Cover-Credits:
Team SMG swept Fnatic 2-0 in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Southeast Asia (SEA) 2021-22 Regional Finals lower bracket series to eliminate the latter from the event. Team SMG opted for a fast-paced strategy in order to overwhelm Fnatic in both games and its execution was on point. In contrast, Fnatic trusted its strategy to play a relatively slow placed draft with greedier cores, and while it was successful in some patches, it was unable to consistently stand up to the pressure posed by the opponents. Thanks to this win, Team SMG remains alive in the Regional Finals.
Fnatic vs Team SMG: Match Recap and Highlights
Recap
In game 1, Team SMG drafted an aggressive draft with an offlane Beastmaster and a carry Razor. Right from the start, there were a lot of skirmishes, and courtesy of its strategy, it got ahead in the networth. Team SMG never lost momentum and was constantly on the offensive, but Armel’s obnoxious Tinker made it very difficult for it to penetrate Fnatic's high ground. Fnatic held on to its base for a long time and even managed some key kills along the way, but was unable to turn the game around, losing in 49 minutes.
Game 2 was quite similar to the first in how each team drafted its lineup. Team SMG, with a carry Ursa, a mid Queen of Pain, and an offlane Brewmaster, put the pressure on Fnatic immediately, whereas Fnatic was more defensive. Despite not pushing towers much, Team SMG wasn't letting up when it came to finding important kills. Again, Fnatic was showing some signs of life, but ah fu on Earthshaker ended all hopes of a comeback with impeccable spellcasting and positioning to help Team SMG win in 40 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
Two Morphling - Spirit Breaker combos were attempted by Team SMG against BOOM Esports in the series yesterday that simply failed to work. Today, the team changed its strategies and had no business playing for a strict timing, putting pressure on the opponents right from the start. As the team's midlaner, Kam "Moon" Boon Seng was on a different level against his former team today as he racked up 45 kills in two games.
Fnatic fell behind in the drafting stage, and it was able to execute its tactics within the game to fully eliminate this draft disadvantage. There were a few times when Team SMG made some overzealous moves and Fnatic capitalized on these moments but they were never enough to win the game. Misplays by individual members of Fnatic at crucial moments didn't help the cause either.
While Fnatic eliminates the Regional Finals with the prize money of $10,000 USD, Team SMG advances to the lower bracket final where it will play the loser of T1 vs BOOM Esports.
