Cover-Credits:
Team Falcons is showing no signs of slowing down in the 2024 Dota 2 competitive season, having racked up another tournament win in the form of ESL One Birmingham. The event commenced with a stand-in setback for the team as midlaner Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak encountered visa issues. Falcons got them resolved and then later found itself on the verge of elimination in the lower bracket. However, the team embarked on an incredible journey, overcoming Team Liquid and then OG to advance to the final day. On this day, Falcons was at its best, defeating Tundra Esports 2-0 before besting BetBoom Team 3-0 in the grand final to emerge as the champion. This is the third tier one tournament title for Falcons this year, having already won BetBoom Dacha Dubai and DreamLeague Season 22.
Team Falcons vs BetBoom Team: ESL One Birmingham 2024 grand final recap and highlights
Recap
In Game 1, BetBoom drafted a fast paced lineup with MieRo' on Visage, gpk on Keeper of the Light, and Nightfall on Bloodseeker. The plan was to look for pickoffs, get tower kills, and build a lead. ATF on Underlord was a possible barrier in such attempts, and BetBoom made sure to shut him down by killing him four times in the first 11 minutes. Constant kills for BetBoom let it build a 6k lead in 22 minutes and get Aegis for Nightfall, but Falcons' incredible target prioritization in teamfights helped it win one crucial fight and stop the enemies from building a lead any further.
BetBoom lost the momentum, allowing Falcons' heroes to grow stronger as the match progressed into the late game, culminating in a win in 46 minutes.
Game 2 was even more demoralizing for BetBoom, as it appeared to be cruising to victory 25 minutes in with 15 kills to Falcons' 3, but again gave away the momentum. The networth lead was, once again not huge, and Falcons turned things around with one major teamfight win. ATF may have been targeted once more, but his teammates avenged his deaths with impeccable teamfight skills to pick up a win in 51 minutes.
In Game 3, Falcons chose comfort heroes for its cores, with ATF on Mars, Malr1ne on Timbersaw, and skiter on Dragon Knight, and their prowess on them was evident from the get go, as all three performed well in their respective lanes. By the third game, BetBoom had lost steam and could muster only six kills. Falcons made no mistakes and won emphatically in 40 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
Despite a slow start with a stand-in, Falcons did not take long to regain its top form upon Malr1ne's return to the playing lineup. The team was not expected to lose to Tundra Esports at the start of the playoffs but did not succumb to the pressure of the lower bracket where it defeated Liquid and then OG.
In fact, Falcons improved with each series and achieved a clean sweep on the final day.
Unfortunately for BetBoom, the team faces disappointment once again as another top tournament concludes with a second place finish. This is already its second grand final loss to Falcons in 2024.
In recent years, competitive Dota 2 has seen some strong runs from various teams where they have shown dominance for significant stretches of the season. Team Secret was a force to be reckoned with during the online 2020 season, while PSG.LGD enjoyed periods of success in both 2021 and 2022.
Then, Gaimin Gladiators took the competitive Dota 2 world by storm in 2023 with a record breaking six tournament victories in a row. Falcons is now following a similar trajectory in 2024, and it will be interesting to see how long this run lasts.
The next set of top tournaments includes PGL Wallachia Season 1, DreamLeague Season 23, and Riyadh Masters 2024, scheduled to take place from May to July.
