 against Nigma and Slark against Tundra in game 3. It is perhaps due to his long competitive break. Team Secret is not performing up to its potential while Team Nigma certainly looks to be regaining form and momentum with iLTW’s addition in the safe lane and Miracle-’s return to the mid lane. Alliance continues to be the most disciplined team in the region while Team Liquid has seemingly adjusted to the forced role swaps and SumaiL’s temporary addition.

Week 5 Recap of the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division [All Regions]
Ana had stated in a pre-match DPC interview that he is not playing to the best of his ability currently.
Image Via OG's Twitter
Here is how the points table looks in the EU 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.
PositionTeam NameSeries (W-L)Games (W-L)
1.Alliance6-113-7
2.Team Liquid4-210-7
2.Team Nigma4-210-5
4.Brame3-38-8
4.OG3-38-7
4.Team Secret3-37-9
7.Tundra Esports2-47-10
8.Hellbear Smashers0-74-14



3. China

Vici Gaming was the big winner of the China DPC in week 5 as it solidified its position in the points table with back-to-back wins against EHOME and Royal Never Give Up. EHOME took down Chinese table-toppers Team Aster in a very crucial series that now keeps them in contention of earning a Major spot. Royal Never Give Up had a rough phase as they lost two consecutive matches, eliminating them from the race to the Major. In yet another important series, PSG.LGD took down Elephant to place themselves in a comfortable spot.

Broodmother offlane and 0-minute Tower strategy

The China 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division has been renowned for bringing unique ideas and hero combos to the table that eventually become meta for other regions. China became one of the first regions to showcase the potency of Broodmother in the offlane, which has now become a viable strategy for many teams. Another quirky strategy we witnessed in the league was Sparking Arrow Gaming’s destruction of the tier 1 tower at the 0-minute mark against Team Aster.

RELATED:  SAG Take 0-Minute Tier 1 Tower Against Team Aster in 2021 China DPC

Here is how the points table looks in the China 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.

PositionTeam NameSeries (W-L)Games (W-L)
1.Team Aster5-110-4
2.PSG.LGD4-28-6
2.Vici Gaming4-210-4
4.EHOME3-37-7
4.Elephant3-37-6
4.Invictus Gaming3-36-8
7.Royal Never Give Up2-47-8
8.Sparking Arrow Gaming0-60-12



4. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Virtus.pro asserted authority in the CIS DPC league to register another flawless run. After finishing with seven wins and no losses in the first DPC season, the young CIS squad took down Team Spirit and Winstrike Team in week 5 to end the second DPC with an unconquered 7-0 record. AS Monaco Gambit kept its Major hopes alive after beating EXTREMUM 2-1. Natus Vincere, who was the leader in the race to the third and final Major slot from CIS, suffered a shock loss against Team Unique.

Virtus.pro's unique mindset

Virtus.pro’s young players not only boast of some top-notch gameplay and drafting but also have one of the most unique mindsets in the entire scene. In one of the post-match winner’s interviews, the team’s offlaner, Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin, revealed that they had deliberately put themselves at a disadvantage in the laning phase in game two of the series against EXTREMUM in week 4 in order to practise coming back from a tough situation.

Here is how the points table looks in the CIS 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.

Position
Team Name
Series (W-L)
Games (W-L)
1.
Virtus.pro7-014-2
2.
Team Spirit5-111-3
3.
AS Monaco Gambit3-37-7
3.
Team Unique3-37-6
3.
Natus Vincere3-37-9
6.
PuckChamp2-45-9
7.
Winstrike Team2-56-12
8.
EXTREMUM0-63-12



5. North America (NA)

While Evil Geniuses vanquished Undying in a series that was expected to be competitive, the Singapore Major runner-ups fell once again to Quincy Crew. In the previous DPC season, Quincy Crew had been the solitary team to take down Evil Geniuses and this time as well, a similar 2-1 result ended in Quincy Crew’s favor. Sadboys’ managed to grab its first victory in the NA DPC but got stomped by Quincy Crew to guarantee itself relegation to the Lower Division. While Evil Geniuses is expected to take down Black N Yellow unless the unthinkable happens and Undying takes down Quincy Crew like the first season, we could be in for a spicy three-way tiebreaker between Evil Geniuses, Quincy Crew and Undying for the two Major slots.

YawaR’s Toss buyback Medusa play in the series against Evil Geniuses turned out to be highlight of week 5.

Here is how the points table looks in the NA 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.

PositionTeam NameSeries (W-L)Games (W-L)
1.Quincy Crew6-012-1
2.Evil Geniuses5-111-2
3.Undying5-110-3
4.4 Zoomers3-36-6
5.simply TOOBASED3-46-9
6.Black N Yellow2-36-6
7.sadboys1-62-12
8.The Cut0-70-14



6. South America (SA)

NoPing e-sports guaranteed itself a spot in the AniMajor after a 2-0 win over Team Unknown. Thunder Predator, after an underwhelming showing in week 3 and 4, put up a couple of formidable performances to beat Hokori and Infinity Esports. Beastcoast and Infamous also registered easy 2-0 victories in week 5.

SA's Fab Four

NoPing e-sports’ performance has improved by leaps and bounds in the second season with a big boost from the addition of SA veteran, hFn, in the midlane. In addition to NoPing e-sports, Thunder Predator, Beastcoast and Infamous have all looked competitive and it will be intriguing to witness which team out of the three joins NoPing e-sports at the AniMajor. SA deservingly might be getting three direct invites to TI10 if results favor them at the tournament.

Here is how the points table looks in the SA 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division after week 5.

PositionTeam NameSeries (W-L)Games (W-L)
1.NoPing e-sports6-012-1
2.beastcoast5-111-3
3.Thunder Predator5-212-6
4.Infamous4-29-5
5.Hokori2-45-9
6.SG e-sports1-54-10
6.Team Unknown1-52-10
8.Infinity Esports1-62-13



We are heading into an eventful final week in the 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division with an increasing possibility of massive tiebreakers in almost every region for the remaining 13 Major slots. 

RELATED:  WePlay AniMajor in Kyiv Announced as the Second Dota 2 Major of the 2021 DPC

WePlay recently announced that it would be organizing the second Major in Kyiv, Ukraine. Titled “WePlay AniMajor,” the event is scheduled for June 2-13, 2021, without a live audience. 


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As a passionate Dota 2 fan for eight years, Rakshak has indulged himself completely in its esports circuit for the past two years as a professional. In addition to covering major news developments, he takes a keen interest in understanding team strengths and player personalities.

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