Cover-Credits:
Bring on the return of LAN events with a crowd and bring on the return of OG. OG has made an outstanding run through the lower bracket to defeat TSM 3-1 in the grand final to emerge as winners of the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022. In the grand final, TSM got off to a strong start by winning the first game overwhelmingly, but OG followed up with a three-game clinic showcasing excellent drafting and execution to win.
With the living legend Sébastien “Ceb” Debs filling in and Tommy "Taiga" Le acting as the senior player, this new squad, consisting of three new faces Artem "Yuragi" Golubiev, Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov, and Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf has upheld the glory of the organization in this roster's first-ever Dota 2 Major appearance.
OG wins $200,000 USD and 680 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points as the champions of the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022. Thus, the team has now racked up 1140 points, virtually securing it a place at The International 11.
OG wins the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 taking its Dota 2 Major wins total to five
After a great showing in Tour 2 of Western Europe (WEU) league, OG was expected to do well in this Major, but it managed to surpass expectations and went on to win the tournament despite playing with a stand-in.
This is even more remarkable given the way in which it achieved this - by making a stellar run through the lower bracket. Having lost to TSM 2-0 in the upper bracket, it had to make its way through BOOM Esports, Fnatic, Thunder Awaken, Gaimin Gladiators, Tundra Esports, and finally avenged the loss against TSM by beating it in the grand final.
As the playoffs wore on, OG upped its game significantly, and the majority of these wins were one-sided. The team drafted well consistently and played aggressively to inflict early damage on its opponents, then maintained the momentum to close out games.
While all five players made the team a pleasure to watch, offlaner Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf was the MVP in many peoples eyes thanks to his remarkable mental fortitude and often put the team ahead by himself. He may tilt in pub games, but here, at the major he kept calm despite being targeted with offensive tips, voice line spams and even all-chats through the major.
OG has now won its fifth ever Dota 2 Major, tying with Team Secret and Virtus.pro, who both also have won five Majors each. OG has never lost the Major after reaching the grand final.
OG Major victories:
The Frankfurt Major 2015
The Manila Major 2016
The Boston Major 2016
The Kiev Major 2017
ESL One Stockholm Major 2022
TSM also stepped up its game in this Major, carrying the hopes of the entire North American region all by itself through the majority of the tournament, after Evil Geniuses were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. As runners-up, the team wins $100,000 USD and 610 DPC points. TSM is second on the DPC points table with 1280 points and is also virtually secured a direct TI11 invite.
OG vs TSM: Recap and Highlights of the ESL One Stockholm Major 22 grand final
Recap
In game 1, TSM drafted and executed flawlessly. It took away several of OG's heroes with the bans and chose Enigma for itself, leaving OG to hunt for new heroes. ATF was extensively targeted throughout the drafting phase, and while he still got to play Underlord, a hero he is highly familiar with, TSM made sure he did not get off to another overpowering start. Following the laning stage, the North American squad played aggressively, giving OG a taste of its own style. TSM won the opening game in 33 minutes thanks to a full outplay.
In game 2, SabeRLight- had a difficult outing since his final pick, Dark Seer, failed miserably. He had a difficult laning stage matchup, and his concerns persisted throughout the game. OG persevered in preying on TSM's heroes and won the game in 38 minutes with a powerful effort that featured 45 kills.
Game 3 was a tight struggle between the two teams. Following a reasonably balanced first half, both sides won alternate teamfights as the game went on. In the game's last pivotal teamfight, both teams employed buybacks, but OG was able to come out on top and go straight for the Throne to win in 42 minutes. ATF's decision to go for items like Aether Lens, Force Staff, and others was unusual, but it worked wonderfully for his squad in this game.
Game 4 was a stomp. The drafts appeared to be equal at the start of the game, but as it turned out, OG allowed no room for TSM to execute its strategies. OG was unrelenting, with ATF leading the onslaught on his offlane Mars, and they secured kill after kill. TSM began losing people in their quest to get farm, and with only 4 kills against OG's 37, tapped out after 33 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
Following a break of a couple of weeks, DPC action will return with the Tour 3 regional leagues around the first week of June.
