OG Crushes Thunder Awaken to Continue Lower Bracket Run at Stockholm Major 2022

A display of sheer outclass from OG's side has seen the team eliminate Thunder Awaken 2-0 in the lower bracket quarterfinals of the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022. OG left Thunder completely in the dust in both games as it picked two different drafts and annihilated it with both of them. OG was able to dictate the pace of the game, with the opponents unable to make any meaningful moves. OG wins its third series in the lower bracket and win play Gaimin Gladiators next, keeping its hopes alive for the Majors alive while Thunder is eliminated in the top six spot.

OG vs Thunder Awaken: Match Recap and Highlights

Recap

In game 1, OG's aggressive gameplay was executed flawlessly. Thunder's supports rotated really well in the first few minutes to score a couple of important kills, but from then until the end, the game was highlighted by OG’s dominance. Every player on it maximized its farm to the greatest extent possible while also making outstanding moves to shut down Thunder. Thunder's map shrank as the game progressed, and it was forced to ‘GG’ after only 27 minutes.

In game 2, OG chose a new mix of heroes, with Ammar playing Viper, Ceb playing a position five Monkey King, and Taiga playing an out of meta Nyx Assassin. However, the draft was ideally suited to meet the team's aggressive playstyle while also countering much of what the Thunder's draft was effective at. Thunder responded adequately to OG's aggression this time initially, but it was unable to match the level of execution. Only Pakazs' Terrorblade could keep up with the opposing cores, but he was not powerful enough to win the game on his own, and Thunder fell after 32 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

Although OG was hot and cold in the first few days of the Major, its form has drastically improved in the lower bracket. All five players are achieving excellent results individually and collectively, and seem fully aware of what the win condition is.

Even though four out of five players are new to the OG squad, the support which the team is continuing to garner is truly impressive. When OG plays, the crowd roars for it, getting it so fired up that Thunder's position five player Jose Leonardo "Pandaboo" Padilla Hernandez stated in his exit interview that he too felt like cheering for OG while listening to the crowd.

With beastcoast finishing in the top eight, and Thunder in the top six, both top teams have done South American Dota 2 proud this time. From the start, Thunder stood strong, making its way directly into the upper bracket but fell short of two ferocious contenders (Tundra and now OG). However, the type of gameplay Thunder exhibited at this event, particularly its teamfight skills, was truly spectacular.

In the hunt for the ESL One Stockholm Major trophy, only four teams now remain - Tundra Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, OG, and TSM.